Cultural SC aggrieved over land dispute

−claims the impasse is affecting community cricket being played

Members of the Cultural Sports Club at Canal No.2 West Bank Demerara are frustrated over the current land dispute of the cricket ground at which the club plays. When Guyana Times Sport spoke to Club Captain Randy Persaud on Friday, he explained that the ground’s sole purpose is to for cricket to be played in the community. Currently, the ground, the centre of the ground has poles implanted to for a fence construction, a construction which Persaud explained is bewildering due to club’s longevity at the ground.

Persaud explained that “we wanted to build an all purpose pavilion so when they heard that they did not want anything build because it would become fixed property, so Tulsie Ram Mathura, who owns about one quarter of the land and resides in New York, sent a letter stating that his father gave the ground to us but we broke the oral agreement.”

Persaud added that “when he [Mathura], who is also a Pandit came to Guyana, he made a compromise that where the fence is built we would make an all purpose road, they will close the road but the ground will remain on his land, when all of that is finished it seemed there was some other disagreement and they just came and (put) a low fence on the ground in 2008.” The club captain further explained that the main dispute arose because of the formation of the Mutli Cultural Sports Club, who had their own prerogative of how the cricket affairs at the ground should be governed.

Persaud disclosed that, “Pandit Bharat Panday came in 2014 pulled off the fence but he came up with his own idea and collected all the gears which was given to us in 2007 and gave us a letter saying that he will run the cricket, which they did not have the right to do that.”

The cricketer said that despite the difficulties, they returned to the ground four Sundays ago and permission was given to play so they cleared the land and then we put up notices that we would be playing a Trinidadian team, they came and pulled a fence on Friday; when he called, he said that they would be bloodshed there and he did it as safety precaution.”

Trinidadian team, Central Renegades are set to play a T20 fixture against the team but they will now have to move to the Bell West Sports Club to play the match.

Persaud’s father, Gobin in giving the history of the creation of the club, stated that the club has been at the ground since August 1950 and then Prime Minister Hamilton Green came and commissioned the pavilion in December 1987. Gobin also spoke of Saleem Juman’s investment, the owner of New Line Cavaliers and New Line Aqua farm into the ground and how they have consistently up kept the ground.

The club has produced some outstanding players over the years and the latest is Kheshram Seyhodan who represented Guyana in the West Indies Cricket Board’s Regional Under-19 tournament in St Vincent and the Grenadines. After his outstanding performances, Seyhodan is now highly touted for selection to the West Indies Youth team.Gobin expressed frustration over the impasse stating that he hopes cricket can be returned to the ground as quickly as possible.