Dear Sir,

My attention was drawn to a letter under the heading “Hilbert Foster is no cricket Administrator” written by Godwyn Allicock.

The letter is not only libellous, but also a determined and well-planned attack on my character. Ever since the Kaieteur News had carried some endorsements from several persons, the smear campaign has started via Facebook and Letters to the Editor. The sad part is that I have never told anyone I would be contesting the Berbice Cricket Board election, and I am left to wonder what would happen if I do so.

I have received numerous requests to do so and would make a decision very soon. Why cannot we behave like civilised people and run a clean campaign based on achievements and ability, to get things done and plans for the future? I hold no brief for Mr. Allicock but attacking me seems to be a fulltime job for him. All of his statements in the letter are libelous and false.
a) I have never recommended a 20/20 cricket for Under-13players, never organised any such tournament nor plan to do so. Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club has recently formed an Under-13 team which is currently playing in an eight team tournament in Georgetown, organised by the Softball League. The club agreed to do so since no form of cricket is being played in Berbice.
b) I have never formed a Special Events Committee under my brother’s presidency of the Berbice Cricket Board. The elected Executive Committee asked me to head the committee which included Anil Beharry, Leslie Solomon, Gregory Rambarran, Shabeer Baksh, Winston Smith, Hubern Evans, Rabindranauth Saywack, Romesh Munna and Angela Haniff among others.

c) The work of the Special Events Committee is well-documented and played a great role in the development of Berbice Cricket. This was done not by the efforts of one man but a group of honest, dedicated individuals whose main objectives was to lift Berbice Cricket to the highest level.
d) The Special Events Committee never had its own bank account. All funds raised were handed over to the Treasurer, Anil Beharry and the Berbice Cricket Board Trustees. The Berbice Cricket Board’s Financial Accounts were audited on an annual basis and approved by its member clubs at the Annual General Meetings.
e) The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club membership is open to all Berbicians free of cost. We do not, as a matter of policy, ask cricketers to join our Club. The accusation that we stole cricketers from Upper Corentyne and surrounding areas is simply untrue. Players like Clinton Pestano, Askhay Homraj and Parmanand Narine all asked to join the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club and had their requests granted.
f) Mr. Allicock in his letter accused me of doing the Berbice Cricket Board fixtures for matches and picking venues and selecting umpires. This statement is highly fictitious and libelous as I never did any of the following. The preparation of fixtures was done solely by the Berbice Cricket Board Competitions Chairman, Mr. Carl Moore who also selected the venues while the Berbice Cricket Umpires Association was responsible for the selection of umpires. I have never overstepped my role in the Berbice Cricket Board, and Mr. Moore along with the Umpires Association can be contacted to verify same.

Mr. Allicock’s most famous theme is about people enriching themselves at the expense of cricket. It is very easy to target people’s character when you cannot target their record of achievements. Personally, I can safely say that I am not a rich person, do not live any type of fancy lifestyle and has always tried to be humble. I do not own a vehicle, do not own a piece of jewellery, have the oldest bicycle in the world to go work, and can say without fear of being corrected that I do not have half a million dollars in my name or my family’s name.

It hurts when you sacrifice a lot to serve humanity and is targeted by others who have nothing to do. I would continue to serve my town, my county and my country to the best of my ability, and would urge Mr. Allicock to do likewise. By the way, since I am no cricket administrator, I should return the numerous awards I have collected, including the National Sports Personality Award from the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Cricket Board Special Award for outstanding contribution to the development of cricket. Over the years, my faith in God has been my tower of strength and would continue to be so.

To Mr. Allicock and his friends, I would strongly urge that you concentrate your efforts on informing the Berbice Cricket Clubs on your plans for the future, and to run a clean election campaign based on your achievements. On a personal note, I would like to express thanks to the countless friends, cricket clubs, political leaders and members of the business community who visited me or called to offer words of encouragement in the face of the restless campaign against me.

Regards,

Hilbert Foster
Secretary/CEO,
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