The move to have former West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman Deryck Murray removed as president of Queen's Park Cricket Club (QPCC) failed at the club's annual general meeting (AGM) on Tuesday night at the Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.
Members tabled a motion of no confidence on the meeting programme against Murray for an alleged breach of club rules, but the matter did not even go to a vote following discussions among the membership, so the former West Indies vice-captain remains at the helm of the nation's most prestigious club in the Caribbean.
As the meeting progressed another top agenda item was the elections for various management positions. Murray, who was not up for re-election as president, will now have as his vice-president Justice Gregory Smith, who replaced businessman Dane Darbasie. The incumbent did not stand for re-election.
The new general secretary of the club is accountant Godfrey Bain. Manager of the club Jeffrey Guillen as well as dentist Nigel Camacho remains on the management team of the club and they will now be joined by Sheldon Waithe, Nicholas Hospedales and Sean Hinkson. Colin Murray the former West Indies Under-19 captain remains 'cricket captain' at the club.
QPCC has had a very busy year with on and off field issues with the biggest being the abandoned Test match between the West Indies and India in August due to poor drainage. The ground gained worldwide attention in the sport after no cricket was possible although there were days of sunshine after an initial downpour.
Since then the club has done a lot of work in terms of improving the drainage. Over the next year, the club faces challenges as hosting top class cricket matches at the venue could be a battle. News that the Brian Lara Stadium in South Trinidad has come into the mix can pose a threat for the Mecca of local cricket as Test matches, ODIs, T20s and CPL matches can head south.
If this is the case, it would put a serious strain on the coffers of QPCC, as maintaining the facility is a huge cost and the new management will need to come up with innovative ways of keeping the venue abuzz with activity.
QPCC MANAGEMENT
President - Deryck Murray
Vice-president - Justice Gregory Smith
Secretary - Godfrey Bain
Cricket captain - Colin Murray
Manager - Jeffrey Guillen
Other management members - Nigel Camacho, Sheldon Waite, Sean Hinkson and Nicholas Hospedales