New BVI Cricket Association Executive. Front: L--R: Ivor Fraser, Gloria Gibson, Daniel Singh. Back: Lincoln Liburd, Charles Jackson, Saintclair Aymer and Everton Knight

Knight replaces retiring Skeete as BVI Cricket Association president

BY DEAN GREENAWAY

Everton Knight, who was secretary/treasurer in the last executive, was elected by acclamation to replace Theodore Skeete as president of the BVI Cricket Association, during Monday night’s association annual general meeting at the BVI High School. Skeete retired after 19 years as association head. He served 17 successive years—1978-1995 as head before returning in 2003 for his final presidential sint. Ralph O’Neal had an 18-year 1960-1978 tenure.

Knight, who becomes the seventh president in the association’s history, will have the following to make up the association’s executive body: Charles Jackson, Vice President; Daniel Singh, Secretary/Treasurer; Ivor Frazor, Assistant Secretary/Treasurer; Sinclair Aymer, Public Relations Officer. Gloria Gibson and Lincoln Liburd, Ex Officio Members.

During his opening remarks and again in a follow up interview, Knight and the rest of the executives agreed that the focus must be on developing youth cricket. “In order for cricket to develop in the BVI, the focus must be on the youth. Somewhere out there, there might be a future Viv Richards or Andy Roberts,” Knight said. “We have to get into the schools and put the youth through their paces and somewhere down the road in the near future, we could have one of them playing firstly for the Combined Virgin Islands team, then on to the Leeward Islands team. I’m confident that if we put a lot of work into it, that it could materialize.”

However, Knight will have to face something his predecessors didn’t—leading the organization without a dedicated or shared playing venue. After 36 years of cricket at the A. O. Shirley Recreation Grounds, the sport finds itself as the odd one out, as plans to put down a synthetic track will displace the sport. The possibility of a 2005 league is bleak, but Knight said the new administration will meet with the Minister of Education and Sports Lloyd Black, to get some feedback on what provisions will be made for cricket in the BVI, if any.

“I know there’s a delay in putting down the track and I don’t have the details, but if putting down the track is delayed until the middle of the year, we might be able to get a short season in,” Knight said with a ray of hope. “We’ll find out when we meet with the minister. I’ve also thought about the possibility of playing games on Virgin Gorda, but that could prove rather expensive for the teams.”

When asked about alternatives to the A. O. Shirley Recreation Grounds, Knight said that the BVI Government will decide on that. “We can help ourselves by probably getting involved in more fund raising activities,” he said. “We are open to discussions, but it think we have to concentrate on cricket in the schools to really develop it from the grassroots.”

The biggest challenge facing the organization Knight said is finding a dedicated venue in order to promote school cricket.