GROS ISLET—All systems are on go for the start of next month’sHero Caribbean Premier League  (CPL), which is already being touted as the biggest and best edition.

Word of this has come from the CPL’s chief executive officer Damien O’Donohoe, as he gave the assurance that fixtures, venues and start times for the month-long tournament had been finalised.

“We are really excited about the 2018 edition of the tournament.

We have gone from strength to strength since we first started in 2013 and we know that the sixth Hero CPL is going to be the biggest and best yet. The biggest party in sport is coming and we can’t wait for it all to get started,” O’Donohoe said. This year’s tournament will once again see a mix of the best global and Caribbean cricketing talent with the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, David Warner, Steve Smith and Brendon McCullum amongst those taking part. The tournament will feature 34 matches between the six franchises with each team playing five home matches. The Jamaica Tallawahs will play three of their home games in Lauderhill, Florida meaning the CPL is returning to the USA for the third successive year.

Defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders take on St Lucia Stars in Trinidad on August 8 to bowl off the competition. The tournament will then visit Guyana, St Lucia, Jamaica, St Kitts, Barbados and the USA before returning to Trinidad for the final at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on September 16. The Hero CPL has signed a three-year agreement with T&T to host the finals in the country following the successful final at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy. (CMC)

BASSETERRE—Following their thrilling three-run win over Bangladesh in the second ODI in Guyana on Wednesday, West Indies captain Jason Holder feels his side now has the momentum heading into today’s final ODI in St Kitts.

The Windies lost the opening ODI by 48 runs but rebounded to level the threematch series 1-1, despite Bangladesh being in control for the majority of the contest. However, with that gutsy win, Holder said the mood in the camp was upbeat and the players were looking forward to a series-winning victory.

“We’ve got the momentum at the present time. To win a close game like that it should bring a lot of encouragement into the group. Everybody is obviously upbeat about the last game because obviously, we have a chance to win a series.

“I guess at the start of the innings [on Wednesday night] a few heads dropped and we probably lost a little belief, but credit to the guys the way they fought and stuck it through. It was a total team effort and one which they should be proud of,” Holder said. 

While he credited Wednesday’s victory to teamwork, the Windies skipper heaped praises on Shimron Hetmyer for his masterful knock of 125, the backbone of the team’s eventual total of 271.

He said the team’s slow bowlers were also hugely responsible for slowing down Bangladesh’s innings after they had gotten off to a whirlwind start.

“Credit must go to Shimron Hetmyer.

It was an outstanding innings from the youngster. He showed a lot of maturity, which is something we ask of him at such a young age. I thought his innings was really, really outstanding and it’s good to see a young player like that come through for us,” Holder said.

“I always knew that we would be able to pull back the game because the nature of the pitch dictated that the slow bowlers would come in and have an effect.

Credit to all the slow bowlers who bowled; Bishoo (Davendra) obviously leading the way, Ashley [Nurse] who was very supportive and Chris [Gayle] looked the part as well. “I think the overs by those guys really pulled the game back for us and the seamers were able to come back and finish off the job for us. I also want to say credit to Keemo Paul as well for showing the encouragement and courage he did…I really fed off his energy and I thought that for such a young guy he was able to execute a good penultimate over,” Holder added.

Injured Russell out, Cottrell in Just one game into his highly anticipated return, West Indies’ talented all-rounder Andre Russell has been sidelined by injury.

The 30-year-old has been ruled out of today’s third and final ODI against Bangladesh in St Kitts due to a knee injury.

Russell played in the first ODI which the Windies lost by 48 runs, scoring 13 runs and finishing with the figures of 1-62 from nine overs. It was the first time he had played an ODI for the regional side since November 2015. He did not play in the second ODI which the home side won by three runs.

However, the injury is not said to be a serious one with Russell having already received treatment. He is expected to be available for the three-match T20 series which begins in St Kitts on Tuesday.

In his absence, burly Jamaican fast bowler Sheldon Cotterell has been named as his replacement. (CMC)

Cyclist Teneil Campbell capped of her debut at the 23rd Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games with a gold medal ride in the women’s Road Race (99 km) in Barraquilla, Colombia, yesterday.

The 20-year-old Campbell who won three bronze medals in the women’s Individual Pursuit, Omnium and Scratch Race prior to the start of her final event, won a sprint to the finish line to claim the Road Race gold medal in two hours, 31.47 minutes ahead of Cuban, Yudelmis Dominguez and Mexico’s Lizbeth Salazar, who were all awarded the same time as well. Alexi Costa, T&T’s other entrant was 19th.

Writing on her Facebook page following her gold ride Campbell said, “Today’s victory was an emotional one. I’m really thankful to be surrounded by supportive, positive and hardworking individuals. Honestly I’m not quite sure how I would of gotten through the day without them #ThankYou.”

T&T’s overall medal tally is 18 (seven gold, two silver and nine bronze).

Stampfli in tennis semis

T&T’s Breana Stampfli will lock horns with the Olympic champion, Monica Puig of Puerto Rico in the semifinals of the women’s Lawn Tennis Singles competition today from 10 am at Parque Distrital de Racquetas.

When the competition served off on Friday, 22-year-old Stampfli overcame Bahamian, Danielle Thompson, 7-6(4), 6-3 before she battled past Kelly Williford of Dominican Republic 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 in the last-16 (second round) and then Colombian, Maria Herazo, 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.

In the other semifinal, Mexico’s Giuliana Olmos faces Colombia Mariana Duque.

Women Warriors to battle for bronze

T&T’s senior women footballers missed out on a chance of a gold medal but will have an opportunity of securing the bronze tomorrow when they face Venezuela following their 2-0 defeat to Costa Rica in the semifinals on Friday night.

T&T’s women gave a creditable performance and may have found themselves to be somewhat unfortunate in the encounter after falling behind to a dubious penalty call in the 32nd minute. Mexican referee Maria Gonzales ruled that Jenelle Cunningham tripped Gloriana Villalobos on her way to goal.

Carol Sanchez put away the resulting penalty and Maria Porras punished T&T for a defensive mistake in added on time.

T&T had its chances on goal with Tasha St Louis missing a glorious opportunity to level the scores in the 78th minute when she ran on a to flick on a header by Karyn Forbes, got past Sanches but sent her effort wide of the target.

Mexico overcame Venezuela 3-1 in the other semifinal match and will meet Costa Rica in the final with T&T taking on its neighbours from 5 pm TT time.

“Not the result we were hoping for but far from a disappointing performance,” head coach Shabazz said.

“I think our players demonstrated a desire and displayed a courage that is encouraging as we look ahead to the remainder of the CONCACAF qualifier and potential matches against the likes of Costa Rica and Mexico. Of course, it was not a good feeling to come away with the loss but we took away some positives. We’ll regroup and give it our everything in an attempt to secure the bronze medal against Venezuela. Of more importance for us at this stage is having the opportunity to have two top matches which will serve us well in preparation for the qualifiers next month,” Shabazz added.

Water Polo men end winless run

T&T men’s water polo team ended their winless at the Complejo Acautico yesterday beating Costa Rica 18-6 in their final round-robin match.

Russell Ferreira and Sergio Des Vignes led the way with four goals each for T&T while Tyrece Joseph added three.

The trio of Christopher George, Daniel Alvarez and Kris Thomas scored two each while Kryztien Sharpe netted once for T&T, who overcame a 1-3 first quarter deficit to win the next three quarters, 6-1, 6-1 and 5-1.

On Friday night, the national men’s team suffered their second loss from as many matches, 8-16 versus Venezuela to add to a 2-29 loss to Cuba.

Leon Daniel led the fight against Venezuela with three goals for T&T and Adrian Hinds scored twice, and George, Alvarez and Thomas were also among the goals for T&T who trailed 1-2, 2-10 and 7-14 at the end of the first three periods. Today, the quarterfinals will take place.

