Dear Editor,
We welcome the letter by Mr Intakhab Sankar in the local press. The first version appeared in Stabroek News (June 27) ‘The Berbice Cricket Board needs some more scrutiny,’ while the second, a similar letter, appeared in Kaieteur News (June, 29).
For us in the Upper Corentyne there is not much news here. The folks who call themselves the Berbice Board are well aware that they are operating a dubious deal. The Upper Corentyne Cricket Association has already complained to the Guyana Board about the refusal of the claimants to the title of the Berbice Board (let’s call them CBB) to provide a copy of their constitution while a select few, mainly ‘first division’ teams, are chosen to represent Berbice. Last year, at the presumed AGM of the CBB, one club, now defunct for more than 10 years, was given two votes while the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association was not invited to the meeting.
The debate is likely to get more rancorous since the last information from the GCB suggests that Essequibo with Berbice may have a quorum to call the AGM of the GCB and not worry about the divisions in Demerara. That maybe easier said than done since it now appears that there may be grounds to challenge both the authenticity and authority of the CBB.
Recent investigation also indicates that the CBB has been less than transparent about its organization and the present basis of its authority. A copy of the promised document never arrived at the office of the Chief Co-op Officer-Registrar of Friendly Societies. Similarly, the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport is unaware of the authority of the CBB and how it came to represent Berbice cricket.
The farce of the PRO of the CBB resigning and unresigning upon the insistence of his pick for the recent under-19 Berbice team maybe inscribed in the results of the real contest – a sound drubbing by Demerara. But the real tragedy is the simple fact that most of the players on the Berbice side are aware that they are not the best of the lot – their choice/selection the result of a deal.
Yours faithfully,
Rishee Thakur
