It is coincidental that in the same year his father, the late Herman Griffith, was honoured for being one of the pioneers of West Indies cricket during the 75th anniversary celebration of our entry into the Test arena that E.H.C. “Teddy” Griffith has assumed the post of President of the West Indies Cricket Board.

We believe we speak for all six million West Indies cricket fans in the Caribbean and another six million beyond our shores when we offer our congratulations to the new president.

Though we welcome him to the highest post in West Indies Cricket, Teddy is no stranger to this great institution.

He has been an integral part of the operations of the WICB for several years, serving in various capacities leading to the post of chairman of the marketing committee that he held at the time of his election to the presidency.

As the son of one of the members of the first West Indies Test team and a former first- class cricketer himself, Teddy is well aware of the legacy with which he has been entrusted and we look forward with expectation to the same stability, sound judgment and creativity that has personified his work inside and outside of cricket over the years.

He enters the post of president at an exciting time in West Indies Cricket.

Over the next three to four years, the Caribbean will be consumed with preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 to be hosted in the West Indies.

Additionally, the senior West Indies team, under the leadership of batting star Brian Lara, appears to be regaining some of the respect it lost over the last ten years, fuelling great optimism that a return to the pinnacle of world cricket may not be out of reach.

We, however, recognise that astute management of our preparation for the ICC, CWC 2007, cricket development programme, limited finances and, most of all, our precious human resources is very much needed at this time. There are still a few fires smouldering and we believe Teddy has the capacity to help extinguish them.

With an outstanding record of service in the public and private sectors in his native Barbados and adopted home Jamaica in particular, we believe that with his blend of cricketing and business experience, the ideal candidate to give leadership to the WICB at this time has been chosen.

Teddy has already intimated at his first press conference on October 4 that he sees his key priorities as achieving sound corporate governance, continuing investment in cricket development, improving on-field performance of the West Indies teams and industrial relations with WIPA off-the-field, effective management of WICB finances and the delivery on commitments for ICC, CWC 2007.

The new President was the main architect of the WICB’s Strategic Plan that was approved by the directors exactly two years ago this month.

Armed with this blue print and a desire to procure a consistently high quality, successful and internationally marketable West Indian product, we have great confidence in him.

Once again, we take this opportunity to thank Rev. Wes Hall, the legendary former West Indies fast bowler of the 1960s, for his immense work in the two years that he held the post of president.

The WICB is justifiably excited and optimistic following the election of a worthy successor in Teddy Griffith and we look forward to his having a fruitful tenure in the post of president.