A former Newcastle City and Suburban Cricket Association board member says he "reluctantly" supports a push to dissolve the board over its alleged lack of financial transparency.
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Rick Carter was on the board for six years before deciding two years ago not to stand for re-election after encountering "roadblocks" in his attempts to improve financial reporting.
Banned board members Daniel Saunders and Andrew Kelly organised a meeting at Warners Bay tonight to drum up club support for a vote of no-confidence in the association's management.
Mr Saunders and Mr Kelly were elected to the board in August but have since been banned for life by the NCSCA judiciary.
The board had its books audited last year for the first time in 15 years.
President Phil Northey wrote to clubs in December saying the audit showed "no funds were unaccounted for" but some of the board's "long-standing" financial practices needed to change.
The board's treasurer, Dave Crawford, resigned on Saturday over the "processes and transparency of how the finances in the NCSCA were being managed".
Bank and petty cash statements seen by the Newcastle Herald show that between March and August last year more than $3000 was spent at Bunnings, almost $500 at Super Cheap Auto and numerous smaller amounts at McDonalds, KFC, 7-Eleven, cafes, Club Macquarie, BWS, Coles, Woolworths and Subway.
I don't care if it's $5 or $500; people should be able to ask what was this money spent on.
- Rick Carter
Mr Carter said use of a debit card intended for buying materials and services related to association activities appeared to have become a "free-for-all".
"Now there's things going on the card like food and coffee. That might be legal, but I don't believe it's ethical," he said.
"We're not talking about sheep stations; we're just talking about the right of every player in City and Suburban to be confident that the money that they have put in is being expended appropriately.
"I don't see the system at the moment is allowing them to do that."
Mr Carter, who has seen recent statements for the debit card, said a system of submitting receipts had "fallen into disuse" while he was on the board.
"There's a lot of leakages of money that I find, if not dubious, at least unnecessary.
"There was a $2000 top-up and then a cash withdrawal of $2000. To me, that is not within the protocols of what the card was set up for.
"I don't care if it's $5 or $500; people should be able to ask what was this money spent on.
"They are taking shortcuts with the system. They are not allowing people to see that things are being done appropriately even when they are."
The feud has sparked dozens of abusive posts and comments on various Facebook pages.
Mr Saunders and another board member, Grant Hutchings, were banned on Sunday for their involvement in an unsavoury private Facebook conversation 10 months ago which was leaked to the board.
Mr Kelly was banned for trying to access the board's Bunnings account using a false name.
Another board member, Roy Capitao, was banned for two years in August for allegedly attempting to access information about board members' fuel allowances.
Mr Capitao has also been cited to appear at the judiciary on Monday over his part in the Facebook chat group but is refusing to attend.
Mr Carter questioned whether some of the suspensions were constitutional and said they gave the impression the board was trying to silence its critics.
He "reluctantly" agreed that dissolving the board was the only way forward.
"I think it's come to that. I don't see any other way."
Mr Northey told the Newcastle Herald on Monday that "in the next week or two this association will be releasing all documentation on what has transpired".