The Saudi Cricket Centre held its seventh annual general meeting (AGM) here recently. The meeting was attended by SCC officials and representatives from the five regional cricket associations -- Riyadh Cricket Association (RCA), Eastern Province Cricket Association (EPCA), Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA), Yanbu Al-Sinaya Cricket Association (YACA) and Madina Cricket League (MCL). The Southern Province Cricket Association (SPCA) was the only body unable to attend due to their flight delay. AGM was opened by Ahmad Nadeem Nadwi, CEO of SCC, and jointly chaired by Abdul Qadeer Mirza, chairman EC, and Zulfiqar Choudhry, chairman ECC. Welcoming the delegates, Nadwi portrayed the importance of the meeting and thanked the representatives of the affiliate associations for their participation on a short notice. Nadwi laid emphasis on the necessity of building a comprehensive domestic cricket system to improve the standard. He expressed his disappointment over the poor performance of the senior national team at the ACC T20 Cup in Nepal. He affirmed the implementation of the defined code of conduct for players and officials at domestic and international levels. He also praised the associations for their efforts in helping develop the game in Saudi Arabia, besides calling for a combined effort in securing encouraging results. He urged the regional associations to openly discuss intricacies to determine an effective solution. He also invited names to find out suitable candidates for various vacancies announced by the Saudi Cricket Centre a few weeks back. The details can be found at www.facebook/saudicricket. Nasir Ali Khan, vice president of RCA, presented a slide show highlighting their achievements in the 2011-12 season. He pointed out that RCA constructed seven new grounds in a short period. He said the facilities such as pavilions, lavatories and sight-screens on each ground were the hallmarks of RCA's efforts. He requested all the associations to apply proposed common playing conditions and constitution presented by the SCC and use agreed standard cricket balls during domestic matches. He urged the SCC to import approved cricket balls for regional cricket associations. The president of YACA, Akram Quraishi, presented a slide show to highlight the development of green outfield and natural turf at the Royal Commission Yanbu cricket ground. He said the ground is ready for matches and the turf wicket will be operative soon. He also requested the SCC to provide necessary equipment to help out in maintenance work. Nadeem Nadwi immediately announced to provide a pitch roller and a grass-cutting machine for YACA. Zulfiqar Ali Choudhry, senior vice president of WPCA, presented the annual report on their activities. The WPCA constructed two new grounds at Eskan Complex and now has eight grounds and over 46 teams are playing at various levels. He said WPCA cannot invite more teams because of the shortage of grounds. Sikandar Farooqi, President of EPCA, announced his full backing to the SCC. He said EPCA has the honor of organizing 40-over tournaments. He expressed his gratitude to Abdul Aziz Al-Naeemi, Chairman of EPCA, for his extraordinary assistance in providing a place for EPCA Academy. Amanat Ali of MCL presented a paper of their activities and appreciated the SCC for providing wide-ranging help in operations. He said a new ground has been finished with the help of the SCC and that they were operating with four grounds. Abdul Qadeer Mirza, Chairman of the Executive Council, showed admiration for the efforts made by the SCC and its affiliate associations. He urged all the cricket entities to join hands to take the game in the Kingdom to new heights. __
