Withdraws from GCB’s presidential race
VICE-PRESIDENT of the Guyana Cricket Board, Alvin Johnson, has withdrawn from the GCB’s presidential race on January 25 to ‘throw’ his support behind the long-standing president Chetram Singh.

Johnson, in a letter to the GCB, wrote that his decision to withdraw was based on his allegiance to Singh and the vision Singh has for cricket development in Guyana.

Further, Johnson noted in the letter that Singh was always supportive of him since he joined the GCB in 2000.

Johnson stated: “He is largely responsible for what I have achieved at the GCB. I therefore feel committed, at this crucial time, to supporting Mr Singh instead of contesting against him.

Mind you, this is Alvin Johnson’s position and not the position of the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) whose elections are set for January 11, 2009 although I hope that the ECB members will do likewise, whosoever they are.

The Essequibo president and head teacher also alluded to the idea that members must seek to unify the board especially after tumultuous tirades in the boardrooms that seemed to have had an adverse effect on cricket on the field.

The most recent one being the squabble between the Demerara Cricket Board and the Georgetown Cricket Association over shady selection processes of the Demerara senior team that contested the Inter-County Twenty20.

Johnson also extended his gratitude to the persons who had initially supported his decision to run and all the persons who supported him throughout the years as a GCB official.

Meanwhile, the two frontrunners for the position are Singh and GCA president Bishwa Panday. Initially Singh was unsure whether he would have been contesting the position for another term when Johnson signalled his intention to contest the position against Panday.

However, Singh was encouraged to seek re-election mainly because of the various unfinished projects he had started during his tenure. And from all appearances at the moment, there will be a two-man race, come election day, between Singh and Panday.