Clubs allege major corruption in BVI Cricket Association, regional body informed

Local cricket clubs across the British Virgin Islands have submitted a damning complaint against the management of the BVI Cricket Association (BVICA) to the regional cricketing body — Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB).

The complaint sent in the form of a letter outlines a number of allegations against a member of the BVICA who they suggested crowned himself association president since the legitimately-elected president, Charlie Jackson, left the territory.

That reported self-hailed ‘President’, as he is described in the letter, is a prominent member of the local sporting community.

Financial misconduct

The local cricket clubs have collectively accused him of a number of things; chief among them being financial misconduct of the BVICA’s finances.

“Non-accountability for the use of the BVICA’s funds has become an open secret — ‘open’ in the sense that the cricketing community is very well aware of the impropriety and yet ‘secret’ in that the BVICA is not submitting any minutes of meetings or audited financial reports (which are required) to anyone, including the cricket clubs which are members of the Association. Another member of the so-called Association, (NAME REDACTED), has been signing cheques for various expenses on behalf of what must be an illegitimate BVICA,” the local cricket clubs said.

They continued: “Recently, it has come to our attention that two (purported) members of the BVICA are attended a meeting with the LICB and that one of the matters considered was the disbursement of funds to the Association from the proceeds of a previously held hurricane relief effort in England. It is our firm position that such a disbursement of funds will be counterproductive at this time and we, therefore, propose that such, or any other, financial assistance should only be effected when a legitimate body is in place, one which will be legally responsible for the use of the funds and hence held fully accountable.”

Contravention of Association laws

The said so-called ‘president’ is also accused of trying to circumvent the regulations that govern the territory’s cricket association.

This, the cricket clubs claim, is to keep himself at the helm of the organisation.

They said: “Only a few days ago, an Annual General Meeting and [internal] elections were called by Mr [‘President’] for January 31, 2019. [It was] called without the constitutionally required seven-day period of notice and with only some selected clubs invited. Clearly, this is an attempt by the present group of persons led by Mr [President] to secure continued control of the Association.

Further claims are that the president in question has caused the sport to become run-down in the BVI.

Below is a redacted extract of the letter to the Leeward Islands Cricket Board:

It has become incumbent that we write to you, as a matter of grave concern, regarding the state of cricket in the British Virgin Islands in general and the operations of the BVI Cricket Association (BVICA) in particular.

We feel compelled therefore to outline the following matters for your information and urgent attention:

1. BVICA Annual General Meeting and Elections were due in January of 2018 and none has been held thus far.

2. The single cricket tournament held in the BVI for 2018 was not organised by the BVICA. One member of the so-called BVICA, (NAME REDACTED), organised the tournament privately under the sponsorship of a local business, but [he] has still not given out monetary prizes and trophies to the winners and runners up.

3. There has been no effort by the BVICA, neither collectively as a group nor individually as members, to inform cricket clubs of any developments, or lack thereof, about cricket.

4. Kiddy Cricket has become defunct over the course of the past year and half, a state of affairs which pre-dated the hurricanes of September 2017.

If, in fact, the BVICA has found a way to continue its existence legally, the Association is certainly not operating with any sense of desire to have cricket developed and played in the Territory.

The submission of this letter to LICB and to the local media has been carefully considered with cricket as the central focus of attention and, in this regard, several clubs have chosen to co-sign.

We do look forward to speaking with you and would certainly welcome you or a representative to visit the BVI for a first hand observation of the state of cricket, quite apart from our stated concerns as per this correspondence.

Yours sincerely, Vincy Cricket Club, Royal Knights Cricket Club, Vikings Cricket Club, Cavaliers Cricket Club, Under the Tree Cricket Club, Virgin Gorda Cricket Club, RiteWay Cricket Club