Mr. Speaker, I think it is safe to say that among the several contentious issues that have bedeviled us in this House, few have been as vexed and contentious as the issue of cricket administration. The quarrel and I believe the Hon. Minister has alluded to this, has frequently generated, I am afraid, more heat than light; the polemics have been vituperative; there have been yards of column inches; they have flooded the courts with serial injunctions; and all the while, the two sides have dug in, launching missiles at each other…
Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine in support of the Guyana Cricket Administration Bill
The Guyana Cricket Board, now known as “Cricket GUY Inc” will be holding elections for office bearers on 29 January 2017. It was initially incorporated under the Companies Act 1991 in August 2011 under the name “D.E.B Essential Organisation Inc.”, following a High Court ruling that the Board lacked corporate status and therefore could not sue or be sued. It was around the same time that the Government of Guyana began to craft legislation on cricket administration following an attempt to install an Interim Management Committee under the leadership of Clive Lloyd to bring about some order and respectability to cricket administration.
The current office holders, who in all probability will seek re-election, are Dru Bahadur (President), Anand Sanasie (Secretary), Ramsey Ali (Director), Fizul Bacchus (Director) and nine other directors. None of these, except perhaps Alfred Mentore, have played any representative cricket in terms of participation at the First Division, county or national levels. This meeting of the Board comes at a time when, it is fair to say, that cricket and cricket administration are at their lowest ebb during the last 50 years or so. It is therefore incumbent on those persons representing the various cricketing bodies, who will be participating in the election of a new executive, to put aside personal interest, reflect on the sad state of cricket in Guyana, and elect officials who can work assiduously towards restoring the game to its former glory. Basil Butcher once said that we need cricket administrators who know the game and who have played cricket at a representative level. However, his advice continues to be ignored.
It is said that cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. It is also a gentleman’s game in that it does not matter who wins or who loses the game. Rather, it is how the game is played. Cricket brings out the true character of a person. If you are a selfish person who is more interested in your personal performance, it shows up quickly. On the other hand, if you are a team player, willing and able to sacrifice your personal performance in the interest of the team, it also shows up. Winning a game of cricket depends to a large extent on team spirit. A team can have eleven of the best players but without team spirit, it could very well lose the game. Team spirit is the invisible twelfth person hovering over the field of play and guiding the team towards victory. Once I played a week of cricket in Nickerie, Suriname, and at one of the speeches after the games, someone had remarked that a friend in cricket is a friend always. I have found so much truth in that statement.
Cricket in Georgetown in the 1970s
In 1970, I relocated to Georgetown to attend university. Every weekend, both Saturdays and Sundays, my elder cousin would take me on his motor cycle to watch cricket. We would start with Thomas Lands and stop to watch the games being played at the Post Office ground (opposite the Army Headquarters), Public Service Union ground, Transport and Harbours, Malteenoes, British Guiana Cricket Club, Queen’s College (where three games were played) and YMCA. We would then cross Camp Street to the Police Ground at Eve Leary (where two games were played) after which we would head to the Bookers Sports Club ground which is now the headquarters of GBTI. .
Our next stop was Everest Cricket Club on Carifesta Avenue, Catholic Guild Club, GUYSTAC Trade II ground, Guyana National Service ground, and St. Stanislaus College ground (where two games were played). We would also pass through Woolford Avenue to watch the matches at Gandhi Youth Organisation, Central High School, Muslim Youth Organisation, GUYNEC, and Teachers’ ground. Then, we would go over to Demerara Cricket Club, followed by a visit to the Bourda ground. In short, during the 1970s, cricket lovers and enthusiasts could have had the luxury of watching some 26 cricket matches being played in Georgetown, weather permitting. The same could be said of the numerous games that were played in Berbice, other parts of Demerara, and Essequibo. It was a joy, indeed a spectacle, to watch players immaculately dressed in white displaying their batting, bowling and fielding skills, with the crowds cheering when a good stroke was played, a wicket fell, a catch taken, or a brilliant run out effected.
Of the cricket grounds mentioned above, it is indeed sad to note that cricket is now being played on only eight them – Transport, Malteenoes, Police, Everest, GYO, MYO, DCC and Bourda – and the matches are few and apart. The quality of the game also pales in comparison to that of yester year. In the 1970s, there were four levels of cricket – Case Cup, Northcote, Wight Cup and Third Class and the standard was extremely high. Today, only two levels of cricket are being played.
