New BCL boss looking ahead (8 August 1999)

8 August 1999

New BCL boss looking ahead

The Barbados Nation

There is a new man at the helm of the Barbados Cricket League (BCL) and he intends to get the house in order.

Glyne St. Hill, who for the past four years served as secretary, is the man taking over from Owen Estwick, who stepped down after nearly 25 years of yeoman service.

"It (the presidency) is a great challenge," said St. Hill, who won handsomely from two challengers at Friday night's annual general meeting at Solidarity House.

A challenge indeed, because he is inheriting a BCL which has shown steady deterioration, with a fall-off in talent and standards, and whose Division 1 team has been struggling in recent years.

St. Hill said he had already earmarked areas he would be targeting to lift the league back to where it was in the illustrious days two to three decades ago.

"My immediate task is to enter into dialogue with school teachers, to have increased sponsorship, to place emphasis on training the leaders of clubs, and for the league and clubs to have proper organisational structure," he said yesterday.

He stressed the need to go into the schools to try to attract talented players who are interested in the game. From here the plan is to establish training clinics so the league can have a steady procession of players in the upcoming years.

The new president said he was hoping to launch an Under-19 competition next year, among the various villages.

Sponsorship is another major issue and St. Hill said he was looking at increasing sponsorship to make the league stronger as well as to assist the Division 1.

As secretary, St. Hill said he had noticed that the league was made of teams rather than clubs and this was a major cause for concern.

"... A lot of the clubs are not really clubs. They are just teams rallying round a few persons," he said. "They seem to have their hands filled and we are hoping to have training sessions in place so thatthe clubs can create a proper organisational structure."

With such a plan in place, St. Hill said he was assured the BCL could regain the respect of players and the public.

Source :: The Barbados Nation