But the Army/Coast Guard combination will be against former recruit Glenroy Samuel—a goalie determined to prove his worth to the Trinidad and Tobago national team selectors—and Ma Pau Stars in the 2016 final on December 2.

This after Ma Pau Stars booked their place in the final with a 3-2 penalty shoot-out win over Police FC following an enthralling 3-3 draw in semi-final two at the Couva venue.

Samuel, for a third time consecutive time in the tournament after penalty shootout wins over San Juan Jabloteh and last season’s champions W Connection, in the playoff and quarter- finals, respectively, had rescued Ma Pau Stars.

The 26-year-old former TT Youth World Cup goalie went one better than current Soca Warriors’ third choice ‘keeper Adrian Foncette by denying Police kickers Christon Thomas and Elijah Belgrave on the second and final kicks, respectively, all after proving too big for Todd Ryan who struck the crossbar on the Lawmen’s first kick.

Jibri Mc David had struck past Samuel from close up for a Police 1-0 lead on 34 minutes from a headed-on Thomas free-kick.

Ma Pau, though, were back on level terms three minutes later when Police defender Nequan Caruth handled a Jason Scotland cross into his own net to put the scores at 1-1.

But Belgrave, occupying an attacking role, restored coach Richard Hood’s side’s advantage 2-1 into the break. The ox-built utility player towered in the Ma Pau area to powerfully head past Samuel off a Christon Thomas corner.

The entertaining contest was far from over and Police surrendered the lead seven minutes into the second half after allowing Scotland to swooped in and bury the ball past Adrian Foncette, who spilled an effort from Hayden Tinto.

Police were guilty of poor marking again in the 79th minute when Jerrel Britto headed into space before Scotland coolly lobbed a hapless Foncette to complete his double and put Ma Pau in front the first time, 3-2.

Police were determined to find a way back, and after forcing no less than five superb saves out of Samuel in the second half, the Lawmen finally equalised for a 3-3 score five minutes from time when Belgrave headed into the far netting from a Kareem Freitas cross.

For Defence Force, though, the semi-final stage seemed simpler with a herculean Jorsling performance against his Morvant hometown club, he once represented.

The 32-year-old ex- TT international broke the deadlock with a superb free-kick that entered the top corner, beating goalkeeper Marvin Phillip, who was at full stretch on the stroke of half-time.

Jorsling, who scored a beaver-trick in his team’s 4-2 quarter-final win over St Ann’s Rangers a week ago, made it 2-0 less than a minute into the second half by rolling a shot past the Morvant Caledonia number one after holding off defender Taje Commissiong inside the area.

Jorsling completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 68th minute.

With the result, Cunupia have a tally of 29 points from 15 games, while Central 500 Spartans stayed in third place with 23 points from 14 encounters.

Michael Yaw Darko opened the scoring for Cunupia in the 23rd minute before Donavon Derrick equalised for Spartans in the 32nd.

Gorean Highley (41st) and Stevon Stoute (54th) restored Cunupia’s lead and they held on for the win, despite a strike from Keith Williams (68th) for the hosts.

Youth Stars jumped from eighth to sixth after a 4-2 victory over Barrackpore United at the Cyd Gray Ground in Roxborough.

Hakeem Legall (40th and 77th) netted twice for Youth Stars, while Keno Proctor (35th) and Ackeel Sterling (90th) chipped in with one apiece.

Mikheil Peters (57th) and Renaldo Jack (90th) were the goal-getters for Barrackpore.

A pair of rescheduled matches will be contested tomorrow with Barrackpore hosting TT Prisons and Saddle Hill visiting UTT at O’Meara.

Both matches tomorrow will kick off at 6.30 pm.

Smart found the back of the net in the 52nd, 56th and 58th minutes as St Augustine showed no mercy on their opponents at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima.

Adanya Phillip opened the scoring, with items in the 20th and 29th, while Anais Ferguson got the third goal for St Augustine in the 40th.

Smart got her treble, within the space of six minutes, while Leah Dos Santos completed the rout with a strike in the 66th.

Action will continue tomorrow with a National Quarter Final fixture between Signal Hill and Carapichaima East at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet from 1.30 pm. The winners of the Signal Hill-Carapichaima game will face Fyzabad in the other semi, on Friday, at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella.

St Augustine, on the other hand, will turn their attention towards the Final, which is carded to take place on December 6.

