JERMAINE LANNAMAN, STAR Writer

FORMER West Indies batsman Lawrence Rowe has described last weekend's staging of his inaugural West Indies Cricket Legends Weekend as a success, and one that he is hoping to replicate in the future.

The three-day event, which was staged across Florida, saw Rowe bringing together a host of former West Indies players in a bid to raise funds for his charity foundation.

Dubbed "Twenty-Five Legends of West Indies Cricket", the event featured a meet-and-greet session last Friday, a gala banquet a day later, and a 30-overs celebrity match the following day.

The celebrity match-up was held at Central Broward Regional Park.

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"When people like Brian Lara stand up and say it was one of the best cricketing events that he has been a part of, as the organiser, you must feel good," said Rowe.

"He (Lara) was not on the banquet programme to speak, however at the end, he took the microphone, and praised the foundation for its efforts."

The Rowe Foundation, which is jointly headed by Rowe's wife, Audrey, focuses on the care and protection of the former West Indies players, as well as at-risk youth in South Florida.

The banquet, at which former West Indies wicketkeeper Derryck Murray delivered the keynote address, was attended by 23 of the scheduled 25 West Indies legends.

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These included Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Andy Roberts, along with Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, and Alvin Kalicharan.

Clive Lloyd and Courtney Walsh were noticeably absent due to West Indies duties.

"We had a PowerPoint presentation with memorable pictures and career stats on all the featured 25 legends, which delighted the audience," noted Rowe, the former Jamaica batsman who delighted the world with his stroke play during the 1970s.

"We had about 3,000 people turning out for the match, about 2,000 short of what we thought would be a good breaking point," explained Rowe.

"It was nonetheless a wonderful experience. We also had several elder Legends players taking time to enter the field of play for brief periods, which the crowd enjoyed."

Former West Indies and Jamaica fast bowler Patrick Patterson who, according to Rowe, is "experiencing some difficulties", is set to be the beneficiary of this year's event.