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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mc Leod, Carter, John Williams headline CCCAN 40

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

CCCAN SWIM TEAM

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

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

FEMALE
Bryanna Duncan
Cadean Lyons
Kristen Julien
Theana Hay

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

FEMALE
Khadija Thornhill
Kimberlee John Williams

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

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

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

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

GAYLE ADMITS HIS TEAM STRUGGLED IN COLD CONDITIONS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DYSON CREDITS ENGLAND BATSMEN AS WINDIES TOIL

Thursday, May 14^th, 2009: The coach of the Digicel-sponsored West Indies team, John Dyson, credited England’s batsmen here Thursday after his bowlers were made to toil on day one of the second Test as centuries from opener Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara set up an imposing total of 302 for two.

“It was a tough day today, a very flat wicket and the England batsmen batted very, very well,” Dyson said after play. “I think our bowlers stuck to the task reasonably well all day. We bowled perhaps just a little wide and perhaps just a little short but we stuck at the job,” he added. “It’s just that the wicket is very flat and the England batsmen batted very well.”

Dyson said he expects another strong effort from his guys on the second day. “We just have to keep going. We’re trying to bowl the right areas and hope one of the few that was played and missed at that they might nick,” he said. “It was a terrific ball that Lionel Baker bowled Ravi on late today. Maybe if we get one or two of those in the morning we can grab a couple of wickets and make things a bit more uncomfortable.”

Dyson also outlined his team’s preparations coming into this match on the back of a humiliating three-day, ten-wicket loss at Lord’s last Friday. “There’s not that many days off between the games. We’ve been in the nets on both days, and extended the time in the nets for the batsmen,” he explained. “We’ve also spent a little more time with our fielding and changed the drills that

COOK AND BOPARA HIT TONS TO PUT ENGLAND ON TOP

Thursday, May 14^th, 2009: Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara hit well-constructed centuries at Chester-le-Street on Thursday, to secure a dominant England position of 302 for two at close of play on the first day of the 2^nd Test against the Digicel-sponsored West Indies.

Opener Cook batted throughout the day for 126 not out off 262 balls in just over six hours. The spirited left-hander struck 14 fours.

Bopara, in contrasting style, lashed 13 fours and one six off 108 - his third century in successive Test innings following 104 at Kensington Oval in February and 143 last week at Lord’s.

The pair of 24-year-olds, who have been team-mates since their under-12 days in the Essex county system, nailed down England’s advantage with a 213-run stand for the second wicket.

The West Indies bowlers toiled hard after England, 1-0 up in this two-match series, won the toss in chilly conditions on an easy-paced pitch. Only captain Chris Gayle (one for 28) and pacer Lionel Baker (one for 60) reaped any reward.

Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards were a bit wayward with the new ball and Cook and his skipper Andrew Strauss gave their team a solid start of 69 for the first wicket. Gayle’s off-spin provided the breakthrough just as Strauss (26) was beginning to blossom. The England captain provided a juggled leg-side catch to wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin as he gloved a sweep.

Cook and Bopara laid the early foundations of their partnership before taking lunch at 85 for one. Cook’s footwork began to grow in certainty and he arrived at fifty off 108 balls with a clip for three off Sulieman Benn.

Bopara, more assured from the start, also arrived at his milestone in the second session, off 106 deliveries as he tickled Benn fine for his seventh boundary.

The West Indies had a rare opportunity to separate the pair soon afterwards when another leg glance from Bopara burst past a diving Ramdin’s outstretched left glove on its way to the rope.

The right-hander, who had survived chances in both his previous centuries, was then 51 and the despairing bowler was Baker. That piece of ill fortune for the visitors also raised the century stand and the pair guided England to tea at 184 for one.

The final session offered little respite for the West Indies and Cook, in his 43rd Test, cruised to his ninth century 50 minutes after resumption. He brought it up in style, advancing down the pitch to slam Benn past midwicket for his 11th boundary and added a square cut for four next delivery as the bowler dropped short.

Bopara, too, motored to his landmark in confident fashion, lofting Benn straight for 4, 6, 4 to move from 84 to 98.

He then went full stretch to tap a wide Lendl Simmons delivery into the off side to reach three figures - only the fifth Englishman to do so in three consecutive innings (after legends Herbert Sutcliffe, Denis Compton, Geoff Boycott and Graham Gooch).

