By Neto Baptiste
At least one official from a rival team has accused president of the Liberta Sports Club and coach of the body’s PIC Liberta Blackhawks squad, Kenneth “Flipper” Benjamin, of unsportsmanlike and intimidating behaviour during local matches staged at the venue.
Glen Miller, president and coach of the Jennings Cricket Club, publicly criticised the former West Indies fast bowler of constantly trying to intimidate match and team officials on match days, adding that it is not a nice fit coming from such an individual.
“Flipper Benjamin always verbally abused everybody that goes to Liberta [to play] and no report has ever been written [by match officials]. When you go into an environment to play, you don’t mind being heckled by fans, but when the president and the coach is the one who is always stirring up something, then he is sending a bad message. It’s been more than once that we have experienced ‘bad words’, insults and these sorts of things and I am calling it for what it is,” he said.
The criticism comes on the heels of an incident in Liberta last weekend where Benjamin and player/coach of the Rising Sun team, Rayn John, were involved in physical altercation after the latter allegedly used his foot to dislodge sand that was placed on a section of the field encompassing the bowler’s run-up.
Benjamin, however, replied to Miller’s comment, offering no apologies while accusing the official and others of behaving “like idiots” and being negative to the club’s efforts whenever they are utilising the facilities.
“Some of these people come to Liberta and they do or say nothing positive about our efforts and they find the slightest things to make negative comments and behave like idiots. I am who I am; I defend what we are doing and I defend Liberta Sports Club and if you don’t like that then when you come don’t be negative, or don’t come.
“Miller comes and they always find things about whether it’s the umpires and they always cheating for Liberta and these sorts of things, as if we need umpires to assist us, and eventually it gets to a stage where you just say enough is enough,” Benjamin said.
The cricket association’s Super 40 competition will enter its semifinals stage on Saturday when All Saints Pythons host Pigotts Crushers and on Sunday when Empire Nation host Blackhawks.