HEARTY FOODS Bulls crushed JGS Maloney Two Touch 6-0 to make a big leap from fifth to second position on the standings in the Eastern Football Association for the Arthur “Jap” Brown Memorial Trophy .
Kevin Daniel got himself a hat-trick in Saturday’s match at the Maloney ground, while Simon Bernard, Adrian Nunez and Anslem Coa scored the other goals for the Bulls. The victory saw The Bulls move to 29 points, eight behind leaders Samba Xtra Malt East San Juan United who were idle at the weekend. Bottom club East West Coaching School found a winning formula lately, smashing Delta Glass Young Hearts 5-2 for their third victory this season. Darnell Julien was the hero for the “Schoolboys” scoring four goals, while Alvin Guerra got the other. Roger Phillip netted a double for Young Hearts in the match at Five Rivers Ground also on Saturday. Joe Public and inconsistent Athletico Sports Institute drew 1-1 at Aranguez Savannah. Cassidas Diaz scored for the ASI lads, while Aaron Rapper netted for the Eastern Lions. Mid-table TSTT got a goal each from Libert “Black Boy’ Duncan and Nigel Reyes to edge BM Spurs 2-1 at San Juan Secondary School ground. Britto Reyes scored for Spurs.
Meanwhile, Crab Connection with the All Sport National Super League title and $25,000 already pocketed, take on Hearty Foods Bulls if a gilt-edge clash at the Arima Municipal Stadium on Thursday. And East San Juan will attempt to widen their advantage at the top of the standings when they take on lowly East/West Coaching School at Five Rivers, Arouca. Also in action will be defending champions WASA Clean and White against struggling BM Spurs at WASA’s St Joseph Ground, while last season’s runners-up Carib FC meet Delta Glass Young Hearts at Boundary Road. And in a mid-table match-up, TSTT meet Police at Valsayn Ground. Joe Public take on Maloney Two Touch in the other match at Squadron Ground, Arouca. All matches kick off at 4.15 pm.
Current standings: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts. |
East San Juan |
15 |
12 |
1 |
2 |
38 |
14 |
37 |
Hearty Foods Bulls |
16 |
9 |
2 |
5 |
37 |
22 |
29 |
Crab Connection |
13 |
9 |
1 |
3 |
35 |
15 |
28 |
WASA |
14 |
7 |
5 |
2 |
36 |
19 |
26 |
Carib FC |
15 |
8 |
2 |
5 |
36 |
25 |
26 |
TSTT |
14 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
30 |
16 |
24 |
Police |
14 |
7 |
2 |
5 |
31 |
27 |
23 |
Joe Public |
16 |
7 |
2 |
7 |
32 |
31 |
23 |
Athletico SI |
16 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
22 |
39 |
16 |
Maloney |
16 |
4 |
1 |
11 |
18 |
39 |
13 |
Young Heart |
15 |
4 |
1 |
10 |
22 |
45 |
13 |
BM Spurs |
16 |
3 |
3 |
10 |
1 |
22 |
38 |
Coaching School |
16 |
3 |
1 |
12 |
20 |
49 |
10 |
THE DEFENCE Force-Police final round contest in the inaugural All Sport National Super League was cancelled last Saturday due a mix-up regarding the venues.
The match was originally carded to take place at the Defence Force Headquarters, Chaguaramas but a lack of communication between the league officials and the teams meant that only the Army-Coast Guard combination was ready for action at their home base with the policemen turning up at the Police Barracks, St James. As a result, the league will meet this week to decide the outcome of the scheduled match. With Crab Connection securing the title by virtue of their 5-2 thrashing of Club Sando last Friday night, BiWater Stokelyvale took the runners-up spot and $12,000 after edging TCL Samba Boys 1-0 at Shaw Park last Saturday.
