MARC BURNS IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 100 METRES FINALS

WORLD RECORD HOLDER MICHAEL JOHNSON WARNS – MARC BURNS OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO WILL BE A FACTOR IN THE 100 METRES IN THE FUTURE

By Michael Johnson

 

Tyson Gay is the Carl Lewis of his day, showing the same ability to relax, allow the race to come to him and pull away to take 100m gold.

Asafa Powell is a great talent but he's not a great competitor, you can see it in his eyes. He can learn to be a great competitor, but first you have to admit that you're not.

As a competitor, even though it looks like it may be over, you don't give up until it's completely done and I've never seen a world record holder drop his head and give up in a major final.

That should have been a silver he won, but he didn't, he got a bronze.

Asafa didn't run the same race as he ran in the preliminary rounds because in the preliminary rounds, as when he broke the world record, he was ahead and there wasn't the same pressure.

He and Tyson got out of the blocks together but Powell has that incredible transition out of his start, which is very powerful and explosive, and into his running and he was able to drive away.

 

Marlon Devonish did nothing wrong, he's not going to be able to do much more than reach a major final at this point in his career

 

 

He said he clipped his heel, but that must have helped him because he said he did it at the beginning and he still got a great start!

But after the drive phase you could see him thinking, I'm losing it, I'm losing it, and he just gave up at that point. That's what was really disappointing. He just dropped his head.

Tyson's start is still not very good and he'll be much better when he learns to relax straight out of the blocks. He's not good at the drive phase and he stresses and strains, but when he gets up and starts to relax he's much better.

A couple of years ago we thought Tyson could become the guy to beat in the 200m but he gained a lot of confidence last year and this year by doing things like this.

It's going to be difficult now for Asafa. Britain's Craig Pickering said it best, this was a good opportunity for every sprinter.

It's going to get more difficult next year. This year there was only one American in the final but that is going to change with collegiate champion Walter Dix coming through and guys like Marc Burns of Trinidad and Tobago.

Also, Derrick Atkins' confidence will be boosted by his silver medal and he'll go into the next major championship thinking that he's supposed to be there now. Asafa will now have to deal with him.

 

606: DEBATE

Your say on Powell v Gay

Atkins is a pure power runner and that's what got him through to the silver medal. He just took advantage of the fact that Asafa gave up.

Britain's Marlon Devonish really did nothing wrong in finishing sixth. He ran a good race and couldn't have executed much better.

If he had been a 100m runner from the very beginning he'd be doing a lot better at this point. But he's not going to be able to do much more than reach a major final at this point in his career.

Had he been in finals before the difference would have been experience and he would have been able to make adjustments in training to allow him to run a better race, have a better strategy, be stronger and more powerful out of the blocks and he may have been able to sneak a medal.

 

www.bbc.co.uk

T&T gets first round bye

T&T gets first round bye for South Africa W/Cup qualifiers
Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer, August 25, 2007
Trinidad and Tobago was among 13 nations that will receive a first-round bye in CONCACAF qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South AfricaFIFA, in a statement on Friday said it based the decision on its rankings from May. The US also has a bye with Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, Guatemala, Canada, Guyana and St. Vincent and the Grenadines also received first-round byes.Twenty-two nations will be slotted into home-and-home pairings during the World Cup qualifying draw on November 25 in Durban, South Africa. The 11 winners and St. Vincent will drawn against the top 12 seeds in the second round, which likely will be in June. The 12 second-round winners advance to the semifinals, which will retain the same format from 2006 qualifying, with three groups of four.The top two teams in each semifinal group advance to the six-nation regional finals. The top three teams in the finals qualify for the 32-nation field, and the No. 4 team meets the fifth-place team from South American in a home-and-home playoff for another berth.
T&T also had a first round bye for the 2006 qualifiers and subsequently went on to book its first spot in a World Cup by defeating Bahrain in a playoff. T&T then performed creditably, as the smallest nation at the Finals, holding Sweden 0-0 before losing to England and Paraguay.
T&T head coach Wim Rijsbergen is currently in South Korea with the National Under 17 team at the FIFA Under 17 World Championship and will return home next week to resume preparations with the Senior Team.
“Its nice that we get a bye for the first part as it gives u an opportunity to look at some new players. We have some names on the list to scout like in the MLS. We will probably invite them for some games this year. WE had a tournament in Uzbekistan cancelled but we have short notice for two more games coming up. We have to see these players,” Rijsbergen told TTFF Media on Saturday.
“We have to sit down after the World Cup draw in November to really plan the team’s schedule. I am thinking that at the end of the Pro League that we should have the players together in December and January training and looking ahead to some friendlies.”
“I still have to look towards a solution with the black listed players but we have to also form a national team in the meantime without them. We started this in the Gold Cup and we will keep on having another list ready for matches. Then there is a possibility that we can have some other players not on the black list.”
Rijsbergen said he was also aware of the name Khaleem Hyland, now being eyed by Celtic and was also a part of the preliminary squad for the Gold Cup.
“We have seen this player because he played in the U20s in Jamaica. But at the moment Mike McComie made a decision that if you don’t turn up for training for the Olympic team then we don’t select you and it’s the same situation with Mr Peltier and Guerra. The story has two sides to it. But yes we know these players. Then we have other young players with a future like Jason Marcano. The only club giving us problem is Jabloteh because the other clubs are cooperating. And we hope this can be solved for the future. We are not trying to ruing careers or clubs but it has to work both sides. We have no favourites and we want to give everyone a fair chance. We took a team of all locals to the Gold Cup and when they are good we try to invite them and use them,” Rijsbergen added.

