WEST INDIES SCORE HISTORIC VICTORY OVER SOUTH AFRICA

West Indies claimed their first Test win in more than two years with a 128-run victory over South Africa.

The Proteas dismissed the tourists early on day four of the first Test for 175, with Paul Harris (4-35) claiming the two remaining wickets.

But South Africa's batsmen never looked like reaching the 339 set to win as they were dismissed for 260.

Fidel Edwards (3-37) and Jerome Taylor (3-66) rolled the hosts over to leave South Africa well beaten.

Only Jaques Kallis (85) and AB de Villiers (60) provided any form of resistance as the day belonged firmly to the West Indies bowlers.

The West Indies started the day on 146 for eight with Taylor and Daren Powell (6) at the crease, but Powell's spell in the middle was brief with the West Indian outdone by a menacing Harris ball which found an inside edge onto his off stump.

And Taylor struck a feisty 22 from just 28 balls before he was caught at long-on by Andre Nel.

The Proteas were quickly in trouble at the start of their second innings when Herschelle Gibbs fell for his second duck of the match. Powell nipped a full ball into Gibbs' pads to dismiss him lbw.

Hashim Amla (8) was the next to fall when his attempted drive, off the bowling of Edwards, got a thin edge into the grateful hands of Denesh Ramadin.

Two overs later and the hosts were 20-3 as the impressive Edwards got the wicket of Graeme Smith (11). The captain was unable to control Edwards' menacing ball and Daren Ganga took the catch at short-leg.

The arrival of Kallis changed South Africa's fortunes ever so slightly with the all-rounder providing some stability in the middle.

Kallis and Ashwell Prince (10) added 25 runs before the latter was caught at first slip off the bowling of Taylor.

And then Kallis and De Villiers went on to make the highest-scoring partnership of the innings until Kallis' beautifully-crated knock was brought to an end shortly after tea.

Kallis' patience deserted him as he went for the pull shot only for the ball to clip his shoulder and end up in Ramadin's gloves. Replays showed that the ball did not hit the bat but it was too late for Kallis as umpire Russell Tiffin had already made his decision.

Mark Boucher then came to the crease and provided an useful partnership with De Villiers until Taylor found an inside edge to end the wicketkeeper's innings.

The West Indies quickly claimed their seventh wicket of the innings when Harris was dismissed off the bowling of Bravo having not troubled the scoring.

And the hosts were in real trouble seven balls later when Taylor got the prized wicket of De Villiers, who gifted a simple catch to Samuels at mid-on.

Andre Nel (34) and Dale Steyn (33) made West Indies wait a little longer than expected for the victory as they added an entertaining 67 to the score.

But Nel's time at the crease ended when he was caught by Ramadin off the bowling of Sammy and Makhaya Ntini (1) soon followed, much to the jubilation of the West Indies.

 

Windies hard at work

WINDIES HARD AT WORK

 

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa - The West Indies cricket team have been having intense training sessions in the build-up to the first Test match against South Africa.

 

The team arrived in this coastal city on Saturday from East London and had a three-hour training session on Saturday evening. The players were back out again on Sunday afternoon for another three-hour session, including net sessions, fielding drills and strengthening and fitness exercises.

According to Head Coach John Dyson, this is good preparation for the first Test, which bowls of at 10:30 am (4:30 am Eastern Caribbean Time) on Wednesday, December 26 (Boxing Day). Dyson added that the Test matches will be vital and there is plenty to play for on both sides.

"It all starts on Wednesday. I believe we will do well out here in South Africa. We are here to do more than just competing. No one says it is going to be easy, but we hope to play well enough that if we get in good positions we can grab an advantage and push for a victory. What I would like at the end of the tour is to have everyone saying 'hey, these guys have played some amazing cricket'. That would please me," Dyson said.

"The efforts being put in by the players have been great. There is a lot of enthusiasm and the players are looking forward to playing. Our bowling attack is very good and we have a number of quality batsmen. What we need to do is get in positions where we can take advantage of any openings."

The West Indies and South Africa teams both attended an official function to launch the series in the Grahamstown Township on Sunday night. The West Indies will have another training session on Monday morning.

West Indies Under-19 squad

Below is the West Indies Under-19 Squad selected for the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup to be held in Malaysia in 2008.

