KINGSTOWN: West Indies selector Joey Carew gave the West Indies Cricket Board’s President’s XI squad a pep talk yesterday as the Test hopefuls prepared to go into a three-day tour game against Sri Lanka today at Arnos Vale.

On the eve of the match, light rain hampered the squad’s last net session, and Carew urged the players — many of them on the fringe of Test selection — to recognise the importance of the match and the opportunity they have to press for selection. “He just had a five-minute chat with the players to psyche them up for the match,” team coach Ian Allen told CMC Sport. Allen said, in spite of the rain, the players had a lively session and are looking forward to the match. “Overall, the session was good, we had fielding and catching, the batsmen had a knock and the atmosphere is good. There are no injuries and everybody is raring to go,” Allen said.

Batsman Daren Ganga is captain of the squad and is among seven players with Test experience in the 13-man party. Opening batsman Devon Smith, wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh, batting allrounder Dave Bernard and pacer Tino Best, who made Test debuts against Australia in recent weeks, have been selected along with other Test caps, fastbowler Darren Powell and batting allrounder Ryan Hinds. The Sri Lankans, who beat the West Indies 2-1 in the One-Day International series, are preparing for the first Cable and Wireless Test match starting next week Friday in St Lucia. President’s XI squad — Daren Ganga (captain), Devon Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Narsingh Deonarine, Ryan Hinds, Aneil Kanhai, Dave Bernard, Carlton Baugh, Dave Mohammed, Darren Powell, Tino Best, Jerome Taylor, Jason Bennett.

LONDON: West Indies batting legend Sir Vivian Richards has confirmed a nostalgic return to his former county Somerset for a festival match next month.

The 51-year-old Sir Vivian, currently the chairman of the West Indies selection committee, will return to the Somerset County Ground, appearing for Lashings Cricket Club against his old county on July 21. Other ex-West Indies captains Richie Richardson and Jimmy Adams are also listed for the match. Sir Vivian, along with ex-Test players Joel Garner (West Indies) and Ian Botham (England), made up the big three in the Glory Years of the late 1970s and early 1980s when the county won the Gillette Cup and the Benson and Hedges Cup on two occasions and the John Player League once.

The Antiguan “Master Blaster” played for Somerset between 1974 and 1986 and scored nearly 15,000 runs at an average of just under 50, which included 322 against Warwickshire in 1985. Somerset chief executive Peter Anderson said on Thursday: “David Foalb the Lashings coach and managing director has confirmed that Sir Vivian Richards will definitely be appearing, along with Richie Richardson and Jimmy Adams, which is great news.” The great man is also expected to officially open the new Sir Vivian Richards Gates that are situated at the Priory Bridge entrance to the County Ground on that day. 

THE Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control will be supporting Chaitram Singh of Guyana to fill the post of president of the West Indies Cricket Board and not Trinidadian Willie Rodriguez.

But TTCBC president Alloy Lequay explained yesterday, this was only by a quirk of fate, since they saw Singh as the most senior WICB representative and the one most likely to pursue continuity in existing strategies. He pointed out up to the present time, Queen’s Park Cricket Club president Rodriguez had not spoken to his board on the subject matter. Lequay made it abundantly clear there is no rift between Rodriguez and the TTCBC. He said the TTCBC had been contacted by Singh since the announcement of incumbent president Rev Wes Hall that he will be surrendering the position.

The TTCBC boss said it was Jamaica Cricket Association president and ex-West Indies wicketkeeper Jackie Hendriks who called him to indicate the JCA had nominated Rodriguez. Lequay said at the time when Hendriks called, he had already committed to Singh and was now morally obligated to support him at the July 13 election at the WICB’s annual general meeting in Dominica. Rev Hall, who was president since 2001, confirmed on Tuesday he will not be seeking re-election to the WICB presidency because of health reasons. Others seeking to be WICB president are Barbadians Tony Marshall and Stephen Alleyne.

With all the talk of firing, banning and just plain termination  in sport, Newsday’s resident expert, Dr Boldword (no relation), who spends most of his life doing language research, has offered his clarification on  unclear words and definitions.

“Dear Dr Boldword, As I was watching Brian Lara’s last walk off the field today, I was thinking of my boots,  the boot up the behind and royal bootlegger or what we also call  a spirited puncheon drinker, and I was wondering idly if there was any particular difference between a  bootlicker and  bootless.” Dr. Boldword writes: Is that your question? “No, it isn’t. I am sure there is no particular difference between the boot and a boot. It is quite interesting, however, that we have two different expressions for exactly the same type of dismissal, which seems a case of over-production.”

Dr. Boldword writes: Just a one-off, surely. There is no other example of an incident  that has two similar names.  “Well, that’s not quite true, is it? After all, there’s West Indies cricketers and failures. There is West Indies cricketers  and non-triers. There is  clueless  and  West Indies Cricket Board.” Dr.  Boldword writes: All right, all right, wise guy! So, when I said that no other incident has two names, I should have said that every other incident related to West Indies cricket  has two names. Big deal. Now, what’s your question? “Well, I was thinking that it’s interesting that the name ‘cricket boots’ has survived as well as ‘booty’ has, even though ‘bootlegging’ has no linguistic by-products.”

