ST JOHN’S: Matthew Hayden scored 177 and fellow opener Justin Langer 111 yesterday as Australia set West Indies 418 runs to win the fourth and final Test match.

The home team made a solid start, surviving 22.1 overs to reach 47 without loss before bad light forced play to be stopped. Devon Smith made 21 while Chris Gayle was 19. Earlier, Hayden and Langer put Australia in a commanding position with a first-wicket partnership of 242 before the West Indies, led by Mervyn Dillon who took four wickets, bowled the tourists out for 417. Both teams scored 240 in their first innings. Despite their fightback, West Indies will have to score their highest ever fourth innings total against Australia, who lead the series 3-0, to stop the visitors becoming the first side to achieve a clean-sweep in the Caribbean.

The highest fourth innings score West Indies have achieved against the tourists is 352 in Sydney in 1969. West Indies did score 311-9 to win the Third Test in Bridgetown in 1999. Earlier, Hayden survived two chances before he reached his 14th Test century. He was dropped by captain Brian Lara at first slip off Omari Banks on Saturday when he was on 47 and had another let off on 88 when Devon Smith’s attempted run out just missed the stumps. Langer brought up his 15th century shortly after Hayden, but when he reached 111 he edged Chris Gayle to Lara at first slip. Wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist was sent in at number three but made only six before he was caught by Marlon Samuels off Banks after the ball ricocheted off Ridley Jacobs’ shoulder.

West Indies made another breakthrough when Banks and Samuels again combined to remove Martin Love for two on the last ball of the morning session. Hayden continued his onslaught after lunch, hitting a huge six off Banks on to the roof of the Richie Richardson Stand before he smashed the next delivery down the ground for four. Mervyn Dillon then bowled Darren Lehmann, who got an inside edge on to his stumps for 14, before Hayden was run out after Australia captain Steve Waugh played a shot to backward point, and Carlton Baugh made a direct hit after Hayden had been sent back by Waugh.

Dillon, who was dropped for the Third Test, grabbed another two wickets in the afternoon session when he had Bichel caught by Smith for a duck and Brett Lee caught by substitute fielder Sylvester Joseph for 18. After the break, he had Stuart MacGill caught by Lara for a duck, while Vasbert Drakes took the wickets of Jason Gillespie (five) and Glenn McGrath (14), who combined with Waugh in a 29-run 10th wicket partnership. Waugh made 45 not out before running out of partners. West Indies fast bowler Jermaine Lawson, who took seven for 78 in the first innings, bowled only six overs in the second innings because of a back injury.

MODESTO, California: Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago and Kittitian Kim Collins swept both men’s sprint events at the 62nd Modesto Relays on Saturday.

Quadruple Olympic medallist Boldon, whose early season programme was stalled by a thigh strain, outran his HSI teammate Jon Drummond (10.17) and Britain’s European champion Dwain Chambers (10.19) to land the 100 metres. Collins, currently the Caribbean’s number one sprinter in the world ratings, sped to a 20.40 victory in the 200 metres after Boldon topped his 100-metres field in 10.15 seconds. Highlight of the meet was a world-leading high jump win for American Matt Hemmingway, whose triumph at 2.34 metres, bettered the previous 2003 world best by Jamaican Germaine Mason at the Brazil Grand Prix last weekend. Collins, a 200-metre bronze medallist at the 2001 Edmonton World Championship, won the half-lap sprint ahead of Bahamian Dominic Demeritte (20.78) with Jamaican Elston Cawley fifth in 21.10. Jamaican Ricardo Williams captured Section One of the men’s 200 metres in 20.69 seconds, and his team-mate Llewellyn Bredwood (10.34) was third in the men’s 100 Section One, won by American Greg Saddler (10.26).

