BRIDGETOWN: More than three months after retaining his job as West Indies team manager, Ricky Skerritt is still without a contract after turning down a one-year deal offered by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in March this year.
On March 31, WICB chief executive Roger Brathwaite verbally offered a one-year contract to the 46-year-old Skerritt but, because there was no long-term job security, insiders say Skerritt turned it down and advised the board that he would work only through the two home series. One source said the board of directors, at a meeting in Barbados three months ago, decided it would only offer a one-year deal (at reduced financial terms). During his last two-year deal, Skerritt’s base salary was set at US$7,600 per month. He also received a meal allowance of US$50 per day in addition to an equal share of prize money won by team.
As senior team manager, Skerritt was also entitled to 1/20th of the incentive money from Cable & Wireless sponsorships plus a manager’s entertainment allowance. The WICB had a change of heart over the length of the deal, deciding at its Dominica meeting two weekends ago to offer a two-year contract. Skerritt and the board are in the process of negotiating the terms of a deal and a decision is expected within the next week. Meanwhile, well-placed sources say the board plans to advertise for the position of assistant coach to work under Gus Logie.
The decision to advertise the position was made to avoid a repeat of the problems associated with Jeff Dujon’s hiring in February 2000. At the time, the board had only advertised for a head coach (Roger Harper won that job) and the addition of Dujon to the senior team staff ran into problems because the job description and the chain of command was apparently not clear to all concerned. Dujon was later relieved of his duties with the senior team and put to work with the WICB’s cricket development arm. This time around, sources say the job description “will be clear to all concerned.” There have been rumblings that bowling coach Kenny Benjamin was a frontrunner for the assistant’s job but now that the board has decided to advertise the post, a decision could be delayed for some time.
UNIT TRUST Maloney Pacers secured their place in the Second Division Big Four final with a determined showing against Colours, winning 65-63 as the Eastern Community Basketball League action heated up on Wednesday night.
Already the Division 1 and 2 league and knockout champions, Pacers were always closely pursued by the Colours team who lurked five points aloof at the half with the score 33-28. But Pacers in a performance reticent of their title-winning style fought off their advances to win by a mere two points. The Colours pair of Akil La Roche who scored a game-high 18 points, along with eight rebounds and five steals and Marvin Humphrey who put in 14 with nine rebounds and three steals were unable to stop the Pacers players who seemed to already know their destiny.
Kenrick Bernard scored 17, with eight rebounds and three steals to lead Pacers scorers despite leaving the game to be hospitalised due to an irregular heartbeat, while Kenyatta Alfred contributed 14 and Michael Alert put up 11 to make sure the Pacers had an opportunity to invade the final and set up the final move in their drive to take all Division 1 and 2 titles. In a thrilling Division 1 Big Four match which went into overtime after being tied at 71 by the end of regulation and saw Marabella Raptors, led by Ako Pascal’s cross court antics and game high 37 points, take a tight 87-83 win after one period. Raptors’ Damian Caton scored 23 and took 11 rebounds and on defence Fitzroy Gray held 10 rebounds and contributed five points to the effort, Hawks’ Marvin Celestine let fly with 35 points and snatched 8 steals while Dereck Hughue resisted with 21 points and Khary Alexis took down 15 rebounds and scored 8 points.
“MARVELLOUS” Melvin Anthony is yet to confirm his appearance as one of three guest posers at Saturday’s Eastern Caribbean Body Building and Fitness Championships.
Anthony, local star Darrem Charles and Karen Walcott are expected to show off their physique and muscular power at the contest, scheduled from 6 pm at the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence, Macoya, Tunapuna. According to Sandra Daniel, member of the Trinidad and Tobago Body Building Federation, “the members of Anthony’s camp (in the United States) are expected to reply (to the invitation) on Wednesday or Thursday.” Participants from Anguilla, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts, St Lucia, St Vincent and the US Virgin Islands will arrive this morning with the official weigh-in of competitors at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain at 6 pm, also today.
Anthony, the 11th-ranked professional in the world, dazzled the crowd with his moves during the recent Malta Carib National Junior Body Building Championships at the UWI Sport and Physical Education Centre, St Augustine. Charles is rated at No 10 in the world circuit, currently resides in the United States while Walcott will be giving her first on-stage performance since winning the recent Monica Brant Fitness classic competition in Fairfax, Virginia.
WITH the next day’s racing one week away and time on their hands, most trainers chose to keep their horses on “easy street” with light exercises on the gallop course at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, yesterday.
Others with juveniles, both unraced and experienced, opted to use the time to give their babes the exposure of mingling around the boxes before being taken forward and loaded into the starting stalls to be schooled. Trainer Maniram “Boboy” Maharaj, whose string is most forward and has dominated the entry in both two-year-old events so far this season, chose to spend the grace period to re-school his runners. While the majority were only given the experience of filtering through the boxes Salsa Moves and Java Takeover, who were both withdrawn after giving trouble to load last race day and stable-companion Java In Style stretched their legs over short distances after opening their gates. Salsa Moves was sharpest of the trio clocking 25.27 seconds between the 1200 and 800 metres markers, with his stablemate in close touch 26.87.
