Two longtime allies turn against USACA president

Two of USA Cricket Association president Gladstone Dainty's longtime allies, Atlantic Region administrators Sheldon Mollineau and Shelton Glasgow, have come out strongly against USACA vice-president Michael Gale's claim that the solution to USACA's current problems is to ratify an amended constitution. Instead, they are withdrawing their support of the Dainty administration and are calling for all leagues to reject the proposed changes that are up for a vote at the coming weekend's AGM.

"If people were to read the document, there are some very disturbing elements in that document," Glasgow told ESPNcricinfo. "The administration banks on the apathy of the leagues to get certain things through because a lot of people would not have read that document. If people approve that document, you're going to have six more years of Dainty and company. I never thought I'd be saying this but we just can't afford to have that for cricket. Cricket will surely die in this country by then."

Among the proposals put forth by a governance review conducted last year by TSE Consulting, were to cut down the total size of the board while adding independent directors to make up 50% of the administration, which would greatly reduce the current board's power. Other recommendations were for athlete representatives to be added to make up 20% of the board and term limits be established.

Instead, USACA is proposing to increase the number of people on the board while also reducing the number of proposed independent directors. Term limits would not be applied retroactively and the executive board member positions of president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer would no longer be voted on by all member leagues but would only be decided by a consolidated voting panel of 11 other board members.

Mollineau said that although he considers Dainty a friend, he thinks the time has come for different administrators to have a chance after more than a decade under Dainty's leadership.

"I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel with the current administration," Mollineau said. "I can't stay involved if Dainty remains. This administration isn't taking cricket in the right direction. There's no vision and this constitution has nothing to help the development of the game. It is only revised to ensure the current board remains in power.

"It goes completely against what the TSE governance recommendations were and takes away any voting rights from the leagues. I can't deal with this. I'll take it to court if I have to. The one thing we have in US cricket is a vote from the leagues and they're trying to take that away from us."

Glasgow acknowledges he was one of Dainty's biggest supporters during the last USACA election in 2012, but that recent events have made him rethink his stance on the current administration. He says he had hope that the administration would turn a corner and demonstrate progress if given enough time, but based on USA's recent relegation to WCL Division Four, he no longer has faith that things will improve unless someone else takes charge.

"I was fully supportive of the current administration, there's no question about that," Glasgow said. "What I do not support is the non-improvement. There's no vision there for cricket. I was optimistic that after several failures people would learn from their mistakes and their experience would have benefitted the sport. That has not happened. We keep doing the same things over and over. If you look at progress and use the national team as a yardstick, it's not so much that we fail or lose. It is the lack of preparation, the way teams are selected, the way selectors are appointed. It's ridiculous."