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FOSTER- LIKE QUALITIES NEEDED TO EFFECT TRANSFORMATION BY THE ECB

Oct 05, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
Significant interest has been focused on the imminent elections of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB). In this regard, I wish to fully support the candidature of Mr. Hilbert Foster as President. His work ethic has been unmatchable and once elevated; he will provide the impetus to restructure the broken fabric of cricket generally in Guyana. In Essequibo, the game is facing a natural death and therefore the Organisation needs someone of Foster’s calibre to reverse the ailing Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB).
No serious approach has been made by the administrators for the past four years to enhance the physical, technical, mental and competitive nature of the sport in the Region. I am indeed saddened that the current regime continues to place a stranglehold on the direction in which the Board is heading, which unfortunately is to the continued detriment of aspiring players.
The President of the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) was swift to acclaim credit for the outstanding performance of the Essequibo team currently involved in the franchise league. But what has the ECB done to generate and stimulate growth and development of the sport? In fact most of the players that are involved in the league are based and playing their cricket in Georgetown.
I am therefore amazed that the President could have stated that Essequibo’s cricket is on the rise when the Hostel has now become a business to host visitors instead of cricketers, his own constituent, the Pomeroon Cricket Committee being starved for competitions and strong leadership, inactivity of the ECB with regards to competitions, coaching programmes, defunct sub-committees including Cricket Development and Finance.
It is indeed laughable that the selectors of the ECB are being paid to select teams and heavens knows using what criteria to do so since there is no structure and little or no formal and working relationship between the ECB and the area Committees. In many cases players are being notified personally by the ECB and at very short notice since there are no competitions or trials to determine selection.
Such ad hoc manner of administering the game in Essequibo has now become a norm and will continue so unless the Board is restructured immediately and with administrators that have the vision, passion and knowledge to build the capacity of the Board and with the aim of producing quality players through a well coordinated system.
Presently the Board is directionless, uninspiring and clearly incapable of managing a sport that was once highly acclaimed in Essequibo having produced players of the caliber of the late Courtney Gonsalves, Alfred Maycock, John Floy, Trenton Peters, Jaimini Singh and Ramcharran Singh among a host of other quality players. It was due to a strong and committed Board then that these players strived and became competitive. Can the same be said of the current Board? Indeed Essequibians continue to bask in glory of the achievements of Ransford Beaton.
However, had he remained in Essequibo to bowl on rugged grounds and unprepared pitches and being in a hostile environment; then we would not have been privileged to witness his rapid rise to international status. Some of our existing promising players may suffer otherwise should they continue to endure a broken, ineffective and decayed system and a Board whose only existence is to remain loyal to the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) in its present form.
The ECB therefore must be restructured and become independent of manipulation from opportunists and those that seek to enhance their own credibility and opportunities instead of doing so for the players and the state of cricket in Essequibo. Perhaps Hilbert Foster will be the one to initiate the wind of change and inspire those with his qualities to administer cricket in Essequibo for the best.
Elroy Stephney

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