WICB biannual meeting opens today (13 November 1998)

13 November 1998

WICB biannual meeting opens today

Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor

The West Indies Cricket Board's biannual meeting opens in Antigua this morning and the main item on the agenda is expected to be the recent impasse between the board and the players which threatened the tour of South Africa.

The agenda for the November meeting, which follows the annual general meeting in May, is usually limited to discussions on matters such as the previous tour or tours, the coming tour or tours, the regional tournaments and the development of the game in the region.

This time, however, it won't be business as usual. The impasse, which not only threatened the tour but the foundation of West Indies cricket, is expected to be the main item on the agenda.

"No, the meeting was not called for that purpose," said president Pat Rousseau from Antigua yesterday. "Obviously, the problem will be discussed, but it is a scheduled meeting to discuss cricket matters."

It is definitely going to be discussed and if other members do not do so before them, Jamaica's representatives, Jackie Hendriks and Maurice Foster, will get it going.

At the Jamaica Cricket Board of Control's monthly meeting at Sabina Park on Tuesday, president Hendriks and Foster were mandated to ask questions about the London talks between representatives of the board and representatives of the players.

The impasse started when West Indies captain Brian Lara and vice-captain Carl Hooper went from Bangladesh to London instead of Johannesburg and were fired from their positions and removed from the team.

The decision to fire Lara and Hooper was taken by the board at an emergency meeting in Antigua. At the London talks where a compromise was reached and Lara and Hooper were reinstated, the board was represented by Rousseau, board member Richard DeSouza and marketing officer Chris Dehring.

Source :: The Jamaica Gleaner (https://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/)