The women’s team dropped to a 0-3 round-robin record after a 5-20 defeat at the hands of Colombia.

For T&T, which trailed 0-6, 4-9 and 4-13 at the end of the first three quarters, Jordan Van Reeken netted a pair of goals while Shemiyah Ross, Ariel Stewart and Thais Hinds added one each.

T&T was also defeated by Mexico (5-22) and Venezuela (3-22) and will face Puerto Rico today from 4.40 pm, followed by Cuba tomorrow to end round-robin play. 

Shaniah De Freitas netted at a double to lead T&T senior women’s hockey team to a 2-0 defeat of Barbados in their bronze medal match at the Complejo Pibe Valderrama, Barranquilla, Colombia, yesterday.

Gold medal winners in 2002 and 2010 it was the first ever bronze medal in women’s hockey for T&T at the CAC Games after ending fourth, last time out in Mexico.

De Freitas, who netted both goals when T&T defeated the Barbadians in a round-robin fixture earlier in the week, 2-1, opened the scoring in the 13th minute before she sealed the issue with a late second item in the 59th minute.

Today, this country’s men’s hockey team, second the last two tournaments will face Guyana for bronze at the same venue from 3.15 pm while Cuba and Mexico do battle for gold at 5.30pm.

T&T men, winners in 2003 and second four years later, had a previous bronze medal finish in 1998, beating Barbados in the playoff.

Bullen-Jones, Daniel 8th in 10m Air Pistol Team

Marsha Bullen-Jones and former CAC Games gold medallist Roger Daniel ended in the eighth spot in the 10m Air Pistol Team competition with a combined score of 724 points.

This after Bullen-Jones had rounds of 89, 89, 88 and 86 for 352 points, and Daniel, 92, 91, 92, and 97 for 372 points.

Today, Daniel will be joined by Clement Marshall and Rhodney All for the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol qualification round.

David 12th in Open Water swim

T&T’s Shania David was 12th best in the women’s Open Water (10km) swim in two hours, 33:06.90 minutes while countrywoman Chisara Santana did not complete the course/ |

Today, Gabriel Bynoe will have his go at a top-three finish in the men’s Open Water event.

Prince no match for Cedeno

Local boxer Aaron Prince missed out on a chance at a medal when he was beaten 5-0 on points by Dominican Republic’s Euri Cedeno in their middleweight (75kg) quarterfinal.

Last night, it was the turn of Michael Alexander in the men’s lightweight (60kg) versus Puerto Rico’s Carlos Alberto Figueroa in their quarterfinal while today, Olympian Nicholas Paul will look to secure a spot in the super heavyweight gold medal bout when he faces Cuban Jose Angel Lorduet in a semifinal contest.

Vball men face Puerto Rico

T&T senior men’s volleyball team, the three-time reigning Caribbean champions will play their second match of Pool B versus Puerto Rico from 4 pm at the Humbero Perea Coliseo today.

Last night, T&T served off its campaign versus Colombia in the late match while Puerto Rico swept past Guatemala 25-14, 25-16, 25-17 to open the competition.

Defending champions, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela and Mexico are in Pool A.

The winners of the pools will earn direct tickets to the semifinal phase while the teams placed in second and third will compete in the quarterfinals.

The national beach volleyball men and women teams of Daneil Williams and Danyte Stewart and Rheeza Grant and Abby Blackman will also be in action again today at the Puerta de Oro, Caribbean Events Centre.

Yesterday, Stewart and Williams faced Dominicans, Yahn Florent and Lincoln Riviere, and will tackle Barbadians, Elwin Oxley and Hugh Sealy from 11.40am, and Nicaraguans, Ruben Mora, and Dany Lopez from 7 pm.

The pair of Grant and Blackman faced Panama’s Dionelys Delgado and Yamileth Montenegro in their opener last night and won 21-14 and 21-14, and will meet Venezuelans, Norisbeth Agudo and Gabriela Brito from 11.40am, and Amber Bennett, and Mannika Charles of US Virgin Islands from 9 pm to end round-robin pool play.

Also in action today for T&T will be boxer Michael Alexander against Dominican Republic’s Carlos Figueroa in a lightweight (60kg) quarterfinal while the trio of Chisara Santana, Gabriel Bynoe and Shaniah David compete in the Open Water.

Archers, Track & Field athletes join the mix today

T&T archers and track and field athletes will join the hunt for medals at the CAC Games today.

The archers set to commence action are Daniel Catariz, Hasmath Ali, Johnathan Mosca, Jonathan Thomas, Peter Kong and Priyanka Dhanie.

And in athletics, Jehue Gordon, Khalifa St Fort, Semoy Hackett, Keston Bledman are all set to face the starter at the Pista Athletica.

Windies off-spinner Anisa Mohammed was brilliant with the ball as she led her team LCB Contractors Central Sports into the final of the 2018 edition of the Courts T20 Extravaganza at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Friday night.

She got them over the hurdle against Trident Sports Phoenix and last night they were down to battle last year’s runners-up Tecu Southern Titans in the championship match. Mohammed, opening the bowling held excellent figures off two for 16 from her four overs as Phoenix struggled to 87 for nine in their 20 overs. Also in fine form on the night was Kamara Ragoobar, who snared two for 14 from her four overs and Samantha Bissoon who claimed two for 27.

When Sharks went in to reply, the experience Felicia Walters was on sound scoring an unbeaten 52 to take her team home. She held the chase together after Sharks lost two early wickets via the run out route.

She found an able ally in Shermaine Campbelle who got an unbeaten 20, as Sharks made 88 for two to win by eight wickets.

Last night they were expected to get a major challenge from Tecu Southern Titans who was the top team in the prelims and went straight into the finals. They would have started as favourites to win the title.

Scores

COURTS T20
At Brian Lara Academy: Trident Sports Phoenix 87/9 (20) (Tremaine Smart 20, Reniece Boyce 19, anias Mohammed 2/16, Kamara Ragoobar 2/14, Samantha Bissoon 2/27) vs Central sharks 88/2 (Felicia Walters 52no, Shermaine Cambelle 20no) Central Sharks won by 2 wkts.

It was a night to celebrate and that is what the members of Magnolias Hockey club did on at its 50th anniversary at the Ballroom at the Queen Park Cricket Club in St Clair, some two weeks ago.

The event was used to celebrate the outstanding contributions of the sportsmen and women in a number of sports and at different stages in their careers.

A few of them are on national duties including players Brianna Govia, Brittney Hingh, sisters Savannah and Shaniah de Freitas, as well as the Olton sisters Amie, Samantha, Saarah and Kaitlyn.

They along with veteran hockey player Stacey Siu Butt and Natalie Nieves, who are both on the technical staff for the national women’s team at the ongoing Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Barranquilla, Colombia. Siu Butt is serving as the assistant coach while Nieves is the videographer.

“I think this must be a record achievement for a club to have eight members selected to a national team,” said presenter Derek Lee, who wished each a successful tournament. “Remember to wear your national colours with pride and always strive to be your best both on and off the field. Support each other, look out for each other and keep the Mags flag flying high. Best of luck to all of you and the Team, make us proud!”

Women’s hockey coach Darren Cowie, who steered Magnolia’s to an elusive Championships League title, was also presented a token of appreciation for his leadership and guidance of the senior team.

Tracy Lee-James also got special mention for her appointment as an umpire at the Games.

“We thank you for your commitment and the time you have dedicated to umpiring you are now reaping the rewards may you continue to reach higher heights,” said Susie Gomes, who presented the award.

Shaniah de Freitas, who is the main fixture on both the Magnolia Under-19 and Championships teams that were crowned TTHB National Indoor champions last year in their respective divisions, was also recognised for being the TTHB nominee for the First Citizens “Junior Player of the Year” award.

Richard Nieves presented this award to the hard-hitting standout player who made her senior international debut at last year’s Pan American Indoor Championships in Guyana.