Dr. Boldword writes: How do you mean? “I mean that there are no slang words or expressions associated with ‘cricket boots.’ We don’t say “I’m going to put on my  crickety boots” or anything like that. Whereas we do talk about a pair of ducks in the same boots in West Indies cricket very often. We even say ‘give  them all the boot’, meaning it is time for the WICB  to put their feet down, and we also use ‘booty’ as one of the many synonyms for drunk stupor many West Indian fans find themselves in on the morning of many a Test, at home or abroad.” Dr. Boldword  writes: Do we? “Yes, we do. We also  don’t talk about the ‘boot — camp,’ as a shorthand reference to the kind of camp, several of the West Indian players need to experience so that they can stop talking only in loud voices at parties. “

Dr. Boldword writes: Do we?  “Oh, yes. Of course, a cricket  boot is not like other — booths, which are meant to be a temporary shelter, and to wear a West Indian one should mean pride, integrity and discipline. Some boots are like bats, they are made from trees.” Dr. Boldword  writes: Which one is that? “The Lastbootingchancenia.” Dr Boldword writes: Yes, it is about time, someone at the top of the tree makes a stance and then stands by it. “But they need to have testicular fortitude in cricket for that to happen, and most of these guys sleep with their boots on, because they suffer from cold sweating and fits of fright.” Dr. Boldword writes: Right! I’m with you I think. “Of course, we mustn’t make the mistake of thinking that it was Vivian Richards, Gordon Greendige or Larry Gomes’s boots  that made them better players. For one thing, sthey all had different sizes. For another thing, they hadn’t invented  fame, fortune, self gratification, and lack of proper control and focus by then.”

 Dr. Boldword writes: It is time to maybe stop putting the —boot- on the other foot, and by the way what were some of your cricketers doing building a betting booth? “But Doc…” Dr. Boldword writes: Have I offended you, I am sorry but I thought with Sachee Gangeeleee and Aneele  here , they were just being very good hosts. “Am, Am ….Do you know that the Wellington boot derives its name from Arthur Wellseley, the first Duke of Wellington.” Dr. Boldword  writes: Look, have I missed something or have you asked your question yet? It wouldn’t matter so much, except the bars have just opened and I think it’s my shout.

Please visit http://www.cornelis-associates.com/ for the best website managementand change management.

PowerGen’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Garth Chatoor called on the first set of graduates of the Sir Frank Cricket Academy yesterday to help restore West Indian pride.

Twenty-two young men ended their tenure at the academy yesterday at Balmain Village, Couva.  Chatoor was on hand to deliver the feature address. He said, “I can think of no single deed that we do that can be more rewarding then restoring West Indian pride.” “We ask nothing, except that you be fearless, we expect nothing, except that you be brave and we demand nothing except that you be committed. Get up and take notice and get our cricket back to the way it was,” Chatoor urged. He called on the youngsters to grab every opportunity offered and make themselves better. “In my view this programme has less to do with cricket and more to do with the business of living. To me it is about a journey into your self. If you choose never to pick up a bat again we will mourn the loss of a talent.” “When I addressed our graduates at the launch of this programme in September 2002, I indicated to the youngsters that success would be determined by the amount of hard work they put in. Even if you are the most gifted sportsman but do not possess the correct attitude then you will never be successful,” he said.

Chatoor also touched on the point of youngsters growing up in a different era and being attracted to other sports and not cricket. As one commentator said, “we forget that ‘www’ to you (youngsters) means the world wide web, while to us it means Weeks, Worrell and Walcott. I submit that in directing your obvious talent and capability, we need to pay less attention to trying to relive our nostalgia of the past, but rather use it merely as a frame of reference and a point of departure to determine where we go from here. Rather than looking backward or forward it maybe preferable to look upward.” Chatoor closed off by hinting that the vacant post of president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), should be given to the one logical choice and this is Alloy Lequay, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control (TTCBC). Lequay conceptualised the Aca-demy and developed the idea.

Republic Bank recently hosted a motivational seminar designed to prepare the national team for the upcoming Caribbean Junior Golf Championships in the Bahamas.

The bank, in their capacity as official sponsors gathered the 14-member team at Republic House, Park Street, Port-of-Spain for inspirational sessions on sportsmanship and representing one’s country at the regional level. The members of the team are: Simon Merry (capt), Catherine Clarke, Anneke Ward, Glen Charlett, Joshua Galt, Tracey Clarke, Victoria Seenath, Ben Martin, Robert Llanos, Dahomey Kadera, Jordan Delaney, Shane Costelloe, Diana Torry and Reva Persaud. Republic have supported the sport through sponsorship of golf clinics and the TT Junior Golf Open. They have also covered the team’s expenses in Bahamas with a $80,000 contribution to the Golf Association.

DION RODRIGUEZ and Kelli-Ann Baptiste will be vying for 100m title, in the Under-20 boys and girls categories, when the National Junior Track and Field Championships sprints off at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo from 10 am today.

In the absence of reigning champ Darrel Brown, currently on a scholarship at Auburn University, USA, Rodriguez, of Rebirth club, will have to withstand the challenge of Phoenix’s Kevin Straker to cop gold in today’s final. Baptiste, the rising star from Zenith club in Tobago, won double gold in a meet in Barbados last weekend, in personal best times of 10.48 in the 100m and 23.22 in the 200m. The 16-year-old will be expected to face the starter’s gun with petite Wanda Hutson from Rebirth and Monique Cabral, also from Rebirth. Also expected to strike gold today are Jamil James and Joel Pile in the U-20 400m; Pilar McShine in the U-17 1,500m and Rhonda Watkins in the U-17 shot put and long jump. Events on the card today are the 100m, 400m and 1,500m, in the boys and girls U-17 and U-20, and, the field events, the U-17 javelin, shot put, discus, long jump, pole vault, triple jump and high jump.