CONGRATULATIONS to the editorial staff of Kaieteur News for their Editorial of January 4 under the caption: “Cricket Reform”. The Editorial hit the topic right on the nail and as any cricket-loving Guyanese should do, is to support the IMC as surely we cannot allow the administration of the game to go lower. With Clive Lloyd at the helm and support from the brilliant minds like Edward Luckhoo, and others, I am sure that our cricket administration would recover its brilliance and get rid of those power-grabbing individuals whose only achievements have been personal vengeance, court injunctions/motions and the destruction of cricket in Demerara.
What I would like to bring to the attention of the Guyanese public is the presence of one individual in the continuing destruction of the game in Guyana. Anywhere this individual is present, there is destruction and no development and it is time for this person who has no cricketing background to go. His record of achievement on the West Bank of Demerara, the Demerara Cricket Board and the Guyana Cricket Board is dismal. He does not belong to any progressive club in Guyana while no progress has been made on and off the cricket field in the West Demerara area.
This once proud sub-association hardly plays any level of cricket while in the recent GCB 20/20 tournament; West Demerara was represented by one club comprising 80% of players from Georgetown and Berbice. It would be of great interest if the West Demerara Cricket Association can list its achievements under this gentleman’s leadership over the last four years, starting with tournaments, players for Demerara and Guyana, cricket developmental programmes and off-the-field projects.
Instead of attacking President Ramotar, Former President Jagdeo and Ministers Ally, Anthony, Nadir and Nandlall for their roles in the formation of the IMC, my advice to this cricket administrator is to embrace the IMC and go back home to the West Demerara area and show the rest of Guyana, that like Berbice, East Coast Demerara and Georgetown that progress can be achieved with visionary leadership. Let him use the next six months wisely and show the nation his leadership skills, so that at the next GCB election they would be able to vote for him. Together with his non-performing comrades from Essequibo and the East Bank, organise cricket tournaments at the under-13,under-15,under-17,under-19, under-21, Female, Second and First Division levels, a cricket Academy for youths, an Awards Ceremony and to ask the Berbice Cricket Board and Georgetown Cricket Association on how to do some of their off-the-field programmes, so that Guyana can once again benefit from the cricketing abilities that I know exist in the West Demerara area.