TTFF News - As young Warriors shift location... head coach already looking beyond Korean experience

Photos show Anton Corneal and his bench at the Colombia game. The T&T fans, parents of the players, in the stands. A T&T big flag in the stands and the T&T team in prayer before kick off. Photos courtesy TTFF Media.

As Warriors shift location… head coach already looking beyond Korea experience

Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer in Changwon, August 24, 2007

With just over a day left before this country’s game against Germany, which could yet turn out to be the toughest of the matches thus far, head coach Anton Corneal and his team arrived in Changwon on Friday night after being on the road for just around six hours on their way out of Cheonan.

Both T&T and Germany are staying at the Changwon Hotel. And what should have been a routine three hr bus journey for the young “Soca Warriors”, turned out to be six hours on the move as the bus’ air condition supply shut down midway through the journey which forced T&T to delay some time before the German team bus arrived to pick the contingent up. The temperature was already around 34 degrees Celsius and there was still some distance to the Hotel before the German bus arrived to assist. With that aside though, T&T settled at the hotel and was scheduled to head off for morning session at the nearby Volvo training pitch before a 45 minute session at the Changwon Main Stadium.

Changwon itself is located on the south east coast of South Korea and has a population of 500,000 It is said here that when it comes to development, this city is second to none in terms of speed and size. The Stadium has capacity of 27,000 fans. T&T Honorary Consulate in Korea Seung Choi has also confirmed to FIFA Vice President and tournament chairman Jack Warner that all is in place to accommodate a T&T delegation of 200 supporters at the game which kicks off at 7pm, 6am T&T time on Sunday.

With the 5-0 defeat still very much fresh on the minds of those here in the T&T camp, Corneal insisted that it follow through to some deep thinking among the players as he met with the players and staff members at the hotel in Cheonan, shortly after dinner following the loss. The meeting was really a post mortem of the experience where several interesting matters were raised and discussed as it related to the lessons learnt and the movements towards producing better players and teams for future tournaments. Players also spoke of the false sense of security they had been getting playing back home and called for players at the national youth level to resist from playing in the Colleges League once it interfered with preparations at the national level for international competition. For some though the views expressed, particularly by Corneal could be looked at as being a typical story being repeated but definitely the foundation is there with the participation at this World Championship and the assurance that efforts will be made to take T&T’s preparation and participation to a next level. The question asked was whether T&T was ready to make the commitment that it takes to be competitors at the world level or are we as a people simply satisfied with reaching the world stage and it could relate to football, cricket and other sports or related matters which allows the world to take note of the twin-island Republic. The question lies as to how many actually care about whether T&T is bullied or rather boosted on the world stage.

“That meeting was really about a reflection on where we are realistically. I gave the players the opportunity to say what aspects of the game we need to work on now because we were beaten in all aspects. They said it themselves then we had to figure out what can we do differently to make a change and its not just initial preparations,” Corneal told TTFF Media.

“ They are saying it now that they played many times before when they were never really challenged and this is the first time they saw the game at a different speed, tactically it was different and physically as well. And there was a different level of passion to get things done.

“It’s clear to them because we have been preaching it all the time but you know you can say it but to experience it is what they have done now and you realize it takes more than what we have done and then there is an off season where we don’t get to use them or have them play as much. I’m glad the meeting was not just about the defeat but we also that we had to learn lessons from the defeat. The change must come from a little bit younger and we must prioriterize what is best for our development all of the time. Yes we were beaten but we had to learn lessons from it.”

There is the fact too that too much players at this age group in T&T have been babied but Corneal said he was glad to see them take on the responsibility and be willing to make adjustments as they also have an Under 20 World Championship qualifying campaign to look forward to

“But they are thinking ahead now and they realize we must do a lot more individually and as a team. It they have to compete against teams of this caliber it will take more from players and even us as those who prepare the them, the players admitted they were fooled into a false sense of security at the local level and now they came into the real world. If a team beats us in certain areas of the game then it’s not only tactically and players saw this too,” added the TTFF development officer.

“The only way to make possible change to be at this level is being able to meet the call for a lot of sacrifice. We are a small country with a limited pool. It means we may have to change some parts of our development programme at our clubs and how we handle our high school and Primary School leagues. A lot of people on the outside talk the talk but we are afraid to walk it yet we want the results.

