BCB executive leaves amid controversy

Make text smaller Make text larger

Derek Wright has parted company with Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) under controversial circumstances.

The former Board executive decided against seeking re-election as a club representative at the BCB’s annual general meeting last week after he was allegedly asked to resign or threatened with expulsion.

Wright, who refused to resign, was also allegedly stripped of the chairmanship of the BCB’s selection committee prior to the AGM.

BCB president Lloyd Fray, who is currently serving as selection committee chairman, confirmed that the former Flatts cricketer no longer serves on his administration but declined to respond to numerous claims Wright made during a lengthy interview with this newspaper.

“I will not divulge any particulars surrounding Mr Wright and his departure from the Bermuda Cricket Board. This is an internal matter,” he said. “However, I will confirm that Derek Wright no longer serves on the Bermuda Cricket Board.”

Fray would not be drawn into comment when questioned whether the BCB executive had the authority to expel or suspend an elected Board member.

During the interview, Wright claimed he was brought up on a charge for speaking to this newspaper on a matter regarding last season’s knockout final which Willow Cuts won by default after Somerset failed to show up.

He claimed the Board tried to suspend him for responding to questions asked by this newspaper weeks after the BCB’s cricket committee declared Cuts the knockout champions.

“They tried to suspend me for a media breach,” Wright said. “I challenged them with regards to the media breach but they agreed it was a non issue because I said nothing malicious in the article.

“Neil (BCB CEO Neil Speight) was supposed to release to the press the findings of the cricket committee declaring Willow Cuts as champions, but he didn’t.”

According to Wright, his relationship with Speight soured after he refused to attend a private meeting concerning the remarks he made to this newspaper.

He claims Speight later filed a grievance against him after he strongly rejected to having the chief executive serve on a three -member panel formed to probe the alleged media breach.

Wright said Speight‘s grievance was based on strongly worded language he used when asked by Speight to attend the private meeting.

He said the CEO also took offence after he told Fray he no longer trusted Speight who he alleges removed him from the BCB’s executive e-mail list “without the consent of the BCB’s executive”.

“I refused to meet with Neil Speight because I don’t trust him for removing me from the e-mail list when the executive agreed not to do so,” Wright said. “And based on that statement and the fact I said I’m not coming to the meeting Neil filed a grievance against me with the Board. I wanted to meet in front of the whole Board but he (Fray) said he wanted me to meet with just Neil, Cheryl (Ann-Mapp, BCB Secretary) and himself and I disagreed.”

Speight was eventually left off the panel and replaced by BCB executive McNeil McGowan.

That same panel, comprised of McGowan, Ann-Mapp and president Fray, later recommended sanctions be imposed against Wright for the grievance filed by Speight.

Wright claims he had sanctions imposed against him without having the opportunity to defend himself when he eventually met with the panel last month.

“Judging by the minutes (from a previous meeting held in his absence) they had already convicted me and were ready to sentence me before they even heard anything I had to say,” he said. “The decision the panel made was I either resign with a condition not to talk to the press or they would expel me. The Board’s vote was based on the grievance that Neil filed.”

Wright said he opted not to seek re-election as a club representative on the Board because of the way he was treated by his former BCB colleagues.

“I didn’t run in the election because they asked me to resign and I refused so they removed me as the chairman of the selection committee,” he said.

Make text smaller Make text larger

Take Our Poll