Affiliates of the West Demerara Cricket Association (WDCA) last Saturday elected a new executive to serve for the new term, but the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) has not yet accorded its recognition to the newly-elected executives.
According to a WDCA release, Anand Sanasie, Krishna Lall, Ganesh Arjune and Lalta Digamber were elected to serve as president, secretary, assistant secretary and competitions committee chairman respectively at an Ordinary General Meeting held at the Wales Community Centre last Saturday.
The meeting was called after the Cornelia Ida Cricket Club moved a motion of no confidence against Vishnu Shradananda who had served as president in 2006. The motion was seconded by the Windsor Forest Cricket Club and allegedly supported by 22 other clubs affiliated to the WDCA.
However, DCB’s secretary Ian John told Stabroek Sport yesterday that the DCB did not recognise the newly-elected office bearers since it (DCB) had not been officially informed about the new developments.
John said the DCB was to have met yesterday to deliberate on the issue at hand and would make a public statement today.
He categorically stated that the DCB which oversees the operations of the WDCA since the latter is affiliated to the DCB is not aware that the WDCA had called an Ordinary General Meeting to elect a new executive body.
He admitted that he is in receipt of a no-confidence motion and the reasons for the motion being served, but emphasized that he was unaware of the meeting on Saturday.
John said the DCB recognizes the body that is headed by Mr Shradananda and not the one that was elected on Saturday.
According to the motion filed by the Cornelia Ida Cricket Club, the reasons for the motion are as follows: failure of the competitions committee to run off any cricket competition for the past 10 months; the continued intervention of Krishnadat Mangal, a non-elected member, in the affairs of the association; alleged misappropriation of competitions’ entrance fees and resulting non-action by Shradananda; Shradananda selecting his son for Demerara trials even though he did not participate in any West Demerara competitions; all the cricket equipment and gear obtained by the past administration and handed over to Shradananda have disappeared and no club in the association has received any; no Ordinary General Meeting was held and it is almost one year since the last election. In addition, the president reportedly held an election unconstitutionally for the vacant position of secretary at a competitions committee meeting even though he was the only executive present and only six clubs were represented.
The motion was copied to the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony, Director of Sports Neil Kumar, the Guyana Cricket Board, executives of the WDCA, president of the WDCA and its ex officio members.
It was purportedly signed by representatives of the Versailles, Den Amstel, Meten-Meer-Zorg, Kamuri, Malvern, Patentia, Vive La Force, Players, New Windsor, United, Wales, Canal #2, Vriesland, Bell Vue, Super Star, La Grange, All Youth, Meten-Meer-Zorg East, Leonara, Windsor Forest East and West, Crane and Cultural Cricket Clubs.
The clubs according to the release, blasted Shradananda for not attending Saturday’s meeting to face the criticism leveled at him, but the other executives were present and explained that they were obliged to hear the motion according to the constitution of the association.
The release said all those present voted in favour of the motion.
In keeping with the association’s constitutional requirement to elect a new executive, one slate of nominees was nominated and the delegates present voted unanimously in favour of those nominated.
Others elected on the new executive are Rovin Stanley who was re-elected vice-president, Hardeo Oudit and Carlos DeFreitas who were re-elected as treasurer and PRO respectively and Paul Cheung who was re-elected marketing officer.
The office bearers in the competitions committees who were elected are Mohamed Khan, Nigel Viera and A. Azeez.
