A West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) territorial development officer is hoping that Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007 will revive the fortunes of the region's cricket. Barbadian Wendell Coppin, a former West Indies Youth team representative, believes the West Indies' label as hosts could be significant since - even with their meagre overseas record - they continue to be competitive on home soil. Coppin made the remarks while delivering the feature address at St. Lucia's second annual National Cricket Awards ceremony on Saturday evening. "What is most evident thus far is that emerging from the hosting of Cricket World Cup 2007 is the infrastructural development," Coppin said. "Development that will see all Caribbean people standing as brothers, and I say that holistically to include our sistren, that will see us being able to travel the Caribbean as one, supporting our West Indies players, as we move around with anticipated pleasure at seeing a West Indies team progressing to the ultimate goal - champions of the world," he added. New beginning The Barbadian coach said with new stadia being built for the World Cup and infrastructural changes and upgrades being undertaken throughout the region, his hope was for a new beginning of the future development of West Indies cricketers. "Our legacy plans should include structured development for cricket and cricketers from the back streets through the villages, on the beaches, and on the terraces, and ultimately in the lavish stadia. "Inherent is the recognition that the challenges which confront our contemporary youth - are different from those which youth from previous generations had to contend," he noted. Coppin suggested that administrators need to find a way to strike an acceptable balance between the time required for academic achievement as well as cricket. Scholarship programmes He called for the establishment of scholarship programmes where gifted multi-talented and academic students can continue to further their development both on the field and in the classroom. Coppin was also high in praise for the Saint Lucian all-rounder Darren Sammy, who emerged male Cricketer of the Year in Saint Lucia for 2006. "I have had the pleasure to work with Darren as a member of the West Indies A team during the home series with England, and I am making no excuse for saying that this young man possesses the commitment and the talent to be part of our World Cup squad," Coppin asserted. Reprinted from jamaica-gleaner.com