Venold Coombs rants over newspaper photo

Venold Coombs, manager of the Victors One cricket team, used the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association Inc (SVGCA) last Saturday to vent his feelings about a newspaper photograph which captured part of the melee which took place at the Park Hill Playing Field, during the aborted Super- 40 cricket final.

The final, played between Victors One and Team Rivals on Sunday, October 30 this year, ended prematurely, following a decision made by the presiding umpire, Roger Davis.

When the issue of the outcome of the match was discussed at last Saturday’s meeting, Coombs, without identifying the publication, said he was badly represented in the photograph.{{more}}

“I don’t think justice was done to me by Roache… Now he put in the paper – chaos in Park Hill and put my face and continue to make an a… out of himself,” Coombs ranted.

SEARCHLIGHT’s sports reporter, Rohan Thomas, is popularly known as Roache.

“It was unfair to me, very unfair to me… he continues to make a fool of himself… The incident what happen up dey,

what Roache put dey is as if to say the chaos was created by me,” Coombs blurted.

And, despite advice from former SVG, Windwards and West Indies wicketkeeper Michael Findlay, to temper his language at the meeting, Coombs continued his rant, stating, “I stand by what I say.”

Thomas did not respond to Coombs’ statements.

SEARCHLIGHT’s Midweek edition of November 1, 2016 did carry detailed coverage of the incident at the Park Hill Playing Field, and a back page photo, which showed Coombs; president of the SVGCA Inc Kishore Shallow; some members of the Victors One team; and others at the boundary’s edge.

Contrary to what Coombs related on Saturday, the back page article was headlined: “Unsportsmanlike behaviour ends Super-40 Cricket finals – BAD BLOOD,” and the photograph was captioned: “Stand-Off: President of the SVGCA Kishore Shallow in conversation with manager of the Victors One team – Venold Coombs, while Victors One players stand at the edge of the boundary, during the chaos that took place last Sunday at the Park Hill Playing Field during the final of the Super-40 competition.”

Coombs, who is also the president of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) has, in recent times, lashed out at SEARCHLIGHT newspaper, even refusing to be photographed. He has a similar hostile attitude to a local radio station – Nice Radio.