PSA election's Cardiff mystery

Scrutiny of the recent PSA elections has revealed that the elective process was not as smooth as the PSA press release suggested.

An article on the Squashtalk website draws wry comparisons with the "hanging chad" débâcle of the 2000 US election, suggesting that the results of the voting were not as conclusive as they first appeared ...

Martin Bronstein reports in the article that there was some confusion with the way the votes were counted after the ballot in Bermuda.

It appears that some of those eligible to vote are unhappy with Gawain Briars, the PSA chief executive, and Jack Herrick, a Director of the PSA and "firm supporter of Briars".

In a move to strengthen player presence on the Board, Lee Beachill was up for election, which would have seen him take Herrick's place.

Bronstein claims that "all the players and others who knew what was what told me that this was a fait accompli, a done deal, it was in the bag, that Herrick would be out and Beachill in."

But when the count was conducted, Beachill had apparently "not amassed enough votes". This is where the Florida-style confusion seems to lie.

Fast-forward a few weeks and Beachill finds himself on the Board, apparently after some votes were found after being "left in Cardiff" (good job there were no UN election monitors around - they'd never buy that). Herrick - who Beachill was destined to replace - stays on the Board after (according to Bronstein) a "deal" seems to have been "brockered".

Comments by Beachill after his quarter final in the current British Nationals alluded to the disquiet that appears to be shared by other players:

"I’ve been one of the players that have been whinging and complaining, so it's only fair that I do something about it now. There are a few other people on the board that have been trying to make some changes too, and it’s good that they’ve got an extra voice now.

"I'm not somebody that can stay there and do nothing when things are not right, I just come out and say it as it is ..."

Read the full story here.

Florida-style recount for PSA
PSA