Stabroek News delivers a wide on Visa story

Jun 09, 2010 Sports

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Guyana won tournament paper claimed they did not attend

By Sean Devers

While the fire involving allegations against the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) continue to burn, a story in last Monday’s Stabroek News added to the flame that continue to engulf the shaky image of Guyana’s cricket.

The Newspaper claimed that the Guyana cricket team was refused Visas last year by the Canadian High Commission and had to miss an annual cricket Festival in Canada.

While this newspaper is among the most vocal in exposing corruption and everyone has a democratic right to voice their disapproval of impropriety, allegations, such at the one made by Stabroek News on their page 10 story must be verified before being published since such mis-information can do irreparable harm to the chances of talented young cricketers obtaining Visas to ply their trade in North America.

The Tournament which the paper claimed the Guyana team was forced to miss was in fact won by Guyana on June 21 last year at the L’Amoreaux Park, Scarborough, Ontario.

Guyana won the rain-hit Western Union 20/20 celebrity tournament, beating the Scarborough Cricket Association XI by 42 runs in the Final. The tournament formed part of the sporting celebrations of Guyana’s 43rd anniversary of Independence and was the second time a 20/20 format had been used. It was also the first time that the Guyanese were displaying their new 20/20 uniforms.

Guyana reversed a defeat by the Scarborough CA in a 10-over-a-side final on a rainy day in 2008 with a win on a sunny, and at times steamy, day following heavy Saturday rain. Leon Johnson’s 47 proved the pivotal innings of the Final, but the Scarborough XI paid dearly for six dropped catches.

Earlier, Guyana paced its innings well to beat the Toronto & District CA XI with 5 balls to spare to reach the final. Royston Crandon topped the scoring for Guyana with 30 runs and followed with 5 wickets for 18 runs from his 3 overs of spin. Chris Barnwell chipped in 21 runs at the top of the order and 2 wickets for 12 runs in 3 overs. Johnson made a useful 20 to keep the scoreboard ticking along. Yusuf Ravain topped the scoring for the T&D XI with 25 and Kenneth Wong made 22.

It is strange that the newspaper, as they had done in publishing a photo of a trail from a ‘wood ants nest’ which they claimed was a huge crack in the wall of the Chetram Singh Centre of Excellence at LBI, did not seek to verify their information.

I am among the few local Journalists who have repeatedly criticized aspects of the running of Guyana’s cricket by the GCB and such irresponsible journalism by the Stabroek News, which gives the impression that an agenda is being served, will do little to help when genuine grievances, such as the Essequibo Hostel and commentary booth at Anna Regina, are raised about the GCB.

A source close to the Canadian High Commission confirmed yesterday that at no time during last year an entire Guyana Cricket team was ever denied visas to travel to Canada and if the GCB is serious about creating opportunities for Guyana’s young players, they will demand that Stabroek News explain their story.

Savitri Persaud, Administrator of the GCB yesterday said she was surprised at the story since ‘not a single player was denied a Visa’ for last year’s tournament, while Guyana’s Director of Sport Neil Kumar, who traveled with the team to Canada, confirmed that Guyana did participate in the competition.

Despite their meeting with Guyana’s Minister of Sports Dr Frank Anthony, it seems that the two factions on the executive of the GCB are still on the ‘war path’ and the publicity given to the fiasco by sections of the media which seem to have little knowledge of cricket and what it means to Guyanese, is hurting a sport that many not on the GCB, make a living from.

A Journalist should report without fear or favour but the barrage of cricket related stories, written by those not confident enough to put their names to their work, sadly shows this is not always the case.

It is also interesting that very few ‘cricket writers’ have written on the current GCB problems and the acid-throwing incident on GCB Assistant Treasurer Pretipaul Jaigobin which has been linked to the GCB by Jaigobin and some GCB executives.

The tournament which Stabroek News claimed the Guyana team missed was the 14th year that Western Union had sponsored cricket as part of the Toronto weekend of Guyana’s Independence celebrations. Mr. Danny Doobay, Guyana’s Consul General who is based in Toronto, was on hand to present the trophy to winning captain Sewnarine Chattergoon.

Kumar informed that Western Union sponsors the Cricket event which is organised by Mr Shaw from the Guyana Independence Committee in Canada, while Caribbean Airlines would provide air tickets for the Guyana players.

Several Guyanese cricketers play cricket in North America, Europe and Trinidad and depend on such ‘contracts’ to improve their game and economic situation and such misleading stories, published in one of Guyana’s most reputable newspapers could prove counter-productive to the cause of improving Guyana’s cricket as those talking to Stabroek News claim is their intention.

In the 2009 tournament in Canada, the three teams from the Greater Toronto Area cricket leagues were dominated by players either born in Guyana, or of Guyanese heritage, such as current Canadian internationals Sunil Dhaniram and Eion Katchay. Most of the Guyana team had played against Canada in November 2008 in the West Indies Cricket Board one-day competition, staged in Guyana.

The Guyanese Independence weekend celebrations in Toronto included a range of cultural events and a trade fair took place at the nearby L’Amoreaux Community Centre.

Public scrutiny should be maintained to force those in public office (like the GCB) to properly manage their affairs, but when those in the struggle for power deliberately mislead the public to make a point, professionalism will be compromised.

It is understood that several GCB officials have signed a document refuting the Stabroek News story and that the services of an attorney has been acquired to deal with the issue.

But as the drama unfolds and accusations are thrown back and forth, please, let’s put the cricket first.

 

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