DCB could play key role in GCB Elections

Oct 06, 2020 Sports

New GCB should bring back inter-county cricket and trials

Says Sean Devers

On September 22, the Court of appeal ruled that the Guyana Cricket Administration Act be restored to its original condition which has paved the way for the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) and the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) elections.

Hilbert Foster

The DCB elections will be held before the GCB elections and the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) which has not received any subvention from the GCB since 2008 is likely to vote against the current GCB Executive.
The BCB is led by Hilbert Foster and comprises of Berbice River Cricket Association, Upper Corentyne Cricket Association and the West Berbice Cricket Association. Two thirds of the BCB is likely to vote against the current GCB with the West Berbice Association expected to support the present GCB.
In the past the West Berbice Cricket Association has defied the BCB’s decision not to attend GCB’s elections which were conducted without a quorum needed for legitimate elections. The BCB held its elections last December and Foster’s final two-year term concludes in December 2021.
According to a senior official of the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) which is headed by acting President of the GCB Fizul Bacchus, the ECB will sit and discuss which candidate they would support at the GCB elections.
The ECB is made up of eight Sub-Associations namely; the Pomaroon Cricket Committee, Bartica CC, East Bank Essequibo CC, North Essequibo CC, Central Essequibo CC, South Essequibo CC, Wakanaam CC and the Leguan CC.
Their elections were held in January of this year and the Board will hold office until January 2022. If the ECB is influenced by their President to vote for the present executive of the GCB, then the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) could hold the deciding vote at the GCB elections.

Roger Harper

The DCB is made up of the East Coast Cricket Board, Georgetown Cricket Association, East Bank Cricket Association, Upper Demerara Cricket Association and West, Demerara Cricket Association.
Although it has not yet been decided, GCA’s President, former West Indies Test player and West Indies Selector Roger Harper is the key name being mentioned to contest for the DCB Presidency.
The GCB has not held democratic elections in over a decade and is not recognised by the Berbice Board. Minister of Culture, Youth & Sport Charles Ramson played a crucial role in getting the Appeal Court to restore the Guyana Cricket Administration Act be to its original condition to facilitate the DCB and GCB elections.
Minister Ramson informed that he is in regular contact with CWI’s President Ricky Skerritt to update him on the issues affecting Guyana’s cricket. The Minister said he does not have a ‘Horse in the race’ and his only job is to ensure that the elections process is adhered to. Dates have not yet been set for the DCB or GCB elections.
Meanwhile, the new GCB should look at bringing back the Senior Inter-County four-day and 50 overs tournaments and organise at least three Trial matches after the completion of the Inter-County to select the National team.
In 2016 the Jaguars Three-day and 50-overs Franchise League was inaugurated which created a wider pool of players for the National selectors to choose from. The three Associations from Berbice, the four from Demerara and an Essequibo team are involved and matches were played in all three Counties.
However, no matches are played on the Essequibo Coast which has the Imam Bacchus ground with arguably the best pitch and second best ground in Guyana after the Providence Stadium.
However, in recent years the overall standard of that League has dropped tremendously with some players who would be hard pressed to make the top club’s Division One teams in their respective Counties, selected for teams in the League which has produced a watered down tournament.
The Board should not totally discard the Franchise League but play it before the Senior Inter-County with the League being used to assist the County selectors to pick the teams for the Inter-County tournament.
At a time when three and even two-day club cricket at first division level in hardly played in Guyana, the addition of the Inter-County would provide players desirous of playing for Guyana, more cricket locally.
The Senior Inter-County tournaments were stopped in 2015 and National Trials were aborted long before that with the Inter-County performances being used to pick the senior National teams.
When I played for Demerara at the U-19 Inter-County level from 1986-1989 we participated in several trials and when the National U-19 team was selected we played practice games against the senior National team. I played at the senior Inter-County level for Berbice between 1996 and 2000.
In 1998 when Berbice won the Inter-County four-day title for the first time in 20 years, I was the second leading wicket-taker in the tournament to ex-Test spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo. I made the 1999 First-Class squad after being among the wickets in the four Trial matches.
Trials give those who played in the Inter-County tournament a second chance to impress the selections and those who did well to show it was no fluke. Another benefit of playing at the Senior Inter-County level for the players, especially the younger ones, was that they were able to play in different conditions while at the same time experience the various cultures and see different parts of their Country.
Home support was also important since matches in Berbice and Essequibo always attracted massive crowds. Playing at Skeldon and Blairmont in Berbice and Hampton Court in Essequibo were memorable for me because fans turned up in droves to support their ‘home’ team which is not the case in the Franchise League.