In almost a natural fit, Barbados’ top regional and international cricket umpire, Gregory Brathwaite, has been elected president of the Barbados Cricket Umpires Association (BCUA).
In a charged annual general meeting at the Spartan Cricket Club, Queen’s Park Monday night, Brathwaite took the position unopposed, which surprised the 113 members present who were expecting a keen battle between him and Vincent Bullen, who had held the post for six years.
The 43-year-old Brathwaite is Barbados’ only representative on the International Cricket Council’s International panel of umpires and has officiated in six One-Day Internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals.
Most of the four-hour meeting was taken up with concerns over the last committee’s report with members asking that the report be corrected and resubmitted.
When Brathwaite’s name was put forward as a nominee, Bullen declined his subsequent nomination.
Bullen, 56, was later elected as a floor member of the executive which has one new face, Lloyd Benn.
All of the senior positions were filled unopposed, with Patrick Grazettes returning as vice-president and Hensley Robinson rejoining the committee as secretary, replacing Robin Forde. Andrew Corbin and Louis St John were retained as treasurer and assistant secretary, respectively.
Bullen and Benn joined Sylvan Leacock and Anthony Mascoll as floor members.
Brathwaite, while acknowledging the good work done by his predecessor, said he was not surprised when Bullen did not stand for re-election.
“I believe that the members had reached a stage where they wanted a new face and a new direction to propel the BCUA to a level of professionalism,” Brathwaite said.
“I had turned down requests to take up this position in the past because of my various commitments.
“Although I can be called away for regional or international duties at any time, I have more time to commit to the BCUA while I am in the island as I have given up all other professional activities outside of umpiring.
“I can focus on giving back time and energy towards the association as well as helping to lift the standard of umpiring in the island.”
Brathwaite emphasized that giving umpiring a new face would see a focus on training since during the past years the BCUA had focused on rules and playing regulations which improved the knowledge base of the members.
“The internalizing and application of that knowledge is what will improve our standard of umpiring as well as help more of our umpires to advance to the next level,” he said.
The new committee reflected an absence of women on a night when some of the female umpires expressed concern that they were not getting the opportunity to officiate at the regional level although the West Indies Cricket Board had asked for the submission of one female umpire from each territory for duty in the regional women’s tournament.
