In a brief statement issued yesterday, the State enterprise said the board looks forward to partnering with Barnes to ensure that the organisation achieves its strategic goals and objectives, and joined with all employees in welcoming him.

An online search for information about his professional qualifications led to what seemed to be Barnes’ official LinkedIn profile.

At the very top of his “Experience” list was the post, “Chief Executive Officer, UDeCOTT. January 2017 – Present (1 month).” Below this was listed “Change Manager/Contracts Manager, Hookmally Ali Limited, October 2014 – Present (2 years 4 months)”, followed by “Senior Project Manager, UDeCOTT, October 2012 – September 2014 (2 years)” and “Project Manager, Kier Construction Limited, April 2011 – August 2012 (1 year 5 months)”, among other previously-held jobs.

According to the “Summary” section, Barnes is “a civil engineering graduate of the University of the West Indies with over 25 years of practical experience in construction engineering and resource management, building and managing construction projects throughout the Caribbean, from the ground up through to completion.”

Despite the small audience 15 singers performed and their songs were very outstanding.

According to MC Sprangalang, “This might be the only time you will hear these songs because when the big guns come that is it for them.” Most of the singers did not make it into any prominent calypso tent but the CDC tent often absorb them so they have a place to perform.

Wednesday’s show started with Chicky Chong who delivered two well constructed and melodious songs “Jumbie Bird” and “Compositions”.

He was followed by debutant Aaokk with “Visions” and “Old Time Sayings” two very good songs. This performer says he has been in music for some time but doing reggae and has a book of songs to deliver to the calypso world.

Llylo was very humorous with “Milking” while Bunny Bynoe did “Thema”. Terrence Caesar who goes by the sobriquet Czar performed his late brother Puppet Master’s classic “The Greatest Love of All” and he had the audience singing along with him.

Rance Johnson performed a very musical song called “Hypnotize” while Bingo paid tribute to Holly Betadieau.

Pye Man was the hit of the night with “Obea”, armed with his cocoyea broom he delivered his song to the amusement of the audience and had them singing the chorus with him. He received an encore the first and only one for the evening.

Young Natasha Edmund brought back some seriousness to the proceedings with “Youth Power” before Zampa the Prince and Rudy did their soca songs “Mash up The Big Thing” and “Digging ah Hole” respectively.

All eyes were focused on sexy Myney as she performed “Fakers”. Organiser Sexy Suzie deliverance of “Negative Progress” held the audience captive as she made reference to King Austin’s classic. Gary Hercules performed “Play With It’ and Versatile ended the show with a fantastic performance of “Questions”, a song recounting how many mad people living outside of the mental institution.

It was held at Siam Cocktail Lounge, Queen’s Park Savannah, and attendees represented various Ministries, including Social Development and Family Services, Public Utilities, Labour, Finance and Planning and Development.

“Since its incorporation some 25 years ago, TSTT has developed a suite of services that has placed it in a unique position. No other service provider in Trinidad and Tobago offers fixed line and mobile communications, entertainment, broadband access, business and home alarm monitoring services, and now with our brand new 4G LTE network, the possibilities are indeed endless.

We feel very privileged to be able to deliver some of the enabling technologies that support the hard work being done by our public sector,” said TSTT ’s manager of Government Sales and Services, Gervon Abraham.

Attendees were entertained by parang group Los Cantantes Celestiales, songstress Natasha Benjamin, as well as soca artistes Preedy, Xone and Sekon Sta.

“We are very pleased to welcome “Outfit International”, a talented soca-parang band housed inside the “special gated community,” Vicki Assevero, founder of the Green Market said.

“Those are the words the Commissioner of Prisons Sterling Stewart uses to describe where his wards live.” Superintendent for Programmes, Charmaine Johnson also expressed her pleasure at the collaborative outreach, “We have been very successfully using music as therapy.

We have watched how playing music together has helped to transform the attitudes of the incarcerated and restore them for the community.” Outfit’s performance will start at 8.15 am and again at 10 am. There will be an opportunity to have a conversation about restorative justice, how it works and its potential for reducing crime.

