KINGSTON, Jamaica:  South Africa remained in contention  for a semi-final spot by beating the United States yesterday, while England kept their  unbeaten run in a win over Barbados at the 2003 Cable & Wireless 11th World Netball Championships at the National Sports Centre here. England defeated Barbados 80-27 in their most convincing display in three games, serving as good preparation for their big Group ‘B’ clash against New Zealand today. South Africa defeated the United States 54-38, and now effectively has to win their remaining group matches to guarantee a  place in Saturday’s semi-finals. The South Africans face Australia tomorrow, but in spite  of some spirited play in their three matches, the superior Aussies are widely expected to win against the fifth-ranked team on their way to back-to-back World Championship trophies. The eight-time world netball queens Australia and perennial runners-up New Zealand sent strong messages to the opposition with big victories late Sunday night.

The Aussies who are also Commonwealth champions, bidding for a ninth title, overwhelmed Samoa 76-27, and second-ranked New Zealand dominated Barbados for an 84-45 victory. In consolation group matches yesterday, Scotland beat Canada  50-38, Wales whipped Sri Lanka 54-46 and Northern Ireland prevailed over Grenada in an exciting close contest 45-42. St Lucia also defeated Hong Kong 64-33, led by perfect scores by Shern Maxwell, who coveted all of her 20 goals for a remarkable 100 percent record. Shooter Karen Joseph of Antigua was also near perfect as her team defeated the Cayman Islands 72-30. She scored a  game-high 39 goals from 41 attempts. The World Netball Champion-ships move to another level today when front-running teams begin to meet each other for the first time. Defending champions Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and  England appear set to qualify for the semi-finals. The first genuine matchup takes place today when England meet New Zealand. The winners are likely to top Group B and avoid Australia.

LAST season’s runners-up Crab Connection hammered East/West Coaching School 6-1 in Eastern Football Association Arthur “Jap Brown” Memorial Trophy action. But, despite their big victory, the Crabs remain in third position on the standings, while champions WASA Clean & White were idle last weekend. Michael Alexis fired in a hat-trick for the Crabs, while Joseph Peters scored twice and Irvin Trim got the other, while Joel Razack got a consolation for the losers. Current leaders Carib FC shut out JGS Maloney Two Touch 2-0 on goals by Tennyson Ragoonath and Victor Sam. Newcomers Hearty Food Bulls stopped Athletico Sports Institute 2-0 with Simon Bernard and Kelvin Daniel doing the scoring. Samba Xtra Malt East San Juan United made sure of a share of the lead with a 2-0 shut out of Joe Public. The winners got goals from Brian Grant and Wendell Isaac.

Current standings:

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Carib	5	5	0	0	17	2	15
San Juan Utd.	5	5	0	0	..11	2	15
Crab Connection	5	4	1	0	18	4	13
WASA	5	3	2	0	14	5	11
Joe Public	5	3	0	3	11	10	9
TSTT	5	2	2	1	12	8	8
Police	5	2	0	3	9	11	6
Bulls	5	2	0	3	6	10	6
BM Spurs	4	1	1	2	7	11	4
Young Hearts	6	1	0	5	9	16	3
Maloney	6	1	0	5	4	13	3
ASI	5	1	0	4	5	16	3
E/W Coaching School	6	1	0	5	4	18	3

PIRANHA AQUATICS’ Andre Schamber claimed three gold medals as the National Long Course Age-Group Swimming Championships ended at the  Marlins Swim Pool, Westmoorings on Sunday night. Schamber took the Boys 13-14 50-metre backstroke in 31.20 seconds, with Marlins’ Jules Graham 31.71 and John Ross Andrews of Piranhas’ 31.86  trailing; the Boys 13-14 400m individual medley in a slow time of five minutes 30.81 seconds, ahead of Stephan Salandy of Flying Fish 5:33.52 and Andrews 5:55.05; and the Boys 13-14 50m freestyle in 26.44, followed by Andrews 26.46 and Graham 26.68. But Schamber had to settle for the bronze medal in the 100m butterfly,  clocking 1:08.12, behind Graham’s 1:06.34 and Andrews’ 1:07.50.

