Dear Editor,
I would like to air my two bits on the ongoing feud that has been engulfing our cricket lately. Let me begin with the Demerara Cricket Board and its sub-associations. I think it was in 1991 that in the lead-up to the election in West Demerara, new faces appeared on the scene, which was good to see. However, it was very confrontational, with the judiciary being involved to settle the issues, and a new dispensation was born. Also in the early 2000s on the East Bank Demerara a similar situation prevailed, only this time it was bullyism. Research in our dailies during the mentioned periods can verify my claims; nothing of this kind prevailed within the Georgetown or East Coast Cricket Associations.
Of note, there were competitions held within these area associations, but only the latter two associations have ever completed competitions with the same number of clubs which started, so something had to be radically wrong with the EBCA and WDCA. It seems as though that in the run-up to the elections of these two associations, clubs were conveniently formed so as to obtain votes, and then disappeared into the twilight during the period of competition. A careful review by the Guyana Cricket Board into the affairs of the two associations and their competitions should be held, but herein lies the big problem.
Over the years, only the GAC and the ECCA have had cricket at all levels continuously as well as an annual cricket academy. It seems as though those at the helm of the EBCA and WDCA are not interested in the actual development of this great game and follow the example of some of the clubs under their watch in the best interest of cricket development.
I was fortunate to witness a very distasteful incident at the DCC ground where the youth teams of Demerara and Berbice were engaged in a Guyana Cricket Board competition, when an official of the WDCA caused a delay to the start for over one hour to present a team list of his choice as against one being submitted by the Demerara Board youth selectors to the match officials. You can imagine the chilling experience those young men witnessed, and that is only one such transgression; there are also the controversy about the two GCB hostels and two constitutions. The EBCA official in question at a board meeting, unable to get his own way, used the most unimaginable language that may not even be heard in the fish section of a market.
Now that the GCB election is about to be held, I am not attempting to enter into a campaign for any of the candidates. All three of the candidates are successful businessmen in their respective areas; it starts and ends there. Their personalities vary as do their respective demands. Let me begin with Mr Ramsey Ali; he is guided by the policies of the company he works for. As marketing manager for the GCB, can he say how successful his stint was.
Mr Bishwa Panday, owner of several businesses, served 16 or 17 years. He was secretary of the GCB which is the second most powerful position in organisation, so can he say what his pluses as against his minuses were.
His one year as President for the Georgetown Cricket Association was a success, no argument there, but can he say what happened to those sponsors after that stint. Mr Bissondial Singh’s stint so far is only surpassed by the many Presidents of the Georgetown Cricket Association efforts; hats off to him.
In order for cricket to be as it was and should be, we should ask the Berbice Cricket Board to head our GCB. Hats off to the BCA, and continue the good team work.
Yours faithfully,
Michael Vanderstoop
