COMING TO I95.5FM SPORTS….IN THE LAST WEEK OF OCTOBER 2011

COMING TO I95.5FM SPORTS….IN THE LAST WEEK OF OCTOBER…..

THE BEST ….THE BEST ….THE BEST ……..

IMIATATION OF THE – ASK ANIL – PROMO

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Cricket in Trinidad after all !

Digicel Series matches moved from Jamaica to Trinidad

 

The West Indies Cricket Board on Wednesday announced the changes to the schedule of matches in the Digicel Series between West Indies and South Africa. The matches which were slated to be played in Jamaica will now be played in Trinidad.

 

The fifth Digicel ODI will be played at Queen’s Park Oval on Thursday June 3 and the first Digicel Test Match will also be played at Queen’s Park Oval from Thursday June 10 to Monday June 14. The two-day warm-up match for the South Africans will be played on June 6 and 7 at a venue which will be announced in the coming days.

 

DIGICEL SERIES SCHEDULE

 

Wednesday, May 19: 1st Digicel T20 at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

 

Thursday, May 20: 2nd Digicel T20 at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

 

Saturday, May 22: 1st Digicel ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

 

Monday, May 24: 2nd Digicel ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

 

Friday, May 28: 3rd Digicel ODI at Windsor Park, Dominica

 

Sunday, May 30: 4th Digicel ODI at Windsor Park, Dominica

 

Thursday, June 3: 5th Digicel ODI at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad

 

Sunday, June 6 to Monday June 7: South Africa warm-up match – venue TBA

 

Thursday, June 10 to Monday June 14: 1st Digicel Test at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad

 

Friday June 18 to Tuesday, June 22: 2nd Digicel Test at Warner Park, St Kitts

 

Saturday, June 26 to Wednesday, June 30: 3rd Digicel Test at Kensington Oval, Barbados

Ottis Gibson happy to be back in Windies cricket

WICB appoints Ottis Gibson as Head Coach

 

 

New coach says: ’I am really excited,
I am very happy to be involved in West Indies cricket again’

 

 

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has announced the appointment of Ottis Gibson as the Head Coach of the West Indies Team. Mr. Gibson will assume duties in time for the start of the Digicel Series between the West Indies and Zimbabwe from February 28 to March 14.

 

As Head Coach, Gibson will be responsible for all West Indies representative cricket teams and will be expected to provide leadership, guidance and direction to all coaches.

 

Gibson said he is looking forward to making a contribution to the development of West Indies cricket. Gibson is a former coach for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) North West region and was Fast Bowling Coach for the England team for the last two years. Dr Ernest Hilaire, Chief Executive of the WICB, said the Board was happy to have the 40-year-old Barbadian join the team as he brings a wealth of experience as a player and as a coach.

 

Gibson said: “I am really excited about the new challenge and I am very happy to be involved in West Indies cricket again. West Indies cricket has always been my passion. I was excited as a player to represent the West Indies and I am honoured to be appointed as the Head Coach. It is a privilege and I am really looking forward to working with the West Indies and everyone involved in West Indies cricket. I fully understand what cricket means to the people of the region and I hope in time we can make cricket in the West Indies strong again.”

 

He added: “I would like to thank the ECB for the opportunity given to me since 2001 as a national coach for North West of England and then as Bowling Coach for England for the last two years. It was a tremendous opportunity and I am sure the experience I gained will help me in my new role with the West Indies team unit.”

 

Hilaire said: “We are delighted to have Ottis Gibson as our new Head Coach of West Indies cricket. We are at a stage in the development of West Indies cricket where we believe we have the players who are capable of taking the game to the next level. Ottis has the experience and knowledge to work with players at all levels, as he demonstrated with the England team. We are confident he can help to chart the way forward for West Indies cricket.”

 

During his playing days, Gibson was a fast bowling allrounder and represented Barbados in West Indies regional cricket; Durham, Glamorgan and Leicestershire in the English County Championship; and Border, Griqualand West and Guateng in the South African Provincial Competitions. He played two Tests and 15 One-Day Internationals for the West Indies. In all first-class cricket he made 177 appearances, and had best bowling figures in an innings of 10-47 for Durham against Hampshire.

