Deryck Murray Wins
Former West Indies Test wicket-keeper Deryck Murray turned back the challenge of former West Indies youth captain Dudnath Ramkessoon to emerge the new president of the T&T Cricket Board.
At the 48th annual general meeting of the board yesterday at the National Cricket Centre at Balmain in Couva. Murray, with the support of "Friends of Cricket," defeated Ramkessoon, who had the backing of the T&TCB, by 25 votes to 19.
There was one spoilt ballot.
It was Murray?s second attempt for the top position, having been defeated by former president Ellis Lewis two years ago by 30 votes to 13.
In a hotly contested election, six members of "Friends of Cricket" were victorious to the T&TCB?s five of the 11 positions which were at stake in the executive which will run the affairs for the next two years.
The Murray led ?Friends of Cricket? captured three of the officers? positions, with Azim Bassarath and Forbes Persaud emerging as second vice-president and general secretary, respectively.
Bassarath defeated former first vice-president Baldath Mahabir by 24 votes to 21, while Persaud beat the incumbent secretary Deonarine Jaggernauth by the same margin.
The T&TCB, however, captured the first vice-president and treasurer positions.
Ramkessoon defeated Dr Allen Sammy in a narrow 23-22 ballot, while incumbent Richard de Souza kept his position, defeating ?Friends of Cricket? Joycelyn Opadeyi and independent candidate Mahabir Ragoonanan.
De Souza received 21 votes to Opadeyi?s 18, and Ragoonanan?s six.
The T&TCB slate picked up three of the six executive posts, with Patrick Rampersad, Arjoon Ramlal and Anne Browne-John emerging.
?Friends of Cricket? winners among the executive were Sammy, Omar Khan and Leo Doodnath.
Both Murray and Ramkessoon pledged to bury their differences and to work in the best interest of cricket.
?First I want to say that we have just completed elections for officers and executive members of the board. It was an occasion in which 20 people within the board were able to seek different positions and a great trust has been placed on me as president, to assume leadership of the board.
?But at the end of the day, this is the time for the board coming together to work in the best interest of T&T and by extension West Indies cricket,? Murray stated.
Murray added that he was pleased of how the elections have gone and it is an ideal opportunity for the board to move forward.
There is an opportunity for merging from the existing executive and some new membership and therefore we will be able to exchange ideas and move forward. At the end of the day, this is not about winning an election, but cricket must be the winner at the end.
?I am pleased that Dudnath (Ramkessoon) is here as the first vice-president, and as I said earlier in the meeting, we as a board need to look at ourselves, to look at how we operate, to look at our constitution and structure, and to see if we are in the best position to move forward and service the real need of the cricket board, which at the end of the day is cricket,? Murray added.
Ramkessoon said the victorious members of his slate have all pledged their support for their new president and will be looking forward to working with him to put T&T cricket back to the top.
RESULTS:
* President ? Derrick Murray (25 votes) def. Dudnath Ramkessoon (19).
* First Vice-President ? Dudnath Ramkessoon (23) def. Dr Allen Sammy (22).
* Second Vice-President ? Azim Bassarath (24) def. Baldath Mahabir (21).
* General Secretary ? Forbes Persaud (24) def. Deonarine Jaggernauth (21).
* Treasurer ? Richard de Souza (21) def. Joycelyn Opadeyi (18), Mahabir Ragoonanan (6).
* Executive Members ? Leo Doodnath (26), Dr Allen Sammy (25), Anne Browne-John (23), Patrick Rampersad (23), Omar Khan (22), Arjoon Ramlal (21).
Losing candidates ? Don Asgarali (15), Mahabir Ragoonanan (6), Michael Des Vignes (10), Colin Borde (19), Patterson Alfred (20), Narsingh Rambaran (18).
* In association with Trinidad Guardian.