Curtis Job got the evening’s lone strike to give the Tobagonians their seventh win for the season. And Caroni ended their participation in the league on a winning note last Saturday, blanking Mayaro Spurs 5-1 at Brechin Castle, Caroni. Ahmed Mohammed led the way for the hosts with a pair, while Akeil Jamaal, Anderson Bryce and Trevin Mitchell chipped in with a goal apiece. Sharlon Hagley netted Mayaro’s consolation item, as they were defeated for the ninth time in ten matches.
Super League Standings |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
Crab Connection |
10 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
41 |
15 |
25 |
Stokely vale |
10 |
7 |
2 |
1 |
26 |
11 |
23 |
Maraval Youth Academy |
10 |
7 |
2 |
1 |
24 |
12 |
23 |
WASA Clean & White |
10 |
7 |
0 |
3 |
29 |
22 |
21 |
Police |
9 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
46 |
11 |
19 |
Club Sando |
10 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
16 |
17 |
15 |
Caroni |
10 |
4 |
0 |
6 |
25 |
31 |
12 |
Defence Force |
9 |
3 |
0 |
6 |
19 |
22 |
9 |
TCL Samba Boys |
10 |
2 |
0 |
8 |
10 |
24 |
6 |
Mayaro Spurs |
10 |
1 |
0 |
9 |
10 |
43 |
3 |
Tamana United |
10 |
1 |
0 |
9 |
8 |
47 |
3 |
Trinidad and Tobago drew 5-5 with Guyana in the second match of their South Caribbean Under-18 Rugby Cham-pionship play-off at the President’s grounds, St Ann’s on Saturday.
However they failed to qualify for the Under-19 World Cup finals. Guyana, in addition to winning the South Caribbean Champion-ships will now play in the finals instead. Guyana edged their hosts 13-10 at the same venue on Friday and took the two-match series 1-0. In the same second match on Sunday, TT scored early but the Guyanese youngsters showed tre-mendous grit and determination fighting back to draw level and resolutely deny the home side a victory.
TT coach Derek Dow-nie commenting after said that his team had every opportunity to win but could not capitalise on the opportunities provided. He however believes that the failure of the team to advance to the Under-19 World Cup finals will act as a motivation for the pursuit of the place in the 2005 tournament. Downie congratulated the Guyanese and noted that their victory augurs well for rugby in the region, now that there is a keen rivalry between the two countries at the age-grade level. In August TT traveLled to Guyana where they won the West Indies Rugby Union Under-16 Championships — edging hosts Guyana in the final.
Trinidad and Tobago cricketers were fighting the influenza virus as they prepare for the opening match of the regional Red Stripe Bowl one-day tournament which gets underway tomorrow.
Their readiness could be compromised however as three players were struck down on arrival in Jamaica on Sunday. In form leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine, middle batsman Shazam Babwah and rookie Ryad Emrit are all suffering from symptoms of the cold. However they are hoping to get back to full fitness in time for the opening match against the Leeward Islands tomorrow at Mona Campus, University of the West Indies Ground. Manager of the team Omar Khan told Newsday yesterday from Jamaica that the distressed players are struggling a bit. “But we working on it and are hoping to get the guys fit in time for the match on Wednesday,” Khan said yesterday. “The conditions of the players seems to have been brought on by them having to acclimatise over here. However they were all taken to the doctor and we are confident that come match time they will be ready to do well for Trinidad and Tobago,” said Khan.
The TT team had a three-hour long practice session at the Sabina Park Cricket Facility yesterday under coach Anthony Gray. Khan reported that team spirit was high and the players are looking forward to playing and winning the trophy for Trinidad and Tobago. “This morning when we turned up at Sabina Park for training the guys were all keen to get the practice underway and there seems to be a real urgency among the players to do well,” Khan said. “The national Under-15 and Under-19 teams have done so well during the past few seasons that the senior guys want to emulate that and take a trophy at the highest level of regional competition,” he said. The TT team arrived in Jamaica at 11.35 am on Sunday and was immediately transferred to the Knutford Court Hotel where they will stay for the duration of the tournament. The last time Trinidad and Tobago won the regional title was in 1997 under the leadership of Brian Lara who is a key member of the Daren Ganga-led squad.