He said, “Shaniah’s passing ability coupled with a lethal flick at set pieces enabled her national coach to entrust her with responsibility at key junctures in crucial games.

“She was a valuable contribution against the region’s top teams at the Championships in Guyana and her growing stature and constant improvement will only augur well for her continued success at national level.

“Shaniah continues to improve and grow in her knowledge of the game and we know that we can expect much more from her in the future.”

Alexandria “Lexi” Yearwood and Chloe Walcott were also in the spotlight in the momentous occasion.

Colin Murray dished on the multi-talented duo, who have been burning up the Squash Courts and have become regular fixtures on the national team.

“Chloe represented T&T on the Girl’s U-13 team in 2015 and 2016. In 2017 she ranked Number two in the U-15 division and captured the U-17 national champion title. She just recently returned from Jamaica where she represented T&T in U-15 girl’s at Junior CASA 2018,” said Murray.

Mention was also made about the Club’s 32-year partnership as Shandy Carib Magnolia with Carib.

Meanwhile, Yearwood, who was nominated as the FCB Junior Girls Squash player of the Year for last season, he shared that she captured gold in the U-19 division and also won her first senior national title. She also secured a bronze in the Girls U-19 Caribbean Squash Championships and represented T&T at the recent Junior CASA as well.

HONOUR ROLL

National team selections for 2018 CAC Games: Savannah de Freitas, Shaniah de Freitas, Brianna Govia, Brittney Hingh, Amie Olton, Samantha Olton, Saarah Olton, Kaitlyn Olton
National Team Technical Staff 2018 CAC Games: Stacey Siu Butt (assistant coach), Natalie Nieves (videographer)
Umpire Representation 2018 CAC Games: Tracy Lee-James
Multi-discipline National Team (Squash): Alexandria “Lexi” Yearwood, Chloe Walcott
Recognition of TTHB/FCB Junior Player of the Year: Shaniah de Freitas
Present Coach: Darren Cowie
Long Service Awards: Josephine d’Abadie, Karen Dowden
Recognition of a past coach: Raphael “Raffie” Govia
Recognition of Dedication: Richard Nieves, George Nieves, Michael Dowden
Spirit of Magnolia: Kimberley Wellington
Special thank you to Colin Murray

T&T’s teenage cyclist Nicholas Pauland rising swimming star Dylan Carter are our two latest golden athletes. The duo made their country proud copping three gold medals each at the recently completed 23rd Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Barranquilla, Colombia.

Paul, 19, and Carter, 22, are two young stars that all of T&T will be rallying around in the years ahead.

Paul’s three gold medals came in the Team Match Sprint along with teammates Njisane Phillip and Kwesi Browne and in the Men’s Sprint and the 1km Time Trial events while Carter’s three came in the 100m freestyle, 50m backstroke and 50m butterfly events.

Both young men are excited about their future and know that a lot of hard work will bring similar rewards in the future. The hope is that our respective governing bodies along with the Ministry of Sport will provide the funding and facilities to ensure the successes of these two budding stars on the world stage. Health Net Caribbean Limited, the sponsor of this Sportlight series, stands ready to do its part where possible.

Carter has spoken about having a never say die attitude as they prepare and look toward the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan while Paul has reiterated the paying off of the hard work and team effort that went into their successes at the CAC games.

According to Carter, “Once I am healthy I am going to be in the mix so I pray for health. I am getting back to full strength and I am going to be back in full training as soon as possible for World Championships in December.” While Paul has stated “…the hard work has paid off. It was a great team effort.”

NASSER KHAN
 

Michael Awai, the Director of Football at the T&T Pro League campaigners North East Stars, is calling for the Coca-Cola-sponsored National InterCol Schoolboys Football League to be changed from its present form.

The Stars’ boss believes the tournament is playing very little part if any in the overall development of the sport in T&T, as three months of football for young, budding footballers have done absolutely nothing to achieve the goal of enhancing players’ techniques and abilities apart from being a showcase tournament.

The National InterCol tournament, as well as the Secondary Schools Football League, have become a fixture on the calendar for school students, featuring a ready-made fan base and an avenue for young footballers to receive scholarships to Colleges and universities in the USA for which they are required to take the SAT exam. Through the SSFL players are receiving opportunities to go on trials with professional clubs overseas, as well as a chance represent the country at different age-group levels.

Awai said in spite of this, however, the tournament has not focused on a more technically sound player on the field, as seen in their inability to make the transition to international football and to be competitive, as the results of the country’s junior teams at international tournaments provides the evidence.

“If you look at the CAC Games alone, you will see they cannot beat Costa Rica, Honduras and Colombia, and they have been largely ineffective when they go abroad on trials etc,” Awai said.

It also creates a lot of school drop-outs, after six weeks of football as some students don’t return to school, Awai said.

He believes sponsorship monies given for the InterCol should instead be directed to the pro league clubs to pay quality development coaches locally and internationally. “Every young player should be involved with a coaching academy which have developmental coaches. The schools should all be aligned to clubs or vice versa, and the focus should be on teaching players how to play the game of football,” Awai explained.

He added, “Let the school football be played during the school hours and allow the young students to go to the academies afterwards, as there are no development coaches at schools.”

Meanwhile, Awai’s Future Generation of Footballers (FUTGOF) Academy kicked off on July 2 for interested young players between the age group 5- 17 years at the Cipriani College of Labour & Co Operative Studies Ground, Churchill Roosevelt Highway in Valsayn.

FUTGOF aims to develop the proper technique and ability of players in the basic skills of the game such as passing, heading, trapping, kicking, dribbling, shooting, control and touch.

Times for training will be Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4-6pm.

Interested persons to contact him at (373-2800, 789-2781) for further details on sponsorship etc.

WALTER ALIBEY
 

Manager of the Trinbago Knight Riders and former national team manager Colin Borde recently played a major role in the inaugural Global T20 Cricket League in Canada.

The former national team manager has been up front and centre in managing franchises and having a major hand in cricket operations for the tournament. Given his success in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) over the past few years and also in the Champions League where he managed an unknown T&T team to the final of the inaugural tournament in 2008 in India, Borde has been a much sought after administrator.

He was used in Canada to mentor the local managers. He also had to guide, train and evaluate them so that they are better prepared to handle international players, the media, security and their expectations.

Additionally, he was asked to work alongside cricket operations to ensure the smooth running of logistics related to the tournament.

Additionally, he was assigned as manager of three franchises, Vancouver Knights, Montreal and Winnipeg Hawks. When contacted he told Guardian Media Sports, “It has been hard work but I have enjoyed every minute of it. I have had to work with three wonderful coaches for the three franchises Waqar Younis, Tom Moody and Donovan Miller and was a real pleasure.”

Borde thinks the league is a great impetus that is so badly needed in Canada. “The organisers Mercuri have done an excellent job in a very short space of time. To even get such big-name players here is a great achievement in itself. The league signed players from Nepal, Afghanistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. I believe that this league can become as large as the facilities will allow. The country provides for first world opportunities and comforts that players will look forward to and this is great.”

He added, “The league can act as the catalyst for huge strides forward for Canadian cricket and cricketers as it introduces new stars, administrators, and fans to the global possibilities that are available. There are 400,000 Sri Lankan’s here alone in Toronto. There is a huge population of commonwealth expatriate community in Canada and I am sure more will come in the following years. The introduction of cricket to Canada is nothing new. This time around, it is with gusto and strategic planning backed by experienced personnel. All has not been rosy about the tournament as there have been some comments about the outfields but Borde is assuring that this will definitely improve moving forward. “The outfields can always be improved upon as it’s a new set up and from all indications, next year will be vastly improved in terms of venue.”

Borde said, “The fans have been so excited to see their favourite stars in the flesh it has been very refreshing. The players have made themselves available in a very festive atmosphere and this tournament captured the imagination of the Canadian people.”

