By Sham Ali
There is a repulsive odor that is oozing from the place which the Metropolitan Cricket League president, Cliff Roye, and his Board are revealing themselves, and it is polluting the once revered Metropolitan Cricket League. That stench in part emanated from Cliff Roye’s barefaced methods in screwing with the governance of the MCL, and subsequently making a mess of it.
The secretary Venelda Wallace under Cliff Roye’s watch sends out a notice informing all the clubs in the MCL of their decision in the Cosmos v Sheffield match. She, Venelda Wallace, states that the match was awarded to Sheffield based on the evidence that Cosmos refused to take the field. Evidence provided by who Cliff Roye? Certainly not the parties involved. In her mail she clearly omitted the facts, perhaps conveniently.
HERE ARE THE FACTS:
Cosmos was carded to play two matches at Floyd Bennett on Sept. 7.
Match 1: Cosmos vs. Sheffield at 10:30 am.
Match 2: Cosmos vs. Spice Island at 2:30pm.
Cosmos was at the ground and was prepared to play at 10:30 am.
The umpires were also present.
Sheffield showed up at 12:05 pm. One and a half hours late.
The umpires said that there is nothing in MCL T20 rules to guide them except that the match starts at 10:30am. At 12:05 the umpires reduced the match to 25 overs, 15 overs for Cosmos, 10 overs for Sheffield and made a courteous (whatever that is) offer to both teams if they want to play. Cosmos was not in any mood for courtesy at that time after they had waited for 1½ hours, and did not accept the offer in principle that they are being penalized for doing nothing wrong. Sheffield captain seemed resigned to the obvious outcome that they lost the match due to lateness. He was very accepting of the situation at hand.
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Cliff Roye came at 12:15, and in a rogue dictatorial manner walked over to Cosmos camp and said ‘Cosmos you have to play’ He got the response a dictator deserves. He then said to the umpires that the match can start, that it is in the rules. When the umpires asked to see it, he, Cliff Roye, stood there MUM, like a Dumbo with a sudden onset of ‘foot in mouth disease’. He later said that he will leave it up to the umpires to decide, wow! The umpires then responded ‘it is 12:30 and it is too late to play the game because another match is schedule to start at 2:30’. It would be shocking if the order of the above does not appear in the umpires report.
Cliff Roye and his Board called a meeting strategically a few days ago, perhaps with one eye on the points table, to decide on the Cosmos v Sheffield matter. Cosmos had no evidence to provide. They were at the park and ready to play at 10:30. What was Sheffield evidence? That they were at the park at 10:30, in spirit, and that their bodies arrived a little later at 12:05.
Venelda Wallace, remember her, then sends out a mail to all the clubs stating that the match was awarded to Sheffield based on the evidence that Cosmos refused to take the field and quoted “Umpires are sole arbiters of the game… blah blah, blah. She then quotes how much overs constitute a match… blah blah, blah. At times, even the devil will quote the scriptures for ‘his’ own purpose.
None of what she quoted under Cliff Roye have any relevance to the T20 match. The umpires pointed that out to the Board in their evidence meeting. The umpires also pointed out to the Board that if you quote those rules then you cannot leave out the rules that relates to starting time of play (Venelda Wallace left that out in her mail, interesting?) that infer if you are late 1½ hours that you lose the match. In the evidence meeting that connection appeared like rocket science to the Board and the president, Cliff Roye, just as he stood MUM at the park, sat there like a twisted log, in distressed. Don’t worry Son, you will get over it, ignorance can be a heavy burden at times. It is what happens when you bite more that you can chew, you choke.
Sadly, this Board appears to be driven by their own vindictiveness and a president in Cliff Roye, who perhaps wants to show that he is so powerful decided to make a mockery of the umpire’s ruling. He cannot see the contradiction in what was quoted by his Board and that of the umpire ‘it is 12:30 and it is too late to play the game because another match is schedule to start at 2:30.’
The umpires also stated that Sheffield showed “blatant disregard for the game” by showing up 1 ½ hours late. That is a bold statement by the umpires. This Board has no time (no pun intended) for that statement. In the MCL you can show up anytime you want to play, like 1½ hours late, and Cliff Roye will provide the evidence.
At the end of it all Cliff Roye and his Board ruled that, Cosmos lost. Points awarded to Sheffield. Bravooo!!! That decision by this Board is not a surprise because it fits squarely in their circle. Where does this Cliff Roye led MCL Board rank among those in recent times, at the very bottom of the pit for a start. Give them a well deserved applause.
You see, in life, some people govern the way they live, Lawless. Is that the case in this Cliff Roye led Board? You can decide for yourself. NO REGARD FOR TIME, NO REGARD FOR RULES, NO REGARD FOR THE GAME, ABSOLUTELY NO REGARD FOR THE UMPIRES, AND CERTAINLY NO REGARD FOR THE INTEGRITY OF THE MCL AND EVERY REGARD FOR FAVORITISM AND VINDICTIVENESS. THAT IS A DISTASTEFUL DISPLAY OF GOVERNANCE IN THE MCL AND A MOCKERY OF THE GAME.
Alternatively, there is something innately disturbing in the revelation that this Cliff Roye led MCL Board seems to be driven and blinded by malice. That trait could never have passed the door or ever allowed to hang over the Metropolitan Cricket League by the respected presidents in the past. That trait is now clearly there for all to see and perhaps Cliff Roye has now taken the MCL into the pig pen; a place where only his Board, that has now become a wash-board, wants to go. The high-handed governance of the President and now his slippery Wash-Board has wretchedly failed and embarrassed the Metropolitan Cricket League, and has tainted the history of the organization. But such failure is not an aberration it is a manifestation of ignorance by a leadership that was coax and designed through the tunnel-vision of some clubs and they are being rewarded with the mess they have created. Good Luck in your many years ahead.