•             Adrian Barath

•             Nkrumah Bonner

•             Darren Bravo

•             Shamarh Brooks

•             Kyle Corbin

•             Andre Creary

•             Jason Dawes

•             Dawnley Grant

•             Steven Jacobs

•             Delorn Johnson

•             Horace Miller

•             Veerasammy Permaul

•             Kieran Powell

•             Devon Thomas

•             Shacaya Thomas

 

                    

TTFF News - Warner and Gonzales at FIFA World Club Championship this week

Warner and Gonzales at FIFA World Club Championship in Tokyo this week

 

Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer, December 6, 2007

 

Trinidadian Merere Gonzales is among several CONCACAF officials attending the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2007 this month. Gonzales will serve as a referee instructor.

 

He joins referee Marco Rodriguez and assistants Jose Luis Camargo and Pedro Rebollar.

 

  Also joining the referees is a large CONCACAF contingent of officials as part of the FIFA Delegation to the FIFA Club World 2007.

 

Leading the CONCACAF contingent are the three members of the FIFA Executive Committee: Jack Warner (Trinidad & Tobago), FIFA Vice-President & CONCACAF President; Chuck Blazer (USA), CONCACAF General Secretary; Rafael Salguero (Guatemala). Jamaica’s Horace Burrell is on the Disciplinary Committee for the tournament.

 

Gonzales has already commenced duties in Tokyo.

 

“Firstly I feel truly honoured and blessed to be appointed to this very prestigious Tournament--the FIFA Club World Cup, Japan, 2007. I am quite fortunate to be appointed for a third time as a Referee Instructor in 2005, last year and this year,” Gonzales told TTFF Media from Tokyo on Wednesday.

“My role as one of the Two Referee Instructors, the other--Mr. Abdullah, from Malaysia,  is to assist in preparing the Match officials (Referees and Assistant Referees) in the Theoretical, Technical and Practical aspects of officiating. We are very much supported by the Head of the FIFA Referees Department, Senor Jose Maria Garcia Aranda Encinar of Spain?”

 

Additionally, the referees are involved in Psychological and Physical Fitness Training sessions.

 

Gonzales hasdone presentations with two of the teams, dealing with very pertinent aspects  of the Laws of the game. Those teams were Etoile Sportive du Sahel  of Tunisia African Champions League winner and Sepahan--Iran , the Asian Champions League runner up.

 

 This tournament is being used as another medium to monitor and assess the performances of match officials, with the possibility of being appointed for the World Cup in South Africa, 2010.

The referees did commendably well in the  FIFA Fitness Test. The  trio from Mexico Senores: Marco Antonio Rodriguez Moreno-Referee and his two Referee Assistants Jose Luis Camargo and Pedro Rebollar Leon have been appointed to officiate in the opening game in Tokyo between Sepahan vs Waitakere United on Friday (tomorrow).

Also there would be an advanced experimentation by Adidas on the Line Technology at the tournament, with the use of an intelligent ball with a chip inside that would assist the Referee in determining whether the ball has crossed the goal line or not.

WICB President lauds Zimbabwe cricket authorities

WICB PRESIDENT LAUDS ZIMBABWE CRICKET AUTHORITIES 

 

 

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - The cricket authorities and event organizers in Zimbabwe have received praise for being "excellent hosts" of the West Indies Cricket Team, which is presently touring the southern African nation.

The words of commendation have come from Honorable Dr. Julian Hunte, President of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), who accompanied the team on the ongoing tour.

"Before we came there were some fears and the perception was that things were going badly wrong here in Zimbabwe. However, I'm happy to say that these fears have not been realized and we are pleased with what has transpired so far," Dr Hunte said.

"The players are happy and have been treated with the greatest respect and admiration. I would like to thank President Peter Chingoka and the other officials from the Zimbabwe Cricket board."

Dr Hunte said the WICB was more than satisfied when the hospitality and added that the WICB was also willing to support Zimbabwe's bid for re-admission to Test cricket.

"The hospitality has been tremendous to me and the team as well. We are delighted. It is obvious that there have been tremendous improvement in the game here in Zimbabwe and this has been indicated by the way their team has been playing," Dr Hunte said.

"The WICB would be willing to assist in any way as Zimbabwe looks to make a return to Test cricket. We are willing to give all the support necessary and we will look at the Future Tours Programme to see how we can facilitate them."

The West Indies and Zimbabwe are presently playing in a five-match limited-overs series. Zimbabwe won the first match, but the West Indies won the second and third encounters at the

WINDIES LOOKING TO CLINCH SERIES

PRESS RELEASE

Date: 6th December, 2007

 

WINDIES LOOKING TO CLINCH SERIES

 

 

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - The West Indies will be looking to win the fourth One-Day International against Zimbabwe on Friday and take an unassailable lead in the five-match series. This message from Dwayne Bravo, the stand-in captain, who said the aim is to "win and win big" when the two teams meet at the picturesque Queen's Sports Club.