American Inger Miller, daughter of former Jamaica Olympic sprint medallist Lennox Miller, landed the women’s sprint double. She won the 100 in 11.16 seconds over Angela Williams (11.32) in an American one-two finish, with Jamaican Peta-Gay Dowdie (11.50) fourth and Kerron Stewart, last month’s CARIFTA champion for Jamaica, fifth in 11.53. In the 200, Miller (23.19) dismissed Crystal Cox (23.38) with Dowdie (23.66) third.  Hemmingway was already the high jump winner with a first-jump 2.28, and instructed that the bar go to a personal best 2.34, at which success came on his third trial. After two failures at 2.37, he took one try at a would-be US record 2.41 before closing out the afternoon. Caribbean runners snatched the top two spots in the women’s 400 metres as Bahamian Tonique Williams (52.77) led Jamaican Sheryl Morgan (54.26) home, while Jamaicans were prominent in the 800 metres with Michelle Ballentine (2:02.30) and Sasha Spencer (2:02.84) closest to Tanya Blake’s winning 2:01.96.

LEVELLAND, Texas: Trinidadian sprinter Fana Ashby and Jamaican hurdler Melaine Walker registered double wins at the USA’s National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) track and field championship on Saturday.

On an afternoon of many wind-assisted efforts at the South Plains College, Ashby copped the sprint double in times of 11.06 seconds and 22.69, while Walker swept the 100 and 400-metre hurdles. Trinidad and Tobago’s 400-metre star Damion Barry also landed gold among a plethora of Caribbean wins at the meet. Ashby, the 1997 CARIFTA Games Under-17 sprint double champion in Barbados, won the 100 metres ahead of American LaShantea Moore (11.27) and Jamaican Nadine Palmer (11.49) with a following wind of 2.4 metres per second. Her 200-metre win was assisted by a 4.6 mps wind with Moore (22.81), Palmer (23.34) and Jamaican Patricia Hall (23.59) chasing her. Hall won the women’s 400 metres in 53.00, with Grenada’s JackieAnn Moraine (54.24) second.

Walker won the women’s 100 hurdles in 13.35 seconds with a 3.8 mps following wind, and she copped the 400 hurdles in 58.40 seconds. Two-time CARIFTA champion Barry ran 46.35 for a clear win in the men’s 400 metres and Sheridan Kirk gave TT another win when he topped the men’s 800 metres in one minute 48.95 seconds. Barry and Kirk helped Kansas City win the men’s 4×400-metre relay in 3:05.59 seconds while Ashby spurred a women’s 4×100-metre triumph for Kansas in 45.71 seconds. The outstanding Adeh Mwamba won the women’s 5,000 and 1,500 metres, plus the 800 in which Jamaican Kareen Gayle was second in 2:11.14. Gayle also helped meet-champions Barton County win the women’s 4×400 relay (3:40.32) and 4×800 metres in 9:09.05.

Grenada’s Keron Francis posted yet another Caribbean win when he won the men’s javelin at a personal best 70.20 metres. Francis was also a silver medallist in the men’s long jump at 7.45 metres, and the Spice Isle also  lifted medals through Morain (1:00.29) in the 400 hurdles, Alleyne Lett (13.98) in the 110-metre hurdles, Shane Charles, a personal best 51.79 in the 400 hurdles, and Patricia Sylvester (1.72 metres) in the high jump. Jamaican Steve Mullings (10.00) was runner-up in a wind-assisted (5.6 mps) men’s 100 metres, won by Erick Wilson in 9.93 seconds.

ST JOHN’S: Antiguan ex-West Indies players Richie Richardson and Curtly Ambrose have called for patience from fans while they await the resurgence of the West Indies Test team.

