Grenada Ousts Walter St John
Mon, Dec 15, '03
Former Windward Island cricketer and current selector Kenny Hobson has replaced Walter St John as the President of the Grenada Cricket Association (GCA).
Hobson was voted to the top position in his absence during a hastily arranged annual general meeting of the Grenada Cricket Association on the weekend.
The new president is currently in Dominica witnessing the Windward Islands inter-island tournament. Hobson is a member of the panel which will select the sub-regional's team for next year's Carib Cup competition.
Hobson's election effectively ends the administrative career of St John, who has been at the helm of Grenadian cricket for 31 years.
A long serving director of the West Indies Cricket Board, St John also lost that position two months ago when he lost the Vice Presidency of the Windward Islands Cricket Board.
Facing a possible rebellion at Saturday's meeting, St John did not stand for re-election to the GCA at which Hobson was nominated unopposed.
Hobson had previously been secretary and treasurer to St John, whose longstanding trusted lieutenant Victor Ashby also did not stand for re-election as secretary.
Ashby, who also heads Grenada's trouble Electoral Office which has come under severe criticism for its management of the island's recent general elections, has been replaced as secretary by longstanding youth worker Cecil Greenidge.
Even though three Grenadians have played test cricket in the last 10 years, the island's cricket structure is said to be in a state of disrepair without a national league and infrequent scheduling of the inter-parish competition.
The GCA, who under St John infrequently held AGM's, has largely been the host of regional and international matches, with cricket at the local level left to be organized by poorly-ran parish affiliates.
Only St Andrew's, where Rawle Lewis and Devon Smith occasionally play their club cricket, has had any well organized competition among the seven parish affiliates in recent years.
Though St John, a one-time assistant West Indies team manager and Ashby are now out of the GCA, local sports commentator Ray Roberts said he does not hold out much hope that things are about to change.
He complained that they are being replaced mostly by people who have been around the GCA in the last 20 years who have achieved little.
"I am aware that some overzealous and ambitious men who can't wait for the presidency and general secretary are prepared to cut corners and do everything ion the quest to be elected," Roberts said about the hastily organized AGM.
"Really it is a group of dead weight men endeavoring to replace another group of dead weight men," Roberts said.
* Via CaribUpdate.com