DON ASGARALI and his entire executive were returned to lead the North Zonal Council following elections at the Queen’s Park Oval on Wednesday. Asgarali, who was chairman of the zone was returned to the position once again and will have as his deputy Kismet Mohammed. Stephen Martel will serve as secretary and Mahabir Ragoonan is the treasurer. North Zone officials elected: Chairman: Don Asgarali; vice-chairman Kismet Mohammed; secretary Stephen Martel; treasurer Mahabir Ragoonanan. The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board representatives are Asgarali, Martel and Ragoonanan.
ANTRAX defeated Paradigm by four wickets to advance to the semi-finals of the Savannah Boys Windball Cricket League. They overhauled Paradigm’s 109 for nine wickets on Republic Day, reaching 110 for six with Symond Persad scoring 27. Other teams advancing to the Open semi-finals are Dollar Touch who got past P&B Combine by 22 runs, Tunapuna Savannah Boys who beat Awesome by five wickets and Samba Boys who whipped Flames by a similar five-wicket margin.
In the Plate series Powerplay defeated Slammers by 44 runs to advance to the semi-finals. Led by 17 from former national Under-19 player Satish Naidoo, Powerplay totalled 71 all out in the Republic Day match. And they bowled out Hott 93 Slammers for a meagre 27 with Navindra Kishna taking two wickets for seven runs. Ryan Sieuchan also took two for seven. Savannah Boys, the tournament hosts, are now out of the reckoning after a narrow three-run loss to Mint Cars Limited. Mint Cars scored 133 for four wickets with Steve Bachan hitting a topscore 49.
Savannah Boys were then restricted to 130 for eight wickets, in a thrilling finish. Rennie Mohammed grabbed two for 21.
Summarised scores: Open Division – DOLLAR TOUCH 124/7 – Leroy Derrick 37 not out vs P&B COMBINE XI 102 – Joseph Pierre 31, Kayam Ali 4/14.
AWESOME 120/8 – Lincoln Roberts 19, Nishal Gayadeen 4/12 vs TUNAPUNA SAVANNAH BOYS 121/5 – Chris Narine 40.
PARADIGM 109/9 – Fareed Hosein 39, Daniel Balkaran 4/18 vs ANTRAX 110/6 – Symond Persad 27.
FLAMES 125/7 – Clement Neeranjan 31 vs SAMBA BOYS 126/5 – Clarence Holder 28 not out.
Plate Division – MINT CARS LTD 133/4 – Steve Bachan 49, Ricky Sieuchand 29, Shican Mangaroo 24 not out vs SAVANNAH BOYS 130/8 – Ryan Sookoo 26, Rishi Rambharose 24, Rennie Mohammed 2/21.
BUSTIN LOOSE 127/8 – Curtis Joseph 42, Roland Kissoon 25, Crayson Balkaran 18 vs AS BRYDEN 118/7 – Nigel Ali 39.
POWERPLAY 71 – Satish Naidoo 17, Anthony Ramkissoon 3/17 vs HOTT 93 SLAMMERS 27 – Navindra Krishna 2/7) – by 44 runs.
AS Bryden advance to the semi-finals as the best quarter-final loser. They will meet Mint Cars Limited, while Bustin Loose tackle Powerplay.
TRINIDAD and Tobago long distance runner Curtis Cox was the best Caribbean finisher in this year’s Scotiabank Half Marathon in Toronto, Canada. on Sunday. Cox was fifth to the finish line in a time of 1:10.08 ahead of St Lucian Victor Ledger who was a close sixth in 1:10.34, while another Trinidadian Errol “Baldhead” Williams finished 12th overall in 1:13.04. Bajan Keith Cumberbatch who was 24th overall in 1:17.29 was the Master’s champ on the day.
But perennial Caribbean king Pamenos Ballantyne of St Vincent was fourth of 1000 runners in the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon on Yonge Street, downtown Toronto timed in 2:28. Trinidad and Tobago’s Cantius Thomas could finish only 13th in a time of 2:41. Williams who returned home on Monday was delighted at the treatment meted out to the six-man Caribbean contingent from Trinidad and Tobago, St.Vincent, St. Lucia and Barbados. The Caribbean men were named “Best Team” overall, and received a trophy from their hosts Sheraton Hotel, Lakeshore Boulevard, West Toronto. And the team plans to return on invitation, for the Niagara Falls Half Marathon on November 26. It is back to action for the long-distance men on November 2 in the OECS Half Marathon in St. Kitts.
SAVANNAH BOYS defeated Strayway by 21 runs in the latest round of Advance Commercial Equipment Limited/Cosmos Windball Cricket League matches. Batting first Savannah Boys were bowled out for 65 with Keshan Persad getting 22 and Roger Williams 19, but Strayway were in turn bundled out for a paltry 44. In other matches, Ah Full Team must have been playing short when they were bowled out for just 12 runs by CASAT Hangover, in reply to their 102.
