The clubs have spoken and have clearly backed Lloyd Fray to be president of the Bermuda Cricket Board for another term. So if Fray is not the problem, then who is or what is?

This is what we need to get to the bottom of so that, in two years’ time, we are not deeper in a hole.

I have thrown my name into the fold and have joined the Board as a club representative. I decided, why sit on the outside complaining when I could join them and try to fix the state of Bermuda cricket?

I can promise Bermuda I will do everything in my power to help to make a difference.

There are a few topics that come to mind that I would like to be able to address or make better, but I will walk before I run.

This past Monday, my brother Wendell and I were on Talking Sport and several cricket matters were discussed. Some of them I would like to discuss further for clarity.

First, this year people had an issue with the Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year awards. The problem that folks had was the matter in which they were decided. The MVP is done with the help of a computerised system that calculates points for batsmen and bowlers. This gives all-rounders a clear advantage.

The MVP this year was Derrick Brangman, of Southampton, but some thought that George O’Brien should have won the award for various reasons.

George had an outstanding season, with both bat and ball, and produced in some big games when it mattered most. To add to that, his team winning the two major trophies clearly meant that he should have been MVP, but he wasn’t.

That was the argument. So the question arose: is the system that is in place now the right system or is the old way better, where you have a selection panel select the MVP? You decide!

The Coach of the Year award is another issue. This year I won, but many questioned that decision. That award is chosen by the captains but I don’t think they alone should vote on it. The umpires could even be used to assist in this decision because they see the teams week in and week out.

Besides, what should the criteria be for Coach of the Year? If you base the decision on trophies won and team success, St David’s coach Wendell Smith should be the clear winner because St David’s clearly dominated cricket in Bermuda this year. You decide!

However, these are small problems among other big matters that we have here in Bermuda and especially in cricket. First, I would like to find out from every player who does not represent Bermuda the reason why to see if there is a common denominator.

It is one thing to guess the reasons why, but I am sure there are plenty of reasons, some of which we already know.

Some players are just fed up, some players are worried about the drug testing, some players don’t like the hard work required at national level and some cannot make the required commitment. There are several reasons, but surely if we are to move our cricket forward, we need to try to lure some of our good players back out from their hiatus.

Youth cricket is another area of concern for cricket lovers. How can we get our young cricketers playing more in the summer? How can we get them playing more cricket in the schools? It takes work, it takes communication and it takes “buy in”.

Schools and Physical education teachers have to be willing to give cricket the time that is needed for our children to play and to practise. We have to find a way to lengthen our summer cricket leagues so that the children are playing more cricket at all ages. For goodness sake, this is our national sport we are talking about.

Communication between the cricket board and the Bermuda Football Association needs to improve so that the two sports do not cross over like they did this year. Clubs have to start preparing now for the next cricket season. If the season is due to start the second week in May, the clubs have to have their wickets prepared instead of calling the Board at the last minute to postpone games, thus putting the schedule out of whack.

There is no doubt the Board has to do things differently to improve cricket, but clubs have to do their part as well.

Every club should have a quality coach and there are enough of them around to choose from. Every club should adopt a school so that they have a youth programme. I find it astonishing that some clubs have no youth programmes.

Clubs have made their choice in the election; now they must show Fray and the Board why they have faith in them by doing their part to improve Bermuda cricket. Bermuda will be watching!

Quote of the week: “What do you do with a mistake: recognise it, admit it, learn from it, forget it.” — Dean Smith (legendary former University of North Carolina basketball head coach)