No play for Windies on rainy Monday

Windies upbeat despite wash out

 

There was no play for the West Indies on Monday as the final day of their three-day match against Essex County Club was washed out. There was steady rain on Monday morning and the outfield was too wet for play.

 

Scores in the match: Essex 263 and 175-3, West Indies 146.

 

West Indies Head Coach John Dyson said the players remained in good spirits despite the wash out and they will be looking to forward to the next first-class match -- a four-day fixture against the England Lions at the County Ground in Derbyshire starting on Thursday.

 

“Ideally we would have liked another hit (second innings) but we can’t control the weather. We just have to move on to the next match at Derby and make the most of that opportunity,” Dyson said.

“In this game we did not bat very well and the guys know that. The one exception was Shiv, and he will always be Shiv … he just bats and bats and that will always be his style. We are not down at all. We know what we have to do and we are confident of doing well.”

 

On Sunday, Chanderpaul made a resolute 66 not out off 107 balls. It was the 87th half-century of his first-class career to go alongside 48 centuries.

 

“The bowlers have all bowled some good spells and it is a matter of being consistent. The guys will be looking to tune-up with the prospect of playing in the Test matches so we will be expecting some good performances in Derby.”

 

In between the rain, the Windies players took the opportunity to do gym work, do video analysis and also sign autographs for fans at the ground.

 

The match against the England Lions will be the final warm-up match before the two-match Test Series against England. The 1^st Test will be at Lord’s on May 6-10. The 2nd Test will be at Riverside Ground at Chester-le-Street, starting May 14.

 

Upcoming matches

April 30 to May 3: vs England Lions at County Ground, Derby

May 6-10: 1^st Test at Lord’s

May 14-18: 2^nd Test at Chester-le-Street

May 21: 1^st ODI at Headingley

May 24: 2^nd ODI at Bristol

May 26: 3^rd ODI at Edgbaston

TTFF NEWS - Vranes has eyes on players as Under 20s tackle UAE

Vranes has eyes on players as Under 20s tackle UAE

Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer in Al Ain, April 27.2009

 

“This is where the competition begins for a pick for Egypt”

 

Those were the words of National Under 20 Team head coach Zoran Vranes as he looked ahead to Tuesday’s warm up encounter against United Aram Emirates’ Under 20 team at the Al Qatara Stadium on Al Ain, UAE.

 

Vranes put his players through their paces in a 90 minute session at the Al Ain training facility on a well kept lush green turn even under humid conditions as the temperatures reached 36 degrees for the second consecutive day.

 

The game will played at Al Qatara Stadium in Al Ain, (and not Al Ain Sports Complex as previously announced) from 6pm (10 am TT time) on Tuesday and the T&T team here has received confirmation from some 50 plus T&T nationals residing in Dubai that they will be at the venue to show their support to the junior “Soca Warriors” who are preparing for the 2009 FIFA Under 20 World Cup in Egypt in September.

 

Vranes, the man who guided the team out of the CONCACAF qualifying round, is expecting a tough contest from the UAE.

 

“Well we expect them to be tough. They have also qualified for the World Championship and they take their football very seriously here. We can expect them to be good technically and of course they will not want to lose at home” Vranes told TTFF Media on Monday.

 

“But we want these kind of matches. For our boys it could be difficult especially with the climate but this is what we need before we go to Europe. I have already told them that this period leading up to the World Cup will the hardest part for the team.”

 

He had a bit of a warning for the 20 players on the current tour, saying that no player should consider himself a guaranteed pick for the World Championship in Egypt where T&T will open the tournament against Egypt before facing Italy and Paraguay.

 

“It’s important and they have to know that not one of them can say they are sure to go to Egypt and now with this being our first international game since the World qualifiers, every player must show that he is of value to the team and is good enough to earn his pick for Egypt. Already I could probably say that we maybe are missing five starting players on this trip based on some of the players we have in mind who might be playing professionally abroad and once our plans go well then I can see them coming into the team for the tournament. But our boys now are eager to do well and everyone will have a fair chance to show that they can be part of the final team,” Vranes added.

 

Midfielder and team captain Leston Paul said his troops were looking forward to the match up against the hosts.

