Letters To The Editor

Fri, Oct 4, '02

This week's e-mail feedback was the strangest yet. Usually, our inbox is filled with definitive responses to our interpretation of the news with fans either agreeing, disagreeing or just plain angry about something.

This week's mail had a different vibe. First, we got a strangely-worded mail in response to Dr Mike McLean's article on Viv Richards appearing at a fund-raiser in Canada. Then, an angry rant from someone who hates the site but doesn't really tell us why. See for yourself...

FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED.

Fundraising is not easy. It is rigidly controlled and even the richest cricket association in the world recently lost their major sponsor Sahara and probably $30 million USD.

Most countries, including the WICB, find themselves strapped for cash, even with televised games, professional teams and gate receipts. Canadian cricket has none of these. Instead of blaming others, why don't we all pitch in and contribute to the development of Canadian and West
Indies cricket? A large number of small donations or sponsors will mean the same as one large sponsor or donation.

The door is wide open for fundraisers for cricket -- always has been. Not many people have come forward however in the meantime. People of means and people with many business friends and contacts should lead the way, not just talk! Let us challenge them all to donate to Canadian
cricket. Donations will be publicly acknowledged (unless otherwise requested) and federal Tax receipts will be provided.

Let us see how much support and monies the Canadian World Cup squad will receive. Action not talk please gentlemen. West Indians and Canadians know better than to buy "a pig in a poke."

We have even had so called "cricket lovers" people vote against providing Canadian cricket with a token amount from the largest ever non-televised cricket games in Canada. These were the United Way (another charity as is the CCA) Games at the Sky Dome. What would be the justification for these malevolent acts?

Donations to the Canadian Cricket Association ( and to the WICB and its members)are most welcome and Federal tax receipts are provided to all donors. In addition, all fundraisers are eligible for a portion of any funds raised.

The policy has been in place for 20 years or so. Not many of the illustrious crowd have bothered to support the players and Association in that time.

Fundraising for the ICC Trophy 2001 resulted in negligible returns. Fundraisers for the Cricket World Cup 2003 have been few and far between. Donations and workers have been sparse. We have had lots of complaints, accusations and misdeeds however.

Canada raised $500,000 to put in the turf wickets to bid for the ICC Trophy 2001, the best one ever by ICC reports. Without the turf wickets we would not have hosted the Event and we would probably not have qualified for the World Cup- first time in 24 years.

No workers for the ICCT or for lots of other Tournaments can be found but we have lots of Messiahs suddenly paying attention to Cdn cricket? Why? Where will these later day savers of Cdn cricket be when the World Cup is over, I wonder? What is this sudden mad rush to help save us? Beware of these "saviours." Beware of "bitter fruit."

Forewarned is forearmed.

Canada has also been to the U-19 World Cup, has for the first time won two games in the 2002 Red Stripe competition and done extremely well against the West Indies "A" team in Toronto.

Beware of these " the sky is falling " promoters. Look at the other hand - the one behind the back. Beware of "false prophets" as the Good Book warns!

DE



Dear Editor,

I found your interview with Devon Smith most interesting. It is now I can understand why he was not in the squad for India. I did not know he was injured. Should this not have been in the public domain? Because I did not know why Smith was left out of the tour, I was waitng for the right moment to protest his omission.

What struck me about the interview was Smith's clarity of purpose. He knows precisely what wants to do and how to attain his objectives. This is quite refreshing and impressive in a young man of twenty. The one disturbing fact revealed in the interview was the callousness of the WICB in not calling after Smith was injured to find out how he was. The same thing happened to Reon King. After he returned home from that disastrous tour of England injured nobody showed any concern -- not the WICB, not the GCB. 'O tempus, O mores.'

Norman Gonsalves' look at 'Yagga' Rowe's career was delightful. I listened to the commentaries on the first 46 -- the twenty minutes on the first day? -- of Rowe's 327 and I will never forget it. Roy Fredericks told me that even as Rowe was in full flight during that magnificent innings, he not could read the scoreboard; he was so shortsighted!

Also, I agree with my former captain, Alvin Kallicharran! These days the WI is a miserable team.

Yours,
Ronald Austin
Ambassador - Guyana



Hello,

Your Web site is crap. You people only write negative things about West Indies cricket, especially the Eastern Caribbean. It is like you have no feelings for the people that live there. I will not read this web site again. You should apologise to the islands in the Eastern Caribbean for your insularity.

Mark Jacobs,
Grenada



Mr Editor,

After reading Keith Joseph's article on Viv Richards getting off to a bad start, I have some comments of my own.

Not only has he (Richards) gotten off to a bad start but he has allowed Joey "substandard" Carew to unduly influence him. Case in point, the selection of Darren Ganga to replace Lara. Come on Viv, you have more sense than that.

It's a big, big disappointment. we have suffered long enough under the misguided and failed influence of Joey Carew. Please Viv, do not let it be the Curly, Moe and Larry show again. Apparantly, Joey "Curly" Carew is still a part of the selection panel with no end in sight.

Darren Ganga is a failed product! After 15 tests with an average just passing 20? To Carew, that is Hog Heaven as he was during his playing days. No wonder he cannot see talent.

Isaac Buds