“It must be everyone on the same page doing it for the same reason. It means being bold and making change and you need that to make progress. It’s a matter of time and it’s similar for other sports as well. Some of the clubs will like to get their players at a higher level whether they have the necessary personnel, facility and finance to do it is another question. Because we are a small country its very possible if you get the backing of the government, the corporate sector and the Federation. The difference is that we must do it. We have to decide if we want to compete at this level consistently.

He did point out to some headway made by the Federation as qualifying for two World Cups in succession didn’t come overnight while coaching development programmes have come off the ground in collaboration with the Dutch Royal Academy.

“That’s correct as the Federation has a role to play and it has played that role for the past few years. Two years have shown semblance of a development programme taking place and the financial backing may not be able to come alone from the Federation for this. The TTFF has in fact put a lot into this Under 17 team and it has resulted in qualifying for the World Cup. We have something now that should be set for the development of our players from Under 13 right through to the U17s and the higher age groups,” Corneal concluded.

TTFF News - Corneal could change up team for Colombia clash

Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer in Cheonan, August 22, 2007

 

National Under 17 team head coach Anton Corneal says he could possibly change around his starting eleven for Thursday’s vital Group F encounter against Colombia as FIFA Under 17 World Championship action continues at the Cheonan Sports Complex.

 

Corneal, after allowing his players some spending time, just under two hours in the morning period with their family members who made the journey over from Trinidad, conducted a 75-minute training session later that day in cool conditions and said he expected his team to make a stiff contest out of the encounter with the South Americans.

 

With Stefan Campbell’s second half free kick strike opening T&T’s account at the tournament, strike pair Stephen Knox and Daniel Joseph have given all indications that they will be seeking hard to add their names to a FIFA scoresheet and will need to be on top of their game if T&T is to push for a positive result. They looked sharp with their fellow teammates as Corneal. Wim Rijsbergen and Hutson Charles observed as the players worked on their finishing. Ross Russell was also taking nothing for granted with goalie Glenroy Samuel.

 

Corneal has also done his homework on Colombia

 

“We saw Colombia play both in Peru and here at the first game which means we have done our home work. We will pay attention to their big target players up front and of course they overload their midfield but we have prepared for it and hopefully we can shut their short passing game down and also go up and down the sides of the park. We need to pay attention to that and play to our plan at the same time,” Corneal told TTFF Media.

 

“They have players who run off their big striker and we have to deal with that. We may change our starting team and we have gotten over the Ghana game which was not an easy one to play. Ghana were experienced and quite quick, probably the toughest team in the group. Now we can look ahead to our next two games which starts against Colombia where I feel we can definitely settle and play from early on,” he added. “This game is not beyond us by any means.”

 

Colombian head coach Eduardo Lara added on the eve of the match, “ They (T&T) are a strong opponent. This World Cup is on a very high level." And their assistant coach Ramiro Virafana told TTFF Media that after drawing 3-3 with Germany on Monday, his team sees the affair as a must-win one and they will not take the Caribbean team lightly.

 

“This is very important one for us because a loss can put us out. For us we don’t see Trinidad as the easiest team in the group. They have some strong players and the number 10 and number 11 players are very fast. I don’t know what our chances are at the moment,” Virafana said in a somewhat unsure manner. “We want to win yes but we will see how it ends up.

 

And with Colombia taking note of his danger as a speedy attacker, striker Joseph knows all too well that his game will have to be almost flawless from the 8pm (7am T&T time) kick off.

 

“I just want us to start well and of course my game and Knoxy’s (Stephen Knox) will have to be good because we need to get goals. Hopefully we can all pull off a good one and get three points. A win will be nice,” Joseph said.

 

And while Honduras went down to Argentina 4-1, T&T took note of the dancing Haitians as they held the mighty France 1-1 in the “family affair” of the tournament so far. Colombia though, could be well advised not to expect too many friendly motions at match time. And parent Chris De Silva, father of midfielder Sean De Silva, with a squint and a smile said that only family spirits are allowed in the T&T camp at least until the final whistle.

 

“It’s absolutely thrilling for all of us to be over here and be with the boys for the tournament. To experience this is massive for all of us. This is Trinidad and Tobago representing on the world stage and win, lose or draw we are here to support with the red, white and black. We want to win of course and Colombia needs to know that and experience what we have to offer.”

CFU NEWS - Warner responds to English FA chairman

Warner responds to English FA chairmain

 

Issued on August 21, 2007

 

FIFA Vice President and CONCACAF boss Jack Warner has issued a letter to Chairman of the FA Geoff Thompson referring to his written response on August 14, 2007 which expressed his disappointment over Warner’s comments to the BBC World Service regarding England’s 2018 World bid.

 

In an interview with the BBC’s Chris Mitchell at his Port of Spain offices earlier this month, Warner said he would "fight to the very end" to stop FIFA from changing its policy, and ridiculed England's chances of hosting the tournament even if the rules did change.

The FA then responded, adding that it  wanted an explanation of Warner's claims that England won't host the 2018 World Cup.

