BY ANDI THORNHILL

EVEN IF embattled Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) president Tony Marshall is under pressure he seems set to fight for survival.

If there is, as has been rumoured, an imminent attempt to bring a no-confidence motion to have him removed as president, Marshall is not planning to give up without a fight, and a tough one at that.

That's the impression I came away with from the Press conference he called last week to clear the air on some recent issues affecting his organisation.

Given the events of the previous week when he lost the chairmanship of two key BCA committees, it seemed that many believed he had called the conference to announce his resignation. He did any and everything but that.

Instead, he appeared to take new guard to take on whatever kind of bowling he has to face in the weeks ahead.

His opponents have to be wary that this is no ordinary foe. They will have to bowl well-directed yorkers and well-disguised googlies to capture his prized wicket. I got the impression that he is relishing any challenges that are to come.

Prepared to fight

Marshall came out fighting. Armed with a prepared speech, he sought to defend his record as president. I felt that it was coming from the heart. There was even one very emotional moment towards the end of his text that he seemed close to tears.

I know there are times when people in his position have been accused of acting. This was no act; this is a man who obviously loves cricket and cherishes his role as the top administrator within the organisation.

Even if there are attempts to push him, it is going to be hard for him to let go. There is too much at stake for him, pride not the least among the reasons he would want to stay.

One pundit suggested to me he wants to be at the helm of the BCA when World Cup comes around and if for no other reason, he will try everything to be there to taste some of the spotlight and prestige that will naturally accompany such an event and especially if you are the president of the revered BCA. This is a big pick.

However, there could be a lot more to his determination to stay in office. As I said in a previous article, I think he would have lost the moral authority to lead the organisation after losing the chairmanship of the Finance and Lottery and Human Resources Committees.

Therefore, I believe that far from just salvaging pride, Marshall wants to be in place to help finalise the cricket development plan which was discussed only recently with Prime Minister Owen Arthur. Among other things the plan will see local cricketers being given retainer contracts, and this will be unprecedented at the territorial level. It will further cement Barbados' reputation as leaders of the sport in the Caribbean.

And to have such things put in place will be a feather in anyone's cap. I don't mean to suggest that Marshall wants to do it for personal glory but I honestly feel that he feels he has a pivotol role to play in the implementation of the development plan.

The $64 000 question, though, is whether he will find enough support to stay in office if he has to face a no-confidence motion.

I'm not so sure and I came to this conclusion for the fact that only three board members attended the Press conference even though by Marshall's own admission all were invited to do so.

The three I was told are constantly at his side while the others give the impression they wanted to distance themselves from his stewardship of the BCA. This is not a good signal for anyone who is the captain of a ship.

Still, Marshall is not someone you could discount easily. I am sure he already has a strategic plan to stay in charge if or when his position is challenged.

Evenso, should the incumbent be removed who will be chosen as the interim president? Will he/she be able to unite the board so that all the focus will be placed on developing cricket, unlike what obtains now?

I duly expect Stephen Alleyne, who may have lost the post of president so he could concentrate fully on managing Barbados' efforts for the World Cup, to be duly returned to the position once he is free again to do so.

Meantime, his successor is finding it very difficult to marshal his troops.