ONE day after holding their first public consultation with members of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) and its stakeholders, the Clive Lloyd led Interim Management Committee (IMC) yesterday met with the East Bank Demerara Cricket Association (EBDCA). The meeting took place at the Providence Community Centre ground, where several issues were discussed, amongst them the reforming of the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) Constitution and long and short term plans on cricket development in Guyana.
While the turn out from the EBDCA was poor, some of its stakeholders turned out to air their concerns which centered around the unavailability of cricket grounds to run off their respective competitions, laying the blame on the shoulders of the Eccles/Ramsburg Neighbourhood Democratic Council(NDC).
According to Lloyd, the IMC had a successful meeting at the Uitvlugt Community Centre ground earlier in the day, wherein they learnt among other things, that grounds were being left in disrepair on the West Demerara area, while young people are willing to play the game but have no competitions to compete in.
Vice-president of the EBDCA Johnny Azeez said that is not the same situation with his Association, since they have competitions to be played at all levels, but cannot do so due to the unavailability of grounds,  and that is the reason for the deterioration of the game in the area.
“Administering the game on East Bank is not a problem, since we have an executive in place, which is capable of handling the administration of the game.
What is the problem for us is the availability of the grounds by the Eccles/Ramsburg NDC, to ensure the smooth flow of the game on the East Bank of Demerara, since they are the ones who have to give us permission to use the grounds and they have not being doing so,” stated Azeez.
But according to chairman of the Eccles/Ramsburg NDC, Saeed Alik-Khan who was present, he does not have a problem with the EBDCA using the various grounds for their respective matches, but rather the unprofessional way in which they are going about doing things.
“I have told the EBDCA to come in and see me with a programme, following which we can work out something, but they have not done so. They just wish to turn up and demand the use of the venues for the running off of matches and that is not how things are done.”
Following several back and forth banter between the two and other stakeholders from both sides, former vice-president of the Guyana Cricket Board Bissoondyal Singh called on the EBDCA to work along in harmony with the Eccles/Ramsburg NDC  towards the development of the game.
“Here we have the chairman of the NDC calling on you to prepare a programme and go into him with it so an amicable solution can be reached at, towards the playing of the game.
The East Coast Cricket Board was faced with the same problems before and what we realized is that we have to sit and work with the NDCs on the East Coast of Demerara towards the development of the game, and I can safely say that we are having a fabulous working relationship with them now.”
In referring to the IMC’s Mission Statement which Lloyd read out to the gathering, that states among other issues, to put into place a legally binding Constitution and facilitate the transparency of a properly constructed elections of the GCB, Singh said there was many discrepancies taking place within the GCB that he himself was unaware of.
“I never knew, until it was near time for me to give up the post of vice-president of the GCB, that that entity gets a subvention of US$100,000 from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)that should be used towards Cricket Development, even though I was the head of the GCB’s Cricket Development Committee.
Added to that, we are unaware – and maybe some of you can help out in this regard, – of the number of bank accounts the GCB has in its name, as the statement does not show that. The other thing we discovered the other day is that they are depositing money into an account that does not exist and that is why all these problems are here.
As a matter of fact, before I came off the GCB as vice-president, there was an account receivable of US$324,000 by the GCB and we have never received a statement to that effect, while I learnt that from a source out of Guyana,” said Singh.
The 67 year old Lloyd charged the EBDCA to make representation for the use of the Guyana National Stadium, which can be utilized by two clubs as their home ground, since it sits idly with nothing being done, unless there are international or even regional matches being played there.
The former West Indies skipper lauded those who came out to air their concerns, saying it was good to see the passion of the game is still present on the East Bank of Demerara, while saying, as soon the IMC has completed drafting the new Constitution for the GBC, it will be distributed for perusal and discussion before being made final.
Former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport Keith Booker called on the various NDCs across Guyana to put in place a management committee to oversee the management of the grounds within their jurisdiction.
The IMC will now turn their attention to the Cinderella County of Essequibo, where they will be meeting with that County’s stakeholders on Wednesday at the Anna Regina Community Centre ground.