---

Terry Richardson was voted out of office as softball president after Bermuda was embarrassed in a women's tournament in the Bahamas last October.

Richardson, along with the entire board of the board of the Bermuda Amateur Softball Association failed to survive a vote of no confidence by the membership.

The only two members to retain any position with the board were Phil Ray, who was elevated from vice president to president, and Dee Ann Iris, who lost her treasurer position but was elected assistant treasurer.

The sport received a black eye when Sports permanent secretary Ellen-Kate Horton had to fly down to the Bahamas to sort out unsavoury behaviour by the team which included, walking off the field during the opening ceremonies of the tournament and a fight in a hotel in which the Bahamian police department was called to restore order.

Sports minister Glenn Blakeney issued a stinging rebuke in Parliament saying the team brought "embarrassment" to Bermuda.

Mr. Blakeney said: "The Bermuda team were not well organised, had no discernible leadership and, at the end of the day, various Bermudian players were an embarrassment and far less than Bermuda sports ambassadors.

"This became even more obvious when the Bermuda team walked off the field during the opening ceremonies.

"I won't give you all the gory details, but two members were involved in a physical fight against each other and various other Bermuda team members were involved in the related verbal argument that occurred inside the hotel where the team were staying and the unfortunate incident resulted in the Police being called."

Ray said in recent years the need for sound, productive and trustworthy leadership has been an issue with BASA.

"I never really wanted the presidency, I preferred to work, and be efficient from the organizational standpoint, as a part of the process," he added. "Unfortunately BASA hasn't had a full working committee in many years

"I hope my election will prove fruitful for all aspects of softball in Bermuda. We have a full committee now, and I will make certain that we put in place procedures to ensure that there is accountability by all of the executive, and more importantly, that we get fast-pitch softball back on track. One of my first directives is to ensure that we meet the drug-free standard at all levels and in all areas of the sport. We will be compliant by March 30."

Ray said a disciplinary committee would be meeting in the near future to deal with the problems of the Bahamas tour.

"I expect, no, I demand, that those responsible are held accountable for their actions. There are important factors in the case that must be brought to light. I cannot discuss potential punishments at this time as it would not be prudent. I will say this, we have followed what was, in our minds, the best course of action considering the Ministry of Youth and Sport's involvement. We will now proceed as required by our own constitution."

Audit

He added that along with the tour review BASA would also have its finances audited.

"We have a commitment from the tour players that they will repay the funds borrowed from BASA. We expect to be able to work with them to get this done as soon as possible. If there are any other issues, they will be dealt with accordingly."

He added that softball would be on the rebound.

"BASA has a long and rich history in Bermuda. Fast-pitch softball is still a respected sport in many areas in the world and is still played at high levels in international tournaments and many universities in the USA. It is a viable avenue for scholarships for girls and we need to promote that idea in schools all over the island. For far too long softball has been ignored, and I can promise you that it will not be ignored any more. It is so important that we develop our young players, and give them the chances and opportunities that they have been missing."

[[In-content Ad]]

---