BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — The long-awaited Sagicor West Indies High Performance Centre was officially launched in grand style here Sunday evening, with West Indies Cricket Board president Julian Hunte urging the Caribbean to throw their support behind the venture.

Staged at the UWI Cave Hill Campus and attended by several dignitaries, including Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson, the event formally inaugurated the HPC which welcomed its first batch of players last Monday.

“Let us make the High Performance Centre a place of collective endeavour, where the Board, sponsors, governments, fans and players can place their faith in the future of West Indies cricket,” Hunte told those present.

“Let us make the Centre a symbol of our desire to overcome our differences and invest in the possibilities, we owe this to the young people gathered here and the future men and women who will enter this Centre.

“So let us all work to ensure that this Centre becomes an inspiration for young people to strive to achieve for their own betterment and that of West Indies cricket.”

Hunte was speaking to a gathering that included WICB chief executive Dr Ernest Hilaire, chairman of regional selectors Clyde Butts and several legendary West Indies players including Cammie Smith, Clive Lloyd, Desmond Haynes, Wayne Daniel and Courtney Walsh.

The inductees were reminded of the rich legacy they have been entrusted to revive, during a multi-media presentation presented by UWI Cave Hill Principal Sir Hilary Beckles.

Aptly themed “An Innings of Note”, the presentation traced the path of West Indies Test cricket throughout its glorious history.

Professor Beckles said the birth of the HPC was an investment in the current and future generations to return West Indies cricket to its halcyon days.

“It has been a very long journey to this moment and we welcome the first cohort of students in the HPC. I am sure you all feel very hungry to get out there and in time sustain this legacy,” he said.

“The lesson you would have learnt is that West Indies Test cricket started at the bottom. After 30 years it rose to the top. Then it fell to the bottom again for 10 years then it rose to the top again for 20 years then it fell to the bottom again and we are now looking to return to the position that we have become accustomed to.

“In that sense we are investing heavily in you and those who will follow you because there is an expectation from everyone here, we will look to you to take us back where we belong.”

The ceremony saw entertainment from noted Barbadian calypsonian The Mighty Gabby and the legendary Lord Relator of Trinidad, the latter of who rolled back the years with a medley of his familiar hits including “Ramadin and Valentine”.

Renowned Caribbean storyteller Paul Keens-Douglas also provided entertainment at the event which was hosted by ex-Windies fast bowler Ian Bishop.