Latest update June 5th, 2026 12:40 AM
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Essequibo Cricket Board is not on good footing
Dear Editor,
As a former Vice President of the Essequibo Cricket Board, I feel compelled to highlight some factors that have basically crippled the functioning of the organization and much to the frustration of the beneficiaries. The resurgence of the board started in 2022 after a prolonged period of stagnation and fresh election.
There was renewed hope and confidence in the new administration. However, after one year into its first term there were differences which led to the resignation of the Second Vice President, Secretary, Administrator, Public Relations Officer and Treasurer. The Senior Chairman of Selectors (executive) also subsequently resigned. The incumbent president was reelected and the board amended its constitution to extend its life from two to four years.
Unfortunately, the trend of exit continued with the departure of the Marketing Manager, Public Relations Officer, Senior and Junior Chairman of Selectors and the Chairman of the competitions’ committee. This is not a coincidence but a statement which is continuing to affect the functions and stability of the board. In fact, statutory meetings are seldom kept, including its Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) where the constituent members are given the opportunity to be heard. In such circumstances, sponsorship has been elusive where for the past three years there has been none to facilitate senior competitions among the seven area committees.
To this end, the ECB has refused to accept Central Essequibo as a legitimate member despite having met all the criteria and inclusion in the past as a functioning committee! This committee was omitted from the Cricket Administration Bill (CAB) that came into law. Whether it was deliberate or was an oversight by the ECB stakeholders is still to be answered to this date. Notwithstanding, efforts were made to incorporate region one as a member. Fundamental issues continue to surface including the functionality and accountability of the academies across all committees, operationalization and maintenance of the cricket hostel, nepotism in the selection of the Administrator who also is being paid separately to supervise the academies and other cricket related programmes, interference in team selection, undisciplined players who were not sanctioned (videos were circulated of underage boys drinking in the hostel while in camp), inappropriate behaviour of some coaches and the complete disconnect between the committees and the board. While these issues exist, there seem to be a blind response to them by the relevant authority, including the Guyana Cricket Board. There must be transformation within the ECB.
Regards,
Elroy Stephney
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