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Singh puts speculation to rest
– will contest GCB elections
Chetram Singh
By Rawle Welch
Incumbent President of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Chetram Singh put to rest all speculations about his ambitions to run for another term when he confirmed to Kaieteur Sport yesterday that he will contest the upcoming elections set for January 25.
Singh, who has been at the helm of the GCB since 1991, said that encouragement from the County and Area Boards along with highly influential members of the sports fraternity, were among the primary reasons for reversing his decision to call it a day which he stated was his fervent desire after faithfully serving in the capacity for the past 17 years.
“I felt that it was time to move into other areas of my life which I had neglected for so many years such as serving the Lions of which I’m currently a member, doing more community work and dedicating more time to my grandchildren,” Singh said.
“It was after the incessant calls and the pleas for me to carefully re-consider my choice to quit and conclude the jobs that we had started I decided to give it one more shot even though many also questioned the sense in giving it up with so much at stake,” Singh mentioned.
“They cited the upcoming 20/20 World Cup which is scheduled for April 2010 and the English tour where we’re expected to stage two one-day matches as other forceful reasons to carry on.”
Singh added that the support urging him not to resign, but to continue was overwhelming, especially in light of the fact that in the absence of a Local Organising Committee (LOC), it would be the GCB’s responsibility to make all preparations to host the matches in the 20/20 World Cup and with his vast experience, having attained after Guyana hosted the last Cricket World Cup coupled with his connections within the Business and Tourism and Hospitality sectors, it is vital that he remained at the helm to guide the GCB through that period and not leave it to chance that a new executive could operate with the efficiency that will be required.
Another overriding factor was that he oversees the completion of projects which started under his tenure, including the construction of hostels and indoor and training facilities in Demerara and Berbice and to manage the completion of work on similar ventures presently being undertaken in Essequibo.
According to him, the cost of the projects in Demerara and Berbice were in the vicinity of $90 million and the reason why work has not started as yet is because of the delay by GuySuCo in completing the paperwork.
He, however, advised that that should be completed within one month and the areas earmarked are La Bonne Intention (LBI) and Albion, because of their close proximity to cricket grounds.
Speaking about his plans should he retain the presidency, Singh, who has always endeavoured to ensure that Guyanese cricket lovers get the opportunity to see international matches whenever teams come to the Caribbean, said that his top priority would be to implore on the Area and County Boards to organise more cricket at the youth level because he feels that we need to get more young cricketers coming to the fore and have a consistent pool always available.
Another event that will take careful planning is the regional Under-15 tournament slated for April and that he mentioned is also high on his priority list.
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