Benjamin: Liberta willing to involve lawyers

President of the Liberta Sports Club and coach of the PIC Liberta Blackhawks, Kenneth Benjamin, said the body is prepared to involve its lawyers in the ongoing battle with the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association (ABCA).
Benjamin, a former West Indies fast bowler, made the disclosure as he spoke of the club’s logged appeal of a recent decision by the cricket association to award the Two Day title to the Empire Nation cricket team after the match ended prematurely in June.
“I guess the appeals committee will have to deliberate. We hope they will do this soon and not drag it out because we are prepared to go all the way because there are no grounds. We have appealed the decision and we have outlined the areas where we felt they erred and so we are just waiting for them to respond to that,” he said.
“We are hoping they are going to do what is right, and I know they are supposed to have an appeals committee which should be some legal minds. If they don’t choose to go that route and they [ABCA] tried to do it themselves then we are going to our lawyers,” he added.
Defending champions, PIC Liberta Blackhawks, had argued the legitimacy of allowing one Empire Nation player, Damian Lowenfield, to bat at number three in the order, after the said player had left the match after batting on the previous day because of work commitments.
Blackhawks argued that, in accordance with the laws of the game, Lowenfield was only eligible to bat after five wickets had fallen. Empire were reportedly 77 for three at the time of the dispute.
Benjamin continues to question the legitimacy of the decision.
 “We have already sent in our letter and I don’t’ know if you saw the letter [from the ABCA] but all they said was that the correct protocols were followed. It was just an emotional and sentimental decision and we all were expecting they were going to come with that. The president [Leon Rodney] even before any report was submitted, and the very morning after [the incident], said the points were given to Empire Nation so obviously, the whole thing was already being biased,” he said. 
Blackhawks were ahead on first innings when the incident occurred at the Bethesda playing field. (Neto Baptiste)