Murray new Cricket Board boss

THE 25-year reign of the Alloy Lequay-led Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control came to an end yesterday. Former West Indies wicketkeeper Deryck Murray led the “Friends of Cricket” to victory yesterday in the national elections for positions on the TTCB at the National Cricket Centre at Balmain, Couva. Murray defeated Dudnath Ramkessoon 25-19 for the post of president, a reversal of his fortunes  two years ago when he was topped by Ellis Lewis, the outgoing TTCB president who did not stand for re-election this time around. Lequay, who resigned as chief executive officer recently, had groomed Ramkessoon to take over the presidency of the organisation.

Ramkessoon in the previous administration was first vice-president and chairman of the national selectors. Yesterday’s election process took more than an hour before the anxious supporters and fans learnt the results. Afterwards Murray said his first task will be to nurture the existing talent in Trinidad and Tobago, and turn it into something that the West Indies can be proud of in the future. The victory of the Murray slate was a surprise for supporters of the Cricket Board who felt they had the result sewn up despite the fact that the “Friends of Cricket” had made inroads in the zonal and league elections leading up to yesterday. Ramkessoon, after losing in the presidency vote yesterday, returned to defeat Allan Sammy for the post of first vice-president. He got the better of Sammy in a race that went down to the wire. The former West Indies Youth team captain in the end tallied 23 votes while Sammy fell short by just one vote (22) after the results were level after just two rounds of voting.

The results followed a consistent trend afterwards with Azim Basarath and Forbes Persaud securing the second vice-president and secretary portfolios for the “Friends of Cricket.” Bassarath defeated the hardworking Baldath Mahabir 24-21; and Persaud, who recently was elected president of the Secondary School Cricket League (SSCL), beat Deonarine Jaggernauth by a similar  margin. The position of treasurer was contested by three candidates but in the end it was the incumbent Richard De Souza who came out on top with 21 votes. Joycelyn Opadeyi who bid for the post on the slate of the “Friends” made a good impression collecting 18 votes while Mahabir Ragoonanan received just six down the line. Six executive members, out of a nominated 12, were also chosen yesterday.  They are Omar Khan who received 22 votes, Leo Dudnath (26) and Sammy who got 25. The other three are Patrick Rampersad (23), Ann Brown-John who also got 23 and Arjoon Ramlal (21).  Murray said yesterday the election was about 20 people being able to express different positions about the way cricket should be run.

He noted that in the end the game should be the winner and not a slate. He added that it is a time for members of both slates to come together for the interest of the sport in Trinidad and Tobago and the region. “Cricket must be the winner and we must now sit down and look at our board and our constitution and determine whether we are in the best position to take the sport foward,” Murray said. Murray described the task as leading cricket in Trinidad and Tobago as an enormous one but said it is not one that they are afraid of. Meanwhile Ramkissoon said he welcomed Murray as the new president and assured him of his full support in guiding cricket to the top.