Richardson, a former West Indies captain, and Ambrose, regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers ever from the Caribbean, both agreed it will take time for returns in the investment in current young players. “Give it time,” said Ambrose, as both former stars appeared as special guests on CMC’s DHL CricketPlus lunch-time show yesterday. Richardson, who captained the West Indies from 1992 to 1996, said he is encouraged by the promise he sees in the current batting line-up although there is still a long way to go. “I still think we’ve got a lot of work to do, we’ve got to hang in there and support the guys, invest in them and stick with them,” Richardson said. The West Indies ruled world cricket from the late 1970s until the mid-1990s and went 15 years between 1980 and 1995 without losing a Test series. Richardson and Ambrose both featured in the later stages of those dominant years. The West Indies had their unbeaten streak snapped by Australia in 1995 in the Caribbean and since then they have plummeted in the world ratings.

Australia are now undisputed world number one and the West Indies are now seventh-ranked in both Test and One-day International lists, with only Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh below them on the Test list. In the abbreviated game for which the Windies were world champions in 1975 and 1979, England, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Bangladesh are the only teams beneath the Caribbean side. The 39-year-old Ambrose gave positive views on the current West Indies batting, which he says is coming on “leaps and bounds” and he guarded fans against making comparisons with the all-conquering teams of the past. “Too many times we compare this present crop with the former greats, and that’s unfair,” he said. Ambrose, who took 405 wickets in 98 Test appearances at a superb average of 20.99, expressed worry about the bowling attack, but offered some consolation since they face generally unhelpful conditions in the Caribbean. “The pitches are so slow, it’s difficult for fast-bowling, so we don’t expect to see guys blasting guys out nowadays. “I think with our young fast bowlers now, I think we need (to see them) exercise a little more patience, try to put the ball in one area consistently enough, and if you can do that, you will get wickets,” Ambrose said.

Ambrose, who retired after the 2000 summer tour of England, is currently employed by the Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Sport where he is “National Fast Bowling Coach.” He enjoys coaching in schools and hopes to discover talent for international cricket. “Because of who I am, it makes my job very easy, I scout around and try to find some talented fast bowlers and work with them. Hopefully in a few years I could produce fast bowlers for the West Indies team,” he said. Richardson, who scored 5,949 runs in 86 Test matches, praised the batting improvement. “It’s nice to see the youngsters in particular are getting some runs, and they are really putting their efforts together and doing really well. We’ve got to try and support the team as much possible, the thing is we always expect instant results, it’s not going to happen, we’ve got to be patient,” Richardson said.

AUSTRALIA’S domination of Test and one-day cricket is contributing to the decline of the game internationally, according to former Australian captain Greg Chappell.

But, in a curious twist, International Cricket Council president Malcolm Gray believes the very country annihilating rival cricketing nations could form the basis for an international renaissance — through the exportation of Australian personnel, training techniques and infrastructure blueprints. According to Chappell, only Australia and India are holding firm internationally, while England, the West Indies, Pakistan and Zimbabwe are showing few signs of progress. “There are people within cricket who are concerned, very concerned about the state of the game worldwide,” Chappell said. “It’s part of the International Cricket Council’s charter to grow the game and protect the game worldwide, and I think they’re very worried about where things are headed.

“You can’t play the game in a vacuum. Australian cricket can’t run its business in a vacuum, and this must be of concern because it’s going to affect the business in the long run. “(The form divide) is already showing up in television rights. There’s a strong feeling within the sports community that the next round of television rights is not going to return the same income the last round did, which is certainly going to have an impact from the game’s point of view and players’ point of view.” A day after Steve Waugh’s side rolled the West Indies by nine wickets — their third victory from as many Tests on this Caribbean tour — former Aus-ralian wicketkeeper and academy coach Rod Marsh was appointed to England’s selection panel. Neither development came as a major surprise. As Australians re-write record books in Test and One-Day series, not to mention the World Cup, opposing countries are seeking to tap the strategies that propelled Australia to their lofty perch.

All-rounder Shastri Jattansingh and Hafiz Mohammed are joint TransBrokerage Couva Sports “Cricketers of the Year” for the 2002 season.

