TTCB – News

Tobago pledges support for T&T Cricket Board
July 26, 2011

PRESIDENT of the Trinidad And Tobago Cricket Board (T&TCB) Azim Bassarath (right) warmly receives Tobago Cricket Association (TCA) Public Relations Officer Moses Thomas at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva. Others in photo, left to right, are T&TCB officials Dudnath Ramkessoon, first vice-president TT; Arjoon Ramlal, general-secretary; and Lalman Kowlessar, second vice-president.
Photo courtesy T&T Cricket Board

TOP OFFICIALS of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (T&TCB) and the Tobago Cricket Association (TCA) recently met at the Sir Frank Worrell Development Centre after which they both pledged to work closely together to resolve contentious issues in an amicable manner.

Moses Thomas, Public Relations Officer of the TCA said that the perceived rocky relationship between both parties will be a thing of the past as officials have agreed to employ a new mechanism to strengthen their bonds for the development of the sport in Tobago.

“We are pleased with the outcome of the meeting. It was quite good. Everyone had an opinion which was well-ventilated. But we are all mature, responsible people and at the end of the day we have to look forward and work for the development of Tobago cricket,” said Thomas.

He expressed confidence in the T&T Cricket Board to hold their end of the bargain and personally endorsed the leadership of Azim Bassarath as president of the T&TCB who he said will not disappoint after several important concessions were hammered out at the meeting.

Apart from Thomas, the other TCA officials at the high powered meeting were Ignatius Trim (president); Parkinson Alfred (Treasurer), John Pollard (Executive Member) and Robert Hislop.

Bassarath headed the T&TCB delegation which also included vice-president Dudnath Ramkessoon; general-secretary Arjoon Ramlal; Sukesh Maniam (treasurer); Patrick Rampersad (Executive Member); Suruj Ragoonath, Development Officer; National Under-16 coach Glen Dwarika, Women’s Cricket Federation vice-president Ann Browne-John; and West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Territorial Development Officer (TDO) Kumar Rampat.

T&TCB president Bassarath also voiced his optimism that a new stage has been reached in the relationship between the two organizations. He said he was pleased with the way discussions went describing the atmosphere as “cordial and productive.”

“We are confident that cricket in Tobago will be the winner as the T&TCB and the TCA will be working together to address all the concerns raised by both sides. But cricketers in the sister isle can look forward to claiming and receiving their fair share of the pie in the future,” said Bassarath.

Thomas revealed that the T&TCB hopes to seriously consider revamping the Senior Inter-Zone competition which has over the years highlighted the talent of the players in Tobago. He also said that although the TCA was free to field teams in the National League, they opted out since this could prove counter-productive to its development of a strong homegrown unit to challenge the top teams in Trinidad.

“We in Tobago have decided to focus on the development of Tobago players. Over the past years we have seen a sharp increase in the migration of top players to Trinidad and we have reached a stage where had we not done something Tobago would have been in dire straits in the near future,” said Thomas.

The TCA spokesman also said that the T&TCB had agreed to have a national selector visit the sister isle on a regular basis to assess the quality of cricketers there and to have them considered when T&T teams are being picked.

Thomas also revealed that soon a Tobagonian will be appointed to the National Selection Panel which is currently headed by Dudnath Ramkessoon, who is also first vice-president of the T&TCB.

He said that the T&TCB will also intervene to have Tobago included in the national cricket development programme with special emphasis being placed on age-group teams. There will also be a Tobago-based coach who will assist in the 2012-2015 TCA Development Programme.

Bassarath also urged the TCA to take advantage of the opportunities available to upgrade the level One coaches on the sister isle. “These coaches will become stagnated if there are not more programmes for them to move up,” said Bassarath.

Thomas is hopeful that significant progress will be made following the meeting of the T&TCB and the TCA as officials all agreed to avoid confrontation and to sincerely work together side by side for the development of the sport.

He said that statutory meetings between the two parties will be restarted on a regular basis to thrash out all matters of concern, to clear up all grey areas and provide an avenue for solutions to problems which may crop up from time to time.