I write this letter as a very concerned and upset cricket fan in Berbice.

Several weeks after the infamous DCC/GCC finals in Georgetown where DCC walked over, I told my friends with total confidence that such an incident would never happen in Berbice, as our cricketers and administrators were too disciplined to be involved in such unsportsman-like behaviour and also because I was certain that the Berbice Cricket Board would not allow such actions to go unpunished.

Sadly on November 11, 2012 I was dumbfounded when it really did occur at the Area “H” ground during the Busta final. I was present with hundreds of others when the historic Albion Cricket Club stopped the finals for a lengthy time after the umpires upheld a Rose Hall Town appeal for obstruction. In my humble view, the umpires were correct in their judgement but even if they were wrong, the principle of cricket tells us that the decisions of the umpires are final. Instead of accepting the decision, the club, that under past administration had an outstanding disciplinary record held the organiser hostage by walking off the field and then in a totally shocking action, demanded that the batsman be reinstated and that five runs be added to their score after the ball had gone on to the boundary.
To my disbelief, the chief and only spokesperson for Albion was someone who was  a former Guyana junior cricket manager and is currently a senior personnel manager at a government corporation. In the interest of Berbice Cricket, the organisers gave in to the unbelievable request by Albion and got the game restarted. Poetic justice was given at the end of the match when they lost the match.
The Berbice Cricket Board must not allow this indiscipline to go unpunished and Mr. Jonathan Foo, the batsman who walked off the field and Albion must feel the full punishment of the board. Failure to do so will undo all the outstanding work of the Berbice Cricket Board over the years and would set a poor example for other clubs to follow if they are unhappy with the decision of an umpire. Additionally, Albion was totally disrespectful to the organisers, the sponsor, the hundreds of fans including me and the thousands who were following it via NCN. Their actions also could have led to other problems as their supporters were loudly expressing their opinions and it took a remarkably calm business-like Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club CEO Hilbert Foster to correct the situation.
In closing Mr. Editor, as a parent of a child who played for Albion a couple of years ago, I would like to advise the Albion Cricket Club to take a strong look internally. The once and powerful club is on a decline and over the last few years has been bypassed by its neighbour from the east, Rose Hall Town and the only major title they have won is the Tenelec Cup. In the last few months clubs such as West Berbice, Skeldon, Young Warriors and lowly D’Edward have thrashed Albion and instead of blaming everyone under the sun,Albion needs to review their leadership, programmes and how they operate. Albion is very important to Berbice Cricket.