Former Schools Supervisor II in the Ministry of Education Clarence Shaffrali is now head of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Umpires Council (TTCUC). Shaffrali replaces Harry Mahabal who led the organisation for the past four years.
Mahabal, a recent recipient of a Chaconia Medal (Silver) in the the Independence Day National Awards was voted out together with his entire executive. The annual general elections of the TTCUC was held at Presentation College, Chaguanas, on Sunday morning. Long serving cricket administrator Lalman Kowlessar is the new vice-president. He replaces Sadick Mohammed, while Camal Basdeo was replaced as secretary by Kasso Dowlath. Treasurer Shair Ali also made way for Harold Ramjattan. Shaffrali said after the elections that the new executive is about reviving umpiring training locally. “We have already appointed a committee to look into the development of the umpire and they will report back to us soon on the matter,” he said. “Umpiring must have a new dimension in this country and we are going to move in that direction. We are now going to use slides and video tapes to help in the preparation of the umpire so that we put out a better product for the benefit of cricket in Trinidad and Tobago,” Shaffrali said. Shaffrali, who has been a cricket administrator for the past 50 years added: ”We are not going to discriminate against anyone. When we form other committees we will be willing to include those that have been voted out of the executive. They must however be good at what they are doing,” he said. The TTCUC will meet next month to put the appointments committee in place for the new season.
EXECUTIVE FOR THE 2003-2004 TERM
President: Clarence Shaffrali
Vice-president: Lalman Kowlessar.
Secretary: Kasso Dowlath.
Asst Sec: Alfred Daniel and Farouk Hosein.
Treasurer: Harold Ramjattan.
Reps to WICUA: Sadick Mohammed, Clarence Shaffrali.
Rep to TTCB: Clarence Shaffrali, Kasso Dowlath.
SCARBOROUGH will be looking to reclaim the lead atop the five-team standings as the Tobago Zone of the British Gas Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) continues today.
A double-header is carded for Shaw Park from 2 pm with the winless Bishop’s meeting Elizabeth’s while Scarborough, vying for their third straight zone crown, will face off against third-placed Roxbo-rough.
Scarborough were 2-0 winners over Bishop’s on Saturday last while Elizabeth’s were handed a 11-0 licking by current leaders Signal Hill in their previous fixture.
Current Standings
Tobago Zone |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
Signal Hill |
5 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
30 |
2 |
13 |
Scarborough |
5 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
16 |
4 |
12 |
Roxborough |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
10 |
8 |
5 |
Elizabeth’s |
5 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
6 |
24 |
4 |
Bishop’s |
5 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
5 |
29 |
0 |
PETROTRIN and Jane Public maintained their hopes of upsetting TIAHCO Stingrays and claiming the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Football Association (TTWFA) 2003 league crown with contrasting victories over the weekend.
Petrotrin needed a late double from captain Terri-Lisa John to defeat Memphis 2-1 at the Arima Municipal Stadium on Sunday while, 24 hours earlier, Jane Public thrashed Moruga 11-0 at the Otis Memorial Park, Grand Chemin. Roxanne Toussaint continued her fine goalscoring form, with a 64th minute item to give Memphis the lead against the in-form Petrotrin. But the “oil-women”, who needed a win to keep their title aspirations alive, struck back in the 75th minute through John, who also notched the decider in the 89th. With the win, Petrotrin remained third on 21 points with three matches remaining, while Stingrays lead the way with a maximum 30 points from 10 matches and Jane Public 27 from 10.