The four-person team made up of Christiane Farah, former national triathlon champion and race organiser Jason Gooding, Hannah Lenders and upcoming triathlon star, Jean- Marc Granderson completed the course in a winning time of one hour, 20 minutes and 22 seconds. Team We Can (Kirsten St. Omer, Logan Raymond, Noa Sheppard and Selik Leacock) placed second in 1:23:35. In third place were the Neon Green Machines (Jenna Ross, Adrian Murphy, Dayna Abraham and Troy Alcantara) who finished in a time of 1:24:05.

The triathlon comprised of a 200m swim, a 5km ride and a 1km beach run, but what is different in this race was that each team member had to complete the entire swim/bike/run course before tagging their teammate. The race goes in the order of female, male, female, male.

“We are happy for the fantastic turnout, ” said Gooding. “Despite many other conflicting events on the day, we were able to attract our largest number of participants and spectators.

This is an event that we would like to continue as it encourages new people to try a triathlon for the first time,” Gooding added.

Twenty-nine teams both young and old came out for an enjoyable, sunny morning of triathlon fun. The event sponsors were Renew, Gatorade, Blue Waters, Subway, TDC, React, TTPS , Red Cross and the Odessey Timing Company. The Rainbow Warriors Triathlon Club unveiled its 2017 schedule of events, starting with the Subway River Raid 12 on March 12 and the Massy Rainbow Cup Triathlon and 5k Run on June 10. Their full racing calendar can be found on the website www.odesseytiming.

com.

RESULTS: All Female Open 1:42:36 – SJC Girls – Kristin Scott, Gabrielle Ramesar, Alexi Attale, Rachel Grosberg

All Male Open 1:24:39 – D Charge Up Crew – Liam Trepte, Paul Enoe, Enrique Walker, Sebastien Rudden

Mixed Junior 1 – 1:23:35 – Team We Can – Kirsten St. Omer, Logan Raymond, Noa Sheppard, Selik Leacock 2 – 1:25:58 – One A Week – Lily Stauble, Tyrese Bernard, Rachel Grosberg, Jonathan Thompson 3 – 1:59:28 – Wild Things – Steffi Scott, David Archer, Taylor Camacho, Charles Bell

Mixed Senior 1 – 1:27:50 – The Judgement – Ruth Rudden, Jassette Bromfield, Kiyomi Rankine, Alistair Beadle 2 – 1:31:13 – +OAW 2Old 2Older – Cherise Stauble, Rudy Bravo, Gina Hart, Marc Ogiste 3 – 1:33:00 – All for Fun – Tifini Abraham, Ryan Abraham, Tracy Carter, Edward Albada

Mixed Open 1 – 1:20:22 – Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies – Christiane Farah, Jason Gooding, Hannah Lenders, Jean-Marc Granderson 2 – 1:23:35 – Team We Can – Kirsten St. Omer, Logan Raymond, Noa Sheppard, Selik Leacock 3 – 1:24:05 – Neon Green Machines – Jenna Ross, Adrian Murphy, Dayna Bain, Troy Alcantara

The 53-year-old Hart was fired by the TT FA last Thursday, after an inconsistent run which saw the national team lose eight out of their 13 international matches in 2016.

But the 57-year-old Charles-Fevrier, who served as TT coach from May 2003 (when he took over from Hannibal Najjar) until January 2004 (when he was replaced by Bertille St Clair), refused to give a definite answer when asked, during a telephone interview yesterday, if he will consider taking up the reins again.

Former W Connection president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) David John-Williams, who is now completing his first year at the helm of the TT FA, noted yesterday, “this is a national issue, a very important issue and when there is something to report, I am sure the Newsday will amongst many to know, at the shortest possible time.” Charles-Fevrier, a St Lucian, commented, “a lot of people have been saying that David wanted to fire Hart to give me the job. I don’t really want to get myself involved in that kind of bacchanal and that kind of confusion.” Charles-Fevrier continued, “I’m quite comfortable to work with the club (W Connection) because, at this point in time, it’ll be difficult for me to tell you yes because the way people (will) see it is that David wanted to fire Hart to give me the job. That’s how they (will) see it.

“I don’t think I will like to (accept it),” he added. “I will be happy to help but, under these circumstances, I don’t feel I really want to (take up the offer).

That’s how (people) will watch it.

They wouldn’t say that I’m a professional and if the Association (decided) to change Hart and they ask me, then I could consider it.

“I don’t think that’s the reason the Association took the decision they took.

