Dear Editor,
I am quite concerned as a coach about the future of our young players, particularly the under 15 cricketers emerging from Essequibo. The Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) simply cannot continue to administer the game in such a callous manner.
It was indeed a welcome gesture when the ECB secured corporate sponsorship for its just concluded under 15 tournament. However the execution of this key competition which will be used to select the inter-county squad was an abject failure. During the first round held at the ARCCG, several players were allowed to play despite being over age, since the officials managing the teams couldn’t ascertain the age requirements. The same players were told to continue playing for the duration of the tournament since it appeared that the ECB was concerned about time and cost if they had to return home and be replaced. Is this prudent given the importance of the tournament?
I did observe several players in uniform either sitting on the bench or idling around during the following matches, some of whom apparently were within the age limit. Perhaps they were not good enough, so it didn’t matter. In addition, the competition was played without the provision of any playing regulations. The ECB never held a meeting with the committees to apprise them about the competition, and as a result it became a guessing game as to how the tournament should be played.
Incidentally, the eight area committees had to be drawn into four teams instead, a decision that was made without any consultation and this meant that the pool of players was disappointingly small. This is tragic when one considers that the under 15 level should be prudently managed since it is the most critical stage of any player’s development, something which should have been known to the Board as well. Instead, what I observed was an exercise in futility that has further exposed the ECB’s inability to develop an effective and achievable framework for the rise of cricket in Essequibo. I have chastised the ECB in the past for not having made proper preparations for the hosting of tournaments or the trials before selecting inter-county teams. In this case they did so but these were hastily executed and I am not convinced that the environment, including the absence of selectors at most of the games I witnessed, was in the best interest of the players. In fact the safety of the players was at risk as well since I observed that most of them ill-advisedly went out to bat without securing their helmet. The WICB under 15 playing regulations stipulate that every player must wear a helmet, including the wicket keeper, while standing up to the stumps. Such a condition is mandatory and the ECB cannot be ignorant of this fact, especially given the unavailability of medical personnel or first-aid kits at any of the grounds.
The players seemed not to have been properly supervised and were under-prepared for the serious nature of such a tournament. Sadly scores of ten and forty-six were some of the totals that emerged. Can the ECB say what some of the objectives they achieved were? I doubt if there were any. Unfortunately the young cricketers will continue to under achieve, not because of lack of talent, but as a result of the incompetent leadership of the ECB which has failed for too long to address issues constructively and in the best interest of the players. This is an undesirable position which may lead to ruining the careers and psyches of the next generation of Essequibo cricketers.
Yours faithfully,
Elroy Stephney