Denise Aleong, vice president of the Inter American and Caribbean Association of Small Hotels (INCAPH) will kick of the Green Market’s All month the market will focus on different aspects of sustainable tourism and particularly on the linkages among agriculture, local food and crafts and tourism.

INCAPH’s Trinidad & Tobago members will be raffling off vouchers for drinks, dinners and stays in order to encourage the general public to patronise and support smaller hotels and inns.

Aleong’s talk comes just as vogue.com listed Trinidad as one of its Ten Hottest Worldwide destinations.

The Green Market is inviting the people of TT to place their wishes for 2017 in a special wish box that will be available during the entire month of January. “We want our patrons, vendors and the larger TT community to express their wishes for their communities, our nation and the world and to suggest ways of making those wishes come true” The Green Market is open every Saturday from 6 am -1 pm providing an array of fresh farm products, food to eat and drink on site, interesting local artisanal foods and crafts, and stimulating conversation in a beautiful landscape

After rain interrupted Queen’s Park’s innings while batting first, a ‘Bowl Off ’ was required to decide the winner. In a ‘Bowl Off ’, five bowlers for each team aim to hit the wicket with the team hitting the wicket the most times winning.

Bravo and Akeal Hosein both struck the stumps for Queen’s Park, while Jon Russ Jagessar was the only bowler for Cane Farm to hit the wicket.

Javon Searles, Khary Pierre and Daron Cruickshank missed for Queen’s Park, while Denesh Ramdin, Rommel Nanan, Rayad Emrit and Ravi Rampaul all missed for Cane Farm.

Before the match went to a bowl off, Queen’s Park got to 172 for three off 19.2 overs while batting first when the rains came.

In the first match, Cane Farm defeated Central Sports by 20 runs.

Cane Farm posted a massive 191/6 with Imran Khan top scoring with 53, while Anthony Simmons and Lendl Simmons scored 47 and 41 respectively.

Central Sports fought hard but could only muster 171/7 with Jahron Alfred cracking 63 and Kjorn Ottley contributed 54.

Bowling for Cane Farm was Man-ofthe- match Khan who grabbed 1/27, while Emrit (3/36) and Rampaul (2/15) were also among the wickets.

The final match in Group A between Central Sports and Queen’s Park finished after press time last night. The tournament continues today with matches in Group B.

SUMMARISED SCORES: Cane Farm 191/6 (Imran Khan 53, Anthony Simmons 47, Lendl Simmons 41) vs Central Sports 171/7 (Jahron Alfred 63, Kjorn Ottley 54, Khan 1/27, Rayad Emrit 3/36, Ravi Rampaul 2/15) Cane Farm won by 20 runs.

Queen’s Park 172/3 (19.2 overs) (Tion Webster 72, Daron Cruickshank 57 not out, Ravi Rampaul 2/26) vs Cane Farm – Rain Resulted in a bowl off – Queen’s Park won 2-1.

TODAY’S FIXTURES (Group B) TT Police vs UWI (10am) T&T Police vs Merry Boys (2pm) Merry Boys vs UWI (6pm).

Savard is in Trinidad and Tobago for a two-week training camp with Canadian swim team Club Aquatique Montreal (CAMO). Savard is a two-time Olympian (2012, 2016), who won bronze with Canada in the women’s 4×200-metre freestyle relay at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

After completing a training session at the National Aquatic Centre yesterday, Savard said she was impressed by the facility.

Savard stated, “It’s been amazing, actually it’s one of my best training camps ever. I have been all around the world and I can say it is one of the best training venues I have seen.

The fact that there are two pools that we can swim outside and inside, so this is really amazing and everyone is taking care of us so this is really great.” Savard said her main aim is the World Championships in 2017. “We have the trial for the World Championships in April so this is going to be my main focus.

