I cannot speak for all sports, but I wish to inform Mr. Hyde of a few facts as they relate to the functions of the Belize National Cricket Association (BNCA). Firstly, there is no bureaucrat on the executive of the association. The executive consists of seven (7) officers who were duly elected in fair and open elections. Decisions are made by the executive or membership (one man, one vote) and not by the ?bureaucrat/administrator?. All decisions are made after due consideration, without fear or favor. These decisions are made in accordance with the Laws of Cricket and the regulations, which are made by cricketers themselves.

I agree with Mr. Hyde that our membership should elect an executive at the next Annual General Meeting whose contributions will make the sport better. I have always encouraged cricketers to do so because it is my view that we should always strive to improve the sport. In this regard, it would be beneficial for Mr. Hyde to know of some of the recent developments of cricket in Belize.

In 1996, we took over the administration of the Belize Rural Cricket Association. At that time, all other cricket associations were defunct. One year later, we transformed the association to the BNCA, which is now the governing body for cricket in Belize. We immediately (1997) acquired membership in the International Cricket Council (ICC), which is the governing body for cricket worldwide. This was an awesome achievement, which was not achieved even when cricket was in its glory days. If you think that it was smooth sailing, ask the bureaucrats who have opposed us for years. After you have gotten an honest answer, tell us, why would we want to injure this sport which we have worked so hard to build?

As a result of our membership in the ICC and the efforts of cricketers and officials, we have accomplished the following:

1. Recipient of an annual grant from ICC

2. Participated in cricket tournaments in Bermuda, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama and Argentina

3. The participation of our U-15 cricket team in a tournament in Disney World, Orlando, Florida

4. Local officials were trained by international cricket officials (both in Belize and abroad)

5. Cricketers of all ages were trained by local and international coaches

6. Cricket gears were provided from time to time to cricket teams and cricketers of all ages

7. Hosted the first ever Central American Cricket Championship, which was won by Team Belize

8. Hosted the Marylebone Cricket Club (of London). Incidentally, it was this same club, MCC, which contributed to the construction of the cricket pitch at the MCC Grounds, which was removed by the bureaucrats to benefit semi-pro football

9. Hosted numerous international cricket clubs

10. Upgraded cricket grounds

Clearly, these are only some of our accomplishments, which are too numerous to mention. We always welcome assistance from those who wish to improve the sport, but we will never sacrifice the Spirit of the Game.

Finally, we wish to thank Mr. Hyde for the attention he has given to the sport of cricket because, when we consider that little publicity was given to the sport before 1996, any publicity is good publicity.

Yours truly,

Elston Wade, Jr.

President, BNCA