Organised cricket in schools
During the 1960s and 1970s, there was organized cricket in both primary and secondary schools. I remember my high school days when competitive cricket was played among the secondary schools in Central Corentyne. From those matches, a team was selected to play against the Upper and Lower Corentyne teams. It is from those matches that players were selected to participate in trial matches in Georgetown to enable selectors to pick the national youth team. One of the most embarrassing moments for me while playing for the then Corentyne High School was when I dropped a catch from Alvin Kallicharran on the boundary just in front of the Port Mourant pavilion, much to the delight of the spectators. Alvin was in an aggressive mood on that day because he had to travel the following day to Georgetown to participate in a trial match to select the Guyana senior team.
During my earlier teaching days, I was a Games Master at Tain Government School. I recall Derek Kallicharran, at the age of nine, being selected to represent the school at cricket. Not so long ago, we happened to be on the same team, participating in two games in Florida. When I reminded him of his early cricket days and how he was selected, he merely blushed. At East La Penitence Government School, Wyckliffe McAllister and Ashton Taylor showed quite some promise. Wyckliffe went on to play for the Guyana Defence Force while Ashton took to football and represented Guyana.
Crisis in cricket administration
There is no doubt that in the minds of cricket lovers and players alike, indeed the public, that this national game of cricket that has produced so many players of international repute – Lance Gibbs, Clive Lloyd, Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher, Joe Soloman, Alvin Kallicharran, Roger Harper, Carl Hooper, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan – has fallen into a state of disrepute. The main contributory factor, in my view, is that persons aspiring to become cricket administrators have put their personal interest in their quest for power and influence ahead of the interest of the game. There is evidence of all sorts of manipulations to take the reins of control over cricket administration from the cricket club level through the various area boards and associations, to the level of the Guyana Cricket Board. Dr. Roopnaraine made reference to this undesirable practice when he stated that “When it came to the very vexed question of phantom clubs – the Minister alluded to this – the charge was being made that elections could not be fair because clubs were just created for the purpose of elections and so on”.
Mr. Lumumba also made the following observation:
Leadership and, in particular, ethical leadership, must be the yardstick of any social organization. It is inappropriate to put a thief, a culprit or a shady character to head a segment of society. And it is more regretful when politicians and men and women of cloth choose to represent characters who have the capacity to paint their path with birthday parties, outrageous fees and complimentary tickets to buy favours.
When these things occur, the good of the organization will often derail the dreams of our young sports men and women and their future is then cast aside. The objective of the organization then becomes a wealth scheme for the few and the role of the National Assembly can be questioned if we do not act decisively.
I have seen a number of court documents where warring factions sought judicial intervention to advance their cause. I shall refer to three such matters. First, in the matter involving Roger Harper and Davteerth Anandjit (plaintiff) and 19 other persons most of whom being current directors of Cricket Guy Inc. (defendants), the High Court, on 25 January 2013, granted an interim injunction restraining the defendants from convening an Annual General Meeting of the Demerara Cricket Board pending the hearing and final determination of a summons.
Second, in a matter involving Roger Harper and Davteerth Anandjit (plaintiff) and the 19 other persons referred to above (defendants), the High Court, on 28 November 2014, granted an interim injunction restraining the defendants from convening an Ordinary General Meeting of the Demerara Cricket Board pending the hearing and final determination of a summons. The High Court further ordered that the defendants be restrained from making any changes to the Constitution of the Demerara Cricket Board or taking any action on behalf of the Board or holding themselves out as officers of the Board.
Third, in the matter involving the Guyana Cricket Board, Demerara Cricket Board, Essequibo Cricket Board, East Bank Cricket Association, Eccles Cricket Club and Cricket Guy Inc. (plaintiffs); and the Attorney General and the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport (defendants), the Chief Justice, on 29 April 2015, ordered and directed that the holding of elections for office bearers of bodies under the Cricket Administration Act No. 14 of 2014 be suspended until the hearing and determination of the substantive action. Evidence was seen where a notice of appeal was filed but it is unclear what was the outcome of the appeal.
Next week, we shall examine in detail the Cricket Administration Act.