 

The following was Warner’s response to Thompson on Sunday. The hard copy will be presented to the English FA’s representative in Goyang, Korea on Thursday.

 

“I refer to your letter of August 14^th 2007 expressing surprise and disappointment on my comments made to the BBC World Service. I am the one surprised at your disappointment on these comments, none of which is untrue and in fact all of which remains applicable even as I write.

 

“Nothing I have said disputes the fact that the FA provides valuable assistance in various and many ways to CONCACAF as a Federation and even to me personally and hence the reason I believe that I should be more candid than ever in light England’s experience during the 2006 World Cup bidding exercise. You will recall at that time I told you that you would not get more than 5 votes……….and you got 5. You will also recall that I told you not to rely on promises made to you by your closest and dearest colleagues, some of whose countries had been and continue to be the recipients of extensive assistance from the FA…………….and subsequent events did prove me to be correct.

 

“ I also did say in the BBC interview that I am committed to CONCACAF hosting the World Cup in 2018, which I would have expected anyone to understand based on my position in CONCACAF. The fact that you have failed to do so is indeed shocking to me and that you may have been boxed into a corner and be among the many detractors is all the more surprising.

 

“I said in the BBC interview that the FA is not liked in Europe despite what the FA has done for the development of world football and even as the country that invented the sport. I stand today by those very sentiments expressed.

 

“Suffice it to say, Geoff, that my candour has always been my strength and my weakness depending on which side of the fence one is standing, but you will agree that at our age, it is difficult to change one’s life long principle of honesty in all our relationships and undertakings.  Thank you for your usual understanding, as we both remain committed to the development of the beautiful game.

 

Kindest regards

Jack Warner

President, CONCACAF

 

TTFF News - Edwards injury blow

Keane likes John's showing

 Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media, August 17, 2007

 

Trinidad and Tobago striker Stern John may have given himself a valuable lifeline in the Premiership as he came off the bench and sneaked in a last minute equalizer to help Sunderland to a 2-2 draw against his old team Birmingham City on Wednesday.

 

The goal for John came in his 250th appearance in English League football as Edwards too was running out in England for the same number of times.

 

Sunderland boss Roy Keane said he had a feeling John would shake the net.

 

“I knew he'd score, because in the corridor here I saw a picture of him scoring as a Birmingham player. A lot of players go back to their old club and have a tendency to score. It usually happens, so I was confident he would score. I keep saying it is not a coincidence to score so many late goals, because the desire and determination was there for all to see."

 

Edwards though limped off with a hamstring strain while Dwight Yorke was not in the team.

 

"It was my mistake - I should have taken him off earlier.”

 

John was a happy man nonetheless saying “It felt great to come and score against Birmingham because they are my old club and I know we wanted a result here badly. I’m just pleased to have got in and finish the job. I know how important a performance like this would be for the club.”

 

Birmingham City boss Steve Bruce who signed John before sending him away at City, had doubts over John’s strike but still spoke well of him in the end.

 

I was determined to go back in the Premier League and not bleat about referees or linesmen. But I've seen their centre-forward jumping on my goalkeeper and stopping him getting up. I think the referee should be seeing that, because everyone else is seeing that.

 

"After he makes the save, he's still lying in the back of the net. The referee and linesman have missed it - which has cost us dearly - and it's a shame, because he produced a fantastic save.

 

"He (John) was a great servant here and one of my all-time favourites I have managed here. When I saw him warming up and the reception the crowd gave him I feared he might have an impact. But before he got there, we believe there was definitely a foul.  Edwards meantime is likely to be out for at least three weeks after his hamstring injury on the weekend. Keane said: “Carlos has damaged his hamstring and we will have more news over the next 24 to 48 hours when he has had a scan.

(August 15, 2007)

 

 

Shaun Fuentes

 

BARBADOS UNDER 13 TEAM TO TEST TRINIS

THE NAME Alex Fergusson is on the list of the Barbados football team to tour Trinidad this weekend.

That is sure to raise some eyebrows. However, it's not Alex Ferguson, the legendary Manchester United manager, but rather Alex Fergusson, a midfielder from Westbury Primary who has good ball control skills.

He is part of the National Sports Council's Under-13 team which will be embarking on a developmental tour. They will play six games against Under-13 players from semi-professional teams on the week-long tour.

Talent search

Coach Kenville Layne said Fergusson and his teammates were selected after an eight-month search for talent across the island.

The final group of 21 were taken from an original pool of more than 150 enthusiastic players.

"This team started training around January and they came out of the BICO Tournament for 2006," Layne said.

"We narrowed down the team and we have now settled on the final side. Most of these players come out of the rural areas and we tried to find the better players from those areas.

"We worked with them and this is the nucleus of the team.

"There is a developmental programme going on by the National Sports Council to assist all the children, mainly those who are not attached to clubs with coaching programmes."

Layne will be director of coaching on tour and will have Frank Holder and Roger Proverbs as his assistants, while the team will be managed by Tony Jarvis.

