Date-stamped : 03 Jan97 - 14:23 1 January 1997 Viv Richards Appointed As Ambassador-at-Large Antigua and Barbuda`s Prime Minister Lester Bird has announced the appointment of former West Indies cricket captain Vivian Richards as an Ambassador-at-Large for the country and the re- gional game. In his New Year`s Day message to the nation, Bird said he has also approached Her Majesty the Queen to knight Richards in her June Birthday Honours list for his outstanding contribution to the sport. The Antiguan leader also said one of his first assignment will be to lobby for the West Indies to host the World Cup Cricket Series in 2003. The former West Indies great, when knighted will be called Sir Vivian Richards. He played in 121 Tests between 1974-91, includ- ing 50 as W.I. captain and scored 8,540 runs at an average of 50.23. Contributed by Michael Bascombe (bas@caribsurf.com)