PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,  CMC – Trinidad & Tobago’s cricket chief Deryck Murray has hit back against a newspaper report accusing his Board of bribery, and says they will be pursuing legal action against the media house.

On Monday, a newspaper here claimed that high-ranking members of the T&T Cricket Board had had offered money to several national league clubs in order to secure their votes in the upcoming TTCB elections.

The report alleged that clubs were being offered TT$60 000 with individual payments being up to $10 000.
“These spurious, malicious and scandalous claims made in the newspaper … is really unfortunate and it is unwarranted,” said Murray. “The allegations leave me astounded as to the motives and smear campaign that seems to be conducted by those purporting that they should lead T&T’s cricket.

“I am very disappointed in this form of campaigning, the mud slinging must stop and the article in Monday’s newspaper was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“We have since forwarded the article to our legal team and they would be in touch with the owners of the newspaper within a day or two.”

Murray said that in the 2006-07 season, the TTCB disbursed $6 000 to the 16 clubs playing in the National League Division One and Division Two competitions, for developmental reasons.