The Bajans start on Sunday against Cap Off Youths at the Ato Boldon Stadium. They face SFA Centre for Excellence on Monday at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, and on Wednesday they play against Mayaro Spurs in Mayaro.

Next Friday (August 24) they come up against Chaguanas RC at Presentation College; the next day, they journey to Guaracara Park to tackle Marabella; and their final game is on August 26 against Joe Public at the club's training ground.

Good citizens

Layne said the experience of playing against quality opposition should do the Bajans well.

"It's a developmental tour. Some of these boys have never travelled before, so this should serve them very well, as footballers and as individuals as well," Layne said.

"We are looking at producing good players and good citizens.

"We are not focusing on winning but on the development of the players and all of the rudiments. We are trying to build a team for the future.

"I have seen a lot of improvements in them already and I am hoping that they can learn a lot from this visit to Trinidad."

:: www.nationnews.com

Rugby ground to be used for Independence day parade

There is growing concern among local rugby players and

coaches that the 2007 rugby season could grind to a

temporary halt due to a lack of training and playing

facilities.

 

With the King George V rugby pitch no longer available

following the decision of the Port.Of.Spain city

council to build tennis courts on the rugby pitch.

 

Bleachers have now been put up on the Caribs rugby

pitch in the Queens Park Savannah, while markings in

preparation for Independence Day celebrations have

been made on the adjacent Harvard rugby pitch.

 

Local Rugby players are wondering what is the reason

for the disrespect and disregard .

 

TTRFU Vice President and chairman of the fixtures

committee, Leslie Figaro confirmed that the situation

is demoralizing players and clubs.

 

"The clubs and players have all right to be concerned

it is the responsibility of the TTRFU to address the

issue.Having said that I am confident the situation is

temporary ,as rugby is provided for in the National

Sport Policy,and we have a good relationship with both

the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Agriculture

".Figaro said.

 

Figaro is assuring the rugby fraternity that the TTRFU

executive will meet with the relevant authorities to

bring clarity to the situation.

 

The TTRFU fixture committee chairman confirmed that

the Hasely Crawford Stadium and Larry Gomes stadiums

are not available.

 

"The National Stadium is preparing for the CFU U15

tournament and the Larry Gomes will be doing ground

maintenance work.We have used those facilities in the

past and will continue to do so."

 

TTFF NEws - Spann makes the shift to Wrexham

Spann makes the shift to Wrexham

 

Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer, August 13, 2007

 

Trinidad and Tobago midfielder, now famous for his spectacular free kick goal at the CONCACAF Gold Cup against El Salvador is set to joins the professional ranks in England.

 

Spann agreed to sign a three-year deal at English league Two club Wrexham and is awaiting international clearance before beginning his tenure with the club which kickstarted the overseas careers of Dennis Lawrence, Carlos Edwards and Hector Sam.

 

And Spann, formerly of St Benedict’s College trained on Monday alongside T&T winger Josh Johnson who is also at Wrexham.

 

“It’s a dream come true to actually get a contract to play in England. The road has not been an easy one but by the grace of God and hard work and belief something has worked out for me. I’m happy to have signed this deal” Spann told TTFF Media on Monday. The deal is a three-year one.

 

The player, whose contract with T&T Pro League giants W Connections runs out at year end, said Wrexham boss Brian Carey saw him in T&T’s 2-0 win over Iceland at Loftus  Road last year February and has been interested since then. And after interest from Sheffield United and Sunderland disappeared, Wrexham appeared eager to sign Spann.

 

A hamstring injury put him out of T&T’s 2006 World Cup squad and then a shoulder problem forced him to miss the 2007 Digicel Caribbean Cup but Spann is more than likely to get the permit. The same could not be said for goalie Jan Michael Williams after his appeal was turned down after his trial at Sheffield.

 

“It’s a bit unfortunate for Jan but I’m hopeful something will work out. My first session at Wrexham was a good feeling for me and I’m already feeling at home now. Carlos and Dennis plus Hector have left a good mark of our country at this club and hopefully I can continue that now,” Spann added.

 

Meantime, defender Brent Sancho is likely to sign a new deal this week with Brentford at the top of the list. Southampton and Leyton Orient are also still in talks over possible deals.

 

“It looks likely that something will come good this week and I’m waiting to see what the actual result will be. I’m hoping to get something because I want to get back out on the playing field as quickly as possible,” Sancho added.

T&T national rugby teams for Nawira 15s rugby championships

The Trinidad and Tobago NATIONAL MEN AND WOMEN rugby

teams will depart Trinidad for the  Cayman Islands on

Thursday(16 August).

 

The Calypso warriors  will participate in the North

America and West Indies rugby association(Nawira)15s

rugby championship which will be held in

Georgetown,Grand Cayman from 18 -25 August.