Jane Public, with the realisation that goal-difference may play a part in deciding the title-holders, got hat-tricks from national midfielder Avio-nne Douglas and M Springer, while Ayanna Russell and Asha Gibbons added a pair each and Janelle Nedd the other. Real Dimension grabbed their sixth win of the season with a 6-0 triumph over a short-handed Pro Sports Central United at Enterprise on Sunday. With Dimension holding a 6-0 halftime cushion the Central lasses, who fielded a seven starters, suffered an injury to their goalkeeper, with the referee forced to end the match and awarding full points to the Port-of-Spain-based team. Captain Nadia James netted a hat-trick with Tyechia John adding two and Nisa Goodridge the other. The Cruz International-Arima Ball Masters clash, scheduled for the Aranguez Savannah on Saturday, was cancelled due to the absence of match officials.
Current Standings |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
TIAHCO Stingrays |
10 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
58 |
3 |
30 |
Jane Public |
10 |
9 |
0 |
1 |
59 |
7 |
27 |
Petrotrin |
8 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
50 |
2 |
21 |
Memphis |
9 |
6 |
0 |
3 |
32 |
17 |
18 |
Real Dimension |
8 |
6 |
0 |
2 |
26 |
6 |
18 |
Central United |
11 |
5 |
0 |
6 |
22 |
36 |
15 |
Net Shakers |
8 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
20 |
17 |
12 |
Moruga |
8 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
13 |
37 |
10 |
St David’s United |
9 |
1 |
2 |
7 |
10 |
46 |
5 |
Arima Ball Masters |
10 |
1 |
0 |
9 |
7 |
56 |
3 |
Cruz International |
10 |
0 |
1 |
9 |
3 |
49 |
1 |
IT WAS lockdown time in Port-of-Spain yesterday. Not because of the ceremonial opening of the new session of Parliament, but because of Jamaat Al Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr, who was due in court to answer the charge of conspiracy to murder.
The security officials were correct in their assessment as more than 100 members and supporters of the Muslimeen leader packed the court room and corridors of the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court to hear the evidence against their leader. The situation was more tense as the star witness in the case — Brent Miller — is a member of the Jamaat who was granted immunity by the State from the murder at the Movie Towne Cineplex in return for his testimony against Bakr. From as early as 7.30 am yesterday, there was an unusual amount of traffic in the city. The police blocked off streets around the Red House, where President George Maxwell Richards was scheduled to open the new session of Parliament hours later. Traffic backed up for miles throughout the day because of the cordoning off of streets in the city. But security officials concentrated their efforts on the re-appearance of the Muslimeen leader to answer the charge. As if pre-arranged, the Muslimeen support was overwhelming, creating great discomfort for court staff and other people using the court building. Muslimeen members, especially those in black and red, who refer to themselves as the “Guardians of Islam,” soon occupied the upstairs corridor of the courthouse. Added to that, there was the usual Monday crowd who had gathered to have their cases heard and determined.
When it became evident that the crowd was growing in intensity, the police called for back-up. Assistant Commissioner (Operations) Oswyn Allard supervised the security arrangements at the courthouse. Despite the presence of the senior officers, the “Guardians of Islam” members attempted to show their force to all present, challenging the police. One member gave orders and the others followed, even if it meant contradicting the orders of the police. When the police officer shouted “go back please,” the leader of the Muslimeen group responded “one step back.” When the police officer walked away, the response was “one step forward.” Very soon it became uncomfortable for those who gathered in the corridor, including members of the media. Three members of the Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB) soon emerged “armed to the teeth” as if to show that the police were in charge. Members of the newly-formed Judiciary Security Unit under Cyril Bernard, were also present, giving support to the MTS guards who were carrying out searches at the entrance. Bakr arrived shortly after 9 am, but was caught up with the crowd in the corridor. Magistrate Melvin Daniel decided to adjourn all cases listed in 4B Court. When he left, it was a mad scramble for seats in the court to hear Bakr’s matter and the inquest into the death of 11-year-old Akiel Chambers. Seats soon became a premium in the courtroom. Three of Bakr’s wives and one of his sons were present to hear the matter. When Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls appeared at 9.50 am, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Carla Brown-Antoine, leading State attorney George Busby, announced that the State was ready to proceed.
