Letter to the Sports Editor

Oct 25, 2016 Sports

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Continued mismanagement of youth cricketers by inept GCB cause for concern

Dear Sports Editor,
Recent articles by Mr. Prince Holder, President of North Essequibo Cricket Association, and Mr. Sean Devers, Kaieteur News Sports journalist, vividly highlight the glaring injustices of the current group calling itself the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB).
The GCB’s mistreatment and irresponsible handling of our young cricketers have characterized the inept nature of their administration resulting in the present situation where Guyana has little or no representation on current WI teams.
Cronyism, victimization and widespread discrimination feature prominently in their modus operandi and their many transgressions include:
1. The appointment of managers, coaches and other officials who are friends and family members or who could deliver votes to them at the elections of Cricket Boards/Associations. These convenient appointees lack the necessary skills and the ability to transition our talented youngsters from the local to the regional and international levels.
2. The abandonment of U-15 Berbician cricketer Sylus Tyndall at the airport because the manager forgot Tyndall’s passport at the Board Office. The youngster was brought down to Georgetown by a kind-hearted person who observed that he was left stranded.
3. The failure of the U-19 manager to assist in securing a visa for cricketer, Kevin St Clair to tour England with the WI team because the administration did not follow the correct procedure to secure the requisite visa, resulting in the youngster missing the tour.
4. The ongoing controversy where U-19 manager David Black failed to discharge his responsibility to injured player Travis Persaud. It was the same David Black who was manager when another youngster Ricardo Adams was badly managed and this adversely affected his cricketing career.
It is quite evident that the current GCB administration has no interest in the cricketing and personal development of our young players. As a result their obvious talents are left unfulfilled and their dreams and aspirations shattered. Sadly the current incompetent group seems only concerned with actions that would perpetuate their continued existence in office regardless of how the cricket is affected. It is of great concern that, having regard to the importance of cricket to our culture, successive Governments of Guyana have not confronted the illegality and chicanery of the self-servicing GCB.
Under the present despotic GCB administration, many talented players have had their careers either derailed or retarded because of a lack of proper preparation, effective coaching, a mentoring system and a structured developmental programme. The many players include Jonathon Foo, Richard Ramdeen, Brandon Bess, Ronsford Beaton, Leon Johnson, Verasammy Permaul and Davendra Bishoo, while our star cricketer Ramnaresh Sarwan had his career terminated for reasons many believe were not connected to his great cricketing ability.
The self-serving and vindictive approach of the GCB in running the nation’s cricket affairs are evident in the following:
1. Nine (9) of the thirteen (13) original clubs of the West Demerara Cricket Association (WDCA) have been dumped, because they did not support the clandestine operations of the current incompetent West Demerara Cricket Association.
2. Similarly eight (8) of the eleven (11) original clubs of the East Bank Cricket Association (EBCA) were cast aside.
3. The North Essequibo Cricket Association has been sidelined from Essequibo cricket for not toeing the line, and because they pose a threat to the incompetent Executive Body.
4. Mr. Fizul Bacchus who lives on the Essequibo Coast has been forcibly installed as President of the Pomeroon Cricket Association despite protests from bona fide Pomeroon Club members, for the sole purpose for him to retain the Presidency of the Essequibo Cricket Board.
5. Dissidents of the Georgetown Cricket Association who are also members of the illegal GCB have filed injunctions against that Roger Harper-led Association in order to disrupt their progressive cricket programmes.
6. The continued ostracism of the Upper Demerara Cricket Association (Linden) from participating in any form of organized cricket, greatly affecting the opportunities for youngsters in that region.
7. The continuous attempts to destabilize the Berbice Cricket Board’s operations with injunctions and other subversive actions despite the fact that Berbice Cricket Board is mainly responsible for producing cricketers for Guyana and the West Indies.
I could go on and on listing the many intransigencies of this current GCB administration which has reduced our cricket to the present state of confusion and despondency.
Since 2009 when they hijacked the GCB, they have not been able to produce or develop a single cricketer of their own. All our national talented cricketers have come from Berbice, Georgetown and East Coast, the three areas that were thrown out of the administration of Guyana Cricket.
Meanwhile, our talented youngsters are still suffering; the cricket is in shambles and apparently nobody seems to care.
It is time for legal elections, accountability, transparency and an effective programme for development of our national game.
W. G. Boston

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