Cameron betrayed!

Former president of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Wycliffe ‘Dave’ Cameron has expressed disappointment with the outcome of the organization’s elections, which saw Ricky Skerritt installed as new head of the organization yesterday.

Ahead of the election, the 47-year-old Cameron, a three-term incumbent, was confident he had at least secured six votes heading into the association’s decisive vote.  His prediction would at the very least have secured a tie and a second round of voting.  At the end of Sunday’s count, however, Cameron lost by an 8-4 margin.

Although the final vote is yet to be confirmed, initial reports suggest Skerritt won the election after securing support from Trinidad and Tobago, Leeward Islands, Windward Islands and Cameron’s home nation of Jamaica.  Cameron is believed to have secured support from Guyana and Barbados.  Although the incumbent would not have been counting on the support of his home nation, it was previously announced that he had secured the support of the previously mentioned teams. Guyana, Barbados and Windward Islands had pledged their support before the vote but he only got support from the boards of Guyana and Barbados.

“I trusted the process.  I thought that we were men of integrity and I banked on that,” Cameron said.

“From where I am standing, I am very disappointed that men gave me their word and then went a different way, but that’s elections all around and I think we have a lot to be proud of,” he added.

Despite being deposed, Cameron insisted he was proud of his accomplishments and excited about the future of West Indies cricket, should it maintain its current trajectory.  He believed a need for more autonomy may have contributed to the result.

“The views expressed seemed to suggest that everyone wanted to do their own thing.  My own view is we have a strategic plan and a board of directors and we have decided in a particular direction that everyone can’t go off and do their own thing.”

In a statement released by CWI, Cameron and Nanthan thanked those who supported them during their tenure.

Dave Cameron (right) and Emmanuel Nanthan apparently did not get the promised support from the Windward Islands board.

“We were glad to be able to serve and proud of our achievements. We are happy that we left 123 players under contract. West Indies Cricket now has a home owned by the board at Coolidge Cricket Grounds. The World Championships and bringing back the Wisden Trophy are also other achievements that we are proud of.  More than anything else we have a fit youthful team that is prepared to face the world,” the statement read.

“Under this team, we made significant strides and you trusted us to safeguard the region’s most valuable asset. The tenure was rewarding and full of challenges and we feel proud we have managed to take the cricket to this level.

“We anticipate the sport will move towards its true potential and we ask the new team to build upon the progress and to continue to fight for equity in world cricket,” the statement added.

The victory of Skerritt, 62, a former Minister of Sports and Tourism in St Kitts and Nevis and Dr Kishore Shallow, the current president of the St Vincent & The Grenadines Cricket Association, will see them take up office for the next two years. Skerritt expressed surprise at the margin of victory, as the election was expected to be a close battle.

“I am not even sure where the eight votes came from, but I can tell you that everybody has the right to privacy with their votes. I am indeed grateful that we were able to get eight votes and that gave us more than a one-vote margin,” Skerritt said.

“But in this business, we have learnt that if the message resonates with individuals, even those individuals who may have what you call a mandate, and if they feel strongly enough about an issue they will actually go against the mandate.

“That was the basis on which we started our campaign, knowing that we could build our voting base by being consistent with good ideas, [and] reaching out with a positive campaign to bear on the voters and I think that happened. I am humbled and deeply honoured to be elected as president and we pledge to work for improvement on and off the field for West Indies cricket,” he added.

His running mate Dr Shallow was also grateful stating that: “My role in this is to support my president 100 per cent, to keep him energised and focused and challenge him. I am grateful and humbled by the support of the members of the territorial board. This is a victory for West Indies cricket.” (CMC)