Letter to the Sports Editor…RAMNARINE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SANCTIONED BY THE GCB

Jan 12, 2016 Sports

Dear Editor,
I read with complete astonishment and sought time to digest Mr. Andy Ramnarine’s letter in the Kaieteur Newspaper dated 2015-12-31 under the caption ‘Elroy Stephney seems not to be thinking clearly’.  I wish to let the public know that I would have written to both the Essequibo and Guyana Cricket Board to investigate substantial allegations against Mr. Ramnarine concerning his misconduct whilst coaching the Essequibo under-15 team in 2014 during an inter-county tournament.
It was brought to my attention by some players that after a period of imbibing they were assembled one evening, lights off and were compelled to catch cricket balls in the dark. Is someone of such contemptuous ignorance fit to either coach or manage any team?
Perhaps Mr. Ramnarine was referring to his pro-activeness in such a manner as against what he termed Mr. Stephney’s inability to do likewise. Further Mr. Ramnarine is on record to have violated the statutory decision of the South Essequibo Cricket Committee when at an election he voted contrary to the Committee’s choice.  He should have been expelled.  There is a matter relating the forged Birth Certificate of a relative in an effort to have that person selected in the national under-15 team two years ago. The GCB is aware of this matter. I would have publicly written before about Mr. Ramnarine’s faltering record and I am repeating same with even more conviction and disdain since nothing was done to investigate my concerns. In contrast Mr. Stephney is much wiser than that and in fact he is one of the most respected sports individual in the Region and holds a level 11 WICB accredited Coaching certificate. He continues to do extensive coaching within North Essequibo and has the full support of a wide cross section of both young and senior players. I have had direct working knowledge with Mr. Stephney both as a player and an executive of North Essequibo and he remains an invaluable institutional component of the cricketing fraternity based on his experience, knowledge, creativity and his calm approach even when he is involved in hostile situations.
Mr. Ramnarine’s letter seems to imply that Mr. Stephney is political, claiming that he was imposed by the PPP Government to sit on the IMC. This is in fact grossly erroneous since Mr. Stephney was recommended by the ECB because he served as an executive member of the Board at the time. I also sat periodically as a member of the IMC whist serving as President, likewise Mr. Sheik Ahmad, former President of the ECB as well. I can also recall that Mr. Brian Christiani, Veren Chintamani and Wazeer Mohamed all attended IMC meetings on behalf of the ECB. They supported the IMC then, but now they are denouncing the IMC since they are now serving members of the GCB and this serves their individual interest not to see a democratic and transparent national Board through free and fair elections. The ECB is not benefitting from the GCB as there has not been one word uttered at the noted omission of Ransford Beaton from the senior team even though he has been the spearhead of the bowling department for the past three years. Perhaps bartering has become the norm where a fellow county player is being replaced by another. Being a constituent member of the ECB I am demanding an explanation as to Mr. Beaton’s omission as the BCB would have strongly done for Jonathan Foo. I am not surprised though that the GCB would have chosen its number eleven batsman in the form of Mr. Ramnarine to challenge Mr. Stephney’s wily off-spin since all he would have done was to flash recklessly and speculatively. Is this how the GCB is being captained? However in anticipation of the GCB reshuffling its batting order, would its opening batsman by default in the form of the Secretary answer the following questions?
1-Who are the members of the legal Demerara Cricket Board?
2-Who are the members of the DEB INC?
3-Which constituent do most of the successful players from the national teams come from?
4-Who are the members of the CDC and when was the last meeting held under a quorum?
5-Is the ECB Administrator being paid to work at home or at the ECB Office?
6-Why were the other two franchise league matches cancelled from being played in Essequibo?
These are only a few pertinent questions which I hope the Secretary can bat even though he is not known to have either held one or would attempt to ever do so. I wish the GCB well though in the future as I reiterate my fervent plea to have Mr. Ramnarine investigated for gross misconduct as an official who claim to be proactive for the wrong reasons. I am willing to provide the evidence as well as the official letters that I would have sent to both the ECB and GCB documenting my disgust and for him to be investigated. I do believe he is incompetent and unfitting to be managing and coaching at any level especially minors given his risky methods of operation.
On the contrary though, I believe Mr. Stephney was correct when he opined that the GCB is being managed like a private club. Is Mr. Ramnarine a member of that club and cannot be sanctioned?
Prince Holder
Former President of the Essequibo Cricket Board