 Jones was instrumental in attracting Rahul Dravid to Scotland |
With the departure of Gwynne Jones from the post of chief executive at Cricket Scotland, the sport has lost a charismatic and influential figure. Cricket Scotland cited personal reasons for the Zimbabwean's exit, but it is an open secret that Jones had not endeared himself to all in Scottish cricket.
His bullish nature may have rankled with the cricketing establishment.
But the bare fact is that the sport in Scotland is in its healthiest-ever state following Jones' stewardship.
He was brought in two-and-a-half years ago to replace Jim Love following Scotland's failure to reach the World Cup.
His international contacts and his renowned business acumen were key reasons for his appointment by an institution that badly needed both.
His pedigree had been raised by his involvement in the establishment of the Zimbabwean Cricket Academy, for which he was largely responsible for raising funds.
A reputation as a go-ahead, optimistic individual seemed ideal to lift the profile of the game at national level.
Scotland's participation in last season's National Cricket League and the arrival of Rahul Dravid were huge steps up the ladder for the national team.
All that despite major problems in attracting lucrative sponsorship deals, with Jones bemoaning the reluctance of Scottish businesses to make the "leap of faith" required to invest in the sport. Jones' critics have pointed the finger at the Zimbabwean for the lack of funding, although 2003 did see a healthy increase in investment and Jones was key to the eventual investment of Lloyds TSB.
Furthermore, he is not the first person to encounter problems in attracting financing for Scottish cricket, but the perception that he spent too little time at his desk and too much time networking seems to have come back to haunt him.
But it would appear odd to criticise someone for doing what he was hired to do in Scottish cricket's most successful season both on and off the field.
He fell foul of the Scottish cricketing authorities on at least one occasion over an odd decision to send the team's bus driver to pick up a friend from the airport, leaving the players without a change of clothes for several hours.
It seems that Jones has not been his own best PR man and that this has led to a fall-out with others within Cricket Scotland.
Whatever the reasons behind his departure, Cricket Scotland now have to find someone to fill the not insignificant gap left and the hope has to be that they will once again cast their net wide to find someone with similar credentials to lead Scottish cricket on to greater success.
MMIX
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