Other results:  Boys 11-12 100m butterfly: 1.Joel Sankar (La Joya) 1:09.92; 2.Nathan Percy (Marlins) 1:13.47; 3.Ikenna Ward 1:15.39.
Girls 13-14 100m butterfly: 1.Kimba Collymore (Piranhas) 1:12.48; 2.Whitney Wint (Piranhas) 1:15.05; 3.Emily Fitzpatrick (Flying Fish) 1:19.73.
Girls 15-and-over 100m butterfly: 1.Melanie Charles (Marlins) 1:13.15;
2.Collette Joseph (Piranhas) 1:20.45; 3.Shimonah Lutchmedial (Piranhas) 1:25.03.
Boys 15-and-over 100m butterfly: 1.Stefan Mader (Piranhas) 1:00.91;
2.Vincent Tardieu (Blue Dolphins) 1:04.49; 3.Yannick Potts (Piranhas) 1:06.09.
Boys 9-10 50m backstroke: 1.Cadell Lyons (Stingrays) 35.80; 2.Christian Homer (Stingrays) 36.21; 3.Aaron Smith (La Joya) 36.32. Girls 13-14 50m backstroke: 1.Donna Marie Wickham (Tidal Wave) 32.97;
2.Whitney Wint (Piranhas) 36.19; 3.Zahra De Four (Marlins) 38.22.
Girls 15-and-over 50m backstroke: 1.Renee Pouchet (Blue Dolphins) 34.45;
2.Sobenna George (Marlins) 35.85; 3.Shimonah Lutchmedial (Piranhas) 37.53.
Girls 8-and-under 200m individual medley: 1.Kimberlee John-Williams (Piranhas) 3:04.61; 2.Cardesha Lyons (Stingrays) 3:17.01; 3.Khadija Thornhill (Stingrays) 3:38.85.
Boys 11-12 200m IM: 1. Joel Sankar (La Joya) 2:36.71; 2.Nathan Percy (Marlins) 2:45.30; 3.Anthony Edwards (Tidal Wave) 2:46.24.
Girls 8-and-under 50m freestyle: 1.Cardesha Lyons (Stingrays) 35.02;
2.Kimberlee John-Williams (Piranhas) 36.25; 3.Khadija Thornhill (Stingrays) 38.11.
Boys 9-10 50m freestyle: 1.Cadell Lyons (Stingrays) 29.87; 2.Christian Homer (Stingrays) 30.32; 3.Ryan Rigues (Stingrays) 31.52.
Girls 11-12 50m freestyle: 1.Janine Thornhill (Stingrays) 29.00; 2.Brittany Stewart (Piranhas) 29.69; 3.Shinelle Storey (Marlins) 31.90.
Girls 13-14 50m freestyle: 1.Whitney Wint (Piranhas) 29.97; 2.Chantal Redon (Marlins) 30.06; 3.Kimba Collymore (Piranhas) 30.13.
Girls 15-and-over 50m freestyle: 1.Linda McEachrane (Marlins) 27.69;
2.Sobenna George (Marlins) 28.06; 3.Melanie Charles (Marlins) 30.09.
Boys 15-and-over 50m freestyle: 1.Ryan Yearwood (Marlins) 24.73; 2.Stuart
Gillette (Marlins) 24.80; 3.Orlando Thom (Tidal Wave) 24.94.

A CAMP held at the Jean Pierre Sports Complex for  budding athletes in the 12-16 age-group was regarded as “heartening” and “fantastic” by both participants and organisers. At the closing ceremony, parents and officials alike were treated to a heart-warming rendition of Trinidad’s National Anthem  by the 33 Youth Campers, a result of the singing workshop hosted by Aaron Lorengard and Leslie Hay,  members of the well-respected Love Movement choir. Representing the campers, 12-year-old hockey player Jade Piper, lavished praise on the Trinidad and Tobago  Olympic Committee. He also thanked the committee for the opportunity not for only learning about the Olympic Games and its history, but also about what the Olympics stands for fair play, goal setting, and etiquette. The Campers were also treated to workshops based on creative writing, vocal training, and first aid. Also speaking were five group leaders among the 33 participants selected by the campers.