 

In announcing the teams, Trinidad and Tobago Rugby

Football Union(TTRFU) chairman of selectors Curtis

Nero made the point that a number of young rugby

players are been given the opportunity to display

their wares at the regional level."We  strongly

considered selecting our foreign based players,

including two UK born players(Bevon Armitage and David

Charles), but on this occasion we opted to take a more

development approach ahead of next year's IRB Rugby

World Cup qualifiers".

 

Nero however made it clear that T&Ts foreign based

rugby players will be considered for the Nawira 7s

rugby championship scheduled for November this year in

Bahamas and next years 2011 15s Rugby World Cup

qualifiers.

 

The former T&T national rugby captain expressed

confidence that the approach adopted by the TTRFU

selection committee will bear fruit .

 

"We are going to Cayman to win back both the men and

women's Caribbean rugby titles, but advancing in next

year's qualifiers is also an important objective.We

have to put the youngsters to the test".

 

T&T NATIONAL RUGBY TEAM Women:

Laura Moses,Maria O'Brien,Sojourner Hyles,Ayana

Skeete,Tramaine Andrew,Felisha Thomas,Latoya

Edwards,Ebony Young,Andrea Charles,Abigail

Roberts,Jenilee Limada,Jamilah Garcia,Juliana Straker,

Tenisha Samuels,Kwanieze John,Dalia

Jordan-Brown,Merlin Blackford,Angela

Joseph-Darceuil,Kaleisha Delpeche,Alicia Edgar.

 

COACH:Ms Simone Andrews

 

PHYSIOTHERAPISTS:Mrs Joy Ann Rodney-Wilkes

 

T&T National rugby team  Men:

Colin Gellineau,Jonathan O'Connor,Andre Cabera,Carlton

Felix,Wayne Kelly,Kirk Quashie,Kurt Quashie,Miguel

Lara,James Waklin,Samuel Roberts,Felician Guerra,Jason

Clarke,Brendan O'Farrell,Adam Frederick, Flemming

Glace,David Apang,Christopher Mitchell,Kelson

Figaro,Dexter Snaggs,Graeme Alkins,Ronald

Silverthorne,Nyuen Franco,

Ade Inniss-King,Kidane Silverthorne,Abdeel Giles and

Matthew Marine.

Manager :Curtis Nero

Coach:Sean O'Farrell

Massage therapist:Andre Ferguson

TTFF News - 'Woooh Trinidad' as Koreans wave T&T flags

‘Wooooh Trinidad’ as Koreans wave T&T flags

 

Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer in Cheonan, August 14, 2007

 

At least 150 Koreans from the city of Cheonan greeted members of the Trinidad and Tobago National Under 17 footballers at the IT technology centre training pitch waving miniature T&T and Korean flags on an overcast Tuesday morning.

 

It was the first official training in Korea for the young “Soca Warriors” for the FIFA Under 17 World Championship which kicks off in Korea on Saturday and the local organizing committee arranged a special welcome ceremony for Anton Corneal and his players as they arrived at the facility just around 10:30 am. All other FIFA protocol kicked in from Tuesday as well with regards to accreditation, equipment and aid supply as well as other provisions relating to the team’s participation in the tournament.

 

The driveway leading the ground was lined with both adults and youngsters who shouted “wooooh Trinidad” and later made presentations of bouquets to captain Leston Paul and Corneal. It was a stirring welcome for the T&T boys after a light earthquake shook the Onyang Hot Springs Hotel a bit after midnight.

 

They also played traditional calypsos, most notably from the late Roaring Lion over the venue’s open air speakers during the early minutes of the training session which lasted for two hours and was endured by the players under a consistent downpour. Similar to Monday’s venue, again the pitch was situated up in the Hejo mountains which took T&T roughly half hour by bus to arrive at.

 

The German team meantime didn’t have it that smoothly, having to travel for close to an hour for their venue and after the Ghana team checked in at the Onyang Hot Spring Hotel, they learnt that their training pitch was even further. Word was that T&T would be enjoying the best training pitch of the lot and Corneal and his boys made proper use of it with a thorough session in the morning. They later occupied the indoor facility for the evening session which went for just over an hour before reporting for their official accreditation process at the hotel.

 

‘It’s definitely an ideal ground for training and we will make the best use of it this week,” Corneal told TTFF Media. “I think you could see it out there for yourself today that the boys were enjoying it and when players can do that especially in what is a strange country for them in terms of them being here for the first time, then it says a lot. Having eager players is a plus for any coach,” Corneal added.

 

The question as to whether he or the players were under any pressure to perform with the opening game against Ghana now less than a week away, Corneal didn’t budge much.

 

“I think any team going into a tournament like this for the first time after qualifying will have some butterflies about it and that’s only natural because they are still kids who are maturing and this tournament will provide a great step for them. Our aim is to play football and let everything else handle itself. As for me as a coach, I will not say it’s pressure as such but I obviously want to see the team give a good account of itself and every coach wants results with that. We will not put unnecessary pressure on ourselves at this point,” Corneal affirmed.

