FREE AT LAST: GCB resumes control of cricket

Feb 03, 2012 Sports

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After being given 24 hours to remove the padlocks placed on the doors of the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) Head Office on Regent Street via a court order issued by Justice William Ramlall on Wednesday, Permanent Secretary attached to the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport (MCYS) Alfred King and Chairman of the Interim Management Committee Clive Lloyd acquiesced to the directive and allowed the local governing body to resume control of the sport in Guyana.
Yesterday, representatives of the MCYS Clifford Patior and David Thompson handed over the keys to the locks to GCB’s Cricket Operations Manager Robin Singh in the presence of other officials, media operatives and members of the Guyana Police Force.
Singh, who was accompanied by Demerara Cricket Board President Raj Singh after witnessing the locks being removed via a cutting torch entered the building and reported that on the surface everything seems okay, but bemoaned the fact that several of the programmes that the GCB had planned were affected by the actions taken by the Government.
He stated that the GCB had categorically rejected the actions taken by the Government, adding that the ruling now allows them to resume its mandate to push on with the development of cricket across the country.
Singh informed that the two officials from the MCYS were extremely co-operative and even took the time to ask why the current situation in sport in Guyana has to reach to a level where good people have to come up against each other.
Raj Singh in his comments said the ruling now allows the DCB to get on with its programmes, adding that there is room for the Government to be involved and cited instances whereby they could assist in getting the various associations functioning properly through the exchange of expertise and also in supporting the clubs in getting their respective grounds in order to facilitate the playing of proper cricket.
Meanwhile, the eventual resolution was seen as a positive by many who felt that the Government had no authority to try to impose its will on the GCB and take over the running of local cricket, but rather should have been willing to work alongside the legitimate governing body to implement structures that could improve the level of administration and other related concerns for the benefit of the game here.
The ICC had strongly condemned the actions taken by the Guyana Government which was to intervene in the running of cricket here and even reiterated at its recent meeting in Dubai its stance on Governments interference in the operations of the sport in any country.
A release stated that, “The ICC Board was concerned to learn of the developments in Guyana where the government has dissolved the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and replaced it with an Interim Management Committee (IMC),” the release said. “In condemning this government intervention in the strongest possible terms, the ICC Board reaffirmed the principle of non-interference and that the only legitimate cricketing authority is that recognised by the West Indies Cricket Board.”
The Guyanese government had dissolved the GCB due to a dispute over its July 2011 elections. The elections, in which Ramsay Ali became president, were boycotted by some of the board’s constituent members, one of which, the Berbice Cricket Board, took the GCB to court, claiming the new administration was not properly established. The Chief Justice recommended that “there may be immediate need for the minister responsible for sports to impose his executive will in the national interest.”
Following that ruling, Guyanese sports minister Dr Frank Anthony appointed the IMC, headed by ex-West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, who is also a former WICB director and chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee, to run cricket in Guyana. The WICB, however, refused to acknowledge the IMC and said the only authority they would recognise was the GCB. The impasse led to several problems, including Guyana nearly missing the Caribbean T20, the shifting of Guyana’s first four first-class matches of the season out of the country, and the possible shifting of West Indies’ Test against Australia in Providence scheduled for April.
However, the Guyana Government in a meeting held on Wednesday in reference to the ICC stance held its ground and said that it was going ahead with the IMC despite the declaration by the ICC.
Dr. Frank Anthony, who was present at the meeting, informed that the objective of the IMC is to fix the problems that are affecting the game locally and to resolve the administrative issues.
The GCB were to hold an executive meeting yesterday afternoon and President Ramsay Ali was not present at the breaking of the locks.

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