AFTER serving as vice-president for the past eight years, Fizul Bacchus, with a vote count reading 11 to 5, defeated former president Prince Holder to take over the reins of the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) last Sunday at the ECB’s hostel, located in the Anna Regina Community Centre ground.

Both Bacchus and Holder, who had previously served the ECB as Marketing Manager before he took up the presidency following the resignation of Sheik Ahmad, held intense campaigns among the eight area committees, to garner support.
The eight area committees who make up the ECB and are entitled to two delegates to vote are Bartica, Wakenaam, Legaun, Pomeroon, North Essequibo, South Essequibo and Central Essequibo, who voted for change by expressing confidence in Bacchus, who is also the acting president of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB).
Wakenaam headmaster Totaram Ramnarine (Moses) was elected unopposed to serve under Bacchus as vice-president, with Aotto ‘Brian’ Christiani and Andy Ramnarine being named honorary secretary and assistant secretary respectively.
The position of honorary treasurer was filled by Leguan’s Viren Chintamani, who will have Alvin Johnson, a former ECB president and vice-president of the GCB, as his assistant.
The other positions, all being elected unopposed, were won by Verna D’Aguiar (Competitions Chairperson), Nazeer Mohamed (Public Relations Committee) and Anthony Murray of Bartica who was named the new Marketing Manager.
Stacy Williams and Shastri Mangal were elected as the Board’s trustees while Travis Simon was elected as the auditor. All nine elected officers of the ECB were nominated and elected as representatives to the GCB.
Prior to the election of office-bearers, the meeting discussed reports from the Area Committees, Administrator and Competitions Committee and an Audited Financial Statement was also presented by the treasurer and passed by the membership.
Bacchus and his entire executive promised to work hard for the development of Essequibo cricket, which at the moment is enduring a low run, especially in the GCB’s four-day tournament.