Trainer Douglas Bennett who reaped early rewards with juveniles Mama Do Do and Not To Worrie over past seasons introduced three from his string preparing for their baptism. The unamed trio out of Hot Headed, Willshewon’tshe and Rhythmic Dancer went easy after breaking from the boxes, posting 25.90 seconds over the first 400 metres before being eased. Speedfuhso, an unraced three-year-old from champion trainer John O’Brien’s stable lit up the morning with his speed. The late developer showed speed over the last 400 metres of the course in 23.43 seconds. His effort attained the only “good” of the morning in the remarks column of the Arima Race Club official clockers report.
UNITED STATES-based professor Dr Margaret Ottley began work with the Trinidad and Tobago national U-19 cricket team and believes that this country’s cricketers have it in themselves to reach very far in the Trinidad Cement Limited Regional Cricket championships starting in Guyana next month.
Speaking to Newsday during a break in yesterday’s session at the National Cricket Centre (NCC), Dr Ottley said: “The work we have done so far has been very productive and the players are responding well to the techniques used. “We started with group dynamics which is so important in a team sport. “The guys are being thrown into group activities and this will help them understand one another better and hence will lead to greater teamwork. “At the end of this programme I would like the players to believe in themselves and bring out that tremendous inner strength they possess. The mind is a very powerful tool and one must know how to tap into this resource.”
The internationally-acclaimed Dr Ottley was recently drafted in by the United States Track and Field Association to work with their top athletes. The woman who likes to call herself “a true child of the soil” was born in Trinidad and gained most of her knowledge here. She has travelled the world extensively delivering lectures in sport psychology. Her next major assignment for Trinidad and Tobago will be the PanAm Games where she will accompany the Trinidad and Tobago athletes taking part in the championships. Dr Ottley was also the sport psychologist attached to the Trinidad and Tobago contingent which travelled to the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia in 1998. She is a very keen hockey player and after gaining her first experience with Checkers Hockey Club, was drafted into the Trinidad and Tobago senior hockey team at the tender age of 14 years.
Dr Ottley still assist hockey players and had stints with the national swimmers, table and lawn tennis players, the squash team currently in Guyana, as well as track athletes.
TRINIDAD AND Tobago junior female and male teams advanced to the quarter-finals of the Fourth Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Junior Volleyball Championships in Martinique.
TT, the defending women’s champs, secured victories in both Group B preliminary matches, the same as arch-rivals Netherland Antilles. But the Dutch girls are ahead by virtue of winning all six sets for a maximum ratio as well as a superior ratio in the overall points gained. Netherlands scored 151 points and conceded 87 for a ratio of 1.74 while TT won six sets and lost one to tally 171 points and conceded 105 for an overall ratio of 1.63. Both teams were due to contest their final group matches yesterday. The winners will automatically move forward to the semi-finals scheduled for tomorrow, while the second placed team will have to do battle with the third placed team in Group A in one of the semi-final matches carded for today.
Barbados head Group A with two victories — one gained by a walk-over from Jamaica who arrived only on Wednesday and went into action immediately. The Bajans whipped Bahamas 3-0, winning at 25-6, 25-13, 25-21 and were due to play Martinique in their final group match last evening. Trinidad and Tobago, inspired by the brilliance of its powerful threesome of skipper Sean Morrison, Mark Anthony Honore and Cuban-based Esil Seecharran, showed what they are capable as the downed the plucky Aruba outfit 25-16, 25-21 and 25-10. Libero Kerish Maharaj returned the services and smashes which gave TT hitmen Morrison, Honore and Seecharran the feed for kills at the net and push them through to the quarter-finals.Today, the TT lads will can book a semi-final spot if they can finish third in Group A, which includes Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados. Martinique won all three Group A matches and automatically moved to the semi-final round. They won all nine sets for maximum six points. The homesters tallied 225 points and conceded 144 for a ratio of 1.55 while TT totalled 246 points and conceded 233 for an overall ratio of 1.06.
Wednesday Results — WOMEN – Group A: JAMAICA beat Martinique 25-16, 25-19, 25-21.
MEN – Group A: TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO beat Aruba 25-16, 25-21, 25-10. Group B: JAMAICA beat Barbados 25-21, 16-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-9.
Group B: NETHERLAND ANTILLES beat Bahamas 25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 25-21.
CL FINANCIAL San Juan Jabloteh will face off against W Connection in the final of the second annual First Citizens’ Bank (FCB) Cup on July 30.
