GCB Rubis Bel Air U17 Inter- County Cricket Tournament…
Globally, cricket is known to be a gentleman’s game, which should be played in a spirit of fierce but fair and friendly competition. During the recently concluded Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Rubis Bel Air Under-17 Inter-County Tournament, the games that were played were high-quality and competitive. The officiating was, however, such that generated much disappointment and very intense off-field musings in regard to the competence of match officials.
Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) President Hilbert Foster has expressed his dissatisfaction with umpiring decisions that saw the Berbice team being subjected to allegedly questionable dismissals in their match against Demerara in the second round of this tournament.
Foster told this publication that he has often warned the Berbice players to be wary of the standard of umpiring at this level. He said the standard of umpiring is very poor, and both the BCB and its players are fearful of the deleterious consequences these decisions can leverage.
He charged that, because of persistently questionable decisions that seem to be flowing in one direction, the self-confidence of the players is negatively affected, and they develop some amount of fear when playing matches against Demerara sides.
But GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie has responded to this development by declaring that it is improper for cricket administrators to question the integrity of match officials, especially when doing so publically. “We must not allow young players to inculcate a habit of questioning the decisions of umpires,” Sanasie has charged.
“The game of cricket is played with rules and regulations, and if anyone is not satisfied with a decision, there are proper protocols established in the system to air grievances,” he explained.
“I am aware that, in Berbice fixtures, match officials and venues are fixed by Mr. Foster, hence when the players and himself (have) to operate in an environment of professionalism, (they are) hard-pressed to follow the rules.
“The statement by Mr. Foster is at best inappropriate, and we must not allow our youngsters to develop such habits, as cricket is a gentleman’s game,” Sanasie is contending. The GCB Secretary also explained that match officials work tirelessly to qualify themselves, especially in this case, where officials in the game have been doing regional matches also.
“It is not a healthy situation for the professional lives of these hard-working officials(to be called into question),” Sanasie has concluded.
The emerging scenario makes it evident that these two cricket boards – GCB and BCB – are not seeing “eye to eye” in every situation; but cricket development should remain at the forefront of their considerations, thus administrative issues should be resolved quickly as Guyana cricket continues to break barriers. (Brandon Corlette)
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