 

FIFA officials at the Onyang Hotel said that they are expecting a full house for each of the games being played at the Cheonan Sports Complex for Monday’s games as well as T&T’s second match with Colombia. The stadium holds 26,000 and already 23,000 tickets have been pre-sold for Monday’s game.

 

In fact, chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Chung Dong-Chea, revealed to FIFA.com that the ticket sales for the tournament are well above what had been previously anticipated.

 

Korea Republic's games against Peru and Costa Rica at Suwon's 27,100 capacity Sports Complex have already sold out much to the delight of tournament’s chairman FIFA Vice President Jack Warner who is expected to arrive in Seoul on Wednesday.

 

The city of Cheonan,where T&T is based, will host five group games and two second round matches, is preparing for a big festival ahead of the tournament. On the eve of Saturday’s opening ceremony , the city will hold a light show in front of Cheonan Sports Complex, with tens of giant LED towers and a tunnel-shaped fountain.

 

The FIFA U-17 World Cup Korea 2007 will be broadcast live to 52 countries all over the world on TV, as well as on FIFA.com.

                                                                                      

“It’s coming closer and we are getting ready. I hope the fans back home can watch us on TV too and wish us well. We are here to do our best,” skipper Paul quietly added.

TTFF News - Wim says T&T can take much of out Dutch experience

Photo shows members of T&T's national under 17 team in downtown Amsterdam on Thursday during their evening off from the training pitch.

Wim says T&T can take much of out Dutch experience

Issued by Shaun Fuentes in Arnhem, August 10, 2007

Trinidad and Tobago National Team head coach Wim Rijsbergen is of the feeling that the country’s football system stands to benefit from the experiences like the current one the Under 17 footballers are undergoing at the Papendal Hotel and Conference training complex in Arnhem, Holland.

Apart from being highly enthusiastic about showing off what his native country has to offer in terms of amenities, Rijsbergen is hopeful that T&T can follow suit in its preparation in preparation of national teams not just for football but several other sporting disciplines.

He made these assertions on the eve of T&T’s National Under 17 team training game against Dutch professional unit FC Umniworld from 11am (5am T&T Time) on Saturday at Papendal.

“We’ve been talking about creating an environment in Trinidad and Tobago, like a camp, where national teams can come together to train and we can talk abut it over and over but being here now is a nice impression for our staff and players to se what you really need to develop players in any sport,” Rijsbergen told TTFF Media after the team completed its two-hour training on a one of the pitches at Papendal while Dutch Premiers Division side Vitesse Arnhem and Spanish club Athletico Bilbao trained in adjacent pitches .

“Here in Papendal it is also a centre for different sports and a multi functional complex where you can stay, get treatment and train and of course we hope pretty soon they will have something like this for different sports in Trinidad where football coaches, players and other athletes can benefit.”

Rijsbergen, currently with the T&T U-17 team assisting with its preparations for the FIFA Under 17 World Championship in Korea, emphasized the need for young aspiring professionals to be exposed to similar training facilities and methods.

“I try to talk about the environment about what it takes and what is needed to become a professional now we are fortunate that these younger kids can experience it and see the likes of Bilbao and a Dutch Pro team use the compound so they can see what it takes to be a real professional and that it take s a lot of work - that’s the good part of them being here. This is what I was going through as a young professional, and it’s good to experience it before we go to Korea. Hopefully it will give our younger boys a little boost and also to realize how hard we have to work to be successful,” Rijsbergen added.

“It’s important and that’s why we keep saying that the sooner we get this into their system it will be better and it sends a message to the rest. Starting as young as possible is the time when you can make the necessary changes. This is our future here. So therefore this should be a pattern for future training camps, not just before world tournaments, and expanded for teams at various levels.”

He also compared it with the facilities at the De Graafschap training centre where T&T played at on Tuesday.

“At that first club it a small one and they still use 300,000 Euros a year just to run their youth development programme. At that facility they have an artificial pitch, two grass pitches, dressing rooms and an area where people can come together. That what you need, The bigger clubs obviously have more to it but we can start somewhere back in Trinidad. You can work there 24- hrs a day if necessary. It doesn’t happen overnight but we can think and act on it before the timing gets tight,” Rijsbergen concluded.

Following a day of double sessions on Friday, one a two-hour session in the morning period, Anton Corneal’s outfit remained in good spirits with no major injury concerns and will now aim to end their Papendal training trip on a high note against the local team before heading off to Cheonan, Korea on Sunday

TTFF News - Corneal calls loss an eye opener

Corneal calls first loss an eye opener for U17s

 

Issued by Shaun Fuentes in Arnhem, August 8, 2007

 

National Under 17 head coach Anton Corneal described Tuesday’s 6-2 defeat to Dutch Premier Division club De Graafschap as an eye opener for his team as they go into the final days of the preparation camp at the Papendal training centre in Arnhem.

 

T&T were forced on the defensive from early on as the conceded much too easily and struggled to force themselves back into the game against the Under 18 team which included three Dutch National Under 17 teams.

