CASTRIES: Opener Marvan Atapattu hit an assured, unbeaten 108 yesterday to lead Sri Lanka to a satisfying 250 for four on the opening day of the First Test against the West Indies. The 32-year-old right-hander was the backbone of the visitors’ innings, hitting 13 boundaries in six hours off 242 deliveries. Left-hander Kumar Sangakkara (56) and Mahela Jayawardene (45) provided Atapattu with solid support in the middle order. Fast bowler Corey Collymore, back after four years as a one-day specialist, led the West Indies attack with two for 41 off 15.1 overs. Collymore struck early for the home team after Sri Lanka won the toss. The 25-year-old Barbadian claimed Sanath Jayasuriya for eight, the left-hander’s square cut smartly caught at gully by Omari Banks at 19 for one. But Atapattu and Sangakkara built a solid foundation with a second wicket stand of 108 either side of lunch. The 25-year-old Sangakkara, in his 29th match, became the ninth Sri Lankan to pass 2,000 Test runs when he reached 22. He became involved in a heated exchange with West Indies skipper Brian Lara shortly after he passed his half century, off 86 balls with six fours. Lara was incensed that Sangakkara was scuffing up the pitch by running down the middle as he completed two runs and confronted the batsman with his complaint. Umpires Billy Bowden of New Zealand and Daryl Harper of Australia stepped in to cool the tension.
Sangakkara fell two overs later as he misjudged a straighter ball from part-time off-spinner Chris Gayle and was leg before as he played no stroke. Jayawardene and Atapattu continued Sri Lanka’s progress by adding a further 68 for the third wicket. Jayawardene was in sight of a half century when off-spinner Banks induced a loose drive and Lara clung onto a fine, low catch one-handed to his right at slip. Jayawardene hit four fours off 101 deliveries. Captain Hashan Tillakaratne arrived in positive mood and saw his vice-captain Atapattu to within one of a century when he fell to Collymore late in the day. Left-hander Tillakaratne was bowled for 13 off the inside edge as he drove at a ball wide of off stump. Atapattu endured a long wait on 99 as he failed to get into strike for 15 minutes. But the stylish right-hander collected his 11th Test century with his 12th boundary, an exquisite extra cover drive. The stroke typified Atapattu’s confidence throughout the day on a true pitch. It was Atapattu’s first century against the West Indies and his fourth on foreign soil. Thilan Samaraweera survived a few anxious moments, especially from Collymore, to be unbeaten seven when the third sharp rain burst of the day brought a premature close with 2.5 overs remaining. Fast bowler Jerome Taylor, three days short of his 19th birthday and the seventh youngest player to represent the West Indies in Tests, endured a tough debut. The Jamaican went wicketless in 18 overs that cost 76 runs. Off-spinners Banks (one for 60) and Gayle (one for 22) were the other successful West Indian bowlers. The match continues today.
Castries Scoreboard |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEST INDIES VS SRI LANKA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sri Lanka 1st Inns |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M Atapattu not out |
108 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
S Jayasuriya c Banks b Collymore |
8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
K Sangakkara LBW Gayle |
56 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M Jayawardene c Lara b Banks |
45 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
H Tillakaratne b Collymore |
13 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
T Samaraweera not out |
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EXTRAS (B4, B1l, W2, NB6) |
13 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL (For four wickets —- 87.1) |
250 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wickets fell at: 19, 127, 195, 228. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To bat: Romesh Kaluwitharana, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Prabath Nissanka. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BOWLING: M Dillon 17-3-36-0 (W2), C Collymore 15.1-1-41-2 (NB5), J Taylor 18-1-76-0 (NB1), W Hinds 1-0-1-0, O Banks 25-5-60-1, C Gayle 8-0-22-1, M Samuels 3-0-9-0. |
|
West Indies: Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Ridley Jacobs, Omari Banks, Mervyn Dillon, Corey Collymore, Jerome Taylor. |
Toss: Sri Lanka. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Umpires: Billy Bowden (New Zealand), Daryl Harper (Australia). |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Third/TV umpire: Billy Doctrove (Dominica). |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ICC Match Referee: Wasim Raja (Pakistan). |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
JACEY HARPER scored the biggest upset of the National Senior Track and Field Championships yesterday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. Harper of Rebirth Club, pipped world junior champion Darrel Brown in the showcase 100 metres final to win in 10.19 seconds. Brown, of Phoenix, the reigning Carifta regional junior title-holder and runner-up last year to Marc Burns, had to settle for silver again this year clocking 10.20. Burns did not take part because of studies in the United States. In third place was Niconnor Alexander of Brooklyn in 10.22. Winner of the women’s 100 metres spring was Fana Ashby of Concord for the second staright year. Yesterday she clocked 11.23 seconds to follow up on her sprint double at the National Junior Championships last weekend at the same venue. Second was Wanda Hutson of Memphis in 11.63 seconds with Monique Cabral, also of Memphis in 11.81. Dave Stoute of Simplex captured the men’s shot put 17.62 metres with Wade Franklyn of Zenith second in 13.83 and Hubert Maingot of Simplex third in 12.43. Winner of the 1500m for women was Pilar McShine of Success in four minutes 46.81 seconds. Second was Candice Ince of Memphis in 4.53.55 and third was teammate Kerticha Jones (5.07.74). In the 100 metres hurdles Kelly Ann Charles ruled the roost registering a winning time of 14.62 seconds while the men’s event was won by Kareem Pierre. In another feature field event, Emmanual Norris took the javelin throw. The championships continue today.
