SVGCA should close for stock taking

Everyone at some time stops, reassesses, make changes, then moves on.

Sporting associations, too, do so. But it is long overdue for the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association to post a sign marked “ Closed for Stock Taking”.{{more}}

Yes, the 2008 competitions will be completed. It was a successful end, in that there was a final of sorts, as it came down to the wire to determine the Premier Division winner.

Give Jack his jacket for, at least, the SVGCA piggy backed in getting the final live on radio. Good, but too little too late, as many persons have already erased local cricket from their agenda, but at least your efforts were commendable.

We will never get back the crowds as we used to, in local competitions, as occurred three decades ago, neither will the sport in the minds of everyone in the foreseeable near future.

What should be done, though, is at least put some measures in place to make the annual exercise of the cricket programme one that is eagerly looked forward to.

The Executive must look seriously at reducing the number of teams in the “Premier Division” to six, instead of the current eight.

This proposed set up should see the teams playing two rounds of matches, designated home and away, three more than what obtains at present and more hours of Cricket. Most importantly, against stronger opposition. In addition, no relegation nor promotion.

To compensate for time, the first division, actually my spin, the second division team should be grouped into two zones.

As it stands you are asking your “top cricketers” in the “ Premier Division” to play seven matches per year, by extrapolation, about eighty four hours of supposedly top competitive Cricket.

But most regressively against some teams/clubs which are not up to scratch.

The standard of play exhibited by the top division, by no means reflects the justification to be referred to as “Premier”. Far from that.

So it leaves many players with that false sense of belief that they are really good, when they just have some ability and are not necessarily talented.

Cricket, like Tennis and Squash, is a privileged sport, as it relates to near exclusivity to the rights of facilities. But the performances week after week are not commensurate with this privilege.

How many of the teams/clubs are involved in pre season training?

To show the extent of the “pick up and play”, some players do not even know the names of their team mates.

Whilst cricket is the focus in this discourse, the same holds for other team sports here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

I overheard a key member of the national senior Cricket selection panel last year inquiring of the identity of one of the selectees. Scorebook selectors. But it has changed somewhat this year, but the status quo is in tact, as the selectors have just taken the teams from several years back and readjusted the names. Maybe they are thinking of initiating a Cricket Pension and Gratuity Plan for some people.

The Executive of the SVGCA cannot look at themselves in the mirror and smile for a job well done during this year’s competitions. It was true that some of the pitfalls, such as the scorebooks debacle, were not theirs, but some of the callous attitude by some players are symptomatic of the way you the Executive view the national competitions.

If you set high standards for yourself, then you will expect reciprocity and will have the moral authority to correct the transgressors.

Your treatment of the Zonal Under-15 competition was one. You good gentlemen should whip yourselves with the rod of correction. But this is water under the bridge.

Let the 2009 competitions be one everyone should be proud of. In your stocktaking, look at what worked and what did not, but in all strive for the betterment of the sport.

But there is no time to reconsider the colossal act of folly is that of erecting that “Mound” at the Sion Hill Playing Field.