Pamela Elder announced that she and Owen Hinds Jr were representing the accused. Elder said she was surprised that the State was ready to proceed and wondered if they were ready for ‘‘prosecution or persecution.’’ She said she received copies of statements given by Brent Miller and Salim Rasheed, but pleaded for full disclosure. Elder wondered whether the mystery virus which hit the office of the DPP recently had affected the way the State department did things. Elder produced a letter to the DPP’s office in which she asked for 17 items relating to full disclosure. There was some argument between Elder and Brown-Antoine over the readiness to deal with the matter. When the Chief Magistrate ruled that the preliminary inquiry would proceed, Elder asked for some time to consult with Bakr to determine whether she should formally withdraw from the case. On the resumption, Elder said she was remaining in the case. Brown-Antoine then announced that Brent Miller was going to be the first prosecution witness. At that point, one could hear a pin drop. Chief Magistrate Mc Nicolls then read the charge to Bakr, that he, and David Maillard, also called “Buffy” on June 4, 2003 at Citrine Drive, Diamond Vale, Diego Martin, conspired with others to murder Salim Rasheed and Zaki Aubiah, two expelled members of the Jamaat Al Muslimeen. Bakr was not called upon to plead and the first witness was called. Miller, also known as “Big Brent” and “Fatboy,” took the witness stand before a full courtroom. Dressed in a blue short sleeved shirt and blue jeans, Miller spent most of the day in the witness box while the accused sat in the dock in a cream outfit and bluish fez. When the case ended just before 4 pm, Miller was still giving evidence-in-Chief. Hearing was adjourned to October 7. St Vincent Street leading to the courthouse remained blocked for most of the day until Bakr and his supporters left. Miller was secretly whisked away to an unknown destination under heavy police escort.
HUNDREDS of motorists and members of the public remained stranded in traffic for hours yesterday as police officers put into place “Operation Lockdown,” which saw the closure of several key streets and the enforcement of restriction of parking in certain areas in the city.
Motorists and members of the public travelling from Chaguanas, St Augustine, Diego Martin and other areas to Port-of-Spain, arrived at their various destinations late. Newsday learned that some members of Parliament and guests arrived late for the opening of Parliament as a result of the traffic pile-up. Traffic around the Red House was restricted as part of the security arrangements. Abercromby Street, which is a major thoroughfare for most motorists was closed off yesterday. Edward Street, Sackville Street, Abercromby Street between Queen and Duke Street, Knox Street and Hart Street were closed off to motorists.
The St Ann’s taxi stand was relocated to the southern side of Independence Square between Frederick and Henry Streets, while the St James taxi stand was moved to the northern side of Independence Square between Frederick and Henry Streets. The closure of the streets and the restrictions were put into place between 7 am and 1.30 pm yesterday. Senior officers said yesterday that while they were sorry for the inconvenience, the opening of Parliament was advertised in the newspaper and members of the public could have made a sacrifice to travel to Port-of-Spain before 7 am. He said that if this was done then the pile-up would have been eased up.
ACP Mobile Nazamul Hosein said that the traffic pile-up was due to traffic restrictions put in place for the opening of Parliament. He said more than 50 police officers were deployed to ensure security arrangements were adhered to and that motorists did not flout the traffic restrictions. The blocked off streets were re-opened around midday yesterday bringing a sigh of relief to motorists and members of the travelling public.
Officers from the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Consumer Affairs Division, will be visiting poultry depots nationwide from Friday to Sunday to monitor chicken prices.
All officers will be properly identified as they visit the various depots to ensure that poultry producers are honouring the new price range for chicken. The Ministry of Legal Affairs met with poultry producers in September after the average chicken price rose to $4.65 per pound. As a result of agreements made at this meeting, Cabinet requested that the price of live chicken be kept between $3.50 and $3.99 per pound.
