Mr. Stephney has missed the bus by quite a long way

Aug 03, 2012 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
Kindly permit me the opportunity of responding to Mr. Stephney’s letter captioned “The Essequibo Cricket Board has never had the recognition it deserves!” carried in your Friday July 27th edition.
It is quite evident that Mr. Stephney has missed the bus by quite a long way. His half truths, innuendos and gross inaccuracies have only served to concretise the extent of villainy being perpetuated by this shameless wicked and deceitful cricket board.
Let me reiterate that their clandestine imposition of the illegal 2011 GCB is only surpassed by their continued clandestine support for the illegal phantom group and its nefarious activities which are continuing up to the present; although they are publicly pretending to support the IMC and the government.
In terms of selecting players from Essequibo, all Guyana must know that Denish Joseph was called to trials twice under the chairmanship of Mr. Joe Soloman and once after I took over in 2005. He never attended the trials despite our every effort, while Bheesham Seepersaud was selected and played for Guyana at the U19 level as a member of the Malteenoes Sports Club.
It is useful to note that his cricket did not develop further under an Essequibo Cricket Board’s administration with no proper cricket development programme, no clinics, Seminars or Academies.
There has not been any three (3) or two (2) day cricket played in that county for the last 15 years. The inefficiency of the Essequibo Board has been the root cause for the many talented players being overlooked.  They are just not being properly prepared, despite all the funds (authorized or unauthorized) sent to the Essequibo Board by the Guyana Cricket Board for development and team preparation overtime.
Sad to say the funds have been utilized for purposes other than cricket. Yes Mr. Stephney, Roger Harper along with myself and all decent cricket loving Guyanese would like to see our young cricketers participate and excel – not only participate – in tournaments at the highest level, but this must be done where the youngsters are properly prepared, fairly selected and supervised or managed by proven competent officials, and not on the basis of friendship or favors.
So Mr. Stephney must answer to the public, with regards, to our National U17, U15, U19 and Ladies teams, the following-:
1. Who prepared the teams, where and how?
2. Who funded the teams re (1) above, their participation in the so called inter-county tournaments?
3. Who selected the teams and where were the players drawn from, bearing in mind there is no Demerara Board and no GCB.
4. What is the basis for selecting the management team (s) bearing in mind the above and the fact that you, who served well as the previous U15 manager, were replaced by a virtual cricket unknown.
5. Why weren’t the fixtures for the preparation of the Players in the inter-county games, dates for departure and participation of Players placed in the newspapers for public knowledge as is customary?
What is the Secret? What is there to hide? Despite all of this, Mr. Stephney blindly defends the Essequibo Cricket Board, although the very Board could not find a place on its executive for him, Mr. Holder (until now); Mr. Linden Daniels, Mr. Carl Brandon,  Mr. Hakeem Khan, Mr. Sheik Faizal to name a few of the decent, able and capable cricket administrators in Essequibo.
This very Essequibo Board that you defend supports an Executive officer to function as the Treasurer, Secretary and administrator, reporting and accounting to himself, whilst issuing and supervising himself in work that is contracted to the Board.
Tell us Mr. Stephney, who is emotional and who is being objective and factual?
I could go on and on with instances of how the Essequibo Cricket Board has underdeveloped Essequibo and Guyana’s Cricket not only by its inefficiency but by downright deliberate dishonesty.
I trust that Mr. Holder knows what he has gotten into and wish him well.
This presentation has been made on the basis of facts not emotions, and could be supported by the evidence of newspaper clippings, Board minutes and emails etc. you are the one who is emotional, by burying your head in the sand like the proverbial ostrich. Without objectivity, Mr. Stephney, we can only build bridges of mutual, trust and unity on the basis of honesty and fair play with a genuine interest in the game of cricket and not on the basis of lies, deceit and subterfuge.
It is time for the decent and capable cricket administrators in Essequibo to put their hands up, take back their cricket from the current moral nonentities, and unite with their brothers and sisters in Berbice and Demerara in the interest of our cricket.
I will not comment on the reference to the Berbice Cricket Board’s involvement with the IMC and participating in your phantom cricket, since I am positive that they can defend themselves, as is the case with Roger Harper.
Finally, I appreciate your recommendation for a position on the new dispensation, and while I am always willing to advise, guide or assist in any area possible within the cricket fraternity, I am not interested in seeking any position on any new GCB Executive. My aim at this time is to protect as far as practicable the game I love and served for over thirty years, by doing my best to sanitize it before I go, after all as you (in contradiction) put it, my “emotional outburst” is not without merit. Thank you.
Claude Raphael

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