He said that the game will take time to build to where everyone wants it to and people have to exercise patience. “It is getting there as the development of an idea has to start slowly, methodically and be consistent in commitment. Mercuri has already demonstrated such commitment and so as the tournament goes on, we are seeing improvements and major interests coming in. I feel confident that this can be on the global calendar but more importantly, touch the hearts and souls of the future generations here in Canada.”

The tournament which ended on July 15, carried a first prize of US$500,000 and a total of US$1M was shared amongst the top three teams.

West Indies B faltered at the final hurdle, going down to the Chris Gayle’s Vancouver Knights in the final.

A top-order collapse orchestrated by Jamaican fast-bowler Sheldon Cottrell saw the Windies B being dismissed for 145 in 17.4 overs.

Saad Bin Zafar and Rassie van der Dussen then combined for an unbeaten 126-run fourth wicket partnership as the Knights eased to 148-3 with 15 balls to spare.

Led by veteran player Kwandwane Browne, the local men’s hockey team bagged bronze to increase T&T’s medal haul to 19 yesterday at the Central America and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia.

Browne sank a pair of goals in the eighth and 52nd minutes, to help T&T top Guyana, 5-0, in the bronze medal match at the Complejo Pibe Valderrama.

Tariq Marcano opened the scoring as early as the second minute with Browne increasing the lead to 2-0 some six minutes later, an advantage T&T held on to at the end of the first quarter.

However, in the next two quarters, T&T struggled to find the back of the net and the score remained 2-0, heading into the final quarter.

It was Mickell Pierre getting T&T another goal in the 51st minute and a minute later, Browne netted his second item before Shaquille Daniel put in the final item in the 56th.

Tennis player Breana Stampfli suffered a straight sets defeat to Olympic champion Puerto Rican Monica Puig, 2-0 (6-1, 6-2) in the women’s singles competition.

She will now meet the other losing semifinalist Mexican Giuliana Olmos, who fell to Mariana Duque of Colombia, 6-4, 6-2, to battle for the bronze medal.

Over at the Athletics Stadium, Sparkle McKnight will go for gold in the women’s 400 metres hurdles event after clocking 56.41 seconds to place third in the semifinal round.

Janeil Bellille faced the starter in the second semifinal heat and just missed out on a spot in the final, crossing fourth in a time of 57.25. The final is carded for tomorrow.

In the men’s version of the race, despite running a season’s best time of 49.89, Jehue Gordon placed fourth in the men’s 400m hurdles semifinal heat one and did not advance to the final.

Alena Brooks was another T&T athlete reaching the final in the women’s 800m after placing second in heat two of the semifinals. She crossed in 2:05.29 and will run in the medal race tonight.

In the men’s 800m, Nicholas Landeau did not complete the race.

National sprint champion Keston Bledman qualified for the semifinal round as one of the fastest losers after clocking 10.38 seconds in the fourth of four heats in the first round of the men’s 100m.

Running lane five, Bledman placed fourth behind Jamaican Nesta Carter, who ran a season’s best 10.18, so too Jhonny Renterria of Colombia (10.25 -sb) and Burkheart Ellis of Barbados in 10.35.

Another local sprinter Kyle Greaux was listed to compete in heat three but he did not start.

The semifinals were scheduled to run off after press time last evening with Bledman running in lane one. The medal race is carded for today.

In the women’s version of the race, Zakiya Denoon clocked 11.49 to finish runner-up to Andrea Purica of Venezuela in a personal best 11.24 in the second of three heats. Soon after Khalifa St Fort crossed in 11.54 to win the third heat ahead of Jura Levy of Jamaica in 11.62 and French Guiana’s Gemima Joseph in 11.74.

Denoon and St Fort were to return to the track later in the semifinal round with the final set for today as well.

Vball men suffer two straight defeats

T&T was unable to recover from its loss to Colombia the previous night and fell to a straight sets defeat to Puerto Rico, yesterday at the Humberto Perea Coliseum.

The Puerto Ricans emerged with a 3-0 (25-11, 25-18, 25-19) victory in a match that lasted one hour and 18 minutes in front of 1,500 spectators.

On Saturday night, Colombia came from behind to win over T&T 3-2 (19-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-19, 15-8) in pool B debut at the men’s volleyball tournament at Humberto Perea Coliseum.

Host Colombia gave a spectacular presentation recovering from losing the first set. Their height in blocking and powerful kills did not surprise T&T’s fast and tactical game.

The 14-8 margin in blocking was crucial for Colombia to overcome T&T’s 51-48 attacking margin. In addition, Colombia has a slim 3-2 serving advantage; Colombia finished with fewer errors (35-41).

Leberman Agamez of Colombia was the best scorer with 22 points, on 18 kills, 3 blocks and one ace. Also contributing in the winning effort were Humberto Machacon with 12 points and Renzo Mendoza, playing only two sets, scoring 10 points. Brando Legall led T&T with 18 points, joined by Mikheil Hoyte and captain Ryan Stewart with 10 points each.

Stewart said, “It was very exciting beginning, we didn’t do anything wrong and we played together. It was a good game by Colombia and by us; we just didn’t get the result we wanted. We just have to move forward and learn from the errors, and work harder for the next game because we are pushing to finish in the top four.”

Today, T&T will be seeking to get its first win of the competition against Guatemala.

Mixed results for beach volleyball teams

Local duo Daneil Williams and Daynte Stewart yesterday secured their third straight wins in the men’s beach volleyball tournament.

Last evening, the T&T team got a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Nicaraguans Ruben Romero and Dany Lopez in their final Pool D match. Williams/Stewart beat the Nicaragua team, 21-18, 18-21, 15-10 at the Puerta de Oro Convention Centre.

This followed up a straight sets win over Barbados yesterday morning. The T&T pair competing in pool D, had a solid performance, defeating Barbadian duo Elwyn Oxley and Hugh Sealey, 21-19, 21-12.

On Saturday, Williams/Stewart defeated 21-16, 21-13 Yahn Florent/Lincoln Riviere of Dominica in their opening match-up.

Local women’s team Rheeza Grant and Abby Blackman fell to straight sets, 2-0 (21-8, 21-11) defeat from Venezuela’s pair Norisbeth Agudo and Gabriela Brito in their pool F match.

Later after press time, Grant and Blackman were hoping to shake off their opening loss and bounce back against the Virgin Islands team of Amber Bennett and Mannika Charles.

Daniel best shooter for T&T in stage 1

Shooter Roger Daniel was the best performer for T&T in stage one of the qualification round in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol. He ended with a score of 271 to hold 11th spot after the opening round.

Rhodney Allen was second best with 247 to be in the 22nd spot while Clement Marshall was not at his best and sits in 24th and last place after scoring a round of 213.

T&T is ranked eighth in as many teams with a score of 731. Leading is Cuba with 856 with Venezuela second with 847 and third is Colombia with 829.

Today, the local trio will look to be on target today in stage two of the qualification round hoping to lift T&T from the last place.

Archers Johnathan Mosca and Daniel Catariz had creditable performances in the Men’s Recurve Individual Ranking round and finished 14th and 15th, respectively. Mosca ended with a score of 632 while Catariz scored 629.

The local pair will next see action tomorrow in the round of 16 elimination round from 3 pm at the Lucio Gonzalez Stadium.

In the Men’s Compound Individual ranking round, Jonathon Thomas scored 675 to be in 18th position while Hasmath Ali and Peter Kong were lower down the order in 25th and 26th with scores of 660 and 645, respectively.

Today in the round of 16 elimination round, Thomas is matched against Martinique’s Fabien Clombe, Hasmath will face off against Jose Del Cid of Guatemala, with Kong challenging Sebastian Arenas of the host country.

Lone women’s archer Priyanka Dhanie scored 615 to finish in 22nd spot in the Compound Individual ranking round. She will aim to improve when she returns to action today, matched against Puerto Rican Marla Cintron, who was ranked 11th after scoring 665.

