Dear Editor,
The Essequibo Cricket Board is made up of eight area committees, namely, Bartica, Leguan, Wakenaam, Pomeroon, East Bank, South, Central and North Essequibo. Each area has its own executive body and organizes its own competitions, except in cases where the ECB would hold trial matches or host its annual competitions based on sponsorships. These committees are rarely assisted by the ECB because of financial, technical and administrative constraints. As a result, most of the committees find it difficult to acquire adequate sponsorship to play cricket for the major part of the year. In such circumstances the players, ranging from junior to senior are left isolated and without any meaningful cricketing integration.
Morale is at its lowest ebb at the junior level since there is no schooling or competitions for them. The worst case scenario would be the experience of seeing many of them attending a hastily organized trial match in preparation for an inter-county tournament when they have never worn a pair of pads before and are ignorant about the basic rules of the game. The identical scenario applies to the females too. In the case of the seniors, it is quite difficult to get them to play three-day matches primarily owing to economic and family commitments, but there is no attempt by the ECB, or for that matter, the cricketing hierarchy to find a solution.
Such a hopeless situation has been allowed to continue for far too long, and why should this be? I attribute it to the administrative structures of the various committees which are simply unresponsive and comprise mostly non-functioning and unimaginative personnel. Very few if any of the eight committees will attest to having timely statutory meetings or can produce a developmental plan that has been successfully implemented within their constituency.
The ECB is no different because the executives are made up of the very persons who would have failed within their own committees. The constitution provides for persons outside the parameters of the area boards to hold executive positions but rarely does the status quo allow for it. The ECB must be held accountable, and as a former player and coach, I am not convinced that the current executives have made a genuine attempt to advance the cause of raising the standard of cricket in the county. The existing woeful deficiencies continue to be an albatross around the neck of Essequibo cricket for the following reasons:
1. The Board’s office remains closed even as the administrator continues to be paid by the ECB/GCB. This was a position that was advertised and applicants were interviewed. Such blatant disrespect by the Board to condone this poor service is unpardonable. The office also has a telephone but it has never worked, yet the bill has to be paid, while no one can access the number to gain any information on the Board. Just how can the ECB which statistically has considerable influence at the level of the GCB remain in such a state of delusion? Perhaps the Board should seriously think of exerting its numerical dominance at the level of the GCB to much more fruitful effect (not by the executives gaining through appointment to GCB posts while the players are failing because of neglect). Conversely, the BCB is a perfect example of obtaining value for money from its office and committed staff, even as they continue to be denied the obligatory funds by the GCB. I am therefore suggesting that the ECB replace the current administrator. The holder of the office must satisfactorily account for his salary in accordance with the terms and conditions of employment.
2. The hostel needs to be immediately renovated since the infrastructure has visibly deteriorated, including the toilet and bathroom facilities. Bat, owl and pigeon faeces have filtered into the building, while the surrounding area is plagued with bushes and stray animals. The current state of the hostel is not fit for human habitation, especially for cricketers who complained about the conditions before. I am referring to former national youth player Ryan Hercules who on behalf of East Bank Essequibo Cricket Committee had publicly chastised the Board for the dehumanizing conditions and uncomplimentary meals they had encountered in the past. Little has changed. It also needs to be refurnished. The bed sheets, towels and pillow cases are unhealthily stored and in many cases would lead to players developing skin rashes. Why not employ a caretaker to keep the building tidy, especially since it is frequently rented? A proper inventory is not available either, even as executive members are allowed to borrow equipment for their personal use. The present scenario is that, sadly the hostel is woefully underutilized, conspicuously mismanaged and it is not serving in the best interest of the development of the players.
3. The practice facilities at the hostel were never completed and they remain white elephants. The area which was selected to have an earthen pitch instead is covered with bountiful grass for animals. The adjoining section has an enclosed facility where a concrete pitch was built and the Board’s bowling machine should have been installed there. The machine never worked and could not be found for four years. The sites still remain inoperable with much more work to be done for them to be considered proper practice facilities for the players.
4. The Cricket Development Committee of the Board was formed in January, yet to date not a single meeting has been convened, much less any plans considered that could have been executed. The two full-time coaches are rarely seen in the various committees because they do not have a mandate from the Board and they seem less motivated to work. Two months were available given the closure of the schools to mobilize the young players for camps, yet the golden opportunity was ignored. Camps were held as required every year in Demerara and Berbice. Just when will a player feel confident enough to approach the ECB seeking help on improving his game, or can he rely on the facilities to actually work on his weaknesses? The success of the few players who were born within the county including Ramnaresh Sarwan, Ransford Beaton, Ricardo Adams and Kemo Paul can partly be credited to the ECB; however it was due to their migration to Georgetown and the fact they joined productive clubs that contributed significantly to their proud elevation. In Beaton’s case, he is at the High Performance Centre in Barbados and will need to join the migration list too, if his imminent ascension to the highest level is to be realized. It is not the ideal prospect, but realistically it is the only dream if any player is to fulfil his true potential, given the limited opportunities that currently exist in Essequibo.
5. Within the eight area committees there are very few trained umpires, hence it is challenge for clubs to produce quality cricket because of poor umpiring from virtually anyone who is available at the time to perform the duties. Yet the ECB has not seen the importance of collaborating with the Umpires’ Association to train prospective umpires. It is a critical area that needs urgent attention if the sport is to be developed in the county. Unfortunately there are some umpires who have complained of strained relations with officials as well as late and sometimes non-payment by the ECB for their services.
These are only a few of the deterrent factors that have crippled the sport in Essequibo, and while the end of the year is rapidly approaching, the ECB has little to show as its achievements. Whether this trend is maintained to the detriment of the county’s players or a conscientious effort is made to achieve measurable success, remains in the sphere of the administration.
The county deserves a more responsible, proactive and dedicated administration that will provide the necessary guidance and leadership to the area committees in developing untapped and existing talent that the county is known to produce. I am therefore hopeful that the ECB can soon commence a transformational process by acknowledging its administrative negligence and strive towards productively utilizing the resources at its disposal in a transparent manner. This will lead to the county and the players vying for national selection becoming progressively more competitive.
Yours faithfully,
Elroy Stephney