Selected Results
High jump —- 1 Keri Edwards 2m (Zenith); 2 Kelvin Huggins 2m (QRC); 3 Peter Carter (QRC) 1.75m
Women’s Long Jump —- 1 Monique Peters 6.04m; 2 Rhonda Watkins 5.97m; 3 Charisse Bacchus 5.94m.
Men’s Javelin —- 1 Emmanuel Norris (Zenith) 56.17m; 2 Aron Morison (Zenith) 46.93m
Women’s Javelin —- 1 Natalie Dixon (Neon Trackersa) 41.43m; 2 Kewma Phillander (Palo Seco) 34.34; 3 Euphemia Huggins (Police) 32m.
Women’s 100m Hurdles: 1 Kelly Ann Charles 14.09
Men’s 110m hurdles —- 1 Kareem Pierre (Eagles) 14.62; 2 Micky Reuben (Palo Seco) 14.86; 3 Nataki Dasent (Concord) 15.27.
TORONTO: Top Trinidad and Tobago jockey Emile Ramsammy will have surgery next Wednesday for the fractured cheek bone he suffered last weekend in a fall at the Woodbine racetrack. Ramsammy received the injury when he fell from the 3-5 favourite Stormthebarricade in Saturday’s Victoria Stakes, after being impeded midway the five-furlong sprint. His agent Neil Wilson said the injury is not serious and Ramsammy is likely to return to race-riding soon after the operation. “It’s a cosmetic type operation for the cracked cheek bone and as soon as he feels ready, he will be back riding again,” Wilson told CMC Sport yesterday morning. The injury rules the 40-year-old former champion of Canada out of Sunday’s big Queen’s Plate Stakes, worth CAN$1 million. “He is pretty disappointed he will miss the Queen’s Plate but he’ll be back at it,” Wilson said. Ramsammy is currently third in the Woodbine standings with 35 wins, trailing leader Todd Kabel (49) and Barbadian Patrick Husbands (44). He is one of the most successful Caribbean riders ever, boasting Sovereign Awards as Canada’s “Jockey of the Year” in 1996 and 1997.
The Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) will throw their support behind the slate of Chetram Singh and Val Banks at next month’s WICB elections, a move that effectively hands victory to the horse racing bookie from Guyana. Publicly, BCA boss Stephen Alleyne won’t admit that the Singh/Banks duo will get the BCA’s two votes but, according to insiders, the power brokers within the WICB’s executive committee hatched a plan back in March this year to make Chetram Singh its preferred candidate. The “Gang of Five” in the all-powerful executive committee —- Rev Wes Hall, Stephen Alleyne, Richard DeSouza, Val Banks and Chetram Singh —- was briefed on Hall’s plans to step aside when the full board met in Barbados on March 30 and a decision was taken to ensure the Singh/Banks slate received the eight votes required for victory. As previously reported, the Singh/Banks tandem was nominated by the Leeward Islands Cricket Association (LICA) and seconded by the Trinidad and Tobago board. Now, with the BCA’s backing, Singh is already assured of nine votes (two from Guyana and one from Val Banks, who owns a vote as the incumbent VP). Sources say Rev Wes Hall is also expected to vote for Singh, meaning the Guyanese businessman will win the elections by a landslide.
When the elections are held during the AGM on July 13 in Dominica, Singh and Banks will be pitted against TT’s Willie Rodriguez and Lennox John (Windwards). The Rodriguez/John slate was nominated by the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) and seconded by the Windwards board. Trinidad and Tobago cricket chief Alloy Lequay let the cat out of the bag in a press statement this week, when he admitted the executive committee picked its preferred candidates and mandated that the regional board representatives vote accordingly. Lequay was under pressure at home to explain why his board would support Singh and Banks against Trinidadian Rodriguez, the 59-year old former all-rounder who now heads the Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC). Lequay explained that his board had a “moral commitment” to honour the Executive Committee pact. The executive committee (which insiders refer to as the “EC”) is chaired by Rev Hall and meets once a month by conference call. No minutes are kept and its deliberations are usually top-secret. CEO Roger Brathwaite and CFO Barry Thomas usually listen in, but chief operations officer Michael Hall does not.