The two veterans were honoured at the club’s annual presentation function held recently at the Now For Now Restaurant, Southern Main Road, Couva. It was a special time for all the outstanding performers of the 50-year-old club during last year. Trophies were supplied by Ramsingh’s Sports World of Couva and  the club’s president Davichand Seemungal sincerely thanked Nal Ramsingh, a staunch supporter of the club, for his generosity. Jattansingh, who works at Caribbean Ispat, scored 166 runs for an average of 23.71 while Mohammed, who is the managing director of TransBrokerage, topped the club’s batting average with 247 runs at 61.75 each.

Ramsingh, a former cricketer and footballer with the club, called upon former members who benefitted directly through the various activities, to contribute something to the welfare and upliftment of  current members. His plea was made because of the need to make the club more vibrant and successful. Competing in the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control Carib National Cricket League Division Two for over a decade, the club is hoping to finally win this division and be promoted to the NCL Division One category next season. With the services of Guyanese hard-hitting opener Andrew Gonsalves, former Trinidad and Tobago’s senior left-handed opener Deonarine Deyal and solid middle-order strokeplayer Jaggernauth Ramnanan, Couva Sports are the current leader in the Division Two two-day competition.

Anthony Harford, president of NCL Division One club, Clico Preysal, called upon club members to examine and re-evaluate their respective roles in the club. He shared his own experiences with Preysal and their members and hoped that the people in Couva Sports can incorporate some of the things that they are doing to keep their members happy and motivated.

Honour Roll
Division Two Team:
Cricketer of the Year: Shastri Jattansingh and Hafiz Mohammed (Joint award).
Most Runs: Harnarine Moonesar (258 runs, ave. 28.66).
Most Wickets: Vinoo Ramdhanie (19 wickets, ave. 17.20).
Highest Batting Average: Hafiz Mohammed 247 runs (ave. 61.75).
Bowling Average: Darryl Brown —- 13 wickets at 12.70 each.
Best All Round Performance: Shastri Jattansingh (166 runs, 23.71 ave.; 9 wkts. at 24.50).
Reserve Team:
Cricketer of the Year: Keith Ince.
Most Runs: Jason Carmona —- 212 runs (38.42).
Most Wickets: Keith Ince —- 18 wkts. (16.25).
Under 21 Team.
Youth Cricketer of the Year —- Zaren Ramlagan (3 matches-12 wkts. at 14.62).

ST JOHN’S: Antigua and Barbuda are still undecided about building a new cricket-only stadium or sprucing up the famous Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) for their bid to stage matches during the 2007 World Cup cricket competition in the Caribbean.

China is giving the Antigua and Barbuda government US$10 million to renovate the ARG, but Prime Minister Lester Bird says a quick start on a new venue could be a more logical option, since preparation must start soon. Work on the ARG would not start until after the very lucrative visit of England next year. “Discussion has been taking place, the problem we have is time, and we are in a bit of a dilemma,” Prime Minister Bird said on CMC’s CricketPlus DHL Lunch-Time show on Saturday. Prime Minister Bird said the ARG would be his preferred choice but he is forced to consider other channels. “I have to look at the practicality of it, but my natural feeling is to rehabilitate the ARG, the ground has rich tradition. It is where Brian Lara made his 375, and Sir Vivian Richards scored the fastest hundred,” Prime Minister Bird said. “There is a view that we should give up the (England) Test match next year and therefore concentrate on getting this (ARG) facility in place, but the decision is in the balance, the cricket association is involved and we have to dialogue with them,” added the Antigua and Barbuda head.

In the meantime, Bird, a former Antigua fast bowler and Pan Am Games long jump bronze medallist, said his government is preparing other facets of the country’s bid to host Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007. “The tourist department has been mandated to get on board and prepare to go forward and put a plan in place as to how we are going to compete (for games). we will make a serious attempt to get at least the semi-finals if not the finals,” Prime Minister Bird said. Prime Minister Bird, Chairman of the CARICOM sub-committee on cricket, is meeting this weekend with other Caribbean leaders to discuss the role of regional governments in helping to stage a successful CWC 2007.