Trinidad and Tobago’s footballers will have an opportunity to play in North Africa from September 6-10.

Following Thursday’s 2-2 draw with Venezuela, the TT Football Federation are now in the process of finalising arrangements for at least two international matches against Morocco, or a invitational tournament involving Egypt and Tunisia. Revealing these plans was FIFA Vice President and Special Advisor to the TTFF, Jack Warner who arrived home on Thursday specifically to view the match at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella. The CONCACAF and Caribbean Football Union boss had been away for two months. “I came back specifically to see the match and after what took place I can safely say that we are on track in terms of the recovery road at this time,” Warner said yesterday. “It was good to see a virtually young team being able to hold their own and come back and draw the match and even go close to winning it. What was a point to take note of too was the fact that we have several players in their early 20s on the team. This means that the future is in good hands,” said Warner. The management of the TT team also thanked  the fans for their support. “What was a high point for me as well was seeing that the public is also coming back to the football once again. When you can see a little more of 6,000 paying patrons coming to see a match on a Thursday afternoon, it speaks volumes for the future,” said Warner.

Warner remained optimistic as the TT players now prepare for upcoming internationals against  Jamaica and Guatemala among other countries. “We are in the process of finalising arrangements for a tournament in North Africa. Definitely we will be playing overseas between September 6 and 10 either in the tournament or friendly internationals against Morocco. “We have decided on those dates because it is  part of FIFA’s international window and as such we will be able to have our full quota of top players from overseas and local,” said Warner. He said because FIFA decided last week to commence South America’s 2006 World Cup qualifying competition on September 6, the possibility of a full South American tour is slim. However, it remains possible that TT could still end playing a couple international matches. “I have not ruled out this because it still seems possible that we can at least get in a match against Brazil’s Olympic team,” said Warner. TT will resume training under coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier next Friday. Birmingham City striker Stern John and Wrexham trio — Dennis Lawrence, Carlos Edwards and Hector Sam — all left for their respective clubs via Manchester at around 4 pm yesterday.

ST. GEORGE’S: Grenada kicked off this year’s Central American and Caribbean Games yesterday, with athletes racing in preliminaries to qualify for the final sprints.

The men’s preliminary 100-metre dash went to Jamaican Sheldon Morant, who finished in 10.21. Fabrice Calligny of  Martinique raced in 10.22, while fellow islander Ronald Pognon  finished in 10.29. Favourite Kim Collins of St Kitts, who was champion in the event at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, ended in fourth with a time of 10.44, followed by Trinidad’s Marc Burns, who made 10.49. Other 100-metre qualifiers included Trinidad’s Darrel Brown, Grenadian Bruce Swan, Delwayne Delaney of St Kitts, and Jamaican Clement Campbell. The final was being raced yesterday. The fastest qualifiers for the men’s 800-metre run were Simeon Bovell of Trinidad, with 1:50.32, Marvin Watts of Jamaica, with 1:50.43, and Sheridan Kirk of Trinidad, who finished in 1:51.35. That race will be staged today.

The games have brought some 400 athletes from 35 countries to compete in this small former British colony in the Caribbean. In other events, Jamaican Decosma Wright won the 100-metre decathlon, with a final score of 10.75, while Aquila Youelbis Reymond of Cuba was second with 11.30 and Puerto Rican Guillermo Toledo got third place with 11.18. Reymond won the men’s long-jump decathlon with 7.05 metres,  followed by Wright, who made 6.89 metres, and Toledo, who jumped 6.80 metres. The three also topped the men’s shot put event, with Jamaican Wright winning with 13.90 metres, followed by Reymond with 12.79 metres and Toledo again at third with 10.76 metres. The men’s 400-metre hurdles brought Cuban Heir Sergio Castellanos in first with 49.31, Mexican Oscar Juanz in second with 50.68, followed by his compatriot Roberto Carvajal, who finished in 51.54. Mexico’s Alejandra Meza scored at the top in the women’s pole vault, beating out Puerto Rico’s Denise Orengo. Meza leapt  4.00 metres for the victory, and Orengo vaulted to 3.90 metres.

In the women’s discus throw, Cuban Ferrales Yania Morales won after hurling the discus 59.07 metres. Maria Cubillan of Venezuela took second with 49.05 metres, while Doris Thompson of the Bahamas was third with 43.88 metres. Mexico’s Violeta Gozman won the women’s hammer throw, reaching 55.72 metres, and Adriana Beneventa of Venezuela won second with 50.82 metres.

SAINT-DENIS: Trinidad and Tobago’s sprint star Ato Boldon made an improved performance yesterday at the Gaz de France track and field meeting in Paris.