 

“Well it’s a bit hotter than normal here but so far today was our best day because we have settled in and we were able to have a good session under the conditions. It’s all part of the challenge in getting adapted quickly when we come out to play international matches. This is what we have to do in order to prepare for Egypt. We are looking forward to playing the UAE. I haven’t seen much of them but based on our knowledge of football in Asia we expect that they would give us a good run. I expect that they would be similar to Bahrain like when they played us in the qualification for the 2006 World Cup. We will work hard and try to get a good result to start the tour,” Paul said.

 

 

Do you know who this is?

Do you know who this is?

Under 17s warm up with 2-0 win over Panama club

Trinidad and Tobago’s National Under 17 team warmed up for the final round of qualification for the FIFA Under 17 World Championship with a 2-0 victory over Panamanian club side Tauro FC on Saturday.

The local team, under head coach Anton Corneal, spent three days in Panama City en route to Mexico where they will contest the final round starting on Wednesday against the Mexicans.

The goalscorers for T&T were forwards Jerrel Britto and Johan Peltier.

“Overall it was a pretty decent exercise for us,” Corneal told TTFF Media as the team settled in Tijuana on Monday

“Now we are in Mexico and looking to get the boys settled in as quickly as possible. They have done well so far. Of course this is a very big outing for them and so far they have responded in the right manner. Being away from home, especially in a place like Mexico for a tournament and not just a training camp or a friendly, is always expected to be a challenge especially for a group of Under 17 players. But it’s going to be almost the same for the other teams except the hosts,” Corneal added.

Team captain Britto, who had another recent stint with English club Portsmouth, sounded confident ahead of T&T’s opening clash, despite being well aware that the hosts will be a tough hurdle to overcome.

“I believe our chances are good. We have worked really hard to get ready for this tournament and even though it might look really difficult with the teams in our group, we have played against teams like Brazil and other good clubs in Colombia. That has done a lot to help us get ready for this tournament,” Britto said.

“I think once we settle down well and be composed then we have a great chance of coming out successful. The team spirit is great but we just need to ensure we are not too nervous going into the first match. Our approach to this tournament has been good because we have been training for a long time trying to get ourselves ready.”
T&T face off with Mexico at the 33,000-capacity Estadio Caliente on Wednesday and they then take on Costa Rica on April 24 before meeting Guatemala two days later
The top two teams from each group will advance to the World Championship in Nigeria from October 24 to November 15, 2009. The other group being contested also in Mexico includes USA, Honduras, Canada and Cuba.

Romany: Morales saves the day for Sport

Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee( TTOC) president has congratulated Bolivia  president Evo Morales for making sure sport was  mentioned at the 5th Summit of the Americas.       "There was widespread concern within the local sport community  that at such an important hemispheric forum .Sport was noticeably absent from the agenda.I had hoped that Sport would have been seen as a vital part of the efforts to bring about sustainable development and the battle to eradicate poverty.So I was very happy that President Morales gave sport such a  ringing endorsement.He saved the day for sport"   Romany believes that sport needs to be  addressed in a meaningful way.'It is not just a case of throwing money at sport.It is even more important that there be a deep seated understanding of what is required to  develop  sport and that sport is not only about elite and elite level competition."     President  Morales at a news press conference on Saturday told his 33 Heads of Government counterparts at the Fifth Summit of the Americas that sports and youth were the catalyst that integrated the world, when all else had failed.   His [ Morales]admission came after he was asked by a foreign journalist what message he had for the Summit and for the youth.

 

T&T U20s off to UAE

Trinidad and Tobago’s National Under 20 Team will jet off to United Arab Emirates on April 25 to play that country’s National Under 20 in two warm up matches later this month.

 

This was confirmed by the TTFF after the UAE extended the invitation. Special Adviser Jack Warner added : “We have confirmed two matches against UAE on April 28 and 29 and we have written to Nigeria, Ghana and South Korea for possible matches around those dates. We are also talking to Australia to play here in Trinidad in July.

 

“The Under 20 team will have a hectic schedule but it is all geared towards to ensuring they get the best preparation possible before heading to Egypt. The fact is we will have a world audience never experienced before looking on when Trinidad and Tobago takes on Egypt in the opening match of a World Cup.”