The West Indies enjoyed precious little encouragement during the day, with an early Cook edge off Gayle and Bopara’s under-edged cut off Benn after he reached 100 among the few genuine moments of uncertainty from the hosts.

The second new ball brought a late boost when Baker produced a fine inswinger which touched down on a good length and went through the gate to rock Bopara’s off stump.

Edwards seemed energized by the presence of nightwatchman James Anderson and shook him up with some short stuff. But he couldn’t produce another wicket and England ended the day well on top.

T&T U20s to meet Argentina,Ghana in Venezuela tournament

Trinidad and Tobago’s National Under 20 footballers, back in Port of Spain today (Thursday) from a 21-day tour, will continue their preparations for the FIFA Under 20 World Championship with another set of international warm ups against renowned opposition next month.

 

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation this week accepted an invitation to participate in a tournament in Venezuela from June 11-21 which will see the junior “Soca Warriors” get to face off with the National Under 20s teams of defending World Youth Cup champions Argentina, Ghana, Honduras and hosts Venezuela. There is the possibility that one other country will be added to the list.

 

T&T received the invitation from Hernan Tofoni, general manager of  licensed FIFA Match and Players agent World Eleven, the organizers of the tournament.

 

The opportunity for T&T to test themselves against higher ranked teams was another welcomed one for head coach Zoran Vranes.

 

“We believe that the only way the team can prepare for a World tournament is to play teams that are rated higher than us and that are stronger than us at the moment. I think the Federation is doing quite a good job to try and ensure that we get to warm up against the bigger teams and as you can see with our tour, we have worked hard and improved game by game. The result against Nigeria didn’t come by luck,” Vranes told TTFF Media on Wednesday as the T&T contingent landed in London on its way back to Port of Spain following visits to United Arab Emirates, South Korea and Nigeria dating back to last month.

 

Reflecting some more on the draw with the “Flying Eagles” on Tuesday, the Serbia Montenegro-born coach added that he was curious to see how the players would respond on the follow up to such a grueling tour.

 

“If you look back at our matches you will see that we had chances to win some of the games. I believe that this team can be very good with some changes and with more preparation on a physical and mental aspect.

 

“When you play Nigeria and you have the lead you are scared to spoil it and you start to make results. We did not attack them in the second half as much as we did in the first and that is something we will work on.”

 

Vranes said he believed strikers Juma Clarence and Trent Lougheed will develop into top notch forwards once they remain focused.

 

“Juma deserved to start. He had problems in the past but he coming back very well. Trent is also a very hard working guy but he also has some weaknesses which he is working on. I believe they can both be very good players.”

 

Meantime, the Trinidad and Tobago Ambassador to Nigeria Mrs. Victoria Mendez-Charles and her colleagues from the Trinidad High Commission in Abuja hosted the T&T players and officials at a reception at the Hilton Hotel on Tuesday night following the match at the National Stadium.

 

T&T skipper Leston Paul presented Mendez-Charles with an autographed national team shirt.

 

“It’s an honour for Trinidad and Tobago to play Egypt in the first game… What a task we have,” Mendez Charles told the gathering which included officials of other high commissions from Central America and the Caribbean.

 

“After seeing today’s game between Trinidad and Tobago and Nigeria of which I was eminently proud of our team, I have every reason, every faith and confidence that our young nationals will rise to the occasion and acquit themselves honorably,” she said.

 

The team returns home on Thursday afternoon.

SWANN, ONIONS TORMENT WEST INDIES ON DAY TWO

The West Indies endured a nightmare day at Lord’s on Thursday as Graeme Swann, with bat and ball, and debutant pacer Graham Onions, with a five-wicket haul, gave England a winning platform after only two days of the first Test.

England, overnight 298 for seven, powered to 377 all out as first day centurion Ravi Bopara (143) and Swann, with a career-best 63 not out, kept the momentum with the hosts.

Fidel Edwards, so impressive on day one, ended with deserving figures of six for 92 but his big smile as he walked off was soon eroded by his team’s batting collapse.

The visitors, despite reaching 70 for one, were toppled for 152 in their first innings to concede a formidable lead of 225. The Caribbean men, forced to follow on, limped to 39 for two batting again, still 186 in arrears.