ZIMBABWE AND WEST INDIES CRICKET TEAMS

Wednesday, February 24 2010:  PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - The Zimbabwe Cricket Team arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday February 23 to face off with the West Indies in the Digicel Twenty/20 match on Sunday February 28 at the Queen’s Park Oval from 1:00 pm. 

 

The Team was met at Piarco International Airport by Mr. Adam Lacey, Digicel Head of Corporate Sales who presented members of the Team with Digicel Sim Cards.

 

Digicel has been a proud sponsor of West Indies cricket since 2004 and has undertaken a number of West Indies support initiatives in order to bring the game closer to the adoring cricket fans of the Caribbean.

 

Frenzy building on the sister isle... Warriors won't take 'Ticos' for granted

Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior National Team will have a final training session at 4:30 pm on Friday on the eve of their all-important 2010 World Cup Qualifier against Costa Rica at the Dwight Yorke Stadium on Saturday.

Head Coach Russell Latapy is expecting Saturday’s encounter to be a very tactical one and has urged his players to pay particular attention to the calculated style play of the Costa Ricans who will go into the encounter on a high following their convincing 3-1 win over the United States on Wednesday night in San Jose.

“We expect the game to be a very tactical one and we have the respect for Costa Rica because right now they are on top of the group. They have always been a difficult side to break down and the results show that because we have never beaten them in a World Cup qualifier before,” Latapy told TTFF Media on Thursday.

“Our approach will also have to be sound and good tactically because they will obviously consider themselves favourites in this one,” Latapy added.

Sunderland midfielder Carlos Edwards echoed similar sentiments but he still wants to see the “Soca Warriors” take the game to the Costa Ricans. Already, Mexican and Costa Rican media have started arriving on the island. A couple Mexican media correspondents cleverly checked in unannounced at the Blue Haven Hotel where the T&T team is based and have had to be warned over their filming of the T&T contingent on the premises. Overall though the spirit among the T&T faithful has been upbeat so far with Trinidadians arriving here in their red gear. Even some of Latapy’s fans and teammates included from Scotland and Portugal have touched down on the sister isle to support the “Little Magician” and his troops.

“Things are shaping up quite well. Russell has had a fair amount of time and for us to come together for such a crucial game and for it to be Russell’s first as a manager.. things are definitely looking positive,” Edwards told TTFF Media.

“They are one of the favourites and coming away with a 3-1 win over the USA is a big boost for them. We will have to try our best to get on top of them. We know what we are capable of at this stage.”

Looking back at the 0-0 draw with Costa Rica in Port of Spain in 2005, the former Defence Force and Wrexham star says he believes the hosts can end on Saturday’s game on a brighter note.

“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t believe we can do it. We were in a similar position back then and we have to keep level heads. I will be satisfied with nothing less than a win on Saturday,” Edwards added.

In light of Steve Bruce’s appointment as manager of Sunderland, Edwards had the following to say: “Managers and players come and go. It’s going to be new challenge for Steve Bruce and the rest of the players like Kenwyne and myself. We’ve never played under him so we don’t know what to expect. But I will hope it’s a bright future for Sunderland and myself as a player.

“It was good to survive for a second successive season in the Premiership and we did it in nail biting style. Hopefully the squad can kick forward from here on. Money has a lot to play in the football but then it’s down to the players to make it happen on the pitch,” Edwards said, adding the Dwight Yorke will be missed at the club.

“He’s one that will be badly missed because of his experience and the way that he gets on with the rest of the guys. And I’m not saying this as a countryman but because I think all the other players feel that way about him,” Edwards concluded.

The Costa Ricans are carded to train after T&T at the match venue on Friday evening.

FRESH START AS WEST INDIES LOOK TO HIT BACK IN ODI SERIES

Wednesday, May 20^th: West Indies captain, Chris Gayle, wants his team to forget its struggles in the recently concluded Test series and start strongly in the three-match ODI series against England, which begins at Headingley, Leeds, on Thursday.