 

T&T U-20 team head coach Zoran Vranes said he was grateful for the upcoming matches.

 

“It’s an excellent opportunity for us to travel and play in that part of the world. Of  course we know there is a lot of work ahead of us but we welcome these type of matches. My position with the team remains the same because I will not give them up. But at a meeting with Russell Latapy, we exchanged very similar views as it relates to us working together with the National Senior Team. I am really looking forward to both challenges,” Vranes told TTFF Media.

 

Warner said he was also optimistic that the T&T U17s will come out successful in their final round campaign in Mexico next week leading to the FIFA Under 17 World Championship in Nigeria.

 

“I am optimistic that the Under 17s shall be the second national team to qualify for the World Cup on African soil this year and the next one will be the Soca Warriors for South Africa,” Warner said.

T&T vs Costa Rica on June 6 to be played at Dwight Yorke Stadium

Trinidad and Tobago’s next 2010 World Cup Qualifying encounter against Costa Rica on Saturday June 6,2009 will be staged at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago at 6pm

 

This was announced by TTFF Special Adviser Jack Warner on Thursday after what he stated was a joint decision taken by the Football Federation and National Team Technical Staff in conjunction with the Tobago House of Assembly.

 

“That has been agreed by the Football Federation  and the Team’s technical staff and it was done in conjunction with the Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly Orville London at a meeting yesterday. He was advised and he agreed that Tobago is part of Trinidad and Tobago and therefore it is only fair that a game be played there. We also agreed that although the stadium holding 7,500 persons, some 15,000 less than the Hasely Crawford Stadium and while it is going to be a financial loss for the Federation, the Federation believes that with Dwight Yorke being back for that match and with the game being Russell Latapy’s first official World Cup match as head coach… Tobago shall have the honour of staging the event,” Warner told TTFF Media.

 

“It is being done in the national interest. Latapy at a meeting this morning was ecstatic over the decision. We will also make plans to ensure that as much Trinidadians be given the opportunity to be in the sister isle for the match.”

 

Warner added that tickets will be priced at $400 for covered, one hundred less than previous qualifying matches and $200 for uncovered. Warner went on to say that invitations have also been extended to President George Maxwell Richards, Prime Minister Patrick Manning, Minister of Sport Gary Hunt and Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Orville London.

 

Warner stressed that Latapy has the fullest support of himself and the TTFF  as was made clear at a meeting with Latapy, Zoran Vranes and other technical team members on Thursday morning.

 

“This country has 1.3 million people and unfortunately we also have 1.3 million coaches and everybody knows what is best for the team. But what we have to make decisions  in the team’s best interest. And at this time we are totally committed to supporting Russell Latapy as head coach and Zoran Vranes as his assistant and which ever other person he decides to bring on board. This will be discussed at meeting arranged specifically for this purpose on Monday.

 

“We have to give him our support and we believe he can do it. Those who people who believe, even those who played with him and who are critical now of his appointment and thinks he doesn’t have enough experience… I want to say to them that you have to begin somewhere and where else can we begin than at home. Therefore everything we can do to give Russell a chance to succeed we shall do. I want to say today that the game against Costa Rica on June 6 we shall win and that will turn our chances around,” Warner added.

 

“We shall take that success and turn it around as far as our qualification for South Africa is concerned. It will not be easy I know this but we have to take match by match and use each one as if it is our last match. I feel very optimistic that we shall qualify. Times are tough especially financially but we will be putting our best foot forward. We are readily behind coach Latapy to ensure he has everything he needs to be successful in that game,” Warner ended.

 

Latapy will begin on field preparations later this month with home-based players and further information regarding the team’s build up to June 6 including warm up internationals will be revealed in due course.