The former world 200 metres champion placed fifth in the “B” 100 metres sprint clocking 10.30 seconds in the Gaz de France Golden League run. Winner of the race was American Coby Williams in 10.18 with John Capel, also of the US second in 10.26. Third was Nigerian Uchenna Emedolu (10.26).Coming fourth was Issa-Aime Nthepe of France in 10.29. In the “A” Division race US champion Bernard Williams upstaged Olympic winner Maurice Greene. Williams won in 10.05 seconds, his best performance of the season, edging Nigeria’s Deji Aliu in 10.07 and Greene in 10.11, his same finish and time as at a meet in Lausanne, Switzerland on  Tuesday. That night, Aliu headed Williams.

Greene — who held up the start by false-starting — was well short of his year’s best mark of 9.94. Romania’s Olympic 5,000-metre champion Gabriela Szabo produced a stunning late sprint to overtake Morocco’s Zhor El Kamch in the home stretch and win the 3,000 in eight minutes, 34.09 seconds — the fastest time in the world this year. Sprinter Gail Devers also showed her god form, storming home to take the 100-metre hurdles in 12.49.

A WAR between two top local boxing promoters is brewing. Yesterday Boxo Potts, an Arima-based international match-maker, said he was surprised at statements made by his associate, Cecil Forde concerning their involvement in staging last year’s Ibero regional championship in Curacao.

In a newspaper report yesterday Forde charged that Potts, a former jockey, had no part in the staging of the fight, won by Siparia schoolgirl Giselle Salandy. The Marabella based promoter further claimed that Potts does not hold the franchise for her defence of the crown, now overdue. Potts had insisted that together with Fitzroy Richards of Siparia — then Salandy’s trainer/manager —- and Forde, the trio had promoted the fight in Curacao last November. Yesterday Potts hit back at Forde for his statements insisting the Richford promoter had put him in an awkward position. “Cecil did not put up any money. The funds, totalling more than $130,000 came from Richards and myself to a lesser degree. But we had decided that we were going down the road collectively so I was shocked to hear Forde say I was not involved in the promotion,” said Potts. He said he spoke to Forde yesterday after reading the report. “He was apologetic and claimed to  be ‘set up’ by the reporter,” said Potts.

Potts said he is working to arrange an urgent meeting with Forde and Richards to come to a common understanding and clarify the situation concerning the franchise rights to the Salandy defence. “I want to remind Forde that a house divided will fall. We have to work together for the benefit of boxing and the fighters. It’s a matter of principle and we must not sell out our principles,” said Potts. It is understood that Forde will soon take over the managerial role of Salandy, who since dumping Richards several months ago has been handled by Curtis Joseph, described as Salandy’s foster father. Potts said he had been approached by Joseph to join the Salandy camp but he declined since he wanted clearly defined roles in the relationship. “Promoters make stars not managers and this is what Joseph fails to realise,” said Potts. Forde is also the vice-president of the Amateur Boxing Association.

THE first bunch of locally-bred two-year-olds will be on show at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, today, when they line up for a  900 metres race which will get the Arima Race Club 10-race programme off the mark.

The programme threatened with strike action from the grooms, who intended to withhold their labour was averted yesterday after discussions were held with the Racehorse Owner Association. The sprint which will start on the backstretch of the main course has attracted a field of nine runners, eight of which are from owner-trainer-breeder Maniram “Boboy” Maharaj’s barn, with the other entrant being saddled by Harold Chadee stable. Maharaj asked on Thursday the reason for him fast-tracking his juveniles said, he intends to dominate the early two-year-old events, and promised to win the first five races for babes this season. But the development of his bunch has been so swift that the astute trainer was in a quandry to pinpoint his leading contender saying, any of five could go in first time of asking in today’s opening event, the first for babes this season.

From what was seen on the gallops, however, the most advanced appears to be Melanie My Love, All Set To Battle, Java In Style, Laura’s Boy and Sunday Jewel. From this lot Melanie My Love seemed to be the most settled, and it could pay to side with the daughter of Tribal Chieftain/Melanie Samantha. A clear pointer also, is that champion jockey Rajpaul Rajkumar who rides first-call for the stable has chosen her ahead of the others. Phantom Bidder can register his fifth win at the track in the Stakes and Lower Handicap, feature on the today’s card on which all the events will be contested on the main course. The Nazir Ahamad-owned colt showed plenty of promise in his juvenile campaign, winning his first two starts before closing off the season with a third place finish behind Invincibility and Sure Ting.

This strapping  individual showed  he has trained on by getting his three-year-old campaign off to a successful start in February. Phantom Bidder  then followed up in game fashion two weeks later duly completing the double by a widening seven lengths. The son of Indian Charlie has shown his well being for today’s 1750 metres run with a sparkling exercise gallop over 1000 metres completed in a little over a minute. Should he reproduce that form, he will be hard to peg back and  just should not  be opposed in the staying event worth $35,000. There will be no racing on the turf course on which two races were planned today. Following an inspection by both the jockeys and officials of the ARC yesterday, the course was deemed unsafe.

