Dear Editor,
The race for the presidency of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has now boiled down to a straight contest between the incumbent Chetram Singh and Bishwa Panday at the Annual General Meeting today.
Singh enjoys immense popularity with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and over the years has bargained successfully for international tours and important regional tournaments to be held in Guyana.
He used all his clout with the WICB and together with officials of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport won the bid for Guyana to be one of only three countries in the region to host the prestigious 20/20 World Cup competition in 2010.
Additionally he has secured Guyana as the host nation for the regional U-15 competition and for the second year in succession the regional one-day tournament in 2009. Guyana for the first time ever will host two back-to-back one-day internationals in March during this England tour.
It is well known in cricket circles that Singh was one of the prime advocates for a cricket venue of international standard to be built, not only for Cricket World Cup 2007 but for Guyana to be competitive in the WICB “bidding system” to host regional and international cricket. Several years ago he led delegations of cricket officials to meetings with the then Minister of Sport, Ms Gail Teixeira, to advance the cause for the construction of a national stadium. The traditional venue, the Georgetown Cricket Club, was sadly lagging behind in terms of the requisite standards for the hosting of international cricket, as new stadia were being built across the region. With the modern facilities at the National Stadium, together with the floodlights and reportedly the “fastest-drying” ground in the region, Guyana is assured of its place as an international cricket destination. Although a Government of Guyana project, Singh could be justifiably proud of the realization of his vision.
Through shrewd financial management, Singh has considerably improved the finances of the GCB to the extent that cricket hostels with indoor facilities are being built in the three counties as a vital part of the board’s cricket development programme, which in turn was aided by the Stanford Cricket Programme. Singh holds a tight rein on the board’s finances and ensures that there is no ‘excess’ in the utilization of the resources of the GCB.
Bish Panday for his part continues to harp on the length of time Singh has been at the helm of the GCB. Panday himself has been the Secretary of the board for an even longer period. Remarkably Panday has now awakened from his slumber and is promoting a document to promote cricket when for over 20 years he sat on the board with every opportunity to contribute to cricket development. It would be in the interest of Guyana cricket for Singh to be returned as president of the GCB, having regard to the packed programme of international and regional fixtures over the next two years.
Yours faithfully,
R I Ketwaru