"This is the most important game of the series. If we win that would mean we clinch the series. That was our goal from the time we arrived, to win the series. We were looking to win 5-0 but Zimbabwe beat us in the first match, which was high-scoring," Bravo said on Thursday.

"Since the first match we went back to the drawing board and have been playing the way we know we can. We won convincingly in the second and third matches and we will be looking to do the same in the fourth match. Win and win big and close out the series."

The West Indies players had an intense five-hour training session at the ground on Thursday. In the morning they had fielding drills and in the afternoon they batted and bowled in the nets.

Play starts at 9:30 am (3:30 am Eastern Caribbean Time). The West Indies starting XI will be named on the morning of the match. The fifth and final match is at Queen's Sports Club on Sunday.

 

Edwin Skinner & Ian Morris to be inducted into CAC Hall of Fame

Edwin Skinner & Ian Morris to be inducted into CAC Hall of Fame

 

Mr. Alan Baboolal and Mr. Dexter Voisin were elected as secretary and assistant secretary to the executive of the National Amateur Athletic Association (NAAA) at the first meeting of the Executive since last week’s AGM. The Executive also discussed plans for the upcoming 2008 track and field season which starts on Sunday 6th January 2008 with development meets at the Hasely Crawford and Dwight Yorke Stadiums.

 

The NAAA's  will host their 2007 Annual Awards Ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Saturday 5th January, 2008. At this time Mr. Edwin Skinner and Mr. Ian Morris will be inducted into the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Hall of Fame . CAC President Mr. Victor Lopez will be attending the inductions. Mr. Skinner and Mr. Morris are the second group of Trinidadians to be inducted into the CAC Hall of Fame following Mr. Hasely Crawford and Mr. Edwin Roberts in 2005. The NAAA's will also be honouring several officials, top athletes in various categories as well as the Champion Club male and female for the 2007 track and field season.

 

On Saturday 15th December the NAAA's will be hosting their last seminar for the year at the Cascadia Hotel St. Ann's. Topics at this seminar will cover doping control / nutrition and sports rehab.

           

         Peter D Samuel

         PRO

TAYLOR PLEASED WITH PERFORMANCE

Date: 4th December, 2007

 

TAYLOR PLEASED WITH PERFORMANCE

 

 

Harare, Zimbabwe – West Indies fast bowler Jerome Taylor says he “totally enjoyed” his awesome bowling performance in the 3rd One-Day International against Zimbabwe on Tuesday at the Harare Sports Club.

 

The 23-year-old, who is know to teammates as Bobby, bowled with great hostility to take three wickets for 18 runs from 9.5 overs as the West Indies dismissed the home team for 139 off 37.5 overs. The Windies then sailed to 142 for 4 from 27.5 overs to win by 6 wickets and take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

 

The performance earned Taylor the Man-of-the-Match award.

 

“I felt quite good out there in the middle today and I’m really pleased with my performance. At the start things didn’t really go my way but I came back and everything felt balanced and I reaped the rewards,” Taylor said.

 

“It was my day in many ways. I went out there, assessed the pitch and looked at what (Daren) Powell was doing from that end. I sent down a few quick balls and totally enjoyed the day.”

 

After the bowlers did the job in the morning the batsmen went to work and the win was set-up by Runako Morton with 38 from 44 balls.

 

Then, Dwayne Bravo, in his first international match as captain, was in brilliant form hitting 45 not out from 24 balls – with six fours and three sixes in the area from square-cover to long-off. He added an unbeaten 60 for the fifth wicket with Shivnarine Chanderpaul who was unbeaten on 27. He now has 166 runs in three innings, having been dismissed just once.

 

The series now moves to the Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo. The fourth match will be on Friday and the fifth and final match on Sunday.

 

 

For current images of the West Indies tour in Zimbabwe, as well as match action, log on to www.digicelcricket.com

Visit www.windiescricket.com, for the latest West Indies cricket news.

 

Philip Spooner

Media Officer

West Indies Cricket Team

Joe Public FC and the Shaka Hislop Tribute Cup

To Whom It May Concern:

Over the last week, I have been reading several articles by locally renowned sport journalists as it pertains to Joe Public FC and its apparent unsupportive stance with participation with the 2007 Shaka Hislop Tribute Cup. There were many wrong assumptions made in this regard, and it would be remiss of me, to not correct all relevant persons associated and interested in this matter. For ease of reference, I am listing them in bullet format.

