WOMAN IN A MAN'S
GAME
By Sasha Mohammed
Sunday Guardian
December 19, 1999
Page 3
|
The
salesman visiting the village of Dades Trace, on the outskirts of rural Rio
Claro, seemed enthralled by its rusticity.
Observing some boys playing 'cricket on the road', he smiled. "You
hardly see that anymore." A
villager replied, "It's a good tradition. Which West Indian player doesn't remember his days of cricket
on the road? It's where dreams are
born." He then recalled the days
when a teacher from the nearby Rio Claro Vedic School joined his peers at the
village bar for a 'Friday lime.'
While waiting, his little son often played cricket with them,
"…and today, that same little boy plays on the West Indies team." Indeed,
Mr. Ganga's son, Daren, made these villagers proud. "Daren
Ganga played here?" The salesman's
interest was aroused. The
villager continued, "There was a girl, who used to play…" But the
salesman has to leave. A bystander,
however, decided to complete that story: |
She was easy to locate at her workplace, the Rio Claro District Revenue
Office. She vividly recalls those
childhood days of 'cricket on the road,'
"Would
you believe, "I'm still the only girl in the boys' game?"
Fazida
Mohammed is a prominent community worker in Rio Claro. But she holds another distinction, as the first
woman in men's cricket, who, for over ten years now, has been voluntarily
serving national cricket. Recalling her
steady progress as a cricket administrator, she states:
"Despite
my passion for cricket, family traditions prevented me from playing professionally,
so I got involved in administration.
Here, I could ensure that others had the best opportunities to
play." Hence her motto, 'For the
love of the game.'
The
year 1988 marked the beginning of her cricketing career. As a representative of the Tristar
Recreation Club on the South East Zone of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board
of Control (TTCBC), she was asked to be administrative secretary by zone
officials. They encouraged her to
enhance her skills in cricket administration, and, in 1993, she qualified as an
umpire. Though often commended for her
outstanding professionalism, Mohammed opted to renounce umpiring and focus on
administration.
Her
breakthrough occurred in 1992, when she was elected as a club representative to
the South East Zone. Today, she remains
the only female nationwide, to retain this position. In 1995, Mohammed was elected as the zone's treasurer, and, in
1997, she attained the position of secretary of the South East Zone, and became
its representative on the TTCBC. This
officially cemented her position as the first female in Trinidad and Tobago
serving in men's cricket, a post she still holds.
She
admits that her responsibilities are tremendous, but believes she had done
justice to her post. Since her advent,
the zone has witnessed remarkable progress.
Her track record includes obtaining various forms of sponsorship that
meet the board's requirements. She
religiously ensures its youth programmes are implemented, and even uses her own
finances to meet the zone's demands.
Her life is filled with attending games, meetings and seminars at odd
hours, in many places. Yet, she has
never allowed cricket to interfere with her duties as a wife, mother of a
teenager, and her profession as a revenue officer.
"My
family's been very supportive, though.
My husband's also involved with cricket, and my daughter's quite
understanding."
In
retrospect, she admits: "It's been a long, hard road, but it's been worth
it." After years of enduring
numerous setbacks, she asserts, "I intent to serve national cricket at the
highest administrative level possible."
Indeed,
her dedication has tremendously benefited the South East Zone, as evident in
the fact that, from 1993-1997, this zone was one of the least developed. From 1997, however, when she became its
secretary, it underwent radical improvement, and today, it is acknowledged as
the best zone island wide.
The
president and chief executive of the TTCBC, Alloy Lequay, endorsed her
accomplishments: "Fazida has done an excellent job since she undertook the
responsibilities of zonal secretary in the South East. Because of the number of clubs (16), and the
competing interests, it's an office that requires diplomacy and excellent human
relations in order to succeed. Fazida
has successfully met these requirements."
As
the first woman to make her indelible mark in men's cricket, Mohammed emerges
as the hallmark of feminism, achieving equality, respect and success in what
remains a man's world. Strangely, her
invaluable contribution to national cricket remains unacknowledged.
"I'm
involved for the love of cricket," she says, adding that the dying
tradition or 'cricket on the road' is truly the place where dreams are born
"and sometimes, they come true."