Of course my goal is to make the team and if I could make the team (see) what I can do in Budapest this summer.” CAMO head coach Claude St Jean also praised the facility saying, “It is one of the top three in the world that I have been too for outdoor pools, it is great.

At first when I said I want to go to Trinidad I just saw pictures on the internet and somtimes with pictures you are like maybe they are fake, but when I came here I was like this is great.” Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Darryl Smith was excited that a foreign team is in TT to utilise the venue. Smith stated, “This (training camp) is part of the whole plan. It is not just about the building, the building has to maintain itself and (we must) bring it to life with people. This is the first time in our history that we have brought down a top class team like this from North America to utilise these world class facilities.” Smith explained that this could be the start of a sport tourism drive.

“This is the first of many, it is the beginning of (the) 2017 calender year and we anticipate and expect that we will have many more throughout the year not just for swimming but for cycling as well.” The brand new National Cycling Velodrome is located next to the National Aquatic Centre.

Former Test player Raphick Jumadeen, as chairman of the senior selection committee; and other selectors Roland Sampath (Manager of the Red Force team), Lalman Kowlessar and Tony Gray made the decision on Wednesday evening.

The selectors have decided to go for greater experience and have entrusted the responsibility back to Ramdin to motivate the players in their quest to successfully defend the regional limited-overs crown after a disastrous campaign so far in the four-day tournament where the Red Force are currently in last place.

Yesterday, the selectors settled on a 14-member squad and submitted it to the TT CB executive committee members for ratification. Once approved, the players’ names will be submitted to the WICB.

Since his return to the region from the Pakistan series in the United Arab Emirates, Ramdin had undergone rehab and physiotherapy and feels fully fit again to resume intense preparation for regional competition.

However, due to the death of his grandmother recently, Ramdin was forced to miss the two 50-overs practice matches on Tuesday and Wednesday last at the Queen’s Park Oval as the local players seek to make the shift from four-day cricket to one-dayers.

Asked to comment on his fitness and readiness for competitive play, Ramdin stressed: “I have been doing a lot of work during the rehab period to upkeep my physical fitness and be ready to resume playing serious cricket again.

Physically and mentally, I am ready to push myself again. Because of the shoulder injury I sustained during the Tri-Nations series, I was unable to give of my best. But I am optimistic that I will regain the match fitness during the preparation period for the Super50 competition.” Ramdin is one of the top wicketkeeper-batsman in the region and although he has lost his place in the West Indies Test and T20 teams, the 31-year-old is prepared to battle his way back into contention for international duties and to secure more regional honours for Trinidad and Tobago.

Ramdin had sustained injuries to his right shoulder during the 2016 Tri-Nations ODIs series in the Caribbean, that involved reigning World Cup champs Australia and top-ranked South Africa.

He subsequently aggravated the injury during West Indies versus Pakistan ODIs series.

As captain of Trinidad and Tobago, Ramdin had set a unique West Indies regional record with a hat-trick of Caribbean T20 titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Ramdin also played significant roles in Trinidad and Tobago winning back-to-back NAGICO Super50 titles in 2015 and 2016.

Disappointing performances by most members of the Red Force team sees them languishing at the bottom of the WICB Professional Cricket League Regional 4-Day competition, forcing the selectors to change the composition of the team for the Super50 series.

The result leaves TT needing Haiti to beat Suriname today and then beat Haiti by a bigger margin on Sunday. In what was an ineffective and timid display playing at home against a team ranked 150th in the world, TT failed to really trouble the visitors from open play.

But the Belgium-born Saintfiet, in the post-match press conference, said he felt TT had the better of the exchanges in the first 70 minutes and rued their missed chances.

“In the first 70 minutes we didn’t make the opening goal. I think the public was very positive, there was a good atmosphere, everyone could feel we were hunting for that goal.

We had a lot of corners and had a lot of almost shots or almost goals.

If we had scored the opening goal I’m sure that we would have won won the match,” he said.

Saintfiet noted he was forced to change plans even before the game started with his main striker Cornell Glen suffering a hamstring injury in the pre-game warm-up.