SAO PAULO: Brazilians fear their football team will struggle to beat the United States after losing 1-0 to Cameroon in their first match of the Confederations Cup on Thursday. The world champions’ performance against Cameroon was “mediocre and sleepy” and they deserved to lose, ranted local newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo. “With a bureaucratic and scared performance, the Brazilian team made an awful impression,” said another newspaper, O Globo. The match was played in the Stade de France stadium in Paris were Brazil famously lost the World Cup final to the French in 1998. Many were quick to draw comparisons between that match and Thursday’s fiasco. “Brazil was again haunted by the ghosts that paralysed them five years ago,” O Estado said. There wasn’t much praise for the Cameroon side in what was roundly described as a poor match. But Brazilians acknowledged the Cameroon defence was sturdy, their counter attacks were fast, and many admitted the Africans deserved to win. Brazil’s next match will be against the US in Lyon today. Both teams need a win to maintain chances of qualifying for the next round.
TOP OF THE CLASS made hacks of 11 rivals to romp home an impressive winner of the 52nd running of the CLICO Midsummer Classic at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, yesterday. Victory in the second jewel of the local Triple Crown, puts the Freshly Squeezed/ Crescendo offspring one leg away from achieving the feat of Carnival Messiah two years ago. And should trainer Glenn Mendez saddle his charge to win the blue riband Royal Oak Derby in September this year, he will become the first ever trainer to turn out two Triple Crown winners, having conditioned “The Messiah” to accomplish the feat in 2001. Owner Merlin Samlalsingh stand to rake in, apart from the Derby stake, an additional $250,000 should Top Of The Class remain just there. From the off in yesterday’s 1900 metres event, jockey Ricky Jadoo had Top Of The Class alongside Wild Life at the head of the field. And at the halfway stage, Jadoo asked his mount to draw away from Wild Life and he did without too much effort. When he swung for home, stablemate Celebration Time put in a semblance of a challenge, but Jadoo only needed to rouse Top Of The Class and he strode away majestically to be five-and-a-half lengths clear at the wire. Isle Be There ran on for third without troubling the first two, with Cornerstone getting fourth. Sugar Mike put in another commanding performance in capturing the 1200 metres Santa Rosa Dash and the $45,000 winner’s purse.
Always cruising as stablemate Song Of Freedom flashed his speed from the start, Nobel Abrego asked his mount for an effort 300 metres out and with electrical acceleration Sugar Mike sprinted clear to equal the track record of 1:10.2 seconds. But the star rider of the day was Jadoo who landed three winners on the day, taking the first two and the feature Classic. The day did not belong to Top Of The Class and Jadoo alone however, as David Ojar saddled his first runner as a trainer and it was beginners luck when Joan Of Arc, a full sister to his Iron Horse, Chanticleer made all to win the CLICO Life Choices Trophy for three-year-old maidens in her fifth start. He was afforded tremendous applause as he led in the filly which he proudly led into winner’s enclosure, having also bred the daughter of Freshly Squeezed/Northern Bird. Joan Of Arc rewarded backers with $66.60 and $970, the best dividend of the day on the tote, and with another outsider Iron Will finishing second, the exacta payout was biggest on the day’s 10-race programme $679.20, while the superfecta was a whopping $8,630.10 with My Aphrodite being third and Creme Caramel next. Both Mendez and Grant Lourenco had double success on the programme to share the trainers accolade yesterday.
CONTROVERSY reigned at the St Paul’s Street Multi-Purpose Facility in Port-of-Spain as National Flour Mills held on to the Royal Extra North Zone Premier Division knockout title. The Flour men edged arch-rivals Defence Force 82-80 in Wednesday night’s final watched by a very vociferous crowd. But the end came under strong protest from the Army-Coast Guard men who claimed a foul called against them came after the final buzzer and were adamant the match should go into over-time. Defence Force seemed to be cruising to victory leading 80-76 with just over a minute to play. But a three-point bomb by Andy Best pulled NFM to within one point of Defence Force. Shorn Edwards was then fouled with 54 seconds remaining but managed just one of two free throws to tie the scores 80-80. After a turnover by Steven “Pampee” Lewis, Edwards got the ball back as the final seconds ticked away, then was fouled. He stepped up to the line after calm was restored and buried both free-throws for the final score.
