PHANTOM BIDDER blew a loud horn to all rivals for the Indian Arrival Turf Handicap at month end, when he sizzled over 1000 metres in the fast time of 1:00.54 seconds at gallops at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, yesterday.

But the best gallop over the trip came from Barbadian entry Canaima who posted a time of 1:00.21 seconds for the same trip on the turf course. Another good run came from Outswinger who also holds the engagement.  He stepped the trip in 1:03.28 seconds. Movietown Magic looked good in an 800 metres spin in 46.28 seconds on the turf track. Over the 600 metres trip, Winning Trick scorched the turf in 35.73 seconds but on the main track, Fortunaste Flag and Honor Bound stepped the same distance in 35.18 seconds. Joint Venture and What Left went over the trip in 36.81 seconds, while Kaser’s Gold returned in 35.90 seconds and must be one to note in action at  the Friday Lime at Santa Rosa this Friday. Rennaisance Man had the betterr of Millenium Dancer and Lovely Pearl  in 36.02 seconds and must also be noted in his chosen event. My Son John showed his well-being in a 400 metres run completed in 23.78 seconds, while Classy Kim stepped over the trip in 24.71 and Hyarima got back in 23.76.

TRINIDAD and Tobago cyclists, bidding for selection on the national team for the upcoming World “B” Championships in Switzerland, must compete at the upcoming National Champion-ships.

This is the major stipulation handed down by the Racing Committee of the Cycling Federation which recently met and named the shortlist of riders to begin preparation for the competition  which begins on May 21. The Racing Committee comprises Ken Williams, chairman; Frank Gittens, Racing Secretary; Carlton Waldron, assistant racing secretary; Ronald Dickie Jnr., and Edward Watson, committtee members. Coming out of the meeting it was pointed out that performances at the National Championships will be one of the major criteria for selection of the national team.

Watson, also Public Relations Officer of the TTCF, said yesterday the World “B” Championships are very important for the TT riders since it is the only avenue left for them to qualify for the Olympic Games next year in Athens, Greece. The TTCF official said 18 cyclists have been selected (track and road) to undergo preparation for the “worlds” with their participation in the National Championships one of the criteria for selection on the national team for Switzerland. The track squad is headed by “Cyclist of the Year” Elisha Greene and includes brothers Ako and Azikiwe Kellar; Joshua Alexander, Mario Joseph, Clinton Grant, Ray Phillips and United States-based Ryan Sabga and Roger Farrell.

Caribbean champion Stephen Mangroo is top of the road list followed by Tour of Tobago winner Emile Abraham; Shannon Metevier, Sheldon Ramjit, David Alves, Roger Smart, Guy Costa, Tobagonian Sheldon King and Winzy Mohammed. Mangroo leaves shortly for a three-month competitive stint in Belgium while Abraham is currently overseas on the professional circuit but both are expected to participate in the National Championship events and stake their claim for inclusion on the TT team. Watson said the track competition of the National Championships pedals off on May 21 at the concrete banked track of the Arima Velodrome. First event is the kilometre time trial from 7 pm.

Watson also announced that the road race time trial will be at Wallerfield on Sunday, August 31, with the road race at La Romain on Sunday, September 7. And the categories under consideration are Seniors, Juniors, Veterans 40, 50 and 60 and Separate. All other events are categorised as “Special” and accumulated points will determine the overall champion.

National Championship
Track Programme
May 21 — Kilometre time trial (7 pm)
May 23 — Match Sprint, prelims (7 pm)
May 24 — Match Sprint Finals (4 pm)
May 25 — 10-mile (4 pm)
May 30 — Keirin, Team Sprint (4 pm)
May 31 — Individual Pursuit (4 pm)
June 1 — Team Pursuit, Points Race (4 pm)

TRINIDAD and Tobago cricket  allrounder Dwayne Bravo has decided to opt out of the 2003 class of the Shell West Indies Cricket Academy in St George’s, Grenada for the second straight year.

Last year, the Queen’s Park top-order batsman and medium-pace bowler was unable to participate due to his selection in the West Indies “A” team to Britain and Canada. And, after a commendable performance in the recent Carib Beer tournament, the 20-year-old has set his sights on a West Indies pick for the Cable and Wireless series against Sri Lanka.

“He (Bravo) sees his chances of making the West Indies team against Sri Lanka and, if indeed he gets a call, the Academy wouldn’t be able to release him,” said Rambhai Patel, secretary of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control (TTCBC).

Barbadian allrounder Dwayne Smith has also blanked the 12-week programme while Jamaican pacer Andrew Richardson delayed his arrival due to illness. Other TT representatives in the course, which will be held at the St George’s University, are off-spinner Amit Jaggernauth as well as middle-order batsmen Denzil James and Kenton Thompson.

Local basketball coaches got the opportunity last week to experience what players like Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley did several years ago.