Those selected were Breanne McIvor (triathlon) Ananda Fraser (gymnastics) Kaheer Khan (badminton) Sanian Lewis (tennis) and Marcus Joseph (chess), who each made  presentations based on their respective sports. Secretary of the  TTOC Elton Prescott told campers:  “The camp has been on the drawing board for four years so it is heartening and encouraging for the TTOC that it has been well recieved by the young athletes.” Director of the TTOC Olympic Academy (TTOA) Brian Lewis urged young athletes to stay involved with the TTOA. Lewis was, however, disappointed that only 13 of the 28 TTOC affiliates nominated athletes, despite the fact that the camp was overbooked. He also said, “The fact that the camp was not sport specific may have concerned some people but the holistic approach and fostering of the Olympic ideals is overdue in Trinidad and Tobago.” Later, Prescott presented certificates to the 33 participants and the five facilitators. During  the week, the participants attended various lectures by Deryck Murray, Larry Romany, Sports Psychologist Dr Magaret Ottley, Clinical Psychologist Alicia Hoyte, and the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service, and  were given an insight to  the rigours of  international sport by current local stars  Darrel Brown and Cleopatra Borel.

MAGIC SAVANNAH BOYS pulled off an exciting one-run victory over United Progressors with two balls to spare, in action in the Motor and General Insurance Company/Caribbean Glass Windball Tournament. Batting first, Savannah Boys reached 90 off their allotted 15 overs with Suresh Heera topscoring with 18 and Rishi Rambharose contributing 12. United Progressors made a spirited reply and needed seven runs off  the final over for victory. But fine bowling backed up by some exceptional fielding saw the Savannah Boys restrict them, and hang on for a nail-biting win. In another thrilling game, national cricketer Dave “Tadpole” Mohammed fell three runs short of what would have been  the first century of the tournament. Playing for Xtermina-tors against Eastern Division  Police, Mohammed blasted five fours and 10 sixes in his knock. Eastern Division Police rattled up 188 off their 15 overs, and despite Mohammed’s heroics, Xterminators failed in their run chase, reaching 150 for six wickets when overs ran out.

Summarised scores: FLAMES 191/6 — Suresh Sagewan 56, Hospedales Singh 35, Robin Lalsingh 27 not out,  Gilkes Emmanuel 3/34, Kelvin Seewah 3/42 vs AH CRICKET SIDE 74 — G. Emmanuel 22. Clement Naranjan 2/28, Vijay Sumairsingh 2/1
EVERGREEN 101/4 – Terrence McClean 24, Junior Walcott, 46 not out,  Randall Paul 2/14 vs BUSTIN LOOSE 64/9 —Renny Samuel 21. Hamilton Scoon 2/7, Ricardo Rajnath 3/8.
EASTERN DIVISION POLICE 188/5 — Ramesh Soodeen 30, Joseph La Croix 44, Lester Hanooman 41, Anand Maraj 3/24, Dave Mohammed 2/16 vs
XTERMINATORS 150/6 —Dave Mohammed 97, Shammi Sooknanan 16. Rajesh Deosaran 2/7.
MAGIC SAVANNAH BOYS 90 — Suresh Heera 18, Rishi Rambharose 12. Aaron Wickham 3/10, Albino Shandy 2/13 vs UNITED PROGRESSORS 89 —Anthony Franchotte 12, Ryan Harricharan 2/18, Anand Kangal 2/11, Naresh Sookhai, 2/22
PRUDENTIAL PRINTERS AWESOME 104 Derek DeLeon 24, Michael Solozano, 16, Andy Ruiz 3/20, Tony Reese 3/11. vs STAG RENEGADES 52 —Suresh Rajkumar 12, Gary Noel 11.
Jaleel Baksh 4/2, Donald Nelson 3/8, Michael Solozano 2/9.
SAMBA BOYS 231/7 —Keith Ramsaray 77, Paresh David 37 not out,  Dave Baboolal 32.
A Ali 3/33, R Ward 2/45, K Joseph 2/47 vs AS BRYDEN 55 — Nishad Ram-bharose 3/14.

NEWLY incorporated Wushu Association of Trinidad and Tobago will host the first ever National Wushu Championships at the Reinzi Complex, Couva, on July 27. Featuring a showing of Tai jiquan and Contemporary Wushu forms, the martial arts explosion is a drive by the Wushu Association to select a national team to represent Trinidad and Tobago in the future. The competition, which will coincide with a similar tournament in the United States, will feature competition in age groups from 5 and under to over 50 and is supported by the United States of American, Pan American and Caribbean Wushu Federations. All schools wishing to compete in the ground-breaking tournament are invited, as Association President Rahnan Khabir asserts that there is a strong emphasis on the potential of the young competitors, which will then be channelled by coaches who will instruct their charges in the compulsory routines needed to compete internationally.