Figaro:T&T Rugby remains focused on its objectives

Trinidad and Tobago's main rugby objective this year is to capture the NAWIRA Rugby 7s championship in both the men and women divisions.The 2009 NAWIRA 7s is scheduled to be held later this year in Mexico City ,November 14-15th.   In addition the T&T Women's team will  travel to Barbados in July to defend their Caribbean 15s rugby title.While the T&T Under 19 team will be heading to Cayman Island in June .Their objective will be to win the Caribbean title and qualify for the 2010 International Rugby Board (IRB) Junior World Trophy.   The NAWIRA 7s will be the qualifying tournament for the 2010 Central  America and Caribbean(CAC)  Games and possibly the 2010 Commonwealth Games.   TTRFU president Leslie Figaro believes that even in the face of the economic down turn aside the T&T teams will achieve their goals .   " I am confident and encouraged by the the willingness of our players and coaches to put in the required work.It is not simply a case of waiting for the TTRFU to do this and that. There are aspects of the training programme that the players are doing on their own.This shows that they are taking ownership of their fitness and skill development."   While acknowledging that the current economic environment will have its impact the local rugby chief is not worried.   " To achieve our objectives will require discipline and focus.There will be some fall out.But  there are individuals who have the desire to step up to the plate.Whatever fall out there is,if any at all,will be to the benefit of T&T Rugby .In tough times commitment,dedication and the willingness and hunger to go the extra mile comes to the forefront."   According to Figaro,T&T Rugby has a history of excellence.This country qualified for the IRB under 19 rugby championship  in 2002.The men's national 7s team qualified for the 1998 and 2002 Commonwealth Games, and the IRB World Sevens series event in Los Angeles in 2004.T&T has  held multiple titles at all levels of the game in the Caribbean.   " We have a history and tradition to maintain and improve.That pride and passion must be used to inspire and motivate this and future generations of rugby players.Even though rugby  may not be considered in the same league as football,cricket and track and field to name but a few.We have also excelled."   Figaro says in recent years Rugby has enjoyed a renewal of interest at School and Community level.He credits this to the TTRFU's Youth Development Officers and the School Rugby Union.   In addition to the School Union.We have community oriented programmes in Gasparillio,Maloney,Marabella ,Princess Town,Tobago,Toco,Siparia. In addition to the work in Port.of.Spain and the East through the various clubs.

 

Safety concerns of parents being addressed by TTFF

In response to concerns expressed by the parents and guardians of members of the National U-17 Team re their sons and wards participating in the CONCACAF U 17 Qualifying competition in Mexico beginning next week in Tijuana, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation wishes to assure parents that every effort is being made to ensure the safety of the Trinidad and Tobago squad. 

 

The delegation, which met CONCACAF President Jack Warner in his Port of Spain office, said that it was disturbed by news and reports of kidnappings of youths in Mexico especially since the start of this year.They produced several documents to support their  concerns.

 

Based on the discussions held, President Warner, who is also TTFF Special Advisor, informed the parents that Mr Lennox Watson, Vice President and National Security Officer of the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation, shall be accompanying the T&T team throughout the duration of the tournament from April 22- May 3, 2009. Moreover Mr Warner himself would be visiting Mexico for the opening of the competition on April 22, 2009 to ascertain for himself the situation in Mexico relative to the concerns expressed by the parents and guardians. He departs from Mexico on April 23 for Aruba and Curacao to represent FIFA President Blatter on the occasion of the Goal Project in both countries.

 

 

TTFF NEWS - Final U17 squad selected for qualifiers in Mexico

Final U17 squad selected for qualifiers in Mexico

 

Trinidad and Tobago National Under 17 Football Team head coach Anton Corneal on Monday selected a final 20-man squad to contest the CONCACAF Final Round of qualification for the 2009 FIFA Under 17 World Championship.

The squad will arrive in Tijuana, Mexico on Monday where it will begin its final round campaign against hosts Mexico on April 22 at the 33,000-capacity Estadio Caliente. They then take on Costa Rica on April 24 and Guatemala two days later

The top two teams from each group will advance to the World Championship in Nigeria from October 24 to November 15, 2009. The other group being contested also in Mexico includes USA, Honduras, Canada and Cuba.

T&T are coming off two back to back wins,  a 3-2 win over local Pro League outfit Mau Pau FC and then another, a 2-1 win over the National Under 20 team on Monday with both goals coming from forward Jerrel Britto.

