T&T Cricket Board left waiting to see Sport Minister Published: Guardian
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Dr Rupert Griffith
The T&T Cricket Board (T&TCB) has expressed its disappointment at not being afforded a promised meeting with Minister of Sport Dr Rupert Griffith to urgently address issues related to the withholding of funds from the national sports organisation by the Sport Company. On Thursday, president of the T&TCB Azim Bassarath, said he was pleased to learn through a daily newspaper report that Minister Griffith had agreed to meet soon with T&T Football Association (T&TFA) officials to discuss the future of the game.
But Bassarath again highlighted the difficulties the T&TCB has been experiencing to get an audience with the minister to hold discussions about an estimated $23 million for cricket development the T&TCB has been deprived off for the past four years without explanation. “We wish to record our growing frustration with the inability of the cricket board to gain an audience with the minister. We believe that he owes us an explanation why our strident calls and cries for justice have not been answered,” said Bassarath on Thursday.
He said that at least 188 clubs are affiliated with the T&TCB and this means that a similar number or more communities are involved in their programmes to spread and develop the sport nationally.
However he said for the past four years, the authorities have been ignoring their financial obligations to the national sports organisation despite Cabinet approving the funds for cricket. Bassarath added that the cricket organisation was hopeful that Griffith would have ascribed some level of importance to their request for an urgent meeting after he was appointed, especially since the sport ranks as the biggest in terms of organisation and participation in T&T.
Bassarath said over the past few years cricket has brought great pride and joy to T&T through the efforts of its star players who have made a name for themselves on the international circuit.
The T&TCB president said he was further perplexed by the reluctance of the Ministry of Sports to meet with the cricket officials even after all documents and substantiating paperwork were submitted to them for their examination.
