TTCB – News

TT Cricket Board boss rebukes WICB official
February 25, 2010

By ZAID MOHAMMED
Sports Editor

AZIM BASSARATH, right, and Patrick Rampersad

PRESIDENT of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board Azim Bassarath has responded sharply to suggestions that his administration was responsible for a fiasco on Carnival Tuesday involving several regional teams at a Port-of-Spain hotel. Bassarath in a media release yesterday sought to clarify the role of the TTCB in the affair in which regional cricketers were kept waiting for their rooms for several hours at The Cascadia Hotel and Conference Centre after arriving earlier than expected from Guyana.

The top local administrator stated yesterday that the WICB were warned since early December that the hotel was underbooked for the five teams expected to be housed at the hotel.

Bassarath said the WICB official at the centre of the controversy, Derrick Nicholas was also warned about the chaos that would ensue if the cricketers arrived at the hotel earlier than planned especially on Carnival Tuesday.

In a CMC report yesterday, Ernest Hilaire, the WICB’s chief executive said they were only responsible for financing accommodation arrangements and not for actual planning. “There are persons who probably just do not want to accept they fell flat and did not do what was expected of them. They miscalculated. It was Carnival Tuesday in Trinidad but to attempt to blame West Indies cricket for it is not true,” he said.

“There are some boards that are very good at doing it. There are some boards that are not so good at doing it, and there are some boards because they are new to the task cannot seem to get it right,” said Hilaire.

Yesterday Bassarath produced documentary evidence of a three-way conference call in early December involving Nicholas; Barry Bidaisee, General Manager of Cascadia; and Allyson Ali, Senior Administrative Assistant of the TTCB in which it was pointed out that the players could not occupy the rooms before mid-day.

“Mr Nicholas than advised Mr Bidaisee and myself that all team managers will be advised and briefed accordingly before their departure from Guyana. Mr Bidaisee also advised that he will make a few rooms available to the teams so that they would be able to relax and put their bags,” stated Ali in a report to the TTCB president.

Bassarath defended the TTCB from charges that they were to blame, listing their exemplary record of accommodating visiting teams over the years.

He said the fiasco could have been prevented had the WICB accepted advice from the TTCB and the hotel general manager and not interfered in the arrangements.

“The TTCB has always been very good at hosting these matches and had it not been for the interference of the WICB, things would have been different,” stated Bassarath yesterday.

“Our Administrative Assistant has always performed her task with diligence and a high level of commitment and for Mr Hilaire to say that the TTCB fell flat, I want to inform him that had the WICB not interfered with our responsibility, proper arrangements would have been made,” stated Bassarath.

He admitted that the TTCB executive was newly installed — voted in last October 31 — but very experienced administrators occupy various levels of the organisation.

“I have served in the capacity of Chairman of Regional Matches for five years and Chairman of International Matches for two years.

“I want to let Mr Hilaire know that we at the TTCB will continue to support West Indies Cricket and I hope that he will get his act together and not get involved in trivial matters and should first investigate any complaints before making such irresponsible statements,” Bassarath stated.