INCUMBENT president of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Chetram Singh, has ended all speculation by confirming that he will be seeking re-election for another two-year term when the GCB holds its elections come Sunday, January 25.

The atmosphere was rife with uncertainty especially since there were rumblings last year that Singh, who has occupied the post for sixteen years, would not have been challenging for another term.

However, in an interview with Chronicle Sport he put the issue to rest by finally making his position clear.

This decision was not without great appeal by some influential ‘players’ in the cricket fraternity and therefore Singh, who is also a senior director of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), was persuaded by their wisdom to seek re-election and continue what he has started during his tenure as president.

Singh, as it appears, was encouraged by some County and Area boards, outgoing executives of the GCB and sporting officials to seek re-election. Another argument proffered was that there are unfinished projects such as the hostel, the indoor facility at Essequibo.

Then there was the proposal for the building of the same facilities in Berbice and Demerara. Further, $90 million has been set aside for the commencement of these projects sometime in the near future.

Added to that Guyana is one of the three host countries named by the ICC for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the Guyana Cricket Board will run this part of the leg and not the Local Organising Committee (LOC) as was done in the 2007 World Cup, so all of this was taken into consideration when Singh was persuaded to seek another term..

Another major factor of consideration for Singh to contest the position again was the fact that there are plans for the introduction of a cricket academy in conjunction with the West Indies Cricket Board for cricketers that is expected for August.

These necessary requirements for present-day cricket and its development in Guyana were many times harshly criticised by the media, other officials and lovers of cricket for not being implemented sooner by the GCB when Singh finally provided some stimulus for change in what would have been or might be his final term in office.

Meanwhile, the other persons likely to contest the position of president for the GCB are Essequibo board president and head teacher Alvin Johnson and GCA president and businessman Bishwa Panday.

Johnson and Panday, with totally different styles but equally strong leadership, will be going up against the longest-serving WICB executive, and if that is not enough the Counties’ officials will be even more undecided as to who is the most suitable candidate for the position now that Singh has formally thrown his hat into the race.