East Coast Cricket Board accuses East Coast Cricket Committee members of impersonation

The East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) has accused the East Coast Cricket Committee (ECCC) members of impersonation, claiming attempts “by certain persons to stop and/or cause confusion in the long-awaited lawful elections of the Demerara Cricket Board, which said lawful election is imminent.”

“The East Coast Cricket Board discovered that in the classified advertisement section of the Guyana Chronicle Newspaper of 5^th February, 2021, certain clubs, unlawfully and suddenly referring to themselves as the East Coast Cricket Board, issued a notice for an election of the East Coast Cricket Board,” the ECCB said in a press release issued by Secretary Davteerth Anandjit on Saturday.

“The East Coast Cricket Board held lawful elections in August, 2020, and that election has not been challenged by anyone. The East Coast Cricket Board, which held the elections in August, 2020, is the very same East Coast Cricket Board which was recognised by the High Court in Action No. 622 FDA of 2018 (Demerara) as the lawful and legitimate East Coast Cricket Board.”

The Guyana Cricket Board, the governing body for the sport, has been recognising the ECCC as the legitimate body.

The ECCB release continued: “As recent as October, 2020, the East Coast Cricket Committee issued two press releases in the print media, Guyana Times on 21^st October, 2020 and Guyana Chronicle on 22^nd October, 2020 where the East Coast Cricket Committee proclaimed their alleged success of cricket on the East Coast and made disparaging remarks about the legitimate and lawful East Coast Cricket Board.

Now that a lawful election of the Demerara Cricket Board is imminent, the persons or groups who held themselves out proudly to be East Coast Cricket Committee have now metamorphosed into East Coast Cricket Board.”

“The reason for the metamorphosis is simple. Only the East Coast Cricket Board is recognised under the Guyana Cricket Administration Act and can lawfully vote at the Demerara Cricket Board election.

The East Coast Cricket Board wishes to remind the public that at the lawful election of the Berbice Cricket Board, a “new and embryonic” Upper Corentyne Cricket Association emerged less than two weeks prior to the Berbice Cricket Board election in an effort to cause confusion, but the Learned Judge in the Berbice Cricket Board matter saw through the sinister plan, and the attempt to interfere with the lawful election of the Berbice Cricket Board was thwarted.”

The ECCB concluded that it is the lawful entity to run cricket on the East Coast, and “anyone attempting to impersonate officers of the Board or usurp their functions will suffer the consequences. Impersonation is a criminal offence.”