Also, T&T got by Colombia in its Mixed compound Team quarterfinal match, winning 149-146, before falling to Guatemala, 144-121 in the semifinal round.

Water polo women’s struggle continues

T&T women’s team poor run in the water polo competition continued yesterday with its fourth straight loss. The local went under 29-5 to Puerto Rico.

Scoring for T&T were Shemiyah Ross with a double, Jordan Van Reeken, Megan Stafford and Thais Hinds.

The national water polo team will be back in the water today to face-off against Cuba in its fifth preliminary round match hoping to break its winless streak.

Swimmer Gabriel Bynoe struggled in the men’s 10km final, finishing out of the time limit. The Open Water swim was dominated by the Venezuelans with Wilder Carreno nabbing gold in 1:59.21 and Diego Vera close behind to cop silver in 1:59.24 while Mexican Alfredo Villa bagged bronze in 2:00.28.

T&T women’s footballers will chase the bronze medal when they battle Venezuela in the third-place match-up.

Boxer Nigel Paul lost his super heavyweight semifinal bout to Cuba’s Jose Larduet. The Cuban won 3-2 on points.

Another local boxer Michael Alexander re-enters the ring, after his opening win over Carlos Figueroa on Saturday, taking on Jonathan Miniel of Panama in the men’s lightweight (60kg) semifinal bout.

The Glenn Mendez trained filly Streaking Far looks set to return to the winner’s enclosure in the Emancipation Day feature the Grade Two (Restricted) T&T Breeders Classic for native-bred three-year-old horses over 1,800 metres on the main track at Santa Rosa Park in Arima on Wednesday.

The $140,000 purse event has attracted a field of ten with Streaking Far looking set to give Mendez another big race win.

She will be ridden by the in-form veteran Ricky Jadoo and will take some catching.

However, champion trainer John O’Brien has other ideas and he sends a three-pronged attack for the $84,000 first prize cheque.

O’Brien has the smart Santa Cruz Lady which last Saturday rattled up her fourth consecutive success.

She will be ridden by Brian Boodramsing. The stable will be also represented by maiden Usain and the speedy Princess Sophia which has already Streaking Far but over a shorter trip.

From the ten runners in the event, the only other horse which looks capable on landing the top prize is the Walter Debysingh trained Affirmative. This horse will be ridden by Wilmer Galviz and must be respected.

To say the other has outstanding claims will be talking “Fake News”.

The Grade Three co-feature President’s Cup over 1,900m looks to be a match race between the Mendez-trained Whisper Light and the Debysingh-trained Stockyard. Galviz will ride Stockyard while Jadoo will have the leg-up on Whisper Light.

When entries were taken on Wednesday at Santa Rosa Park a total of 104 owners signed up the Arima Race Club’s (ARC) Day 24 nine-race programme. Post time is 12.30pm Here are the declared runners, riders and weights for the ARC Emancipation Day Card.

Olympian Njisane Phillip heaped praises on T&T Cycling Federation (TTCF) technical director Erin Hartwell for the success of the national cycling team on the return of the local men’s cyclists from the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Colombia on Saturday.

He along with triple gold medallist Nicholas Paul, bronze medallists Kwesi Browne and Akil Campbell, who excited spectators and the entire team with their outstanding performances on the track, got an enthusiastic welcome after contributing to the country’s largest cycling medal haul at the Games.

Phillip, who won CAC gold in the Team Sprint, said that working with Hartwell over the past year has been instrumental to the team’s achievements in Barranquilla.

“Having Erin here to work with us has been amazing. His knowledge and professionalism really improved our performances and has made us produce World-class times. Also having access to the Velodrome to do our training is a blessing to T&T cycling on the whole and has made us much more focused on our goal of getting better and better with each competition.”

The welcome party included representatives of the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC), the TTCF and the newly installed chairman of the Sports Company of T&T Douglas Camacho who represented Minister Shamfa Cudjoe at the reception. Camacho, in his remarks, was full of praise for the athletes who train regularly at the SporTT-managed, National Cycling Velodrome, where the Sports Company also has its headquarters. The SporTT chairman commended the Federation for its vision and foresight in recruiting Hartwell to be the technical director for cycling as his impact on the athletes was tremendous and brought results.

Hartwell is employed with SporTT as a national coach and manager of the hemisphere’s premier track cycling venue in Couva.

Speaking from Colombia, the US-born coach said it was an honour to work with this team, adding that they “raced for the collective pride and honour of the country”.

While the athletes credited Hartwell for their achievements, he, in turn, saluted their “hyper-focused approach to high-performance and the pursuit of accomplishment at these games. Everyone came to perform and maximise their individual and collective results! It was truly a collective worldclass performance!”

As preparations were being made for the men’s arrival in Port of Spain, Hartwell was on the course cheering on Teneil Campbell to her fourth medal at the Games and first gold for a woman cyclist at CAC in the Road Race. Campbell has been a standout performer at her first CAC Games and is sure to be rapturously applauded on her return home in the coming week.

Pacer Samantha Bissoon was in great form on Saturday night grabbing five wickets to hand her team LCB Central Sharks the Courts Twenty20 (T20) Extravaganza Cricket title at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, South Trinidad.

Bissoon and her teammates were able to defend 116 runs against TECU Southern Titans in front of a good crowd on a festive night.

Running in from the Southern End, the right-arm bowler dealt in yorkers and outswingers and was too hot to handle, as the Titan batters fell prey.

After a paltry score of 116 for nine off their 20 overs, the Sharks were expected to surrender but this was not in their equation. They were energetic on the field and fought from the start of Titans’ reply, which gave them early control.

Skipper Anisa Mohammed was excellent with the new ball as the Titans began their defence with spin. Mohammed and Felicia Walters, who scored a half-century earlier on, kept a tight grip on proceedings.

Eventually, they removed both openers early to set back the Titans at 20 for two. Skipper Britney Cooper came in and looked a cut above the rest. She struck an authoritative straight six down the ground and followed with a slog sweep that went into the stands. While, she was there the game looked sealed for the Titans, however, Bissoon had other ideas.

Coming in as the fifth bowler, she removed Cooper for 30 and that was the beginning of the end. She proceeded to run through the middle and lower order and after her spell with the ball, the game was done and dusted. The scoreboard revealed that Titans had mustered only 92 for nine in reply - to lose the game by 24 runs. Bissoon ended with five wickets for 19 runs, her best at this level and her team ended up walking away with the trophy.

Batting first, LCB Central Sharks made 116 for nine wickets in their 20 overs, as opener Walters was able to carry her bat through the innings. Sent in on a slow strip batting was not going to be easy but Walters and Achini Perera started well. Using the hardness of the ball to good effect, they were able to play their shots and after the six-over power play, they were 37 without loss. They were eventually separated with the score at 43 and from this point, it was downhill for the Sharks.

Walters, the tall right-hander who got an unbeaten 52 in the eliminator the night before stood firm but saw partners come and go at the next end. When the overs ran out she had again carried her bat, this time for an unbeaten 60. The chief destroyer for Titans was Rosemary Samaroo, who grabbed three wickets for 21 runs. She got a wicket off her first ball and never looked back.

Mohammed speaking at the end of the game said her team’s strength was in their unity.

“We played well together and we played for each other. This showed in the end because we were in a situation where we had to go out there and fight to win this and we supported each other in getting the win.”

Cooper, although disappointed said she was still proud of her team and saluted a number of her team-mates who would have contributed along the way.

Some of the girls who took part in this tournament and has been called up by Cricket West Indies (CWI) to prepare for the upcoming World T20, will now leave for Antigua for a camp ahead of a series of matches against South Africa leading into the tournament

Scores

Sharks 116/9 (20) (Felicia Walters 60, Rosemary Samaroo 3/21) vs Titans 92/9 (20) (Britney Cooper 30, Samantha Bissoon 5/19) - Sharks won by 24 runs.