Devon Smith top scored in the first innings with a composed 46 and remained defiant on 26 not out second time around.

Fast bowler, Stuart Broad, (two for 57) made the initial strikes in West Indies first innings. Off-spinner Swann (three for 16) engineered the middle order collapse while Onions provided the gravy with the final five wickets in a clatter.

Onions, the 6 foot, 2 inch Durham paceman, ended with five for 38.

James Anderson, who went wicketless in the first innings, landed two crucial blows in the second dig removing captain Chris Gayle for a duck and Ramaresh Sarwan cheaply.

England began the day with a flourish as Bopara and Swann stretched their eighth wicket association to 93, the best stand of the innings.

Swann’s counter-attack dominated the partnership and West Indian spirits quickly wilted on a chilly day in London.

The ebullient all-rounder arrived at fifty off 73 balls with a disdainful pull for six off Lionel Baker that epitomized the day. He added nine fours.

The West Indies brushed aside the last three wickets once Bopara, overnight 118, drove Jerome Taylor to extra cover Brendan Nash, who ironically was the one that began the spate of dropped catches on Wednesday when Bopara was 76.

Edwards wrapped up the innings with two wickets in two balls. Anderson, shaken up by a nasty blow to the back of the helmet, edged to the keeper while Onions’ first ball in Test cricket ended with his stumps shattered.

The West Indies reply began positively as the innovative England tactic of using Swann with the new ball failed.

Gayle played some booming drives in racing to 28 off 34 balls before, on the back foot, he dragged on one that nipped back from Broad at 46 for one.

Sarwan, so prolific in the Digicel Series in the Caribbean, began with two gorgeous clips through leg for fours. But Broad claimed him for 13 as one feathered the bottom edge as it seamed away.

Swann’s return began a terminal collapse once Smith (seven fours) missed a straight one for his fourth dismissal in six innings against the England off-spinner.

Batting rock, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, departed first ball as he edged a big-spinning off break to slip. The slide continued after tea when fellow left-hander Nash followed in similar fashion.

There was more drama to follow as Onions, wicketless in his first five overs, then produced a rich harvest with four in seven balls, including three in his sixth over.

Lendl Simmons steered a lifter to first slip, Jerome Taylor gloved a pull for a leg side wicket-keepers catch while a rushed Sulieman Benn sparred to third slip.

Ramdin followed in Onions next over, clearly leg before on the back foot.

Baker (17) and Edwards (11 not out) saved some face in a last wicket stand of 24 but Onions clinched Baker leg before for his fifth scalp.

England skipper, Andrew Strauss, as he was averse to do in the Caribbean, enforced the follow on in the seamer-friendly conditions of home, and made further progress in the hour before close.

Gayle and Sarwan fell, each mirroring each other’s first innings dismissal.

Gayle sparred an away-swinger to third slip, while Sarwan diverted one that nipped back onto his stumps.

DYSON - "TEAM MUST SHOW FIGHT TO AVOID DEFEAT"

Thursday 7^th May, 2009. West Indies coach, John Dyson, is keen for his side to put Thursday’s calamitous second day behind them and fight hard to avoid defeat over the next few days of the opening Test against England at Lord’s.

“Today hasn’t been a good day for us at all. But there’s still a few days left and we’ve just got to fight,” Dyson said after a day on which the West Indies lost 12 wickets to hand England a huge advantage.

“We have to, obviously, bat extremely well,” he admitted. “We may get a bit of help from the weather, with a bit of luck, but we won’t rely on that. We just have to bat well.”

Dyson refused to be too critical of his team’s batsmen despite totaling 152 in their first innings and slipping to 39 for two as they followed on.

“I think it was primarily good bowling,” he said. “You’ve got to admit that the England bowlers came out and bowled with pace. They bowled with intent and they bowled the right areas.”

Dyson admitted the catching on day one was a letdown but said he could not blame the preparation.

“We definitely let ourselves down in the field. It’s just one of those things in cricket,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how much you practice catching and what sort of drills you do to practice catching, guys still drop them in matches. It’s unfortunate, but it just happens.”

Dyson was delighted with the performance of pace spearhead Fidel Edwards, who grabbed six for 92 despite suffering from half of the six dropped chances on Wednesday.