That is to learn from former NBA star Robert F Lewis. Here on a coaches exchange programme, Lewis said he was impressed with the quality of coaching skills and facilities in Trinidad. The American visitor pointed out that TT coaches were very informed and anxious to learn. It was a good start to promote the re-organisation of the Basketball Federation of Trinidad and Tobago which is now under interim governance, he said. Lewis holds a Master of Education degree and has over 25 years experience as a player, coach and clinician in the sport. He was the eighth leading scorer in the NCAA College Division, fifth Round Draft choice of Dallas in the ABA and Gold Medal winner in the 1967 Barcelona World Cup Games for players six foot, two inches tall. After such an illustrious playing career “Bobby” created the Basketball Skills Development Programme as his thesis project while completing his Masters Degree at Springfield College in 1978.

In 2003 he joined with the Partners of the Americas to impart this knowledge as part of their programme involving the Fundamental Coaching Course in several Caribbean countries. Having conducted over 200 top level basketball clinics in the US, Denmark, Haiti, Spain and Venezuela, Lewis found the TT coaches full of ideas, which were shared in fun exchanges at the sessions last week. They also showed a high interest in the Lewis patented programme which has been lauded by Magic Johnson and Isaiah Thomas.  “The Bobby Lewis programme has proven to be an entertaining and skilful  one for all campers throughout the country,” they said. The local clinic involved practical and philosophical insight into the game’s fundamentals, a combination which has proved beneficial to many players and coaches. Lewis said his stay in Trinidad, though abbreviated, was very productive. At the programme’s closing ceremony at the St Paul’s Street Gymnasium in Port-of-Spain, local coach and “Chapter” representatives expressed delight in the time spent with Lewis and hoped to have him back for longer sessions in the near future.

BRIDGETOWN: Cellular phone company Digicel have announced sponsorship of the 2003 Sir Garfield Sobers International Schools’ Cricket tournament this summer.

Digicel, recently granted a licence to operate in Barbados, are widening their base in the Caribbean, and their involvement in the Sir Garfield Sobers tournament is a major boost for the event, set this year for July 8-28. “This might be our biggest year,” Sir Garfield Sobers said at a recent press conference to launch the sponsorship. “It is so important to have Digicel on board, so that they can help us continue to keep this tournament at the highest level. “I think that having Digicel on board with us will give us the opportunity which we have been looking to for some time,” he added.

The tournament, now in its 17th year, attracts teams from throughout the Caribbean, and other major cricketing territories, and its international flavour is attractive to the new sponsors. “Our support for such a tournament is a continuation of the developmental activities in which Digicel has been involved in since setting up our first operation in the Caribbean, in Jamaica, just over two years ago,” Digicel’s Chief Executive Officer Donal O’Shaughnessy, said. The tournament has welcomed teams — in the past — from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Australia, South Africa, and Canada, and double world batting record holder Brian Lara appeared in the tournament during the 1980s for his Trinidadian school, Fatima College. Current champions are Barrack-pore Senior Comprehensive School.

THE TRINIDAD and Tobago Netball Association has short-listed 16 players, from which the Calypso Girls team will be selected for July’s 11th World Netball Championships in Jamaica.

There is one major surprise among the 16 in Afeisha Noel, the Mucurapo Junior Secondary goal-shoot, according to reports. The 17-year-old Noel has been plucked from the Phyllis Pierre-Walker Intermediate Two Division. Another mild surprise is the selection of ex-Defence Force netballer Rhonda John who, it is understood, resides abroad and only recently returned home on a short vacation.

The TTNA officials ran into a “player boycott” of sorts earlier this year when several top players stayed away from training sessions, and the association failed to meet the International Federation of Netball Associations’ March 31 deadline and were later forced to ask for an extension. Things improved tremendously when Defence Force’s Veronica McDonald was made national coach, taking over from Grace Parkinson-Griffith who resigned the post. TTNA president Martha Archer and secretary Beverly-Ann Cruickshank are the delegates, while McDonald will have Althea McCollin as her deputy. Manageress of the team is still to be decided, but National Flour Mills Corporate Communications Ma-nager Donna Cox, the TTNA 1st vice-president, is a front-runner for the position.

Trinidad and Tobago slipped to eighth position at the last World Championships in New Zealand, behind champions Australia, the hosts Kiwis, Jamaica, England, South Africa, Fiji and the Cook Islands. The final 12-member Calypso Girls netball squad is expected to be announced on May 31. Seven members of the national team who finished runners-up to St Vincent at the Caribbean Netball Association Championships in Kingstown have retained their place.

The squad: Shoots — Anastascia Wilson, Rhonda John (Defence Force), Afeisha Noel (Mucurapo Jnr Secondary), Simone Morgan (Mucurapo Ex-Pupils), Janelle Barker (Arima United); Centre court — Carlette Nurse, Stacey Sparks (Defence Force), Simone Bowen-Sandy (Mucurapo Ex-Pupils), Lystra Solomon, Monica Maule (Police), Tricia Liverpool (Soul City); Defence — Nina Grant, Glenis Hall (Mucurapo Ex-Pupils), Sojourner “Suzy” Hyles, (Defence Force), Anika La Roche, Denesha Moses.