 

Corneal, having led the previous Under 17 team to a spot at the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Championship in South Korea, is optimistic of his team’s chances.

 

“I think right now the squad is in the best shape possible. We had some difficulty in the last few weeks deciding on a final squad because of how much the players were pushing themselves. We have 25 players all capable of making it but unfortunately we can only take 20 to the tournament,” Corneal told TTFF Media on Tuesday.

 

“The team has grown in every department, physically, tactically and confidence wise. We have a couple of good tours under our belt and we’ve done pretty well against a couple local pro league teams. We’ve had one or two senior players really stepping up and hopefully this continues in the tournament.

 

“We know the history of Mexico and Costa Rica. They have both qualified for previous tournaments but Mexico didn’t make it last time and we know they will not make it easy for any team especially being at home this time. But we are prepared for the challenge. I think that with the right attitude and approach we can make it through,” Corneal added.

 

“Because of having played the likes of a Brazil National Under 17 teams as well as the teams we encountered in Colombia, we know what we will be up against in Mexico in terms of style of play. We are in pretty much excellent shape physically and this is good for us when a team has to play three matches inside six days.”

 

Corneal said his players are motivated by the fact that the previous U17s made it through and that the U20s have followed in similar fashion by making it to Egypt 2009.

 

“Yes they are definitely using it as an incentive. They have been told all year round that this opportunity comes only once at the U17 level and they have seen what qualifying for a World Cup does for players. The right examples have been set for these boys and they are eager to try and grab the opportunity ahead of them,” Corneal concluded.

 

The team will train at 4pm on Wednesday at the Marvin Lee Stadium before departing for Panama City on Thursday where they will play a warm up match a day later.

 

 

NATIONAL U-17 FOOTBALL SQUAD FOR MEXICO 2009

 

NAME	D-O-B	CLUB	SCHOOL
GOALKEEPERS
1.John Thomas	18-11-1993	Joe Public	Fatima College
2.Jamal Francois	16-09-1992	San Juan Jabloteh	St. Anthony’s College
DEFENDERS
3.Akeems Grant	07-04-1992	W Connection	Naparima College
4.Reshad Wint	12-02-1992	Joe Public	St. Anthony’s College
5.Dwight Ceballo	06-06-1992	San Juan Jabloteh	St. Anthony’s College
6.Dillon Kirton	25-04-1992	San Juan Jabloteh	St. Mary’s College
7.Zavion Navarro	31-12-1992	San Juan Jabloteh	St, Augustine Senior Comp.
8.Luke Hernandez	24-03-1992	San Juan Jabloteh	St. Anthony’s College
9.Shaquille Stewart	10-11-1993	W Connection	St. Benedict’s College
10.Omarr Charles	12-03-1992	Stokelyvale F.C.	Mason Hall High School
MIDFIELDERS
11.Shahdon Winchester	08-01-1992	W Connection	Naparima College
12.Ryan Mcleod	02-02-1992	Toronto FC Academy	The Woodlands School, Canada
13.Vernell Ramirez	19-03-1992	San Juan Jabloteh	St, Augustine Senior Comp.
14.Neil Mitchell	01-07-1992	Joe Public	El Dorado Secondary
15.Moriba Ballah	03-01-1992	San Juan Jabloteh	St. Anthony’s College
16.Ross Russell Jr.	09-01-1992	Defence Force	Fatima College
17.Ryan Frederick	11-06-1992	W Connection	Naparima College
FORWARDS
18.Cordel Cato	15-07-1992	San Juan Jabloteh	St. Anthony’s College
19.Jerrel Britto	04-07-1992	San Juan Jabloteh	Queen’s Royal College
20.Johan Peltier	26-03-1992	San Juan Jabloteh	Mucurapo Senior Comp.

 

 

 

 

Staff

 

Boris Punch- Chef de Mission

Anton Corneal – Head Coach

Christopher Gouveia - Manager

Michael McComie – Ass’t Coach

Shawn Cooper- Ass’t Coach

Ross Russell- Goalkeeper Coach

Mario John- Doctor

Michael Taylor- Physio

Gilbert Bateau- Trainer

Mark Lewis- Equipment Manager

 

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