“I thought Fidel bowled excellently. He bowled with pace. He bowled with some aggression. He put the balls in the right areas and he deserved the figures he got.”

Finance for Dummies

In a small town somewhere in the USA the economic downturn showed it's
results. The town looked abandoned Everybody was dept ridden And they all
lived on credit. One day a rich tourist arrives. He goes to the local hotel.
The only one in town. Puts down $500 cash on the counter and goes to survey
the hotel to pick a room for himself. The hotel's owner grabs the money and
pays his debt to the butcher. The butcher pays the farmer for all the pork
he got on credit. The farmer uses the $500 to pay his debt to the animal
food supplier. The animal food supplier pays of his dept to the local
prostitute. The prostitute uses the money to pay her debt to the hotel owner
For all the use of rooms with her clients. Just as she leaves the tourist
returns to the reception, Takes back his money because he did not like any
of the rooms. He leaves town. Nobody gained or lost anything however the
little town is now free of debt. The debt crisis is over. Genial, isn´t it?

Now, where is economic recovery for you and me ?

TTFF NEWS - Under 20s move on to Nigeria after 2-0 loss in Seoul

Trinidad an Tobago’s National Under 20 footballers leave Seoul bound for Nigeria on Tuesday morning still without a win on their international warm up tour but would have been on the move with their heads up after an improved and gritty showing in a 2-0 defeat to South Korea’s National Under 20s at the Training Centre on Monday evening.

 

Goals on either side of the half by Cho Young Hoon in the 35^th and Han JAe Man in the 80^th meant that the junior “Soca Warriors” suffered their fourth defeat in as many matches since in Asia but the run of play on Monday didn’t leave head coach Zoran Vranes totally disappointed.

 

“Yes it’s another defeat but I felt we were a lot better today. We had a good chance to get a better result but it didn’t turn out that way. I’m not disappointed by the way the boys played. We are doing better in every game,” Vranes told TTFF Media.

 

His statements may appear a bit overdone but the display by the visitors really should have warranted at least a draw against a team that has already beaten T&T’s first match opponents (at the FIFA U-20 World Championship) Egypt by a 4-1 margin just under a month ago.

 

Five minutes into the action  Choi Jung Han had Glenroy Samuel saving low and the hosts seemed intent on picking up an early advantage. But on 12 minutes T&T responded. After breaking down a play at the back, Sean De Silva picked out forward Juma Clarence with a long diagonal pass out on the left and he found himself in a one on one with the advancing goalkeeper but over pushed before the ball was cleared.

 

T&T were enjoying a fair amount of possession and though skipper Leston Paul was not as involved as much in the centre, his men around him were gutsy and aggressive enough to ensure that a lot of the play was happening in Korea’s half.

 

But the good work in the early stages was spoilt when the Koreans picked up the pace and threaded a few good passes, switching from left to right atop the penalty area and Young Hoon clinically placed his right footer past Samuel for a 1-0 lead.

 

Right back Curtis Gonzales was putting in endless work both on the defensive and with his overlapping runs. His cross found Jean Luc Rochford on top the area but his one time effort was deflected just over for a corner in the 36^th minute.

 

Six minutes into the second half, centre back Mikeil Williams reached up well to meet a right side corner but his powerful header was unluckily blocked by teammate Trent Lougheed on the far post.

 

Vranes made five changes in the 60^th, introducing Daniel Joseph, Marcus Joseph, Qian Grosvenor, Jevon Morris and goalie Andre Marchan. That changed T&T’s momentum somewhat but Korea couldn’t manage to capitalize.

 

Instead Molino had a near post header saved in the 80^th . A minute later though, poor marking allowed Jae Man to head home a right side corner on the near post. T&T almost got a consolation item a minute from time but Morris’s lifted his attempt from 20 metres out  just over bar.

 

“Two easy goals but the performance was better Our boys are realizing more that they can compete with these teams and it’s showing up in these games. It’s taking time but we are continuing to work well and improve our play. I was glad that the guys who came on in the second half responded very well. We are understanding more and more that we have to run harder and play with more intensity,” Vranes concluded.

 

T&T leaves on Tuesday morning for Nigeria where they will play three more matches before heading back to Port of Spain on May 14.