GCB must organise club, district, county competitions

Dear Editor,
Cricket! Glorious Cricket! While our Government is spending massively on the development of Sport in the country, the reality is far from encouraging in respect to the functioning of several national sports associations.
The Guyana Cricket Board immediately comes to mind.
Recently, we were exposed to the many shortfalls and criticisms of the Guyana Cricket Board, hence we must ask the relevant members of the GCB to give explanation of what is really taking place in that very important sport association in Guyana.
Ever since the present Administration took control over cricket in Guyana, we have been witnessing a steady decline in all formats of the game. At the regional level, the Guyana senior team’s performance at the Regional Four-Day Competition is on a steady decline. The team’s performance at the One Day International tournaments was disheartening to watch, as they struggled to stay among the four top teams. In the Under-19 Regional Tournament, Guyana is struggling at fourth position, while at the Under-17 Regional tournament, Guyana is struggling at 5th position in a six-team tournament.
We can continue lamenting the teams’ performances, but we must not forget that Guyana won the Under-19 Regional Tournament for six consecutive years under the Chetram Singh Presidency. Guyana also dominated the senior regional competitions, and had seven Test players in the West Indies Team at one time. Guyana produced some of the best cricketers in the world, and Chetram Singh and his Executive took the Guyana Cricket Board out of the ‘RED” and produced three consecutive captains for the West Indies Team. Guyana’s proud Captain Clive Hubert Lloyd put the West Indies Cricket Team at the helm of World Cricket.
The present issue of the selection of the national cricket team without the involvement of the captain is compounded by the fact that the team went into the present Regional Four-Day Tournament with issues such as caps and uniforms not being available, and that is unimaginable. The wrangling in the cricket fraternity is denigrating Guyana’s cricket to a very low level.
Certainly, the Guyana Cricket Board must have a closer look at its spending. No audit for the last two years, and the salaries and perks that are out there in the public do not auger well. The functioning of the clubs and the regional administrations around the country is also not encouraging.
Very worrying, and a matter of serious concern is the fact that the present GCB has abandoned the Chetram Singh Centre of Excellence. That facility is now being used to play softball (unacceptable) cricket. There must be an immediate investigation and explanation of the status of that facility.
The Guyana Cricket Board must organise club, district and county competitions. Under-15, under-17, under-19, under-21 and senior competitions are desperately needed for the development of our cricket. Women’s cricket is also not being giving enough attention, and while cricket in schools is imperative, we are having Regional Under-15 tournaments without any cricket in the schools. Our sports grounds are heavily underutilised, and our coaches are missing in action.
This Government is spending massively on Sports. Grounds around the country and cricket gear are being distributed without any tangible positive results.
It is imperative that our sports associations focus on our schools and communities.
Sports in schools and communities would certainly lead to a healthier lifestyle and more unity among our people.

Sincerely,
Neil Kumar