 

“I was very disappointed in their attitude towards the game,” Corneal told TTFF Media as he described the performance of his players.

 

“We don’t understand what it takes to play from the beginning… we have not come out of this sense of  all of us needing  to put out from the beginning. We still think we have to feel teams out and before anything happened for us we were down three goals and all three were blunders at the back.  On the other hand you have to look at he chances we squandered. We should have come out at half time 3-3,” Corneal added.

 

“When you do finishing in the morning session and then come and get similar chances in the game it shows that we weren’t doing the extra that is required to get results. We had a little bit better second half but it was the only time we showed some effort and pride and we got chances where we scored two goals but it must not take a team to dominate us like that before we start to play. It’s better though that this happens now than at the World Cup and I hope we can learn from this.”

 

“We saw that when we decided to pressure we created chances but I hope this will be an eye opener because we have spoken about it many times. One team can take advantage of our faults and we need to prevent that. The team was well organized and played simple while we were the opposite for too much of the game,” Corneal ended as he refused to use the long travel and six-hour time difference as an excuse for the team’s lackluster showing under chilly conditions. Despite Akeem’s Adams blistering strike and Marcus Joseph’s goal off the bench after a good build up, only skipper Leston Paul managed a decent showing as his teammates were all guilty of unforced errors and lack of urgency in their play.

 

Senior Team head coach Wim Rijsbergen was also hopeful of the team stepping up its game as the build up continues to the August 20 opener against Ghana at the FIFA Under 17 World Championship.

 

The T&T U17 team will have a final training match on Saturday and will also attend a preseason encounter between La Liga club Athletico Bilbao and Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem. Corneal conducted a recovery session on Wednesday morning before meeting with the players for just over an hour prior to the evening session at Papendal.

Derby's 5 million Kenwyne Jones bid angers Southampton

Derby's Jones bid angers Saints
source:www.bbc.co.uk/sports

T&T's Kenwyne Jones attracted a bid from Derby which
Southampton rejected.
Southampton are set to report Derby to the Football
Association claiming the Rams have broken League rules
over an approach for striker Kenwyne Jones.
The Saints rejected a £5m bid from the Rams, claiming
it "substantially undervalued" the 22-year-old.

Southampton officials are angry Jones' agent became
aware of the interest despite the bid being rejected.

Saints said on their website: "We hope the rejection
of Derby's latest offer will bring the matter to a
close."

Saints chief executive Jim Hone is writing to the FA
and Derby's chief executive officer Trevor Birch to
outline the club's position.

N.B .Jones played for T&T in the FIFA 2006 Germany
World Cup and played for TT PRO League's W Connection.

SANTA BABY AND SWING BY WIN FOR JAMAICA ( HORSERACING)

SPORTS: TWO JAMAICAN BRED FILLES DOMINATE RACING

 

 

CMC, Sports , August 4, Arima , Horseracing ------

Two Jamaican Bred fillies – Santa Baby – and –Swing By - dominated the postponed Day 22 of horseracing in Trinidad and Tobago, when they won the two feature races on another rainy day at Santa Rosa Park on Saturday.

In the feature – Midsummer Classic – over 1900 metres, pre race Favourite – Santa Baby- was hustled to the front by Venezuelan jockey Luis Rodriguez from the number 9 stall and was never headed, she repelled challenger after challenger, first – Luca’s Gold – and –Sweet Revenge- and by the 800 metre marker, she had dispelled all thoughts that – Nature Reality – and – September D’sixth – could be dangers. In the home straight , the Smokehouse Sam /Christmas Morning bred filly had opened up a four length and increased to 5 ¾ lengths by the finish , with only the long striding – The Sultan- staying on at one pace in second position and –Luca’s Gold – dead on his feet in third , with Jamaican bred Nature’s Reality back in a distant fourth.

Earlier on four year old Jamaican filly – Swing By- stunned the small crowd at Santa Rosa Park in the President’s Trophy winning at odds of 4-1. Swing By was settled in mid division in the 1900 metre contest by Gary Laban, but at the 1000 metre mark, the multi talented filly ( Alisios/Skip By) , was sent to the front under an enterprising ride by Laban, and she quickly stretched her lead from two lengths to 7 ¼ by the finish line . This was a very impressive performance from a West Indian bred filly , particularly as several of the horses behind her , were leading importations in this country. In second position was US importation – Coconut Boy- , in third was another Jamaican Bred – Uram -, with – Chief Commander ( who won the Tangle wood stakes in Barbados in March but was then disqualified ) only fourth. Odds on favourite and leading importation – Hello Yankee – was fifth , with 2006 Gold Cup winner, and another US import – Straight Ahead – in seventh.

On a reduced six race card, carried forward from the aborted Wednesday card, Gary Laban recorded a double winning the last race with – The Lass Mass- to add to his victory on – Swing By –

While Rodriguez also had a double, having won earlier with – El Guerrouj – before adding the Midsummer Classic with – Santa Baby -.

 

:: AB