P Lezama was the bowling hero for Hangover taking four wickets for one run, including a hat-trick. Real Street Sports scored a convincing seven wickets victory over Cosmos who were routed for 23. Real Street reached 24 for three wickets.
Summarised scores: SLAYERS 59 vs STAG BEER XI 40; LIMERS 66 – Vinoo Maraj 29 vs TOP OF THE LINE 23; D’STING 16 – S Ramlochan 3/2, K Daniel 4/3 vs EL SOCORRO SOUTH 18/1; DOLLAR TOUCH 68 – Colin Britto 26, Kevin Archibald 24, A Ramberan 3/0, J Henry 2/4 vs RAIDERS 49 – R Birbal 13, Leroy Derreck 4/9.
R2K POLE 9 63/6 – Benny Hallal 27 not out, Ashick Ali 21 not out vs HYLINE REBELS 66/5 – Michael Mohammed 36 not out, Navin Kumar 3/11;
COSMOS 23 – V Ramdhanie 12, S Boodram 2/2, R Harridan 2/1 vs REAL STREET SPORTS 24/3 – M Boodram 18 not out.
RIVALS 18 – D Hinds 3/5 vs LAW BREAKER 19/5 – R Neeranjan 2/2;
WIN LOSE OR DRAW 36 – J Ramharack 3/4, S Mohammed 2/5 vs FINAL XI 37/5 – S Mohammed 20; CASAT HANGOVER 102 – D Daniel 18 not out vs AH FULL TEAM 12 – P Lezama 4/1; ICL SAVANNAH YOUTHS 93 – S Francis 18, H Gattoo 3/9 vs TEAM SPORT 80 – P Kissoon 48; SAVANNAH BOYS 65 – Roger Williams 19, Keshan Persad 22 vs STRAYWAY 44 – V Kalicharan 2/8, S Williams 2/9; BRITISH AMERICAN ARANGUEZ 21 – Shyam Mohammed 3/3 vs UPSETTERS 22/6; KLONDYKES 83 – Ricky Ramcharan 30, A Rige 4/9 vs FRIENDS 40 – Ricky Manoo 4/5, Sunil Boochoon 3/8.
THE ‘NEW WING’ of the Magistrates’ Court on St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain, may have established its own special claim to fame. Without a doubt, it will go down in history as the most absurd building project ever undertaken by the State and paid for by taxpayers’ money. From its very conception it seems, the “wing” situated at the corner of St Vincent and Duke Streets was one that flew into the cuckoo’s nest. We will forgive readers who find it laughable, because here is a building about which, it appears, nothing ever went right. If a group of lunatics from St Ann’s had been given the job of designing and building this court house they could hardly have done “a better job” than the edifice we now have.
Such is the extent of this absurdity that even after the additional sum of $5 million was spent to remedy its gross deficiencies, to reshape the building closer to what sanity would dictate, the sorry saga continues. Yesterday, Chief Magistrate Sherman NcNicolls had to shut down all the nine magistrates’ courts when it was discovered that a water pipe in the basement wall had burst, flooding the generator room and threatening the electrical system. Actually, the building’s water supply had collapsed since Friday; the public toilets could not be flushed, no prisoners were brought to court this week and all their cases had to be adjourned.
The plumbing contractors employed by NIPDEC, who are responsible for constructing the wing, have been called in and hopefully they would be able to complete repairs in time for a resumption of court on Monday. How could such a relatively simple project turn out so badly askew? The question may well deserve an investigation. To begin with, it took more than three years to construct the new wing and, after former CJ de Labastide refused to accept the keys because he found the building totally unsuitable, another two and a half years and $5 million more were spent on its “refurbishment.” It seems unbelievable but, after all that time and money, the court house wing was built without cells for prisoners and no rooms designed for the purposes of a court! In opening the new Law Term about two weeks ago, CJ Sat Sharma threw some light on this madhatters project. The fundamental errors and blunders, he said, resulted from NIPDEC’s failure to consult with the judiciary. “The original designs of the building showed complete ignorance or indifference to the special needs and requirements of a court building,” he noted. Even the new furniture was destroyed or disfigured by workmen engaged in the refurbishment.
“The excessive cost overruns, the inordinate delays, the failure to consult with the judiciary, the improper planning, the lack of daily supervision of workers and the reckless disregard and disrespect for public property together with the failure to meet promised deadlines have all contributed to the colossal disaster that the refurbishment turned out to be.” According to the CJ, the wing is still in “a highly unsatisfactory condition,” but the Judiciary took possession on obtaining a written undertaking from the Attorney General that her ministry will provide the funds to complete the job by workmen employed by the Judiciary. Should not somebody in NIPDEC be held responsible for this cuckoo court house?
