William 'Billy' Heaven - File

Candidate for the post of president of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), William 'Billy' Heaven, says, if elected, one of his primary goals will be to ensure that the organisation is adequately funded.

Heaven, who is down to face off with incumbent first vice-president, Milton Henry, said in order to help achieve his funding target he also intends to appoint former West Indies Cricket Board president, Pat Rousseau, as chairman of the association's business development committee.

Heaven, who said the committee would include persons from private and public sectors.

regional body

Rousseau, who has been hailed as a pioneer in the quest to make the WICB more commercially viable, served as president of the regional body between 1996 and 2001.

The issue of fund-raising is expected to be high on the agenda of the JCA's 101 delegates, who are expected to cast their votes next Thursday during the association's Annual General Meeting.

This is partly due to the association's inability in recent years to woo sponsors and investors for its various programmes, including senior national competitions, and the upgrading of Sabina Park to include artificial lights.

Heaven, chief executive officer of the government's lottery-funded CHASE Fund is set to have Dr Donovan Bennett and Courtney Walsh, as his first and second vice-presidential running mates, respectively.

Henry, in the meantime, an engineer by profession, is set to have incumbent director Major Radcliffe Daley and St Ann Cricket Association president member of parliament Keith Walford as his first and second vice-presidential nominees, respectively.