Following on the heels of the election of the first woman to the BCA board, some committees have seen women remaining or added for the 1998-99 period.
At the BCA's annual general meeting in July, Patricia Greenidge created history when she was elected treasurer. She now heads the seven-member finance committee, which also includes Vivianne Gittens.
Donna Symmonds is on the cricket committee and Hazel Barker-Dyall on the grounds committee, while Symmonds, Judy Millington, Betty Proute, Faith Marshall-Harris and Betty Lewis (secretary) help make up the marketing committee.
``The aim is to get people, whether men or women, who have the interest of Barbados cricket at heart,'' president Tony Marshall said yesterday.
``As it turned out, there are a few ladies on the committees and we welcome this.
Talents available
``We want to utilise the talents available in Barbados. It's all about the advancement of the game, and we look for professional and technical help who care for the game.''
One of the new faces is Barker-Dyall, who has become the first woman to join the grounds committee, which is headed by former West Indies fast bowler Richard ``Prof'' Edwards.
Barker-Dyall, a hockey player with Pickwick, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the BCA.
She has been working with the grounds staff of the National Sports Council (NSC) for close to 20 years and is in charge of the maintenance of government-owned playing fields.
``It (the nomination) came as a surprise but I an extremely happy,'' she said. ``I not sure who nominated me but I am grateful that the BCA thought I was fit to form part of their unit.
``The area of grounds is all in my line of work, so I have an idea of what to expect. I work closely with the NSC staff and I look forward to working closely with the BCA.''
Marshall added that the BCA has a three-part mandate for the 1998-99 programme. He said the board's focus would be on ``cricket – the game, communication with members and proper public relations''.
Right environment
``We have to try to make sure the right environment is in place to develop the young players so we can have a reservoir of talent to feed Barbados and West Indies cricket,'' he said.
Marshall also noted that the BCA was seeking to make sure that the membership was kept fully abreast of happenings and plans, while at the same time making sure that the public, the paying customers, played a part in the game.