Lequay: WICB Executive picked Singh

PRESIDENT of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control (TTCBC) Alloy Lequay has defended his board’s decision to support Guyanese Chetram Singh for the presidency of the West Indies Cricket Board.

Yesterday, Lequay issued a two-page media release seeking to clarify what he described as “misrepresentation of facts in the media.” Lequay has faced mounting criticism since it was revealed last week that the TTCBC have put their support behind the Guyanese bookie who is up against Trinidadian Willie Rodriguez in the elections slated for July 12 and 13 in Dominica. He said the decision to support Singh, a member of the WICB executive was done after careful consideration and to ensure continuity of the plans and programme put in place under the outgoing Wes Hall’s leadership. The former West Indies and Barbados fast bowler had informed the WICB he would not stand for re-election after serving one term as board president, citing health reasons caused by the stress of constant travel.

Lequay said the WICB Executive, on being informed on Hall’s imminent departure considered three candidates and it was agreed that Singh was the most suitable nominee. He said the deliberations of the WICB executive were  relayed to him and the TT delegate to the WI Board, Elli Lewis, first vice-president of the TTCBC by Richard De Souza, another local representative on the regional cricket organisation. “These discussions were finalised at a WICB executive meeting in Barbados on Friday, June 6,” stated Lequay. However one day before, Lequay said he received a telephone call from Jackie Hendricks, president of the Jamaica Cricket Association who advised that they were considering nominating Rodriguez for the top position. “I informed Mr Hendricks of the process that was taking place and promised to convey his request for support for Mr Rodriguez to Mr De Souza on his return from Barbados on June 7 where he was attending the WICB Executive meeting,” stated Lequay. Four days later Lequay revealed he told the Jamaican that De Souza had made a commitment to the WICB Executive to support Singh and Val Banks of Anguilla for the offices of president and vice-president respectively.

“Our board therefore had a moral commitment to honour the agreement,” stated Lequay. He said at no time was there any communication with Rodriguez, the president of Queen’s Park Cricket Club concerning the seeking of a nominee having regard to the collective agreement of the WICB excutive. Lequay said the TTCBC executive were apprised of the developments on June 12 when the nomination of Singh and Banks were endorsed. “The statement in the print media that I mandated our representatives on the WICB to support Mr Singh was erroneous and deliberately misleading. I have no such authority,” stated Lequay. “Finally I operate on the principle that nothing is politically right if it is morally wrong.  My cricket colleagues support this view hence our moral position,” ended Lequay.