This initiative of the association is to prepare them for competition as early as the 2004 Pan American Games in Washington DC and the United States Wushu Championships in Virginia, with a vision to compete in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. The competition is the first of its kind since the Wushu Association of Trinidad and Tobago was formed in 1989 and is part of its new vision which includes its recent incorporation in October 2002. For further competition information please call association General Secretary Irvin Rosales at 653-5045, Vice President Winston Eamsamooj at 764-8018 and Rhanan Khabir at 696-0876 or 681-0908.

SONG OF FREEDOM, Mir On Fire and Supreme Dancer head the weights for the three handicap events framed on the Arima Race Club Day 22 card at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, on Saturday. The trio have each been asked to tote 56.5 kilos in their respective events by handicappers Wayne Shockness and Robin Jaisingh. Both Song Of Freedom and Mir On Fire have taken entry on the turf while Supreme Dancer’s event is on the main course. Separate weights were also assigned runners entered for both turf events, a measure taken should these events be shifted to the main course.

The Grant Lourenco-trained Song Of Freedom will have the same burden on either courses, but Mir On Fire was more leniently treated and will be toting 6.5 kilos less if he has to compete on the sand. The speedy American-bred gelding Song Of Freedom, who sparked on the gallops course on Sunday will face off against 11 runners in the Handicap 1 and Lower spotlight. In the 1100 metres dash, the four-year-old son of Boston Harbour/Duchess Diva has been asked to hand out as little as two kilos to course specialist Smooth Operator and as many as 12 kilos to stablemate Hemlock Falls. Mir On Fire in tackling the same trip will have to contend with 12 rivals, whom he will be  handing out from 1.5 kilos to 12 kilos. In the other handicap, Supreme Dancer will have seven in opponents. Following are the entries and weights for the handicaps.

RACE 7: HANDICAP 1 AND LOWER – W I BRED 3 Y.O & OVER WINNERS AND IMPORTED 3 Y.O & OVER – 1100 METRES (TURF).
1. SONG OF FREEDOM – 56.5 (56.5), 2. SMOOTH OPERATOR – 54.5 (52), 3. MAN OF CLASS – 52.5 (55), 4. CHAMPAGNE WAGER – 52 (52), 5. GOLD CONVEYOR – 51.5 (51.5), 6. THE GUV’NOR – 51.5 (51.5), 7. MANDELA – 50 (48), 8. BON VOYAGE – 49.5 (49.5), 9. LOUD MUSIC – 47 (47), 10. SWEET LAURA LEE – 46 (46), 11. JOINT VENTURE – 45 (45), 12. HEMLOCK FALLS – 44.5 (44.5).

RACE 8: W I BRED 3 Y.O & OVER NON-WINNERS OF THREE RACES IN CAREER – 1100 METRES  (TURF).
1. MIR ON FIRE – 56.5 (50), 2. AFFIRM DECISION – 55 (53.5), 3. NATURELLY CLASSY – 54.5 (56.5), 4. A FIRM RELIEF – 54 (54), 5. REIGN OF FIRE – 53 (51.5), 6. LOUD MUSIC – 53 (55), 7. UNDISPUTED – 51 (54), 8. FEMALE BANDIT – 51 (51), 9. HYARIMA – 50 (50), 10. LDAY ROSSIE – 49.5 (49.5), 11. RICHIE RICH – 48.5 (48.5), 12. FINEST GEM – 46.5 (46.5), 13. TRIBAL PLACE – 44.5 (44.5).

RACE 9: W I BRED 3 Y.O & OVER NON-WINNERS OF FOUR RACES IN CAREER – 1250 METRES.

1. SUPREME DANCER – 56.5, 2. TRICKY GUY – 55.5, 3. QUEEN’S BAND – 54, 4. RUBY RICH – 53.5, 5. TORONTO STAR – 53.5, 6. FRANCESCA – 53, 7. INDIAN DECISION – 53, 8. PEACE CONSORT – 51.