GCB reveals way forward

Feb 12, 2009 Sports

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Aims to forge stronger relationship with media

By Sean Devers
The new executive of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), although beaten a few times, showed solid defense as the media delivered a few verbal bouncers at the GCB secretariat yesterday during a discussion forum on the way forward for Guyana’s cricket.

Guyana’s cricket seems to have hit rock bottom with a record four consecutive defeats in this year’s regional first-class competition coming on the heals of the GCB pre-elections campaigning episodes.

GCB’s Public Relations Officer Terry Holder opined that with the elections now finished the local cricket media should now look forward and now dwell on negative election issues. The eloquent Holder urged the media to assist with Guyana’s cricket development adding that the GCB recognized that it cannot work without the support of the national media.

“We want to work with the media and forge a stronger relationship for the betterment of Guyana’s cricket,” Holder told the journalists.

Re-elected President Chetram Singh unveiled several plans the GCB has on stream for the resurrection of Guyana’s cricket and informed that some GCB executives recently met with Guyana’s Sports Minister Dr Frank Anthony, his Permanent Secretary and the Director of Sports Neil Kumar.

Among the concerns raised with the Government officials were the requirements of having cricket played at school level and the role that the Sports Ministry, the Education Ministry and the GCB can play in school cricket.

Singh said an assessment of the resources available to the GCB needed to be done with information regarding ownership of grounds and what can be done at the community level, very important aspects of plans for the way forward.

The GCB head also said discussions are currently ongoing on the establishment of a Cricket Academy.
“The suggestion is that we consider using the National Stadium as the location because of the facilities there for classrooms and accommodation.

We have to find out the level of budget necessary and with so many of our former players residing overseas, how would we be able to attract a Kanhai and a Kallicharran to support this development? I can say that we are hopeful that the Academy could be set up by the end of the year,” Singh said.

He added that the Minister has promised support in several areas like getting the Television stations to help maintain interest in cricket as the national game.

Singh, also a director on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), disclosed that the Board last Friday appointed a new Cricket Development Committee. “Perhaps we were guilty of not giving the last committee adequate guidance, but none of us was satisfied with the plans and proposals submitted.” “We need to have everybody who has constructive ideas for the way forward for Guyana’s cricket to share them with us. We have never claimed as a Board a monopoly over ideas on cricket,” Singh continued.

He said the new committee will design ways for interaction with groups and individuals and said the media could stimulate public dialogue to help the plan take shape.

Singh informed that the cricket committee is made up of former Test and national players who are still in Guyana and explained that he has had dialogue with new chairman of Guysuco’s board N.K. Gopaul and informed that most of the ‘red tape’ stalling the construction of the indoor cricket facility and Hostel at LBI on the East Coast of Demerara, have been cleared up.

“By the end of the week we should be talking to the Ministry of Housing to start construction. The Hostel will be similar to the one (at the National Cricket Centre) in Trinidad and will accommodate 34 persons and be equipped with a kitchen. This facility should be completed by August if there is no bad weather,” Singh said. Singh reminded that the $55 million needed for this project is in the bank and added that the GCB also has the $35 million for a similar facility at Albion.

“We have had talks with the Berbice Cricket Board and now that the bridge has been built teams could travel to and from Berbice the same day so what they are saying is that we build the indoor practice facility at Albion and instead of a hostel we build a BCB office in New Amsterdam since the BCB already has land in that Town,” Singh informed.

He said that the GNIC facility will be handed over to the Demerara Cricket Board. The GCB top man also reveled that matches in the inter-county under-15 tournament will be played at Anna Regina, while two matches in the regional under-15 competition to be hosted by Guyana in April, will be played at Albion.

It was also disclosed that a decision will be made at the GCB’s OGM in June on the structure of the senior Inter-county competition, while Singh said a decision was made to play two 50-over games instead of one two-day match in the inter-county under-15 competition which would see more games being played.

“We have decided to playing one-day games because the regional under-15 competition is a one-day competition but we at the GCB feel that one-day cricket is not the best thing for young players to develop their game and the national junior selectors have asked me to ask the West Indies Board to revert to the two-day matches they had when the regional under-15 competition first began,” Singh added.

Singh also said the unavailability of players for the local season due to their commitments overseas is a major concern to the GCB.

“We have tried to get jobs for players so that they can remain in Guyana and play in a strong first division competition but many of the players just don’t want to get up in the mornings and go to work.

They would rather to go off to Trinidad and play for sometimes very little money at a not too high standard of cricket just to say they went to Trinidad to play. Our rule is that you must play two club matches to be eligible for your county but for most of the year our standard is low because most of the top players are unavailable,” Singh lamented.

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