 

(1) The decision for our players to not participate in the recently concluded Shaka Hislop Tribute was my decision and not that of Mr. Jack Warner or any other director of Joe Public Football Club.  It is also informative to note that Mr. Jack Warner is not involved with Joe Public FC in any manner apart from being the founder of the club along with my elder brother, Mr. Daryan Warner.  The day-to-day functions associated with Joe Public FC are managed from my office.

 

(2) The Pro League's request for Joe Public players came from an unofficial telephone call (3-4 days prior to the event) from the coach of the TT Pro League Foreign all star team.  No official correspondence came to Joe Public FC's office in a timely manner nor did anyone from the Pro League office contact Joe Public FC directly as is customary.  Apart from the telephone call from the coach and the newspapers, Joe Public FC office was not aware that any players from our club would have been requested for this tournament.

 

(3) Upon receiving an unofficial telephone call, I wrote the Pro league office expressing my displeasure with same and asked the Pro League office of the insurance coverage for players in this tournament since my insurance company would not cover my players for this tournament as it was not disclosed to them in Feb 2007 when I renewed my insurance policy for players/members of my club.  I got no response to my request for information on insurance coverage for players in this tournament nor did I get responses for other pertinent questions that my office asked the Pro league office.

 

(4) I also instructed the Pro League office that the sought after players would be unavailable due to injuries and two of them going on trials and that I can substitute the requested players with other players from Joe Public's ranks.  This was not even considered and I was told very bluntly "No, we want the players we requested and no-one else." 

 

In closing, I want to remind the renowned sport journalists, Mr. Dexter Skeene and Mr. Larry Romany of the TT Pro League, other TT Pro League officials, and your avid followers that Joe Public Company is a privately owned entity and the Pro League office cannot instruct Joe Public FC in any aspect of its affairs.  The decision to not have any of my players participate in the recently concluded Shaka Hislop Tribute Cup was taken SOLELY by Mr. Daryll Warner and had nothing to do with Mr. Michael McComie, Mr. Jack Warner or any other director of the club (Warner family member or not).  Based on points 1-4 along with other circumstances, Joe Public FC was unable to accommodate the league's request for the release of certain Joe Public FC players.  Notwithstanding, the Shaka Hislop Tribute got the services of one of my employees, Mr. Michael Williams, and he assisted with the technical aspects of the tournament.

 

Keep writing my sport journalists but next time feel free to contact my office to clarify any Joe Public FC related matters that you may be unaware of.  I do hope that some players do get an opportunity to visit FC Dallas in Dallas, Texas.  I just came back from Dallas, Texas last Sunday and it is a lovely city with a great sporting pedigree.  The onus lies with the Trinidad and Tobago Pro League office to ensure that this is a reality and that the 2007 Shaka Hislop Tribute was no more than a highly advertised fete match.  On another note, congrats to Mr. Shaka Hislop with his recent retirement from a successful sporting career and I do wish him well in his future endeavors.

 

Regards,

 

Daryll Warner

Managing Director

Joe Public Football Club

PARCHMENT SET TO PLAY ON TUESDAY

PRESS RELEASE

Date: 3rd December, 2007

 

PARCHMENT SET TO MAKE DEBUT

 

 

 

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Opening batsman Brenton Parchment will make his international debut on Tuesday when he plays in the 3rd One-Day International against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club.

 

The 25-year-old right-hander will replace team captain Chris Gayle, who suffered an injury to his right hamstring during Sunday’s victory at the same ground.

 

Parchment, a former West Indies Under-19 captain, will partner Devon Smith at the top of the order, while Dwayne Bravo will have his first full match as captain.

 

“Excited! That’s the one word I have at this moment. I’m feeling really excited about getting a chance,” Parchment said on Monday. “The moment has not come yet, but I’m really looking forward to tomorrow (Tuesday).”

 

Meanwhile, Gayle received more treatment on Monday for the strain he sustained on Sunday while completing a quick single. He will continue to receive treatment and will be monitored on a day-to-day basis.

 

FULL TEAM: Dwayne Bravo (captain), Devon Smith, Brenton Parchment, Runako Morton, Shiv Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Rawl Lewis, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell

12th man: Darren Sammy

Reserves: Fidel Edwards, Narsingh Deonarine

Injured: Chris Gayle

 

Philip Spooner

Media Officer

West Indies Cricket Team

E-mail pspooner@windiescricket.com