CLOSE to $10,000 in prize money, donated by the Hilton Trinidad, is on offer as the Kids of Steel Triathlon Series continues tomorrow with an aquathon at Chagville, Chaguaramas, from 10 am.

The event, which comprises of a run, then a swim followed by another run, will be held in three categories — Under-9, 10-12 and 13-15. In the Under-9 Division, the competitors will have a 800-metre run, followed by a 100m splash and another 400m run. Participants in the 10-12 age group will begin with a 1,600m run, then a 200m swim and ending with a 800m run; while in the 13-15 category, the athletes will run for 2,400m, then swim for 300 metres and then sprint for 1,200m. Entry fee is $15 for Under-9 and $20 for 10-15s. Hilton Trinidad and Lucozade Sport are the main sponsors of the event. Other races in the series are a duathlon at King George V Park, a run-ride-run, on October 12 and a triathlon (swim-ride-run) at Chaguaramas on November 16.

For further information, call 633-8386 or 766-5358; or visit the Triathlon Association’s website at www.geocities.com/triath-lontrinidad.

France-based Dexter St Louis has been selected on the men’s national team to take part in the Caribbean Table Tennis Championships in Jamaica during the period August 16 to 23.

St Louis, who is world-ranked, has improved to such an extent that his presence will enhance the country’s chances of returning with medals from the Isle of Springs. This despite the strength of the Latin American players who will also be competing in the championships. The other members of the team are the quickly-improving and hard-hitting  Reeza Burke and Anthony “Sandfly” Brown. The fourth member will be selected at the end of the National Championships to be held at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena on July 12, 13 and 16. The women players picked for the Caribbean Championships are Reann Chung, Nicole Motilal, Aleena Edwards, and Shelly Anne Parris. Coach of the team is former national champion, Stepehen Wade, with Colin Cudjoe as manager.

The Under-18 team for the Junior Table Tennis Championships to be held in Guyana from July 20 to 27 are:
BOYS — Kellon Roach, Aaron Edwards, and Alaric Humphreys, with the fourth player to be selected at the end of the National Championships.
GIRLS — Priya Ramcharan, Nirveeta Ramcharan, Celeste Motilal, and Kerry Anne Noreiga. Coaches are Courtney Pugh and Verna Edwards, with Tennis Association secretary Bob Roopnarine as manager.
In last year’s Junior Championships held in Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago won two bronze medals. Kellon Roach and Keon came out third in the Boys Doubles,  and Kerry Anne Noreiga and Celeste Motilal filled the third spot in the Girls’ Doubles Contest. Defending Boys’ Singles Champion is Jose Santiago of Puerto Rico who is still in the contest as he has not yet exceeded the age limit. TT did not participate in the Caribbean Championships last year in Puerto Rico through lack of funds.

THE Under-15 and Under-17 W Connection teams will aim for their eighth successive triumphs in the T&T Pro League at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva today.

Connection will meet Defence Force, who are fourth in the U-15 standings and fifth in the U-17s. If Connection’s U-17 squad fail to defeat the Army-Coast Guard combination, then Joe Public can capture the lead with victory over San Juan Jabloteh at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya. Joe Public have a consistent record in the current U-17 league while Jabloteh are struggling to stay afloat. And roles are reversed in the U-15s, with Jabloteh second behind Connection and the “Eastern Lions” fifth in the eight-team standings. Other matches scheduled for today are South West Institute of Football (SWIF) against Arima Fire at the Palo Seco Recreation Ground and North East Stars versus Starworld Strikers at the Sangre Grande Recreation Ground. All matches kick off at 8.30 am.

STANDINGS —
Under-15
	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
W Connection	7	7	0	0	24	4	21
San Juan Jabloteh	8	5	0	3	12	13	15
Starworld Strikers	7	3	1	3	11	10	10
Defence Force	6	2	3	1	9	7	9
Joe Public	8	2	2	4	10	11	8
Arima Fire	5	2	1	2	7	7	7
SWIF	8	2	1	5	7	15	7
North East Stars	5	0	0	5	1	14	0
Under-17
	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
W Connection	7	7	0	0	16	1	21
Joe Public	8	6	1	1	18	6	19
SWIF	8	2	3	3	14	14	9
Starworld Strikers	7	3	0	4	8	7	9
Defence Force	6	2	2	2	7	8	8
San Juan Jabloteh	8	1	2	5	12	20	5
Arima Fire	5	1	2	2	8	10	5
North East Stars	4	0	0	4	0	14	0