'Moore and Speight's jobs are safe'

National team cricket coach David Moore and cricket executive Neil Speight aren’t going anywhere.

This from three of the Bermuda Cricket Board’s top executives who rubbished claims in The Royal Gazette that there was any doubt the pair would be working for the board in the future because of a cash crunch.

Reginald Pearman, president, Allen Richardson, first vice-president and Lloyd Fray, second vice-president all said Moore and Speight’s leadership is needed.

Pearman said: “To read reports of supposedly secret meetings and to have claims made that the key employee positions of chief executive and national coach are under threat is overwhelmingly frustrating as it is all complete rubbish.

“Neil and David are outstanding employees and are crucial resources in a small organization and their work is universally recognized by the executive as world class. To insinuate otherwise is patently misleading.”

Fray, who was chairman of the recruitment committee that conducted the hiring process of Moore, added: “I can categorically refute any ridiculous speculation about the future of both David and Neil as complete nonsense. The BCB is fortunate to have such talented, hard working, dedicated and effective personnel and at no time have their positions ever remotely been under threat.

Honours

“Their efforts are critical to the future of the organization. It is more than bizarre to me that anyone might try to suggest otherwise. Both gentlemen are internationally recognized as being world class in their respective fields and we are fortunate to have them, particularly when times are tough.

“The BCB has been outstandingly successful in the past eight years and has repeatedly and deservedly, won international honours for the quality of its development programmes, its governance and management and its operational effectiveness.

“As in any well-run organization financial matters are regularly reviewed and decisions may be taken on strategic and operational issues. With the current economic climate the BCB will continue to look for new revenue streams in addition to reviewing its operations and programmes offered to the community.”

Richardson said: “David Moore has already proven that he has the ability not only to provide world-class coaching to our national teams but to also continue to improve and enhance our internationally lauded development programme and systems.

“The country needs constructive avenues for our young people to enjoy and I am happy to see that cricket continues to be a sport that has participation from the  four-year-old right up to the 60plus-year-old veteran cricketers, coaches, umpires, scorers and other officials.”

Richardson said Speight’s effectiveness should not come under question as the chief executive “has not only led the organization through an outstanding period, completely professionalizing and reshaping the model of sports governance and management in cricket but his international recognition is completely unprecedented.

“In 2008, the 95 Associate and Affiliate countries elected him to the ICC Executive Board, the highest level of governance in world cricket, a feat never accomplished by anyone in the Americas region. To my knowledge he is also the youngest ever Director of the ICC.

“Furthermore, I had the privilege last year to be at the ICC Annual Conference where Neil was voted in as the Chairman of all Associate and Affiliate countries, bestowing upon him the most influential position and greatest responsibility in world cricket outside the Test nations. The work of the Bermuda Cricket Board is revered and respected from Papua New Guinea to Japan to Botswana and Ireland and beyond.”

“It is critical to the successful future of the BCB that the Executive are able to retain the quality of individuals like Neil and David, especially in rough economic times.”