Jabloteh, who entered Wednesday night’s second leg semi-final clash against Joe Public with a 3-0 advantage, edged the “Eastern Lions” 1-0, for a 4-0 aggregate scoreline, courtesy a Josh Johnson’s goal in the 87th minute at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, Arima. But Connection needed a golden goal from left-back Jose Luis Seabra to overcome a tough North East Stars outfit at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. North East Stars held a 2-1 lead from the first leg but Connection forced sudden-death after levelling the aggregate score at 3-3, before Seabra’s left-footed strike, from a Gefferson Goulart free-kick in the 93rd minute, decided the outcome. Connection bombarded the North East defence with a series of attacks in the opening 45 minutes, but Earl Jean was repeatedly spotted in offside positions by referee assistant Merere Gonsalves.
Jean saw his 18th minute header, from a Ronaldo Viana centre, held by veteran goalkeeper Trevor Nottingham; Goulart watched in agony as his volley, from a Lyndon Andrews’ pass, was cleared off the line by defender Troy Richards and a right-footed blast by Andrews flew past Nottingham’s goal by mere centimetres. Viana found the back of the net six minutes into the second half. After a goalbound Goulart found Jean on the edge of the penalty box and, with the defence collapsing on him, found an unmarked Viana who slammed home from close range. North East Stars, who employed a defensive strategy for most of the match, went ahead 3-2 on aggregate in the 78th. On a give-and-go between the Guyanese duo, striker Randolph Jerome and Kayode McKinnon, wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of countryman Charles Pollard, Jerome sped past defender Rawle Fletcher and slotted past the onrushing goalie Alejandro Figueroa.
Committing players forward for the equaliser (on aggregate) substitute Kerwyn “Hardest” Jemmott, whose foul in the fourth minute of stoppage time resulted in a freekick, rose to head Goulart’s chip past Nottingham. Jemmott proved to be a thorn in the Stars defence and, again on a run down the left flank, was brought down by right-back Glenton Wolfe in the third minute of sudden death injury time. With the defenders arguing over their positions, Goulart found an unmarked Seabra who calmly tapped home from 15 metres out.
FIVE-year-old Prasanna Ramakrishnan, playing his first ever competitive series in the recent Sagicor Open Junior Chess Tournamnent, stunned the purists by garnering two points in the under-14 age-group.
And for his prowess, tiny Ramakrishnan received a trophy. Trinidad and Tobago Junior Chess Federation had a 20-plus team with FIDE Master Mario Merritt as coach and JCF secretary Sally Maharaj, at the five-day tournament which ended in neighbouring Barbados on Friday last. Other countries competing were Jamaica, Suriname and the hosts. Marcus Joseph topped the under-16 chessists, while Desire Derrick finished runner-up to Surinamer Roshni Jagroep in the girls category, beaten by half point. And Antonio Gellineau got the trophy for Best Player in 1200 Rating. Allan Munro was third behind Avinash Wahi of Suriname and Daren Wisdom of Jamaica in the Bolitz tournament held on the final day. The team travelled to Barbados courtesy Guardian Life, Caribbean Ispat Ltd, William H Scott Foundation, Desalination Company of Trinidad and Tobago and Caribbean Advertising and Tees.
PEPSI HILLS United scored a stunning 1-0 upset victory over 1976 FC Phoenix XS when action resumed in the Warner’s Group of Companies-sponsored Tobago Football Association Premier Division.
Champions St Clair’s Coaching School sent another chilling message to all opponents with a 10-0 thumping of Charlotteville Unifiers, also at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago, on Wednesday night. Eustace Stewart was the hero for Hills United when he got what turned out to be the winner in as early as the second minute of the game, and despite all efforts of Phoenix to knot up the scores, the winners defended stoutly to grab the points. Victory pitchforked Hills United into third spot on the standings with 15 points. And the defeat sunk Phoenix to fifth, three points adrift of their conquerors.
Coaching School rained goals on Unifiers in the later game with Dexter Taylor firing in a hat-trick. Carron Williams, the ex-QRC striker just back from the United States, announced himself with a double, while Darron Toby, Keon Yearwood, Keon Daniel, Javon Carrington and Lenon Roberts got the other goals. Wednesday’s scoreline matched Coaching School’s season-high as they trounced Hope Village Milan by the same 10-0 margin in their seasonal opener.
Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre played host to Republic Cup 2003 and attracted the participation of over 30 teams all keen on a place in the finals on August 9 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, but unable to get past Gasparillo Youths A.
Both teams representing this club made their way to the finals of the Under-13 age group ousting Spitfire 4-0 and the Under-15 age group pipping Black Gold 1-0, while Petrotrin Pointe-a-Pierre defeated Black Gold 3-0 in the Under-17 category to advance in Saturday’s action. Gasparillo Youths “A” striker Jarvid Mohammed crowned the day off for his club when he received the “Player of the Day” accolade from Republic Cup technical director Douglas James. Action in the Republic Cup heads to the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago, where a girls under-17 competition will be held and a Tobago champion declared.