“I can’t really give you an answer, because of the perception (people might have).” Charles-Fevrier has been with W Connection (barring his brief stint with the TT team) since its entry into top flight football in 1999, guiding them to numerous titles, including five league crowns (2000, 2001, 2005, 2011-12 and 2013-14) and five Caribbean titles He did state though that he remains open to all possibilities, “I’m a professional coach.

That’s what I do for a living. I’ll always consider any offer that I’ll get.

I’ll always consider it because that’s my job.

“Right now I work with W Connection.

I’m committed to W Connection. I’ve been working with the club for 15 to 16 years. I have a very good relationship with the management of the club.

I’m happy with the club.” John-Williams, however, refused to divulge any names being considered but admitted, “we’ve had several applications, we’ve had several discussions, we’ve had no appointments.” He also revealed, “we’ve had 24 applications so far (from) all over the world __ locally, regionally and internationally.” However, a source in the TT FA noted yesterday that four persons __ all foreigners, are being strongly considered by the TT FA technical committee for the position.

The match ended in a no result when play was called off yesterday at 1.45 pm without a ball being bowled on the fourth and final day. No play was possible due to rain on Friday’s opening day, 57 overs were bowled on Saturday and 35 overs on Sunday. TT were 287 for eight when the match was called off.

Questions were being asked if the drainage is still a concern at the Queen’s Park Oval because there were long periods of sunshine during the match.

In August only 22 overs were bowled in the fourth Test match between the West Indies and India at the Queen’s Park Oval due to a wet outfield despite long periods of sun during that contest also. Guillen said QPCC have recently put measures in place to improve the drainage system at the ground and believes more cricket could have been played between TT and the Leewards. He stated, “I think the ground is fit to play. The ground at the moment is 100 percent fit. We’ve done everything we’ve been asked to do, we widened the drainage around the ground, we’ve put more sand on the ground, nothing is wrong with the drainage. Nothing is wrong with the ground today (yesterday) that cricket could not be played.” Guillen explained that the rules have changed when calling off a match.

“The rules have changed, whereby the umpires are the ones who decide whether to play or not.

Usually what would happen is umpires would come in and tell the captains ‘Listen in my opinion the ground is not fit to play, if you all wish to play we can play.’ Now the captains have no say whatsoever. The game is controlled by the umpires.

In my opinion that ground is fit to play.” Coach of the TT Red Force Gus Logie expressed his disappointment that more cricket was not played. Logie said, “This is a facility that has been brilliant over the years for many, many teams coming here. We’ve always enjoyed playing here at the Queen’s Park Oval.” Logie said the drainage at the Queen’s Park Oval is normally good so it is unfortunate. “It’s disappointing for all of us to see what happened.

I think they (QPCC) know they have some work to do. We played here a few years ago in the Super50 when rain fell (and) in a matter of 15, 20 minutes you were out there playing again.

It’s really disappointing to see, but I guess the umpires in their own wisdom, the safety of the players is always going to be paramount.”

Although granted bail yesterday in the sum of $120,000 by a magistrate for a fraudulent offence, Charles, 41, one of five Muslim men who returned to Trinidad on Friday after spending two years and eight months in a Venezuelan jail but was arrested when he landed in Piarco, was still not able to walk out of the San Fernando Court as his family had expected.

At about 1.50 pm yesterday, Organisational Head of The Islamic Front, Umar Abdullah, broke the “bad news” to concerned family members saying the administrative process was stalled since those involved wanted to go and vote.

Abdullah later told reporters, “We do have a bailor, but the documentation and so on to get all that in place is going to take some time and today (yesterday) is election day and the JP (Justice of the Peace) has indicated that she wants to go and vote.

She would certainly not be around so he would have to go up (to the prison) and tomorrow (today) we will take care of that definitely.” The news wiped the smiles off the faces of the family members especially his mother who had earlier told reporters that she was thrilled to finally be taking Charles to her home in San Juan where all relatives were waiting.

Yesterday, Charles, a father of ten, appeared before Magistrate Brahmanand Dubay in the San Fernando First Magistrate’s Court where he was granted bail for the alleged offence said to have been committed between August 2, 2011 and December 20, 2013.

The court heard that during that time, it is alleged that Charles fraudulently converted for his own use and benefit the sum of $279,962 entrusted to him by Ganesh Jaglal to apply same as a down payment towards the purchase and importation of one ten tonne truck valued at $279,962. It was the reason he was arrested when he landed at Piarco on Friday.

Court prosecutor Cleyon Seedan had no objections to bail being granted. The court however stood down the matter for a while to allow a document to be brought to court as the magistrate insisted that it be dealt with swiftly so as to allow Charles to re-unite with his family.

