TONY DEYAL

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is sticking to its position as an umpires’ boycott threatens to disrupt this weekend’s Carib Beer Series sixth-round matches.


The danger of the boycott surfaced when two Trinidad and Tobago umpires Bruce Hayden and Kaso Dowlath, nominated by West Indies Cricket Umpires Association (WICUA) and appointed by the Umpires Sub Committee for regional duties this year, were replaced by the WICB.


The WICUA is reporting widespread support and solidarity for its plan to boycott the weekend’s matches if Hayden and Dowlath are not reinstated.


But the WICB’s Corporate Secretary Tony Deyal insisted Wednesday night that the board has done nothing wrong and will be proceeding with the games.


“We haven’t called off the games, we expect the games to take place,” Deyal told CMC Sport on Wednesday night.


While Deyal would not comment on contingency plans for the three matches – Jamaica at home to the Windwards, Guyana away to the Leewards in St Thomas and Trinidad and Tobago tackling the Combined Campuses and Colleges in Barbados – scheduled to start Friday, reports out of Trinidad and Tobago late Wednesday suggested that six umpires from the twin-island republic were frantically seeking flights out of the country to take up match appointments.


“We have contingencies in place we do not want to say anything at this point…we have not cancelled any of the games,” Deyal said.


“The games are on, and for people who respect the rule of law, who do not wish to bring West Indies cricket in disrepute, who value the cricket we have, particularly as we go into a series (with Sri Lanka) where our players need the practice, we will have the cricket available for them, we will do everything in our power to make sure that we do,” Deyal said.


The WICUA is adamant that the WICB “unceremoniously removed” the appointments of Dowlath and Hayden and its Honorary Secretary Vivian Johnson told CMC Sport that the board “should do the right thing and reinstate the two umpires”.


“We don’t want to disrupt the cricket, all we are asking for, is to let good sense prevail and the board does the right thing,” Johnson said.


The WICUA is also incensed by the WICB’s handling of ICC Elite Umpire Billy Doctrove, who – in solidarity with the WICUA -- declined a request by the WICB to stand in the match between Guyana and the Leeward Islands in the US Virgin Islands (USVI).


Johnson said the WICB “threatened” Doctrove with a very severe letter “talking about taking him to the ICC and asking the ICC about probably not appointing him for future (international) matches and so on”.


Deyal in the meantime defended the WICB’s position and blasted the WICUA for taking the position it has as he addressed the issue of the non-appointment of Dowlath and Hayden.


“The WICUA is a member of the umpires and referees committee of the board which made a proposal to the board about an umpiring matter. The board did not agree, the board is democratically elected the process is fair, and the umpires association is saying we don’t agree with your decision, you better reverse it immediately or we’re going to strike,” Deyal said.


The WICB official said the board will not be daunted by the umpires’ threats and will carry on with its mandate to manage West Indies cricket.


“The situation is that we have to proceed and clearly if umpires do not understand the principles governing matters like this, then it is very difficult to work with that group, but we will continue, as it is, we have cricket to run that’s our job, the West Indies Cricket Board is responsible for cricket in the Caribbean and cricket includes umpiring, refereeing all those things, and we will undertake our responsibilities,” Deyal said.


Late Wednesday in Trinidad and Tobago, Dowlat and another prominent local umpire Samuel Gibson were hosting a press conference to give their side of the story.


Dowlat said he and Bruce had been on the list of six umpires recommended by the T&T Umpires and Scorers Council in 2006.


He said by virtue of seniority they were third and fourth on the list and this season they were not recommended by the T&T Cricket Board.


“The umpires council would normally recommend six names to the TTCB and they then rubber-stamp it and send it off to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).


“We were told that we had good ratings after our performances in the regional tournament last year but now we cannot be among the six. The umpiring sub-committee set up by the WICB and headed by director Chetram Singh, as well as the West Indies Cricket Umpires Association, are asking questions on our absence from the list,” Dowlath said.


CMC lw/08