By Royston Alkins
Members of the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) on Monday evening elected a new executive at the club’s `Home of Legends’ Queenstown pavilion with Patrick Harding replacing Alfred Mentore as the new president.
Mentore, who surprisingly decided not to contest the post of president stated with visible emotion:”In all humility, I will seek to clear the air and humbly support the next president and executive in the transition period. I’ve had decided not to seek re-election to office.”
Former West Indies all-rounder Roger Harper is now a vice president.
The posts of president and vice president were uncontested in a long and eventful evening as Mentore and the other outgoing executives were grilled about a number of issues which included the financial and membership standing of the historic club.
The script was much of the same for the other executive positions as nominations were made without anyone challenging them. Lawrence Smith is now the second Vice-President, Reginald Brotherson, the Secretary and Ruth Howard, the Treasurer.
Kirk Douglas is the Assistant Secretary/ Treasurer and Dennis Squires the Club Captain.
The positions of Indoor Club Captain and Public Relations Officer were filled by Troy Halley and journalist Adam Harris respectively.
National cricketer Paul Wintz, Dexter George, Gladwin Brandis, Dionne Cush, and Mahendra Jaikarran comprise the rest of the executive.
The Annual General Meeting, which started an hour late, saw several interruptions with members questioning the financial and membership standing of the club.
Harper said the financial report was incomplete.
“The report is incomplete. It doesn’t give the membership the true financial standing of the club. It doesn’t show what’s in our bank account or what we owe,” Harper said.
The members agreed not to adopt a number of the reports and as a result, the old executive and the new one, will meet at a date or dates agreed on to flesh out the matter.
Under Mentore, the club would have endured a number of highs and lows. The club saw an injunction filed against the Executives while winning a number of local competitions and elevating a number of their youth players to the national and West Indies Team.
