… $100 000 and practice nets for Berbice 1st division clubs

THE GUYANA Cricket Board (GCB) last Sunday at the Georgetown Cricket Club pavilion conducted its Statutory Ordinary General Meeting with only the Essequibo Cricket Board and Demerara Cricket Board delegates in attendance. Once again, the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) failed to attend this most important General Members meeting that was chaired by president of the GCB Drubahadur and saw some critical decisions adopted, with the aim of moving Guyana’s cricket forward.
The members were also updated on the status of the controversial Cricket Administration Bill (CAB), which was later the subject of wide-ranging discussions between a high-level delegation from its parent body, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), and all three of the Parliamentary parties, in separate meetings.
The team met with the Government delegation both days whereby a consensus solution was hammered out by the parties present at the meetings, which also saw the GCB being represented at these rounds of meetings and remains committed to a positive solution to this situation.
At the moment, the WICB is currently producing a Memorandum of Agreement with the agreed amendments to the Bill annexed thereto which will be signed off this week by all the pertinent stakeholders, the WICB, the GCB and the GOG.
The members present were briefed on the famous Pybus proposal for the reform of WI cricket and plans are rapidly moving in Guyana to implement the franchise system, with the GCB being among the first to have its commercial arm set up, DEB Essential Organisation Inc, since this would be the administrative institution for the implementation of this new system.
The Senior Selectors of the GCB, headed by Rayon Griffith, have shortlisted its squad and submitted same to the Executive Committee for approval and ratification, as the GCB would be contracting 10 core players who would be given permanent contracts for a specific period and would be remunerated with very attractive packages.
The remaining players would be entered into the Regional draft pool from which all the Territorial Boards would be bidding competitively for the remainder of the squad to be contracted by the respective boards.
It is important to note, that it is very likely that Guyanese players can be bought by other territories and players of other nationalities can be bought by Guyana.
This system is designed to develop the best teams for all the territories and would entail the players having to relocate should they be bought by another board other than their home boards.
This proposal will be funded by the WICB and it is considered to be most exciting and rewarding for these players, cricket development and West Indies cricket, whose season will now run from November until May and will have both the Regional 4-day and the Super50 tournament as double rounds, thus ensuring more cricket is played in the Caribbean.
Delegates also discussed and approved plans to establish the National Leagues for Secondary and Primary Schools Cricket using the school district system as a guide.
In a strange twist of things, the GCB has approved the donation of practice nets and $100 000 to all active first division clubs in Berbice and will be making these presentations this Thursday from 16:00hrs at the Albion Community Centre ground.
Clubs on the East Bank of Demerara – Farm, Providence and Bayrock – will also receive reasonable donations for various developmental projects at their venues while the Area Committees in Essequibo will get direct financial help and cricket balls to assist in their cricket programmes.
The OGM also approved funding for the completion of the practice facilities at the Anna Regina hostel and general maintenance works at that facility. Plans are also in place to construct an all-weather practice facility at the Albion Sports Complex very shortly, with funding for all these plans being provided from the coffers of the GCB and its parent body the WICB.

(Calvin Roberts)