Dear Editor,
I am writing this letter to clear up some misconceptions that are currently being circulated by Mr Bissoondial Singh.
Firstly, he claims that the majority of players representing Demerara and Guyana come from the Georgetown and East Coast Boards. However, I beg to differ. For quite some time now the East Coast U-15, U-17 and U-19 players were selected based on their practice sessions that were held by me, Mr Latchman Yadram and Mr Orin Bailey at the Enmore Cricket Club.
It must be noted that, the Bissoondyal Singh-led, East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) had no input; instead they went to clubs and threatened lawsuits, etc. Nevertheless, I persevered and sent three teams to the age group competitions. It is also noteworthy to say that the U-15s and U-19s finished second in their respective competitions. I believe that with a few more resources, we could have done a lot better.
Also, the following players were selected for to represent Demerara and President’s XI at the Inter-County 2014.
From the above mentioned, three players represented Guyana at the Regional U-19 (Damion Waldron, Gavin Moriah and Brian Sattuar); Bhaskar Yadram was in the U-15 and Ramnarine Chaturia the U-17. Also, Gavin Moriah played for Demerara in the senior inter-county 4-day competition.
If the clubs had fallen for the threats made by Mr Bissoondial Singh, the players would not have gotten the opportunity to play cricket at a higher level and mix with players from other clubs. This experience is truly a necessary and vital one for players.
Another very disturbing incident that is currently being played out is the constant threats of suing the sponsor of the East Coast Cricket Committee 50-Over Competition.
Sponsorship is the lifeblood of sports, and threats of lawsuits to sponsors generally kill sports. The clubs together form the ECCB and its legality may be need to be answered in the court, since many clubs claimed they have no knowledge of the election that was held on August 10, 2014. No one remember hearing or seeing any notice about this election in the media, by official notice or any other means.
I also take this opportunity to remind Mr Bissoondial Singh that freedom of association is a constitutional right of Guyanese and no amount of threats can deny us this right.
Our aim is to ensure cricket is played on the East Coast, players are represented, and they are provided with an opportunity to further their careers. The integrity of the gentleman that forms the core of this group cannot be questioned.
In cricket parlance, you have been given out and used up your review.
Yours faithfully,
Anil Persaud