WELL-Known historian and cricket writer Dr Winston McGowan was yesterday announced as Guyana’s first Cricket Ombudsman by Head of Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon. Luncheon made the announcement at his weekly Press Conference; the first for 2015, where he also outlined the roles and responsibility of the famed Guyanese Professor.

According to Luncheon, Dr McGowan’s appointment was made by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony subsequent to Cabinet’s approval.
“The post is new to Guyana and is a feature of the recently In-Acted Cricket Administration Law. It was done in Parliament on June 20, 2014 and assented to by President Donald Ramotar in August, 2014,” said Dr Luncheon.
He added, “Among his responsibilities as the Cricket Ombudsman, Dr McGowan is responsible for those elections at the, or of the recognised cricketing organisations in Guyana of their officials.
“Essentially, from henceforth, and in accordance with the cricket administration law, the elections of officers of these recognised cricketing organisations would be conducted by a cricket ombudsman”.
The Cricket Administration Bill which was presented by Dr Anthony to the National Assembly, was drafted after extensive consultations with all stakeholders, and more so, following recommendations in a ruling made by the High Court.
It was noted by the Sport Minister that the Bill firstly makes it legal for the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) to be established as a corporate body comprising the Demerara, Essequibo and the Berbice cricket boards, all of which will also be made corporate entities.
A section of the Bill will address the issue of phantom voting for the election of persons for administrative positions and at the same time will give limited power to the Minister of Sport.
Though the minister could not have been reached at the time of this report for a comment, he previously stated in an article published in the Guyana Chronicle on May 16, 2014 that the Cricket Ombudsman (Dr McGowan) will be tasked with the responsibility of verifying the legitimacy and registering of the clubs.
The National Assembly, at the time of the legislation, was also told that the Bill provides for better financial accountability. As such, the GCB, under this new legislation will be required to present timely audited financial reports to the National Assembly, as well as the National Sports Commission.
When President Ramotar assented to the Bill, Guyana joined two other Caribbean nations, Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados which made the governing bodies for cricket legal entities.
Dr Winston McGowan, BA Hons (UWI, 1965), PhD (London, 1979), gave distinguished service to the University of Guyana from 1970 to 2008, was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1980, then was further elevated to Professor of Guyanese and West Indian History in 1998 for the great volume and exceptional quality of his work as Lecturer, his outstanding research, publications and administration.
He served as Head of the Department of History (1985-1996), Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Arts (1975-1976), Coordinator of the MA Programme in Guyanese and West Indian History (1990-2008), and Chairman of the Board for Graduate Studies (1992-1996).
Dr McGowan enhanced UG’s international reputation through his service as External Examiner for Doctoral Dissertations at the University of Waterloo; Chairman of the Nominating Committee and Secretary-Treasurer of the Association of Caribbean Historians; Chief Examiner for CXC Caribbean History.