Central Zonal Council News
December 1st 2008

High profile officials on Central Zone committees

Several high profile officials and administrators have been appointed to serve on the Central Zonal and Districts Council and help resurrect the beleagured zone.

This was revealed by Rambhai Patel who is the secretary of the three-man-committee named by the T&T Cricket Board to revive the zone. Other members of the three-man-committee are prominent attorneys - Samuel Saunders (chairman) and Lennox Sankersingh.

According to Patel, instruments of appointment were given out to the members of the various committees following a meeting on Wednesday night at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva.

Among those appointed to serve are former West Indies Under-19 coach, Debideen Mannick, former T&T youth left-arm spinner Boya Sahadeo, West Indies Level 1 coach, Pradeep Vishnu, retired Police Officer William Jefferies and well-known sports administrator Manzur Baksh.

The executive of the Central Zonal Council of the T&T Cricket Board was disbanded recently and a three-man interim committee was appointed by the local board to run the affairs of the zone for the remainder of the term ending September 2009.

According to CEO and General Secretary of the T&CB, Forbes Persaud, numerous attempts were made by the board to facilitate an amicable resolution to the problem affecting the zone but it proved unsuccessful. He said that officers and representatives of the zonal council agreed that an arbitrator be appointed to deal with the issue with the arbitrator’s decision to be accepted by all.

Persaud said Dr Claude Denbow was appointed arbitrator.

“The executive of the T&TCB at its monthly meeting accepted the decisions of Dr Denbow, which stated (a)—An independent committee should be appointed to run the affairs of the zone for the remainder of the term; (b) Members of the present executive should take no further part in the running the affairs of the zone; (c) No persons who was a member of the zone in any period during the past five years, should be a member of the interim committee to run the affairs of the zone. Against this background Samuel Saunders (chairman), Lennox Sankersingh (vice-chairman) and Rambhai Patel (secretary/treasurer) were appointed to form this committee,” Persaud stated.

Patel who is the Administrative Manager of the T&TCB told the Trinidad Guardian that the players and clubs are mostly affected and are the ones that are helpless at the moment.

Patel was voted ‘Administrator of the Year’ in 1993 by the T&TCB and in 2002 he was awarded the Humming Bird Silver Medal by the government of the T&T in recognition for his outstanding contribution to cricket and by extension sport.

Patel told the Trinidad Guardian yesterday that with these appointees, he is certain that the Central Zone will rise again.

“ These new appointments are persons with vast knowledge and experience and who are committed to the sport. I am certain that they will go the extra mile to revive cricket in Central Trinidad,” Patel said.

Second vice-president of the T&T Cricket Board, Leo Doodnath said yesterday that he is quite certain that with this three-man-committee and with the addition of these new officials, Central Zone will regain its prominence.

“With this three-man committee, added with the new appointments, I have all the confidence that stability will be restored to Central Zone. And with the full backing of the T&TCB, Central Zone is well poised to regain its prominence in cricket,” Doodnath said.

Patel and his colleagues will be meeting with all the clubs next Wednesday at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva, from 5 pm.

Committees:

InterZone Selectors: Roy Saroop (chairman), Debideen Mannick, Boya Sahadeo, Pradeep Vishnu.

Under 15 & 19: Manager - Boya Sahadeo; Coach - Debideen Mannick.

Under 13 & 17: Manager - Roy Saroop; Coach - Pradeep Vishnu.

Inter Zone - Manager - Boya Sahadeo; Coach - Pradeep Vishnu.

Disciplinary - Lennox Sankersingh (chairman), Manzur Baksh, William Jefferies.

Statistician- Rudy Ramesar.