General secretary of the T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) Altaf Baksh says there is more to just the performances on the pitch that determine the “Club of the Year”.
The comment came after the Marchin Patriots cricket team called on the TTCB for clarity about why Merry Boys were named the Club of The Year for 2023.
Guardian Sports obtained a copy of the letter from Marchin Patriots cricket team and signed by its secretary Ricky Rampersad, that was sent to the TTCB seeking clarification on the criteria used to determine the winner of the “Club of the Year” award.
“Traditionally, this award is given to the club that wins the most titles in a given season. It is therefore perplexing to us that despite winning more titles than the eventual awardee, Merry Boys, and even defeating them in the National T20 tournament, we were not recognised,” the letter pointed out.
Both Marchin Patriots and Merry Boys gained promotion to the TTCB Premiership I for 2024 season, after winning their respective Premiership II divisions.
Marchin dominated Premiership II South, taking the Two-Day League, while Merry Boys dominated the North version of the competition.
In addition to the Two-Day competitions, both Marchin and Merry Boys won the 50-over Leagues in their respective divisions. However, there was only one T20 competition played and the zones merged to compete.
Marchin Patriots defeated the T&T Under-19 team to complete the hat-trick of titles, winning in the three formats of the bat and ball game.
Baksh said, there are criteria and they include more than just performances, there are other factors that are taken into consideration.
“There are other things like discipline and club structure,” said Baksh, adding that sometimes the eventual winner may not have all the boxes ticked, but they have satisfied the committee with the majority of qualifications.
“We cannot please everyone.”
