… calls for issuance of Minutes

PRESIDENT of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) Keith Foster yesterday afternoon told Chronicle Sport, that the suggestion by Secretary of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Anand Sanasie, who said the GCB is open to discussions and reconciliatory talks with the BCB, would be nice.

Sanasie made the comments after the GCB last Wednesday won another court battle over the BCB, paving the way for them to continue with the administration of the gentleman’s sport in Guyana.
“Yes, the injunction was discharged and damages granted to the GCB and we are happy because this is the third time the BCB has taken the GCB to Court and lost and I hope this finally stops and we can get on with the business of administering cricket in Guyana.
That being said, I wish to state that the GCB is open to discussions and reconciliatory talks and suggestions with the BCB to solve issues and while we have chalked up another victory in the courtroom, we would rather have those victories on the field of play.”
He added, “We are prepared to welcome the BCB on board with the GCB, as the GCB is made up of the three county boards in Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice and I am extending on behalf of the president and other executive members of the GCB, an invitation to the president and executives of the BCB to come on board with us and let’s put Guyana’s cricket first.”
In an invited comment with Chronicle Sport, Foster said; “It would be nice if the GCB wishes to extend an olive branch to the BCB, for we are a part of the GCB as Mr Sanasie rightly said.”
He added, “However, we would like to have made available to us, the Minutes and Financial Statements of the GCB since we have not had any being forwarded to us under this present regime of the GCB and that is why we have been absenting ourselves from their Ordinary General Meeting (OGM).
“We do not wish to attend the meeting and have no idea what we are going to discuss, since the Minutes of the GCB were never made available to us, so if he (Sanasie) is willing to hold reconciliatory talks with us, please furnish us with the Minutes and Financial Statements.”
Foster alluded to the fact that the GCB under the presidency of Chetram Singh would normally forward the Minutes of meetings and Financial Statements to the BCB, even though the BCB opposed Singh in more areas than one and questioned why it cannot be so now.
Quizzed on GCB’s president Drubahadur’s offer made last year while attending a function at Albion to honour their latest Test player in Veerasammy Permaul and one in which the GCB head promised to have the Minutes forwarded to the BCB, Foster said none has arrived as yet.
“This is not something new we are asking of the GCB. As I said before, we collected Minutes from the GCB under the presidency of Chetram Singh whom we opposed several times and even with Sanasie as Secretary, so what is the difference now.
“Saying that he is willing to extend an olive branch to us is nice, but in doing so, we would like to have the Minutes and Financial Statements as well, so we can know what we are discussing when we attend meetings,” said Foster.
The GCB had won the court matter filed by Angela Haniff, who had claimed that the duly elected executives were illegal as its (GCB) AGM and Elections of Office-Bearers, held in January 2013, was not constitutional, hence the two appointed directors to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) should not be allowed to vote.
Haniff’s action had also listed as its plaintiffs, BCB president Keith Foster, vice-presidents Anil Beharry, Hubern Evans and Julian Cambridge, Angela Haniff, Raymond Haniff, Romesh Munna and Shabeer Baksh, while the defendants were the entire executive body of the GCB including its long-serving administrator Savitri Persaud.

(By Calvin Roberts)