The High Court of Justice in Antigua and Barbuda has issued an interim injunction halting elections scheduled by the Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB), effectively blocking former West Indies opener Kieron Powell and Anguilla Cricket Association (ACA) President Dr. Timothy Hodge from being excluded from the vote.
According to Antigua Observer, the court issued the injunction on July 10th, one day before the LICB's planned Annual General Meeting (AGM) and elections, pending the outcome of a legal challenge brought by the ACA and Nevis Cricket Association (NCA) President Carlisle Powell.
Kieron Powell, who scored 2,113 runs across 44 Tests and a further 1,005 runs in 46 One Day International matches for the senior West Indies men's team, had been set to challenge longstanding LICB President Enoch Lewis — an Antiguan — for the top position. Hodge was contesting a vice president role. Efforts to reach Lewis for comment were unsuccessful, with calls and messages to his mobile device going unanswered.
The ACA's legal application argues that the LICB wrongly excluded both Kieron Powell and Hodge from the final list of nominees, despite both having been duly nominated in accordance with the LICB's constitution. In Hodge's case, the board reportedly rejected his nomination on the grounds that he had not submitted a letter of acceptance — a requirement that Carlisle Powell contends was never previously communicated to nominees.
Carlisle Powell stated that he only became aware of the exclusions on July 9th, when an LICB email circulating the final list of nominees omitted both names. Had the elections proceeded as planned, incumbent President Lewis would have faced no opposition.
Under the terms of the injunction, the LICB is barred from hosting its AGM or elections until the court rules on the matter. Respondents have been given until July 15th to file their affidavit in opposition, with applicants granted until July 16th to submit any reply. Written submissions are to be exchanged by July 20th, ahead of an inter-partes hearing scheduled for 11 a.m. on July 22nd.
