… says CCJ ruling will be appealed
CHAIRMAN of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) and former Guyana and West Indies captain Clive Lloyd yesterday told Chronicle Sport he is interested in seeing the cricket being played in Guyana, as was evident in recent years.
On the same note, the 67-year-old Lloyd who led the West Indies between 1974 to 1985, said the attorneys for the IMC will be lodging an appeal against the recent ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which went in favour of the now defunct Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) who got clearance to appeal the formation of the IMC.
“We are trying to get past some of the stumbling blocks that have been placed in our paths lately, including the recent CCJ ruling. Even though I have not heard anything as yet, some of our lawyers are not too happy with it and an appeal will be filed.
“However, I want to get the cricket playing as there is Under-15, U-17 and U-19 tournaments to be played and the problem of team selection would be a major issue once again, as I want to see a Guyana team competing at the Regional level and not a Regional tournament being played without a Guyana team competing,” said Lloyd.
According to Lloyd, at times he questions the seriousness of the individuals involved with cricket, based on the numerous court orders that have been circulating within the fraternity, especially when it seems as if an end is near.
“I want to know if these people do have cricket at heart as they profess to be, since there are all those court orders and injunctions circulating around the place, especially when an end is just around the corner in some instances and I am frustrated over the entire issue.”
He added, “The new constitution for the administration of the GCB is finished, but we have to get the personnel involved to sit down and ratify it, as when we release it, there must be no more problems with regard to the administration of the game here in Guyana.
However, we are facing another hiccup in this regard, since we have the Demerara issue still to be resolved in the court, while the Berbice and Essequibo Cricket Boards are intact. We can go ahead and do it, but we need to have all three County boards involved in the ramification of the Constitution.”
Asked to give a recommendation on the Demerara Cricket Board issue, Lloyd said “An independent tribunal party which should have no affiliation to either side should have been set up to hear the issues. This should have been done and dusted a long time now and as I said before, I don’t know the legal system here, but I am definitely frustrated.
“The people, who are feeling the full brunt of the various episodes related to Guyana’s cricket are the young ones playing the game and those die-hard cricket fans out there. Australia visited the West Indies and not a single game was played here, while New Zealand will be making a visit here shortly and we will not get any game here as well.”
“Where are we going with our cricket?” quizzed Lloyd.
“This is hampering the game seriously and we need to take a firm grip on things before it is too late and get the cricket up and running. Cricket has given me my upward mobility and I know there are many young players out there whose heart desire is to play the game at the highest level and we need to look at this more seriously.”
Asked to comment on the ECB and their proposed withdrawal of support for the IMC, Lloyd dismissed the rumours as nonsense, adding that the body which is responsible for governing cricket in the Cinderella County is still on board.
“The Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) is still on board with the IMC. They met with Minister of Sport Dr Frank Anthony and confirmed their support for the IMC, contrary to reports that have been circulating, which said they are not on board anymore,” stated Lloyd.
Lloyd is hoping that the matters can be resolved before the playing of the Regional Super50 tournament later this year, as he believes Guyana can always be a force to be reckoned with when it comes to cricket in the Caribbean.