T&T’s Ataulla Guerra continued his hot scoring streak in the United Soccer League when he got the third goal in Charleston Battery 3-0 defeat of Richmond Kickers on Saturday night. Nico Rittmeyer opened the scoring for Charleston Battery against the T&T-led Mikeil Williams’ Kickers defence in the 15th minute, and three minutes into time added on at the end of the first half he made it 2-0 at MUSC Health Stadium, Charleston in South Carolina.

Six minutes into the second-half, T&T duo Leland Archer and Guerra combined for the third item by the latter, his league-leading 12th goal of the season, his third in as many matches and fifth in sixth outings.
The 30-year-old Laventille-born Guerra, a former standout for local clubs, San Juan Jabloteh, Morvant Caledonia and Central FC was eventually replaced in the 74th minute by Nigerian striker, Patrick Okonkwo while Archer and fellow T&T player Neveal Hackshaw played the entire match for the winners.

Charleston Battery is now second on the Eastern Conference table with 38 points from 21 matches, six behind England-born T&T defender Justin Hoyte and his Cincinnati while defending champions, Louisville City FC with Canada-born T&T goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh.

Ranjitsingh kept another clean sheet in helping Louisville City to a 3-0 blanking of Ottawa Fury. National midfielder Kevon George played the full match while midfielder Cordell Cato was not part of the matchday squad in Charlotte Independence’s 1-1 draw with Penn.

Raleigh-North Carolina-born Andre Fortune also watched on from the stands in North Carolina’s 2-1 triumph over Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

It was a bad two days for Tobago-born national defender Jamal Jack and his Colorado Springs, losing both their matches by 1-0 margins, first to San Antonio on Wednesday, and then versus Rio Grande Valley, on Saturday.

On Thursday, national defender Carlyle Mitchell marshalled the Indy Eleven defence in a 1-0 victory over Bethlehem Steel while team-mate Nathan Lewis was not on the matchday squad.

Over in Europe, 19-year-old defender, Keston Julien helped Slovakia’s Trencin to 1-0 road win over Poland’s Gornik Zabrze.

A spot among the final four is within reach for the Sunshine Coast Lightning after its dominant 61-51 win over T&T’s Samantha Wallace’ New South Wales Swifts team on Saturday in the Suncorp Super Netball League. Sitting on the edge of the top four prior to this match, but equal with the fourth-placed Queensland Firebirds, the Lightning trampled the Swifts to claim all eight competition points.

The defence of the Lightning did the job at USC Stadium but the Swifts were still competitive and fought to the final whistle. However, they were left to rue a number of missed opportunities to score off turnovers.

The last time the Swifts tasted Suncorp Super Netball success was back in round seven when they beat the Lightning and that win was built off a 19-9 fast start that the Sunshine Coast could not recover from.

The Lightning could not afford to surrender a start like that again here and came out of the blocks full of energy and intensity which translated to scoreboard success—the home side taking an early 3-1 lead. The circle defence of Geva Mentor and Karla Pretorius was making life difficult for the Swifts, but they began to find ways in to attack the goal – their variety allowing them to push out to an 8-6 lead midway through the quarter.

It wasn’t the most intense of first quarters, as both sides squared each other up and tried to work out ways to break down the opposition defence, and in the end, it was the Lightning who claimed the first bonus point, taking a 17-13 lead into quarter time with Wallace scoring seven of eight attempts for the visitors and England’s Helen Housby, six from nine.

Wallace was then replaced by Sophie Garbin after scoring her lone attempt in the second quarter and the Swifts attack began to stutter, failing to cash in off turnovers and the Lightning marched on to stretch the lead out to 21-14. That lead pushed out to as much as 11, although the Swifts did fight back through the quarter to trail, 26-31 at the halftime whistle.

In the final quarter, the Swifts mixed up their roster again, with Wallace and Garbin in the attack, but the Lightning again charged out of the blocks with a fast start to set up the win, despite the T&T shooter’s eight from eight attempts and Garbin, four from five.

Wallace,24, ended with 16 goals from 17 attempts, Housby got 23 from 29, and Garbin 12 from 15 while Australian international Caithlin Bassett led Lightning with 42 goals from 46, and Stephanie Wood added, 19 from 22 in the win. The loss left the Swifts, third from bottom of the table with a 5-1-7 record and 41 points, only ahead of Magpies Netball (3-1-9) with 38 points and winless Adelaide Thunderbirds (0-0-13) with four points.

West Coast Fever is certain of a semifinal spot ahead of the final round of league matches with a 10-0-3 record and 70 points while Giants Netball (9-1-3) is second 69 points, followed by Lightning (7-1-5) with 63 points, and Firebirds (8-0-5) with 62.

Director of Football at North East Stars Mike Awai has come under fire for his views which were reported in this newspaper that school football is killing player-development in T&T.

A number of top coaches, all of whom have passed through Secondary School Football League (SSFL) system, such as Nigel Grovsnor who is the head coach at Queen’s Royal College (QRC), Travis Mulraine, the Arima North Secondary boss and Michael Grayson, the coach at Trinity College East, have expressed their disagreement with Awai’s statement which was published on Sunday, have said it is instead the clubs that are not developing the young players.

Yesterday, Grovsnor in a two-page email said as a Dean, teacher and football coach for over 34 years he wouldn’t even try to call names of people who have passed through the SSFL but reminded Awai, there are doctors, lawyers, Army and Police personnel, and professional footballers abroad and right here in T&T that have passed through the school system.

According to Grovsnor: “Apart from the books and playing football for your school, this is what school is all about, all of this together is education, all of this is development.”

The long-serving St Anthony’s College coach, who was recently joined by Kenwyne Jones as his assistant at QRC, scuffed at Awai’s comment that there are no developmental coaches in the school system and point to Grayson, Mulraine, Sean Cooper, an former national youth coach at Presentation College, Angus Eve, another former national youth coach who coaches at Naparima College: Reynold Carrington, the St Benedict’s College coach, Trevor Spicer, the St Mary’s College coach, Trinity Moka, Ken Elie, a former national and Defence Force coach and himself.

Grovsnor said: “I want to remind you (Awai) that your son is a product of the same SSFL. He attended two schools playing in the SSFL, got his passes received a full scholarship to a University in the USA, got his degree, and is now making five times the amount of money the highest player in the pro league makes. It is really sad to hear you (Awai) bring down the SSFL like that. Let us see how we can enhance the players in the SSFL not try and bring them down.”

Grayson reminded that all the school’s league has the country’s young players for a maximum of five months, noting the other eight months they are in the possession of the clubs.

“Coaches like Anton Corneal and Bertille St Claire have taken youth teams to the Youth World Cups so where did the players come from?” asked Grayson, who also called Awai to say what are the so-called clubs, academies and Youth Pro League teams doing if the schools are not developing the players.

Grayson, who has represented T&T in football both as player and coach, said he was not surprised that the school’s league was being blamed for the country’s poor showing at Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games and called on Awai to say exactly what he meant by no developmental coaches in the SSFL.

Mulraine, a former QRC midfielder, believes the clubs are in fact, not developing young players at all, and challenged any pro league clubs to prove him wrong. He, in fact, expressed an opposite view to Awai, saying clubs should instead be developed through the schools as they do not have access to the resources to develop players, such as its own fields, rooms to hold board sessions, AV or computer rooms, gyms, laundry and hall etc.

Mulraine, whose exploits on the football field for QRC has landed him the opportunity to represent the country at both junior and senior levels as well as at club level in T&T football, said it’s insane to say there are no development coaches at schools, when coaches such as Jean Lilywhite and Roderick Warner, are among many others who have spent their careers developing players.

WALTER ALIBEY
 

Former champion jockeys Ricky Jadoo and Wilmer Galviz will take centre stage tomorrow in the feature events on Wednesday, Emancipation Day.