“We started already in a setback with our ideal formation which we worked on. My first 11 could not start the game. But still I think we were stronger. We gave ball possession on purpose to be stronger on the counter-attack.,” he explained.

With regards to the absence of Glen, whose career has been hampered by injury since sustaining a damaged knee against Paraguay during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Saintfiet said, “So we had to make a change of strategy, we had to bring Akeem Roach in, and I had no striker any more on the bench.” The TT coach explained that forward Trevin Caesar was not permitted to be added to the matchday squad to replace Glen even though he got injured 20 minutes before kick-off. The former Bangladesh coach also acknowledged his substitutions on the evening failed to have the desired effect he envisioned. Hashim Arcia was hooked in the 60th for forward Shahdon Winchester while Akeem Roach was taken off for midfielder Andre Boucaud in the 78th and left winger Tyrone Charles was subbed for Curtis Gonzales in the 91st.

“Later in the match I think we had too little power, energy in the replacements who came in. Sure I was limited because I had six (substitutes) instead of seven but the boys who came in didn’t bring what they brought in other games in Nicaragaua. If you bring a fresh player in you expect that they fight and battle and fly over the pitch because they are less tired than the (others), I think that was our weakness today,” he added.

Saintfiet was also not happy with the TT defending with sloppy errors in midfield, losing the ball cheaply as well as conceding goals despite the opposition not getting many chances. He admitted the decision to play his defenders Carlyle Mitchell and Radanfah Abu Bakr as forwards in the closing stages was a desperation time move and not a change in strategy after previously stating he dropped former skipper Kenwyne Jones to play a more fast-paced fluid style.

Suriname coach Robert Godeken, speaking through a translator, said he expected more quality from their hosts on the field.

Godeken stated, “we were expecting more of this team, regarding the players who have played for (TT ). It looked like Trinidad (and Tobago) were playing a little bit easy. But we were expecting more from Trinidad and Tobago.”

Action was in the Caribbean Cup Qualification Fifth Round Playoffs, with Haiti as the third team involved.

Suriname will tackle Haiti at the Couva venue today, from 7 pm, and a win will see them progress to the next stage – a two-legged playoff against the fifth-place team from this month’s Copa Centroamericana, for the last spot in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Under the competition format, a winner must be decided in each game (the final game will feature TT against Haiti on Sunday at Couva).

But the Tom Saintfiet-coached TT squad must hope for a Haiti victory to have a glimmer of hope of advancing to the Gold Cup.

Tyrone Charles equalised for the hosts with a magnificent freekick, in the 82nd minute, but Suriname, ranked 150th in the FIFA rankings (72 places lower than TT ), were not to be denied as Rozenblad netted in the 109th minute to record their first international win over TT since a 1-0 result on May 5 1985.

Saintfiet suffered a major blow as veteran, but injury-prone striker Cornell Glen had to be withdrawn during the pre-game warmups with a hamstring problem (he was replaced by rookie Akeem Roach), but the recently-appointed coach did not help with cause with baffling tactical decisions, especially after Kwasie broke the deadlock in the 76th.

The first half was a scrappy affair, though TT centre-back Carlyle Mitchell could have done better with a header, off Charles’ corner, in the 40th, while TT goalkeeper Adrian Foncette reacted brilliantly to deny a low right-footed shot from midfielder Mitchell Kisoor, three minutes later.

Striker Dimitrie Apai, Suriname’s lone overseas-based player (he is a member of W Connection), got a through ball from Sorencio Juliaans and, with only Foncette to beat, struck the post with a left-footed effort – 10 minutes into the second half, while Apai’s club captain Hughtun Hector (64th) and former clubmate Shahdon Winchester (75th) missed their moments to put the hosts ahead.

However, left-back Kwasie gave the visitors a deserved lead, taking a ball from Sergino Edward and, with opposing full-back and TT captain Carlos Edwards backing off, he drilled a left-footed shot which deflected off Mitchell and wrong-footed Foncette.

