Hunte marks guard (8 July 1999)

8 July 1999

Hunte marks guard

Erica Yarde-Greenidge

Stating he planned to put the emphasis on the "C" in BCA, Sir Conrad Hunte formally announced his candidacy and that of his running mates in elections for the new board of the Barbados Cricket Association on July 29.

"I bring a wealth of experience, as an administrator of the game and as a player who played at the highest level, to the affairs of Barbados cricket," the West Indies cricket great told a news conference at which he was introduced by Al Gilkes of Al-Hart public relations firm.

Sitting with him at the table in the Ministry of Education's conference room was Desmond Haynes, like Sir Conrad a former West Indies cricketer. In the room also was his team of backers running for BCA office: David Holford, Stephen Alleyne and Philip Nicholls.

"I have contributed significantly to the development of the game and youth in many, many parts of the world, and wish most fervently to do the same in Barbados, which means more to me than anything else in the world," said Sir Conrad, who returned to Barbados earlier this year after coaching in South Africa.

He said cricket had been one of the most significant, constant and beneficial influences of his life and he wanted to repay the game in Barbados and the West Indies a tremendous debt.

He said he decided to run against incumbent president Tony Marshall after careful thought and consultation with several people.

Sir Conrad said he intended to use teamwork and effective management in his agenda to restore cricket back to and beyond its greatest days.

"In my view the BCA is far too important and complex an organisation for one man to try to do or feel that he can do it all.

"He must gather around him men and women of different views, skills backgrounds and experiences, and mould them into an effective harmonious team. I intend to, if selected, focus on the second word in our title, cricket."

Holford is a former West Indies player, who also served as West Indies selector and manager and is CEO of the West Indies Players" Association; Alleyne is CEO of a leading insurance firm, and Nicholls, an attorney-at-law.

Haynes said he wanted to contribute to the rebuilding of cricket.

"I feel that our vision of our cricket must extend beyond building structures; it must return to the fundamentals of the game itself," he said, citing points frequently made in criticism of Marshall.

He added that attention must be paid to all aspects of the game: coaching, umpiring, pitches.

Alleyne, a former vice-president of the BCA, declared he would be contesting the post of first vice-president.

"I have been approached to return to the board of management of the BCA and am encouraged to do so because I wholeheartedly support Sir Conrad"s agenda," he said.

"I am doing so largely because I still feel that I have much to return to the game. My sense is that we are at a crucial stage of the game's development.

"Barbadian cricket was a dominant force in West Indian cricket for much of living memory and I think we would all agree it is at a low ebb," Alleyne added.

Sir Conrad's vision for the BCA extends to the 2007 World Cup. Through that time he intends to make Kensington Oval the premier cricket centre in the West Indies and have the local cricketing programme acknowledged world-wide.

It would be a step-by-step process and the motivation of members wouldl be key to capturing that vision, he said.

Meetings with all cricketing bodies, including scorers, umpires and groundsmen, would be next in line, he added.

"In our headquarters and in every school and club our vision and mission statement will be displayed. Everyone in Barbados will know where we are going and how we plan to get there," Sir Conrad said.

A partnership with the Government and the private sector will be sought to turn that vision into a reality once Sir Conrad has been elected.

Source :: The Barbados Nation