“It’s a fresh start so obviously both teams will be looking to get that head-start by winning the first game and taking it from there,” Gayle said on the eve of the match. “We’re actually looking forward to tomorrow - it should be interesting.”

Gayle admitted that the wounds of the heavy defeats in the two Tests are still there. “I’m very disappointed in the manner in which we lost the Test series,” he said. “At the same time, we have to try and put that behind us and this is our main focus right now.”

“We had a job to do but we did not accomplish that job. We lost the series 2-0 and it was very disappointing. But we have to try and overcome these situations, try to make the necessary adjustments, and adapt to situations as quickly as possible and just try and get on with it.”

Gayle will welcome back dynamic all-rounder Dwayne Bravo to the side. The 25-year-old missed out on the Tests to work his way back to full fitness in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His return should bring a much-needed jolt of energy and enhance all three departments - especially the fielding which was sub-par in the Tests.

Fellow Trinidadians, all-rounder Kieron Pollard and fast bowler Ravi Rampaul, as well as Nevisian batsman Runako Morton, have also flown in as one-day specialists.

Pollard and Morton are fresh from helping Queen’s Park Cricket Club to the WIPA 20/20 title last Sunday in Trinidad.

Rampaul also prepared for these ODIs during that tournament, representing dethroned champs Powergen.

Gayle carries a big responsibility as big-hitting opener, and his dazzling 39-ball half century in the final innings of the Test series advertised his capabilities.

As usual, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul are key cogs in an inexperienced middle order.

“We are a good ODI team, no two ways about it but, at the same time, we have lost series,” Gayle said.

Over the past 12 months, the West Indies have lost 13 and won only three matches against fellow Test nations, and have drifted way behind the pack to eighth in the ICC Rankings.

The sun shone in Leeds on Wednesday, but conditions were expected to remain as chilly as they were for the Tests.

 “When you come into conditions like this, it’s not suitable for our team,” Gayle said. “But at the same time, we have to make that adjustment and we have to grind it and bite it and go out there and try and get the job done regardless what the situation is.”

“It’s a new format of the game now - a one day match - and I’m sure we’ll put up a better fight in this ODI series,” he added.

‘We’re looking to gain some momentum leading up to the Twenty20 World Cup. Obviously, these three ODIs are very important.”

England received a setback on the eve of Thursday’s opener, when batting ace Kevin Pietersen was withdrawn from the entire series due to an achilles tendon problem. Pietersen’s absence should offer a chance of redemption for out-of-favour Ian Bell, or a debut for Irishman Eoin Morgan, now qualified for England.

Mc Leod, Carter, John Williams headline CCCAN 40

Forty swimmers and five officials were last night selected by the Amateur Swimming Association of Trinidad and Tobago (A.S.A.T.T.) to represent T & T  at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Confederation (CCCAN) Aquatic Championships, carded for the 28th June to 5th July 2009, in Barquisimeto Venezuela.

 

Among the forty selected are seven swimmers who have qualified for the World Open Long Course Championships to be held in Italy in late July. These swimmers are Joshua Mc Leod, Sharntelle Mc Lean, Christian Homer, Cherelle Thompson, Kimba Collymore, Donna-Marie Wickham and Samantha Rahael. Also among the forty are CARIFTA swimmers Dylan Carter and Kimberlee John-Williams who were the main points contributors to T & T's victory at the CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Aruba in April 2009. Returning to the team after a four year hiatus is multiple national record holder Ayeisha Collymore, who is now in the 18 & Over age group. She last represented T & T at CCCAN in 2005 in Santo Domingo.

 

Swimmers are now hard in training for the CCCAN Games. In the 2007 edition of these games, our team won 17 gold, 8 silver and 3 bronze, ranking 3rd on the medals table and 5th on the points table. Christian Homer, now based in England, won eight gold medals and broke the 13-14 male CCCAN record in the 50 metre fly. Kimberlee John Williams won four gold medals and established a new CCCAN record in the 11-12 female 50 metre fly. Other 2007 gold medallist on the current team are Collymore, Wickham, and Cadell Lyons.

