Dinas, Ganga out TTCB National League

OUTSPOKEN cricket administrators, Dinanath Ramnarine and Daren Ganga, have lost their foothold in the National League, following a failed bid at the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) National League elections on Thursday.

At the elections, for the period 2019-2022, the former TT and West Indies cricketers, alongside longstanding administrator Anil Kamal, were relieved of their duties as National League members by club representatives throughout the three highest levels of local cricket, namely the Premiership I and II. Ramnarine and Ganga both received 17 votes each and Kamal earned 22. Clint Pamphille and Samuel Badree did not stand for re-election.

The new National League representatives are Sebastian Edwards (28 votes), Shareda Mohammed (26), Frank Simmons (24), Amin Forgenie (23), Kiswah Chaitoo and Richard Ramkissoon (23 each).

Newsday called Ramnarine on his cellphone yesterday for a comment but was unsuccessful.

Ramnarine has been an outspoken cricket of the TTCB regime headed by Azim Bassarath but failed twice to unseat him at the helm.

Kamal, despite losing the election, congratulated the new slate of members and was optimistic that they would bring fresh ideologies to enhance the overall development of the National League.

“I have always respected the democratic process of elections and I have accepted the result,” said the seasoned administrator. “I even called the newly appointed reps and congratulated them on being elected into office. They are all club representatives, so they know the mechanics of how it works. I also believe they will bring fresh ideas to the Board which will be beneficial to taking the National League, and cricket as whole, forward.”

Kamal has over 17 years of service to TT cricket administration, including stints with the national and West Indies Under-15 teams, as well as TTCB Board and National League executive committees.

He also believes that those appointed have been looking in "from the outside" for quite some time and remains confident that they may have seen areas of the league where cricket can be further developed.

“It’s an ideal opportunity for fresh faces in cricket. I’ve always welcomed change and I accept change. The clubs have made their choice. I’ve gained a wealth of experience, served at different levels and given back to local cricket,” Kamal said.

The Ramnarine/Ganga slate also suffered defeat in the Central Zone elections at the Montrose Government Primary School in Chaguanas. A team led by Anderson Ramdath, an executive member of the TTCB, received a resounding vote of confidence at the elections.

Ramdath collected 22 votes and will be joined by Vyash Nandlal (34), Avinash Suruj (21), Jason Lackhansingh and Selvon Miguel (20), and Ravi Mahase (19).

Ramnarine and Avidesh Samaroo, another former national cricketer, were also listed to contest the election but withdrew at the last moment as their slate failed to make an impression.

Among those who were rejected on Thursday were Hadeed Ali (16), Anand Kallipersad (15), Ryan Forrester, Navin Chatoor (14 each), and Keith Joseph (13).

Ramdath said the new representatives of the Central Zone, along with other officials from stakeholder organisations will now set about selecting a new executive at their annual general meeting at a date to be fixed. He was also confident a new course will be charted for a smooth running of their cricket affairs.

Following the results, Bassarath expressed pleasure with the outcome of the elections. Despite the many challenges and strong opposition faced from Ramnarine and Ganga over the years, the TTCB boss acknowledged them both for their contribution as National League representatives.