Jadoo will ride Streaking Far for trainer Glenn Mendez in the T&T Breeders Classic for native- bred three-year-old horses over 1,800 metres on the main track and Whisper Light in the Grade Three—President’s Cup over 1,900m.

Galviz will be riding for trainer Walter Debysingh and champion owner Shivam Maharaj. Galviz will ride the likely race favourite Affirmative in the threeyear- old Classic while he will be aboard the favourite Stockyard in the President’s Cup.

Both events over 1,900m seem likely to rest between both jockeys and trainers.

In the T&T Breeders Classic on the main track, the principals are the Mendez trained filly Streaking Far and the Debysingh trained colt Affirmative.

This pair looks to be the best on form but the O’Brien trained Princess Sophia must have a say if she stays. She has beaten the two top guns already over shorter. Streaking Far won in February and in May when making all the running and her main rivals all want to make the running and this could prove to be a race of wits.

The Grade Three—co-feature President’s Cup looks to be a match race between the Mendez trained Whisper Light and the Debysingh trained Stockyard.

Galviz will ride Stockyard while Jadoo will have the leg-up on Whisper Light.

At his best Whisper Light will take some pegging back but the Shivam Maharaj owned Stockyard has been primed for this event. Knowing Galviz, he will not allow Whisper Light an easy lead and this could force the top two to fight each other from early.

But, they have class on their side and only Magical Victory which has beaten Bigman In Town in his career has an opportunity to snatch the first prize cheque with 50 kilos to tote.

Another with a chance is the Derby-third Battlecry which has the assistance of Brian Boodramsingh. He could go close.

But tomorrow features look set for a battle between the top jocks Jadoo and Galviz.

Defence Force forward Steven Lewis brought the excitement on the opening night of the Barry Stewart Invitational Basketball League, so too his opposing Police point guard Ronell Winter, but it was the army coastguard combination team that prevailing with an exciting 99-89 overtime win.

The Men’s Premier Division match unfolded at the Central Regional Indoor Sports Arena in Chaguanas on Sunday. It was the feature match of four played on the night in three divisions to mark the Second edition of the league, which is being held in honour of Vibert “Passay” Dean, a long-standing player whom the basketball fraternity lost in May.

It was a pretty even match from the jump with the police officers taking an early 26-22 lead at the end of the first quarter. However, Defence Force boosted by Lewis with support from Kensley Sandy (16) and Kerry McMillan (10) fought back and grabbed a four-point advantage at the halfway mark.

That lead was short-lived though as Police rallied back in the third period to go ahead by a narrow one point (62-61) as the teams continued to trade baskets into the fourth quarter.

Winter was fierce from beyond the three-point arc, connecting 10 in his match-high 33 points but it was the one he hit with two seconds left to play that was most critical as it levelled the scores at 85 to send the match into an extra five minutes of overtime play.

Police though lost some its lustre in the extra time, only adding four points to its total while Defence Force went on to dominate scoring 14 in that period, to emerge with the 10-point win.

Police had two other players scoring in double-figures including forward Wesley Vincent (19) and post-player Don Wilkinson 18 but in a losing effort.

Earlier in the other match in the top division, Straker Nets defeated Stories of Success (SOS) Basketball Academy, 81-75. Play got on the way after T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis did the jump ball.

SOS spurred on by twin brothers Ahkeem and Ahkeel Boyd made a huge comeback in the fourth and final quarter after being down by 20 points (67-47) at the end of the third period but it was not enough to overcome Starker.

Post-player Ashton Demurrell top-scored for the winner with 20 points and his teammate Triston Benjamin added 10 in the six-point win.

In the Under-19 Division match-up, led by Josiah James with 21 points, Grande Young Stars beat New Age Lions, 55-47 while in the U-15 category, Uthman Bilal (18) starred for 500 Hawks in their 47-34 win over Brian Chase Academy.

Also in attendance to witness the exciting matches were former national player Gerard Moore, who played at New Mexico State University under legendary coach Lou Henson. Moore of Point Fortin was an All American at Southeast Illinois College (SIC) and in 2008 was inducted into the SIC Hall of Fame. He also competed with Straker Nets in the past.

Results

Men’s Premier Division
Defence Force (41/85) 99 (Steven Lewis 32, Kensley Sandy 16, Kerry McMillan 10) vs Police 89 (37/85) (Ronell Winter 33, Wesley Vincent 19, Don Wilkinson 18).
Straker Nets (46) 81 (Ashton Demurrell 20, Triston Benjamin 10, Jeffrey Harris 9, Richard Guiseppi 9) vs SOS Academy (30) 75 (Ahkeem Boyd 23, Ahkeel Boyd 18, Kern George 18).
Boys U-19 Division
New Age Lions (16) 47 (Joshua Sheppard 21) vs Grande Young Stars (21) 55 (Josiah James 21, Jeden Celestine 16, Christopher Nottingham 10).
Boys U-15 Division
Brian Chase Academy (18) 34 (Kasem Prince 14) vs 500 Hawks (17) 47 (Uthman Bilal 18, Lion Sandy 11).

THURSDAY’S MATCHES

(At Jean Pierre Complex)
U-19 Division:
Brian Chase Academy vs
Straker Nets, 7 pm
Men’s Division:
Detour Shak Attack vs
Maloney Pacers, 8.30 pm

Invaders Bay has awesome potential to rival similar sized projects around the world. Most of which are visionary, breathtaking and jaw-dropping.

The Conceptual Development Plan for the 75.37 acres of undeveloped, new greener, reclaimed land situated in West Trinidad along the Audrey Jeffers Highway known as Invaders Bay should include a sports entertainment hub.

A recent advertisement placed in the daily newspapers by the Urban Development Corporation of T&T Limited (UdeCoTT) made the statement that UdeCoTT wishes to identify suitably qualified entities to submit proposals to develop Invaders Bay in accordance with it’s Conceptual Development Plan.

The plan includes Office and Commercial Spaces; Recreational and Entertainment Facilities; Hotel Accommodation; Conference and Convention Facilities; Residential Spaces; and Marina/Ferry Terminal.

The tender requests for the development of Invaders Bay didn’t appear to embrace the significant opportunities within the global sports entertainment industry.

A beach and sand facility whereby T&T can attract the Beach Soccer World Cup and World Beach Games. What about an indoor facility that can host an NBA pre-season event. There are many examples, Madison Square Garden, Rogers Centre, just to name two.

Invaders Bay can attract sustainable revenue streams in the multi-billion dollar industries that are sports, entertainment, fashion, art and music.

There are examples all over the world. This is an opportunity to create something spectacular.

One can only hope that the visionary type projects that can be found in cities such as Miami, New York, Qatar, Toronto will make Invaders Bay awe-inspiring.

The Fifa World Cup is coming to Canada, Mexico and USA close enough for T&T to position itself to attract some attention for those who want to get away in a more relaxing environment. The biggest plus is that Invaders Bay can be visionary, the private sector and entrepreneurial.

Brand T&T is due for either a major boost or underwhelming disappointment. Time will tell if Invaders Bay will go the way of the majority of billion-dollar projects.

But no one who has travelled will not feel a bit of eager anticipation at the possibilities given the right mix of visionary deep-pocket investors who have done breathtaking projects around the world.

Fingers-crossed that corruption will not rear its head and Invaders Bay will be the visionary crown jewel that it can be.

Close your eyes and dream.

World boss Chris Gayle has been rested for the three-match T20 series between the Windies and Bangladesh that bowls off today in St Kitts. The big lefthander who has punished bowlers the world over will not feature after playing in the recent ODI series.

Chairman of selectors, Courtney Browne confirmed saying: “We have rested Chris Gayle and have added left-arm pacer, Sheldon Cottrell for variety to the bowling attack. The team reflects the last squad that performed well in the charity match in the UK.”

