President of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Whycliff ‘Dave’ Cameron said that problems affecting Guyana’s cricket would never be solved in the courts. Speaking at the board’s Town Hall meeting held on Wednesday night at the Georgetown Cricket Club, Cameron pointed out that having mediation and getting rid of personality issues is the way forward.

The Town Hall meeting is a series of conferences which started in Barbados in May. It aims to give cricket fans and administrators across the Caribbean an opportunity to air their concerns directly to the heads and provide valuable ideas to develop the game in the Region.

In his opening remarks before entertaining questions from the audience, Cameron extended congratulations to the Guyana Amazon Warriors on their success so far in the CPL, adding that he can’t recall any such crowd at any stadium in the Caribbean of recent.

He explained that the Board is looking at ways to improve the draft system for the Professional Cricket League (PCL) and said that there is a need to improve the club structure which is of utmost importance to the game in the Region.

Vice President Emmanuel Nanthan stated that cricket belongs to the people and the CPL matches confirmed that the vigor for the game is still very much alive in Guyana. Nanthan said that Guyana has a rich history in cricket and thanked a nation which assisted him administratively.

In response to issues plaguing Guyana’s cricket including several court battles, Cameron, informed that he had a meeting with Minister of Education with responsibility for Sport, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, and they have unearthed a way forward for Guyana’s cricket.

Attorney-at-law Emily Dodson raised several questions concerning women’s cricket. She said that there is a need to have age group cricket for females and they should be given similar rewards as their male counterparts since they are ranked higher.

Cameron explained that the WICB has 10 females on retainer contracts and they will be hosting Pakistan Women’s team in the near future. Former Director of the WICB Claude Raphael said that ‘Free and Fair’ elections must be held to resolve the issues affecting Guyana’s cricket.

He said that the Berbice Cricket Board has not received any subvention from the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) of recent.

Former West Indies all-rounder Roger Harper raised concerns of the ranking system in the PCL, stating that promising players are sometimes not being given a fair opportunity. He argued that talented T20 players should be given an opportunity to showcase their talent so that they can gain selection in the CPL.

Former Guyana batsman Mark Harper queried about the High Performance Centre (HPC). Among other concerns raised was the sacking of Shivnarine Chanderpaul from the Test team, Schools cricket, WICB’s subvention to the GCB and the MOU/CBA for players and the state of pitches in the Caribbean.

In addressing some of the issues, Cameron said that a ranking system was used to select players the board is looking at ways to improve the PCL. The WICB boss indicated that they are looking at staging a T20 development tournament with the territories so players can be spotted.

Cameron said that the HPC has been replaced with the High Performance Programme. “What we have is a programme at the said venue where we identify players who need special attention to move to the next level. The programme also helps to prepare our A, Under-19 and female teams. West Indies cricket is important to Regional integration and we need to find a way of having the best players representing us,” he added.

He said that Chanderpaul is very special to West Indies cricket and the board will honour him appropriately. “For too long players have not been given the king of farewell that is befitting of their contribution,” said Cameron.

The WICB head explained that schools cricket will be back in Guyana and they will assist with the equipment and also help to organise the competition. He said that the schools will be attached to a club so players can move on to the next level, stating that the WICB will work with the GCB for the growth of first division cricket here.

Cameron told the gathering that the board has employed a curator to look at the pitches and make recommendations.

He expressed gratitude to the Guyanese public for their input.

(Taken from Kaieteur News)