Jon Harris responds to Dr. Edwards

Jon Harris
e-mail: hennessy.harris@sympatico.ca

It is incumbent upon me to respond to the CCA President's letter posted on the web site on October 5, 2002.

As a method of 'deconstructing' what the President has written, I have interspersed my comments into the letter he wrote.
Many cricketers will know that deconstruction is a "method of critical analysis directed towards exposing unquestioned ...
assumptions and internal inconsistencies in language and text.".

Re: Canadian Cricket Umpires Association

Dr. Geoff Edwards, President CCA 05.10.02

Dear Cricketers:

The Canadian Cricket Association has LONG BEFORE Robert Weekes arrived, attempted to put in place a National
Umpires Association. Past President JIm Siew was actively engaged in this venture.

What a wonderful set up phrase 'attempted to put in place' with the operative word being ATTEMPTED. Implicit in that word is FAILURE. (jh.)

If Mr. Harris wished to be truthful, he would also have stated this and also that we recommend that as a National body that we
have associations of umpires, scorers etc., in our quest for ODI and later Test status.

Another wonderful set up phrase 'we recommend that as a National body that we have associations of umpires' with the operative word RECOMMEND. Implicit in that word is that some other body outside the CCA is to do the work. That is precisely what I witnessed at the last Toronto Umpires Association as reported on 23.09.02 "Toronto Umpires brush aside pitch for expansion" (jh).

THERE IS NO RELATION AT ALL TO ROBERT WEEKES AND THE QUOTED ARTICLE. Hmmm ... no relation...
...maybe not .... but .... there sure is a connection .... and that is a whole other story. Stay tuned. (jh).

The T&D UA were asked to consider being a leading force in re-igniting a National Association.

The operative word is RE-IGNITING. How can something be 're-ignited' when it has never exited, despite all the claimed 'attempts'. The President of the Toronto Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association, (T&D UA is yet another goof/inconsistency), unequivocally declined the request to consider being a leading force in re-igniting a National Association with a pronouncement that the TCU&SA had more than enough to do. (jh).

Colin Hoare and others like Tony Gudgin have LONG taught and accredited umpires across Canada and even in the United
States. What a pity we do not have more objective and professional workers - less talk of course.

We are all subject to our own subjectivity, and that even includes the CCA President, but I doubt he would understand the concept. Perhaps some of the masses of cricketers who have post-secondary qualifications would care to care to give it a try. (jh).

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