Defence Force led 22-21 at the end of one quarter, but the Flour men rallied to a 43-40 half-time lead. The Army-Coast Guard men put the clamps on NFM and outscored them 27-5 for a 52-48 third quarter lead. Andy Best led NFM with 17 points, Edwards had 14, Kerry Westfield 13 and Albert Sprott 12, while for Defence Force Lewis led all scorers with 24 points, Wilt Vincent had 13 and Mervyn “Unks” Jackson 11. Earlier on Wednesday night, however, Defence Force women wrested away the knockout crown from holders Horizon 73-69, leading all the way —- 13-10; 37-28; 54-51. Crystal George had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Rhonda John 19 points for the Army-Coast Guard women. Horizon countered with Chezelle Griffith, 34 points, and 13 rebounds; Philomena George, 11 points six renounds; and Mandy Cooper, 10 points and six rebounds.
MULTIPLE Trinidad and Tobago Marathon champ and Caribbean long-distance king Pamenos Ballantyne copped his fifth in the 21st Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU)/Butler 20-kilometre race on Thursday. The 27-year-old Ballantyne, from St Vincent and the Grenadines, covered the distance from San Fernando to the Charlie King Junction, Fyzabad in one hour, seven minutes and 14 seconds. Tobagonian Curtis Cox was thirteen seconds behind, while Clarence Tobias was third in 1:10.00, Errol “Baldhead” Williams placed fourth in 1:10.34 and Cantius Thomas came fifth in 1:12.40. Rounding off the top 12 were Brian Maynard 1:13.43, Everton Lesley 1:14.52, Neil Stewart 1:15.12, Michael Pollydore 1:15.47, Shiva Kanhai 1:16.25, Julien Bowen 1:16.47 and Kervin Persad 1:17.59. Solange Griffith, the National Amateur Athletic Association (NAAA) two-time “Road Runner of the Year”, was a convincing winner in the women’s department. The 17-year-old crossed the finish line in a time of one hour, 30 minutes and 35 seconds, ahead of 19-year-old Jenelle Smith (1:34.44), Fidelia Ramirez (1:38.27), Paulette Lucess (1:39.15), 2002 winner Cyrelene Nero (1:40.31) and Diane Henderson (1:42.07). In the walking race, covering the same distance, Brian London won the men’s category in one hour 54 minutes and 30 seconds, with Brent Bristol 2:03.51 trailing. Elizabeth Phillip took the women’s walk n 2:33.02, followed by Johan Dyette (2:26.42) and Marsha Taylor (2:27.48).
Other Results –
Butler 4.5km for Under-15s: (Boys) 1.Shimell Marshall 17mins 37 sec; 2.Celestine Simon 17:54; 3.George Smith 18:09; (Girls) 1.Takyah Delpeche 20:17; 2.Nadine Joseph 21:57; 3.Krystal Beharry 23:28.
THE INTERSCHOOL Cycling Championships, organised by Anthony “Bike Doctor” Commis-siong Sport and Culture Promotion, has been revived. Since it was last held in 1996, junior pedallists have been forced to compete in senior events in order to test their skills against one another. But they can take their wheels to the concrete track at Skinner Park, San Fernando on June 28 where, from 1-5 pm, they can face off in a variety of races for BMX, Mountain Bikes and Ten-Speed Racing Bikes. According to chief organiser “Bike Doctor” Commissiong the interschool competition, which started in 1984, “was the breeding ground for many of our top national cyclists, including the Kellar brothers (Ako and Azikiwe), Richard Dickie, Clinton Grant, Emile Abraham, Mario Joseph and others.” And this year’s event will be held in honour of former national wheelsman Noel Luces for his outstanding contribution to the sport, in particular the youths. A registration fee of $10 will be charged to interested beginners and experienced juniors while medals and trophies are at stake in the day-long programme. And cyclists need not worry about treatment for injuries, as the Red Cross ambulance will be in attendance while safety measures will be in place, including mandatory helmets for all riders.
WITH AN unbeaten run throughout the 2003 season of the Scotia Bank Primary Schools League, Montrose Government were crowned winners when the Championship Division ended recently. Rain wreaked havoc on the final round of matches but Montrose, coached by Altaf Baksh, had a clear three-point edge over runners-up Marac Baptist . Rochard Douglas finished third. For their efforts, Montrose will receive $3,000 in cricket gear for the next season. Key performers for the Chaguanas lads were Yannick Ottley, who notched 87 runs in three innings, and Jessie Torres who snared eight wickets.
Final standings: 1.Montrose Government 17pts; 2.Marac Baptist 14 pts; 3.Rochard Douglas, Clarke Rochard Government 12 pts; 5.Enterprise Government 9 pts; 6.Arima Boys RC 6 pts; 7.Mucurapo Boys RC 4 pts; 8.Todds Road RC 2 pts.