As a condition of his bail, Charles, who was represented by attorneys Ravi Rajcoomar and Selwyn Richardson, has to report every Monday and Thursday between the hours of 6 am and 9 pm to the San Fernando Police Station. The court was told that he has another matter relating to illegal quarrying pending in the Arima Magistrates’ Court.

He is to return to court on December 22.

She was speaking last week at a forum for companies which have just returned from what appeared to be a largely successful trip to several European countries to look into the prospects of increasing trade with the European Union.

She said Brexit will not happen in less than a year and in the short term at least the UK will still be a part of the European Union.

However, she said that in the long term Trinidadian firms will no longer have the UK as an ally in negotiations with Europe, pointing out that the UK is like a “mother nation” to Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the Caribbean because of the Commonwealth relationship.

She said the absence of that relationship might be a challenge in the long term, meaning in the next 20 or 30 years when the trading agreement might need to be renegotiated.

The forum involved representatives of businesses which went on a recent market penetration trade mission to Europe titled “Fit 4 Europe” organised by the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and exporTT, under the Economic Partnership Agreement Standby Facility for Capacity Building designed to develop the export readiness of this country’s enterprises to take advantage of opportunities in the European market.

A selected group of the participants related their experiences, many telling of successes in getting their products into highend stores and boutiques in London and other European cities.

They stressed the importance of planning for the trip and visiting the potential markets in person.

Speaker after speaker made the point that it was not enough to send e-mails and make telephone calls because the shopowners and buyers on the other end received so many emails and calls from would-be suppliers that they just did not have time to respond.

However, they said a personal visit, during which they had a chance to develop a relationship with the store owner or buyer, often made the difference. One designer, Arielle Holdip of Zaveza Afrocentric Accessories, said she had sent many emails to one store but got no responses.

However, she said that during the trip she visited the boutique and during a conversation, the owner remembered receiving her emails but confessed that he just had not had the time to respond.

She said that conversation ended with agreement to place some of her products in the shop.

Another businesswoman, Rachel Rochford of rachelrochford.

com related how, with no appointment, she wandered into a boutique in the chic Soho district in London and struck up a conversation with a woman in a store.

She said after a pleasant conversation during which the woman recognised that she was a designer and asked to see some of her work, the woman, who turned out to be the owner of the store, ended up agreeing to take some of her designs to sell in her shop.

Jitta is contending in three separate pre-action protocol letters that WASA continues to fail to pay the money.

In the first letter, he stated that the Authority rented mechanical equipment from his company — Glenford and Jason Jitta General Contractors Limited.

Jitta stated that $696,156.86 represents a balance due and owing for rental and hire of mechanical equipment and heavy vehicles at WASA’s request.

In the second pre-action protocol letter sent on Jitta’s behalf by his attorneys, Jitta stated that WASA owes his company $47,510.

The money, he stated, is for the replacement of a missing Wacker Jumping jack which was rented from him by the Authority.

Jitta stated that he rented the jack in January 2014, and, WASA’s refusal to return it had resulted in his company suffering loss of earnings at the rate of $400 a day from November 2014.

The third pre-action protocol letter contended that WASA rented from Jitta, mechanical equipment and heavy vehicles, since July 2012 and is owing him $48,500.10.

While no Order Paper for Friday’s sitting has yet been issued, Newsday understands that debate is expected to resume on the Tax Information Exchange Bill 2016. During a news conference at the Eric Williams Financial Complex on November 16, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said, “As soon as this local (government) election is over, we will be back in the Parliament and the first order of business will be FATCA.” With Parliament expected to take its Christmas recess around mid-December, Imbert was optimistic that the Bill will be passed in the House before that and brought to the Senate in January.

Reminding reporters that the United States Treasury asked Government to submit a detailed action plan for implementation of FATCA requirements, Imbert said this involved passing the legislation and put the necessary systems in place to allow the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) to report to the Treasury on US citizens and corporations doing business in TT.

He explained the BIR has a discretion right now and, “the whole point about FATCA is that discretion is taken away.” Imbert said Government told the Treasury the legislation should be passed by the end of February 2017.

Indicating, “we are on track with that at this point in time,” Imbert said he had no idea how the Treasury will operate under the incoming Trump Administration.

There is no sitting of the Senate this week.

However there are three joint select committees that will hold in-camera meetings (meetings that are closed to the public) at Tower D on Wednesday.

These are the Local Authorities, Service Commissions and Statutory Authorities, Public Administration and Appropriations and the National Security JSCs.