TRENDSETTERS beat Police 34-31 in a close match as action in the Lady Erna Reece Intermediate Division One of the Port-of-Spain Netball League continued.

Goal-attack Stacy Pierre did the major damage for the winners on Thursday at the Jean Pierre Complex, Mucurapo. She scored 30 goals from 40 attempts while Giselle Barron added four. For the policewomen, Gushier Grant had 28 goals and Cinderle James, three.

Other results on Thursday:
Lady Erna Reece Intermediate Division One —- MUCURAPO EX-PUPILS (44) Andrina Eve 22, Shenekia Noel 22 vs ARIMA UNITED (14) Charisse Bramble 12, Natasha Philbert 2; PRINTERY SPORTS (37) Candis Nelson 35, Candi Hazelwood 2 vs SAN JUAN JABLOTEH (31) Melinda Young 18, Joycelyn Marcelle 13; CHIPS (46) Rhonessaa Williams 30, Cassie Ann James 16 vs HORIZON (15) Erica Jobn 8, Alana Nickie 4, Crystal Palmer 3.
              
Wednesday’s scores: Angela “Pinky” Drayton-Thomas Division —- SOUL CITY (33) Debra Beckles 19, Claudia Parker-Joseph 11, Michelle Boyce 3 vs NETACES (28) Cheryl-Ann Warren 14, Karen Sandiford 12, Sharon Wilson 2.

Marjorie John A2 Division —- HAMPTON JESTERS (39) Margaret Jack 29, Jaoah Brewster 6, Shivaughn Skeete 4 vs HARLEM (36) Maylin Peters 28 Mona Baptiste-Thomas 8; MUCURAPO EX-PUPILS (47) Giselle Norton 26, Tracy-Ann Mason-Douglas 21 vs NFM UPPERS (28) Tanya Gomes 20, Candice Regis 5, Elizabeth Tardieu 3; SISSONS LAS LOMAS (32) Raquel Russell 22, Ayana Russell 9, Cassian Thomas 1 vs MARVELLITES (31) Bridgette Adams 18, Avion Barker 13.

Tuesday’s scores: Phyllis Pierre-Walker Indermediate Division Two — CHIPS (20) Lee-Ann O’Brien 14, Rhonique Williams 6 vs SAN JUAN JABLOTEH (20) Sue-ann James 18, Rema Davis 2; UPPERS won by default from Netaces; ARIMA BALL MASTERS (21) Stacy Ann Gill 18, Crystal Castillo 3 vs ARIMA UNITED (11) Olinka Thomas 8, Susan Francis 3; MUCURAPO JNR SEC (28) Afeisha Noel 22, Nariba Grant 6 vs CIL SPARKLES (23) Amola Charles 8, Akeisha Baptiste 15; MALTA CARIB SENATORS (34) Kemeria James 22, Chrisalene Murrell 12 vs SWWTU MALVERN (19) Diana Felix 11, Margaret George 8; SOUL CITY (17) Krystal Samuel 10, Pinky Langford 5, Natalie Bostock 2 vs HARLEM (15) Giselle Moore 8, Afiya Jack 5, Jacqueline Jack 2.

SAABERA NARINE struck a brilliant unbeaten 63 to guide Bishop Anstey High School to a five-wicket victory over St Joseph’s Convent (St Joseph) in the Francis Rivas Schoolgirls Windball Cricket League.

The St Joseph girls batted first in the RBTT Challenge Trophy match and totalled 95 for three off their 15 overs, with N Dwarika scoring 42, and twin sisters Saabera and Aaajida Narine taking the three wickets to fall between them. Replying, Saabera belted the convent girls bowlers to all parts of the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain to see Bishop Anstey reach 96 for five wickets off just seven overs.

Scores: ST JOSEPH’S CONVENT (St Joseph) — N Dwarika 42, P  Ramcharan vs BISHOP ANSTEY 96/5 — Saabera Narine 63 not out.

CURTIS HUMPHREYS found his best form late to push Wazuri Wizards to a 3-1 victory over Himalayas as action in the Trinidad and Tobago Table Tennis Association Port-of-Spain Zone Inter-Club Championships continued.

Humphreys struggled past Wayne Lemessy 11-9, 9-11, 15-13, 9-11, 11-9 in the opening match on Wednesday night, before Arnold Felix levelled for Himalayas with a 11-13, 11-4, 11-4, 11-9 win over Richard Loregnard. Stanley Hunte put the Wizards back on top with a 11-7, 12-14, 11-4, 11-7 triumph over Imtiaz Mohammed. Then Humphrey, trailing Felix two sets to one, found his touch and with a series of blistering smashes, got the decisive victory 8-12, 11-9, 8-11, 11-3, 11-5.