Lloyd Smith has made a sensational return as Bermuda Cricket Board president after winning a secret ballot against incumbent Arnold Manders.

Smith defeated Gershon Gibbons to succeed Lloyd Fray at the helm of the BCB in 2017 and he held the position until November 2020, when Manders swept to victory.

However, Smith reversed that result by winning 7-6 at a meeting held at Young Men’s Social Club on Wednesday night.

Smith, 55, a former BCB club representative and ex-president of Devonshire Recreation Club, did not enter the race until late on Tuesday, when he submitted his nomination papers at the BCB headquarters. Bailey’s Bay, Cleveland County and Devonshire Rec were the clubs to support his nomination.

Although a normal presidential campaign would normally involve weeks of lobbying, Smith insists the decision to challenge Manders was made only at the last minute.

“Over last weekend I decided to contest,’’ Smith said.

“I spoke to everybody that I needed to speak to, family-wise and friends. I then decided that I might as well give it a try.

“After that I had to speak to clubs, to see what their interests were and to see if it was possible that I can get some support first.

“When that happened, I got some clubs to nominate me, and I handed in the nomination forms on Tuesday evening.

“I've always been involved in cricket in certain aspects and it wasn't always a thought to go back as president, but I was pretty happy with what I had done in my first presidency.”

Smith is looking to leverage his vast global network of contacts for the benefit of the game on the island.

“I didn't have a selling point as such, other than me as a person,’’ he added.

“The clubs understand what I brought to the table before. The international contacts, cricket is not just about bat and ball, it’s about relationships, it’s about having foresight.

“Cricket’s not the cheapest sport in Bermuda to run, so understanding the needs and what the clubs go through to participate in cricket is one of my biggest strengths.”

During his last tenure at the beginning of 2020, Smith was embroiled in controversy when several members of the executive committee resigned over his use of a BCB-issued credit card to bring in former West Indies Test captain Jimmy Adams as a guest speaker for the board’s end-of-season awards night.

One such resignation came from Kellie Smith, who is now chair of the development programme for youth, women and girls jumped ship in 2020, and it remains to be seen if Lloyd Smith’s election victory will prompt certain individuals to question their position in the organisation.

“That’s a deep conversation that goes back to part of our administration that had two groups involved,’’ Lloyd Smith said.

“I don’t think it’s something that can be talked about at this time as it’s a completely different administration now than it was then.

“When you come on board as an individual, and you come on board with executives all in place, there’s options for people if they don’t feel that they want to work with you. They can resign, that’s not something that you can control.”

Such a close margin of victory for Smith suggests that there are deep divisions among the clubs as to the future of cricket on the island but the new president is keen to unite different factions.

“With the community that we have, 7-6 really doesn't express the support that you might have from the whole of Bermuda,’’ Smith said.

“That’s just the support that you have from the voting members. Hopefully, over the next three years, I can show the other voting members that didn't vote for me the quality and the work I bring to cricket.

“Bermuda is a small community, people’s opinions and decisions on why they voted for who is not that surprising.

“We all have to work together for cricket to get better. It doesn't matter if they voted for me or not, we’re still working for the same team to try and make sure that this country moves forward in cricket.”

Smith is a St George’s Cup Match selector, a position he may now be expected to resign from in light of his election, but the new man in charge is leaving it to St George’s to make that decision.

“It’s up to St George’s, but I would like to stay on board and to be a part of getting the cup back for St George’s,” Smith said.

“Cup Match is just an event between Somerset and St George’s. I don’t think the BCB has any real control over Somerset, and St George’s, the rules and regulations or the selection of players.”

Also at the AGM, treasurer Tracey Pitt and club representatives Jon Carey, and Adrian Burrows retained their positions, but one club representative spot remains following Peter Philpott’s retirement after 13 years of service.