Brian Lara is the world’s greatest batsman. We take such pride in his achievement that we have awarded him the nation’s highest honour, the Trinity Cross. We made it possible for him to have a palace of a home in prime real estate. We named the city’s main boulevard after him and refer to him as the Prince of Port-of-Spain, so great is our appreciation of his skill and talent as a world class cricketer. We even made him captain of the West Indies team which is as high as you can get in our recognition of sporting prowess. Outstanding sportsmen like Lara also benefit largely from endorsements allowing their great names to be associated with sporting gear, shoes, even underwear, so there are few who would deny Mr Lara the right to support any newspaper of his choice and to be paid a hefty sum of money by them in exchange for such association and use of his great name.
The problem is with Mr Lara’s publicly stated intention to come out his crease and write reports for the newspaper from South Africa and Zimbabwe. Am I missing something here? Is Mr Lara not going to South Africa and Zimbabwe to captain the West Indies team on the tour? How then can he write a report about any of those matches for publication in a newspaper? Is there not something intrinsically inappropriate (to use the mildest possible word) about the captain of a team writing a newspaper report on his game and or that of his players? Is this not reviewing one’s performance oneself? Does Brian Lara’s greatness permit him to do anything he wants no matter how unethical. What would we say if poet laureate Derek Walcott submitted to a newspaper a review written by him of his opus magnum “Omeros”? Would the fact that he is a Nobel Prize winner give him the right to do so? I don’t think so and something tells me that Mr Walcott would never ever do such a thing.
What would we say if artist Boscoe Holder wrote a review about his latest exhibition, or Greta Taylor did the same about the Marionettes Christmas concert of which she is the conductor? We would be appalled, astonished to say the least. In fact we would find it totally unethical. To write a report for a newspaper on the performance of a cricket team of which one is the captain is stretching credibility to its utter limit. I think it is wrong for Brian Lara to be writing a report for any newspaper on a game in which he is playing, much less a team of which he is captain. Even if he was the most objective man on the surface of the earth or on the fringes of outer space, one would still question his opinion. He has every right to make comments to reporters about his game and players and why West Indies won, lost or drew a match, but filing daily reports of a day’s play in which he is such a key player and so personally involved is a totally different matter. He should think about what such a decision says about his judgment.
jstarr@newsday.co.tt
THE EDITOR: In November 2001 TSTT took out full page advertisements in the daily newspapers. These ads stated that TSTT’s Recruitment Department does not keep job applications on file. It also stated that when TSTT will be recruiting staff they will advertise these jobs. To date, according to their published figures with NEL, TSTT have employed 467 new staff members. Sadly for unknown reasons they have only advertised 13 (2.7 percent) jobs to the country’s population. What employment practice did they use to recruit the other 97.3 percent?
It is no wonder that the CWU union is angry about this situation. Many editorials have reflected this concern of the population for years but the executives of TSTT seem to be above all laws of Trinbago and the Geneva Convention on employment practices. All companies must comply with the laws of God and the nation.
GLORIA WILLIAMS
Point Fortin
THE EDITOR: I feel constrained to use your widely read newspaper to expose what I believe is unethical and in bad taste. I am making reference to the fact that a certain important person has cut down three of the cedar trees next to his office and taken them to Barrackpore. The villagers are profoundly perturbed and concerned, because for decades those trees were standing there. The history of Cedar Hill will tell you that Cedar Hill got its name or was named after the Cedar trees and “Hill” because of the many “hilly” areas.
The name Cedar has not only stamped a profound impression on the minds of generations, but it has been implanted and ingrained. That name will be erased now from the generations mind. One villager quipped, “We should re-name the village “Hill village.” Finally, I must place the icing on the cake. Instead of winning the hearts and minds and the approbation of the people the man responsible has lost that goodwill.
HARRY PT CHARLIE
Cedar Hill
Princes Town
These are days of God’s judgment
For all innocent blood shed on earth
Every man receiving just reward for his deeds
Reaping time the season of the soul
All nationalities stand naked before Him
No distinction between rich and poor
The faithful are Abraham’s children
The unfaithful ones of those who crucified Christ
No need to await sentencing
All God’s judgments are already declared
Eternal condemnation for those who oppressed the poor
Abundant life for those who gave to the needy
No need to await Christ descending
All God’s children bear the image of Christ
They’ve answered God’s trumpet call for repentance
They’re armed ready for battle in the Spirit
Those who chose to keep riches instead of sharing
Closing bowels of compassion to those in need
Lulled to sleep by lies of false prophets
Are awaking in torment too late for repentance
God’s true Church his Elect will reign on earth
Gates of hell cannot prevail against it
Those without love will be left behind
Will see God’s Kingdom come but will not enter
MARY BAPTISTE
Barataria
THE EDITOR: Just an observation: While assisting my child in learning the national pledge for Republic Day the words were reassuring to me. I would recommend that this be recited in all schools before the start of each school day and not just on special occasions. These words encompass the morals and values required in the formation of a good citizen of Trinidad and Tobago. Maybe if this was observed then part of the work of citizen rehabilitation would begin, at least for our next generation. It’s a start!
BEVERLY LAMBIE
Port-of-Spain