Going forward, the panel thinks the talent pool for the T20 version is widening and acknowledges: “The strong performances of the young players in the Windies B team during the T20 series in Canada’s Global T20 League and this augurs well for our T20 game.”

Head Coach, Stuart Law has not hidden his disappointment in the 1-2 loss in the ODI but is “optimistic that the players are beginning to understand the direction they need to go. The players are gradually working harder and we expect the results to turn in our favour.”

There are three Trinidadians in the team to face the visitors in the form of wicketkeeper/batsman Denesh Ramdin and leg-spinner Samuel Badree and batsman Evin Lewis.

The selectors did not go for Keiron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine and Lendl Simmons.

After today’s match, the team will travel to Fort Lauderdale where they face the Bangladeshis in two more T20s at the only ICC recognised venue in North America, the Central Broward Regional Park. The Bangladeshis are expected to garner great support from their diaspora who has settled in South Florida. The Bangladeshi community which is very vibrant will play a major part in the entertainment that is planned for the venue.

WINDIES—Carlos Brathwaite – Captain, Samuel Badree, Sheldon Cottrell, Andre Fletcher, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Chadwick Walton and Kesrick Williams.

Track and Field athletes, Khalifa St Fort and Alena Brooks added two more silver medals to T&T’s tally when the final week of competition at the 23rd Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games began in Barranquilla, Colombia, yesterday.

Competing in the penultimate event at the Pista Athletica, the USA-based St Fort, running out of lane five, got off to slow start before getting into full stride, before crossing the finish line in 11.15 seconds, to trail Jamaican rival, Jonielle Smith who won gold in 11.04.

Venezuelan Andrea Guevara was a distant third in 11.32 seconds.

A few events earlier, the 26-year-old Brooks, running out of lane three crossed the line in two minutes, 02.26 seconds to trail Cuban, Rose Almanza Blanco who won in two minutes, 01.63 with Barbadian, Sonia Gaskin, taking bronze in a personal best of two minutes, 03.13.

On Sunday night, Brooks (2:05.29 minutes) was also second to Blanco (2:04.46) in their semifinal heat.

The two silver medals carried T&T’s overall tally won at the games to 22 medals (7 gold, 4 silver and 11 bronze).

The local duo of Ruebin Walters and Aaron Lewis will line up in the men’s 110m hurdles final tonight.

Last night in their respective semifinal heat, Walters clocked 13.64 seconds to win heat two while Lewis’ time of 14.15 was the second fastest losers time in heat one when he placed sixth.

In men’s Shot Put, Hezekiel Romeo and Akeem Stewart finished in the sixth and seventh positions respectively.

Romeo had four good throws with a best of 18.57 metres while Stewart could only muster two good attempts, with his best being 18.48m.

Ayana Alexander had a disappointing outing by her standards in the women’s Long Jump final with the best effort of 5.83m for 14th spot.

Today, national men’s Long Jump record holder Andwuelle Wright will get his CAC medal quest off to start while in the men’s 200m heats, Nigel Purcell will face the starter and the pair of Semoy Hackett and Rhealin Kayelle Clarke in the women’s event.

Khemani Roberts and Sonya Gittens will compete in the women’s heptathlon and in the women’s Discus Throw, Portious Warren and Lotoya Gilding will be T&T entrants.

Alexander goes after boxing gold

Michael Alexander will come up against Cuban Lazano Alvarez Estrada for the gold medal in the men’s boxing lightweight (60kg) class on Thursday.

This after he outclassed Panamanian, Jonathan Miniel 4-0 on points in their semifinal bout yesterday while Estrada defeated Dominican Republic’s Leonel De Los Santos, 4-1.

Stampfli misses tennis bronze

Brianna Stampfli missed out on a bronze medal in the women’s tennis Singles competition after a straight sets loss to Mexican, Giuliana Olmos. The 22-year-old who was beaten in her semifinal by the Olympic champion, Monica Puig of Puerto Rico went under to Olmos, 1-6, 3-6.

Venezuela edges Women Warriors for bronze

At the Estadio Moderno, Paolo Villamizar netted the lone goal to earn Venezuela a 1-0 win over T&T Women’s Warriors at the bronze medal. The South Americans were a dominant force throughout the match with their intricate short passing game, and had it not been for some impressive saves by T&T goalkeeper, Saundra Baron, the margin of defeat could have been wider.

Shooters struggles continue

T&T shooters hunt a medal came up zero when the trio of Clement Marshall, Rhodney Allen and Roger Daniel failed to make the podium in either of the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Individual or Team events.

Marshall had scores of 84, 77 and 52 on day one followed by 86, 83 and 81 yesterday for a combined score of 463 and 23rd overall.

Daniel tallied 95, 89, and 87 on the first day and yesterday he had scores of 94, 92 and 92 for 549 combined and tenth spot while Allen did not complete participate in yesterday’s round of shooting after posting scores of 95, 86 and 66 on Sunday for a total of 267. And in the Team event, the T&T combined score of 1,259 was good enough for the eighth position. Today the men’s trio will return to competition in the 25m Standard Pistol Individual and Team events.

Archers come up short

The quartet of Hasmath Ali, Peter Kong, Jonathan Thomas and Priyanka Dhanie were all ousted at the round-of-32 in their respective men and women Compound clashes. Ali went under to Guatemala’s Jose Del Cid, 140-146; Kong was ousted by Colombian Sebastian Arenas, 133-142 while Thomas was only beaten by a shoot-off with Martinique’s Fabien Clombe after both men posted scores of 140. And in the women’s event, Dhanie was no match for Puerto Rican, Marla Cintron, 119-143.

Today in the men’s Compound Team competition, T&T faces Mexico while Johnathan Mosca faces Guadeloupe’s Dominique Roux-Serret in the last-32 of the Recurve Individual competition, and Daniel Catariz comes up against Dominican Republic’s Eddy Hernandez.

Water polo men whip Jamaica

Daniel Alvarez scored four goals to lead men’s water polo team to an 8-6 defeat of Jamaica in their fifth to eighth place semifinal at the Aquatic Complex. The pair of Leon Daniel and Sergio Des Vignes added two goals each for T&T which broke open a 1-1 score at the end of the first quarter by outscoring the Jamaicans, 4-2 in the second period for a 6-3 lead at the half-time interval. Both teams then traded two goals each and one apiece over the next two quarters as T&T held on for the win and will face the winner of last night’s other semifinal between Costa Rica and Venezuela for the fifth spot today. Meanwhile, the women’s team was crushed 22-1 by Cuba. In the women’s quarterfinals, T&T faces Mexico with the winner to face Cuba while Venezuela tackles Colombia with Puerto Rica awaiting.

Volleyball men end winless

The men’s indoor volleyball team will play for positions fifth to eighth after finishing at the bottom of their four-team Pool B round-robin series yesterday. Beaten by host Colombia (3-2) and Puerto Rico (3-0), T&T, the three-time Caribbean champions were expected to get the better of Guatemala and contest the quarterfinals. However, it was not to be as the Central Americans came away with a 25-22, 25-17, 22-25, 25-22 win at the Humberto Perea Coliseum.

Mexicans stop Grant, Blackman

The pair of Rheeza Grant and Abby Blackman will have to settle for the ninth to 12th playoff versus Hondurans Jarisa Hynds and Marissa Brady from 4 pm today. This after the T&T duo went under to Mexicans, Martha Revuelta and Zaira Orellana, 10-21, 15-21 in their main draw quarterfinal yesterday at Avenida del Rio, Puerta de Oro. Last night in the men’s main draw quarterfinals, the unbeaten T&T team of Daneil Williams and Daynte Stewart also tasted defeat at the hands of Mexicans, Lombardo Ontiveros and Juan Virgen, 11-21, 14-21 and will meet Costa Ricans, Richard Hall and Victor Alpizar in the fifth to eighth semis today.