 

Speculation was rife on the hosting of these games since Mexico was forced to withdraw from hosting following the H1N1 swine flu virus.Colombia was initially carded to host the event but late last year, during the revelation of a global economic crisis, they withdrew as hosts. Following this, Mexico City met the January 15th deadline set to determine the new hosts of the event. With the onset of the swine flu, Mexico withdrew and Venezuela took up the task. The last time Venezuela hosted these games was exactly 20 years ago in 1989 in the Capital City of Caracas.

CCCAN SWIM TEAM

MANAGEMENT TEAM:
Manager - Charmaine Homer
Head Coach - Mark Pouchet
Assistant Coach - Hazel Haynes
Chaperone - Mona Edwards
Physio- Ian Sharpe/June Durham

11 - 12
MALE
Christopher Greene
Dylan Carter
Jeron O'Brien
Jonathan Gonzales

FEMALE
Bryanna Duncan
Cadean Lyons
Kristen Julien
Theana Hay

13 - 14
MALE
Blaine Sobrian
Joshua Romany
Kareem Baptiste
Keegan Boisson-Yates
Moriba De La Rosa
Sean Roget

FEMALE
Khadija Thornhill
Kimberlee John Williams

15- 17
MALE
Cadell Lyons
Caryle Blondell
Christian Homer
Jonathan Cabral
Ryan Rigues

FEMALE
Cherelle Thompson
Kadeja Phillip
Laverne Maxwell
Nathania La Pierre
Rejan Chin
Samantha Rahael

18 & Over
MALE
Anthony Edwards
David Edwards
Dean Miko Cruz
Joshua Mc Leod
Joel Sankar
Stefan Mader
Strasser Sankar
Jarryd Gregoire (provisional)

FEMALE
Ayeisha Collymore
Brittany Stewart
Donna Marie Wickham
Kimba Collymore
Sharntelle Mc Lean

GAYLE ADMITS HIS TEAM STRUGGLED IN COLD CONDITIONS

Monday, May 18^th  2009: Digicel-sponsored West Indies captain, Chris Gayle, admitted his team found it difficult to cope with the frigid May weather as it slumped to a 0-2 series sweep at the hands of hosts England, with an innings defeat in the second Test at Chester-le-Street on Monday.

“They were very testing conditions and playing cricket in these sorts of conditions is a really, really big challenge for us,” he said after the loss.

“It’s not about the ball nipping around. We all expect the ball to do something here in England, whether it’s cold or not,” he said. “And sometimes in the fielding department it’s really, really hard to go out there with your hands burning, which made it difficult to catch.”

“In the batting department, it’s hard to concentrate for a long period of time in this cold, no doubt about it,” he added.

The Jamaican said he hoped the adverse conditions would toughen his players for the future.

“I’m not finding too many excuses – they were difficult conditions. But at the same time, I’m happy we actually gained some experience out of this,” he said.

Gayle said that he was not happy with the overall standards during the min-series, “We played poor cricket and, when we had our chances, we didn’t make the best use of it and England capitalized on it.”

The 29-year-old also revealed that the pre-match fuss over his comment about giving up the captaincy and Test cricket was overblown and he reaffirmed his commitment to the regional side.

“I’ll be around to guide the team as I see how I can help try and grow West Indies cricket,” he said. “It’s been down for quite a few years now and we’re all trying our best to improve in every department, but it won’t happen overnight. We’ve been working hard and we have a good bunch, a good unit.”

Gayle was eager to turn the tables on England in the one-day series which begins on Thursday at Headingley in Leeds.

“I’m confident we can actually beat England in the ODI series,” he said. “It won’t be easy, but we’ll have to get off to a good start at Headingley and basically take it from there.”

“There’s a new bunch of guys coming in as well who hopefully can adapt to the situation as quickly as possible,” he added.

“It’s a challenge for us and we are looking forward to it and, hopefully, we can enjoy it at the same time.”