Richards on the cards for top TCB job (3 May 1997)

03 May 1997

Richards on the cards for top TCB job

by Peter Robinson and Luke Alfred

Barry Richards, one of South Africa's greatest batsmen, could be on a shortlist of potential chief executives to be submitted to the Transvaal Cricket Board, probably next week.

Richards, under whose guidance Queensland won the Sheffield Shield for the first time in the state's history, had discussions with senior Transvaal officials while he was in South Africa with Fox Television for the Australian Tour.

"I did talk to them," Richards said yesterday, "but nothing concrete was proposed and I have no details of any offer."

The Transvaal post fell open when Albie During resigned mid-season and has not yet been replaced. Transvaal engaged the services of PE Corporate Consultants to assist in the process of finding a replacement for During.

TCB chairman Gerald Ritchie said yesterday that he did not want to speculate on the possibility of Richards setting up shop at The Wanderers, but he did confirm that "our consultants spoke to him recently".

It is understood from sources close to Transvaal cricket that Richards was seen in close conversation with Transvaal persident Joe Pamensky while he was in South Africa. Pamensky, however, is in Australia on business and could not be contacted yesterday.

Richards, who was director of cricket at Natal before moving to Australia, recently ended his contract with Queensland and moved from Brisbane to Perth where is wife Ann's family is based.

He spent seven-and-a-half years in Brisbane and is widely credited for Queensland's recent rise to pre-eminence. Two years ago Queensland won the Shield for the first time since entering the competition in 1927/28 and the achievement was repeated this season.

Under Richards, the administration of Queensland cricket was extensively overhauled and the state side aggressively and successfully marketed in the face of growing competition from other sporting codes. The Gabba, Queensland's home ground, was also redeveloped.

If Richards is to be regarded as a realistic candidate for the Transvaal job, it has to be accepted that he would not come cheap. The exchange rate between the South African rand and the Australia dollar would not favour Transvaal and Richards himself would need persuading that it was worth his while to uproot his family for the second time in a matter of months. Said longtime friend Lee Irvine from Johannesburg yesterday: "Yes, he has expressed concern about unsettling the family again."

Source:: The Star Newspaper