Charles responded with a superbly- taken freekick, from 30 metres out, which curled over the wall and flew to the top-right corner of Claidel Kohinor’s net, after substitute Shahdon Winchester was bundled over by Bruce Diporedjo.

However, Saintfiet took centre stage with his tactical moves, firstly pushing Hector from his accustomed central midfielder role to join Winchester up front, when Roach was removed in the 79th; then inserting defender Curtis Gonzales (who came on for a tiring Charles) in extra time as a right-winger.

But the most stunning were a hobbling Mitchell as a forward, a position he has not played for almost 10 years, with Edwards, Abu Bakr, Gonzales and Aubrey David in a reshuffled back-four.

With the defence at sea, Rozenblad fired home his team’s winner, from range, after getting in front of Kevan George to take a pass from Apai.

This was confirmed by ace pannist Dane Gulston and came hours after PanTrinbago president Keith Diaz promised the nation, via a television morning talk show, that $1,000 owed to thousands of panmen, as playing fees for the 2016 Panorama competition, would be paid. Gulston said he intends to lead another protest of panmen while PanTrinbago executives hold an emergency meeting tomorrow at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah.

“Today (Keith) Diaz came on air ‘live’ and said cheques will be given out today. Yesterday (Wednesday) in a meeting when we had the march…people collected their cheques at their regional offices and when they went to the bank, the cheques were not honoured,” Gulston yesterday said. The pan organisation, Gulston added, hastily ran and issued the cheques without saying the money was not yet deposited in that account.

“It’s only after, when people went to the bank and did not get the cheques cashed, they were told the money was not there.

Then the (PanTrinbago) office called and said to tell the rest of people not to try going to the bank today (yesterday). That is real unprofessional!” On the TV6 Morning Edition talk show yesterday morning, Diaz was asked more than once by host Fazeer Mohammed whether or not the monies owed to panmen would be paid. Diaz said ‘yes’. “To date yes,” Diaz said, when asked if pan players had not been paid.

He said a meeting was held with the membership to explain the situation to panmen. “We did not hide. We said to our membership this is how it is. They were annoyed and felt that they should be paid. I want to state to the general public that that position is dependent on Government funds being received. But we have made arrangements and the money will be paid. So that will be taken care of,” Diaz said.

Asked yesterday by Morning Edition host Mohammed when panmen would get their money, Diaz responded, “today and beyond today.” Mohammed asked if Diaz was stating that pan players would receive their money today (yesterday). Diaz said, “yes.” On Gulston’s Facebook page, a picture of one of the PanTrinbago cheques which ‘bounced’ was posted and drew many comments.

“Well look bacchanal now. PanTrinbago giving people bounce cheque. Just came from the bank and they not going to change any Pan Trinbago cheque,” Dareem Ford commented.

“I was told now to wait until Friday to change the cheque,” another person said. “The cheques are not ‘bounced’, the money just ain’t reach the account yet”; “That’s called total disrespect and will make confidence in the organisation even lower”, were other comments posted.

On Wednesday, panmen protested outside the PanTrinbago head office in Port-of-Spain over the non-payment and called on Diaz and the execution to resign.

Contacted for comment, chairman of the National Carnival Commission (NCC) Kenny De Silva said the commission intends to look at the operations of individual cultural groups after this year’s Carnival. He described meetings the NCC held with Pan- Trinbago as “inconclusive.” LATEST: DIAZ FALLS ILL A press release from PanTrinbago, issued last night, claimed that Diaz had a “medical emergency” and was rushed to a medical facility at 1.30 pm. As a result, the release added, PanTrinbago urged panmen with cheques not to go to the bank “until further advised.” Richard Forteau, the release stated, has been appointed to act as PanTrinbago President.

The release added that the scheduled emergency meeting set for tomorrow at 1 pm at the Grand Stand of the Queen’s Park Savannah was “postponed until further notice.” The release ended: “In light of the circumstances, if ever we need togetherness is now, we urge members to be united in prayer.

Please be guided accordingly.”