…Walters the man for the job, says influential figures

VEMEN Walters is contemplating running for president of the Berbice Cricket Board, saying the inclusion of all cricket stakeholders will be the only way the administration of the game in Berbice can progress.
Walters, with over two decades of experience in cricket administration, made the disclosure yesterday on social media.

“I am strongly thinking about contesting, but of course there must not be any faction. Both factions which were part of the last elections must be involved, and be able to work together in the interest of Berbice, and by extension Guyana and West Indies cricket,” Walters, who is also the assistant secretary of the Albion Cricket Club, said on social media.
It is understood that Walters is expected to make his decision final after the date for the elections is fixed by High Court Judge Navindra Singh.

Justice Singh, had ordered new elections on December 18 after the election of office-bearers of the Berbice Cricket Board at its annual general meeting and elections in October were declared “unlawful, null, void, and of no legal effect as the entire election process was fundamentally flawed, unfair and undemocratic”.
The judge had said that the new elections will be held this January on a date to be fixed by him.

Meanwhile, a number of influential figures in the local cricket fraternity, who have become increasingly frustrated with the current state of the sport in the Ancient County, have thrown their support behind Walters, urging him to run for the presidency.
A former cricket official in the County, who spoke on condition of anonymity, believes Walters, who is the holder of a Masters in Business Administration, and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Management, is the most suitable candidate, and reckons his wealth of expertise can be an asset at the BCB.

“Walters is a good choice and is the better man because he has over 20 years of cricket experience at the administration level,” the cricket official said.

“Walters knows the ins and outs of cricket and knows how it needs to be run and how it should be run. He always plays that influential role in cricket, and when you look at Albion Club over the years where he is a part you could tell the ability of the man. Albion over the years has produced a number of cricketers both at the national and regional levels.”
Berbice cricket has not enjoyed the best of times since the 2014 elections and last month’s decision by the Judge has put the administration of the sport in further disarray.

To this end, an executive member of a leading cricket club in Berbice, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said Walters, who is currently the Human Resources Manager at the Albion Estate, can definitely turn things around because he has the experience and certainly has the passion for the sport. Walters is still young,” the club executive said.
As it stands, former president Dhierandranauth Somwaru is the only man to declare his intentions to run for the board’s top post.

While the club executive appreciates the contributions that Somwaru has made to cricket, he believes that the task of taking Berbice cricket to the next level is beyond him.
Following the highly contentious elections last October where Somwaru was voted in as the BCB president, the majority of clubs and sub-association members had claimed that the elections were not held in keeping with the Cricket Administration Act, since according to them, some 22 voting delegates were debarred from or refused to take part in voting for various reasons.

This had subsequently led to the filing of legal proceedings by the Guymine Sports Club, the Fort Canje Hospital Club and the Mount Sinai Cricket Club; who all argued that the elections were null and void because it contravened Schedule III of the Guyana Cricket Administration Act.
The applicants are of the opinion that the entire election process had been “fundamentally flawed, unfair and undemocratic,” and that the office-bearers could not have been properly elected.

Also part of his ruling, Justice Singh ordered that a list of all eligible representatives of the clubs and associations listed in Schedule III, Section 4 of the Act, be submitted to the court by yesterday.

It was also ordered that the representatives to be submitted to the court shall, after verification and approval by the court, be the delegates who will represent the clubs and associations in the new elections for office-bearers.
Additionally, the judge has ordered all clubs and associations intending to participate in the next elections, to pay their annual dues no later than January 16.
Justice Singh has noted that his orders should not be construed as hindering, or affecting the general administration of cricket in the County of Berbice, pending new elections.