Collins silenced but still in charge

GARRY COLLINS stays on as chief executive of Bowls Guernsey after brushing aside calls for a vote of no confidence in him at last night's annual meeting at the Cobo Bay Hotel. In what was an often acrimonious meeting attended by approximately 80 - more than three times the number who attended last year's corresponding AGM - the controversial young CEO survived to fight another day and may have to do just that to stay in the job.

His opponents remain unhappy.

'If it had got to a vote we would have out voted him I'm sure,' said an anonymous opponent of Collins.

'He wormed his way out of it,' the source added.

'I reckon we had the edge . . . it was exciting in places.'

Collins riled many by openly revisiting controversial issues such as Dan de la Mare's apparent refusal to turn up for the island pairs final and Craig Dorey's proposed ban for wasting an airline ticket.

'His criticism of individuals didn't go down well at all,' said the source.

As reported in these pages last week, Collins avoided a show of hands on his position by pointing out that he had been elected on a two-year tenure and his position was not up for renewal.

He had earlier said it was 'quite comical' that his opponents openly talked about getting rid of him at the AGM when the rules did not allow that.

'We're playing by the rules and I'm not prepared to break the rules and please people who want me out,' he said last week.

Angela Bartie, who was being lined up as Bowls Guernsey's new supremo in place of Collins, declined the offer to stand for the position of assistant chief executive officer.

Jackie Nicolle is the new president having replaced Ian Merrien whose term was at an end.

Collins, on behalf of the Bowls Guernsey Council, declined to make a statement regarding the meeting at this time.