Sunday, September 16, 2007

Ganga XI wins trial match


WEST batsman Lendl Simmons returned from injury yesterday to score 35 in the third trial match at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain in preparation for the upcoming KFC Cup regional limited overs competition.

Simmons, who recently suffered a fractured finger, opened the batting for Rayad Emrit’s XI in the match reduced to 30 overs because of rain.

He showed no visible discomfort during his innings and took his team to 95 all out off 28.3 overs. Also among the runs was national Under-19 captain Adrian Barath who got 27. Spinner Nicholas Ramjass grabbed three for 16 and Samuel Badree two for nine.

Daren Ganga’s XI then raced to victory at 96 for four in 22 overs with opener Mario Belcon getting 38 and Justin Guillen getting 27. Emrit grabbed two for 19 while Sherwin Ganga took two for 24.

A fourth trial match is carded for today at the same venue.

Omar Khan, manager of the Trinidad and Tobago team, said despite the reduction in overs, he was still happy the players were able to get much needed action.

He added that the more time the players had in the middle, the better prepared they would be for the KFC Cup.

Khan indicated that West Indies players Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin and Ravi Rampaul will be involved in the next trial match next Saturday.

T&T Newsday

Friday, September 14, 2007

Simmons slams 57


TRINIDAD and Tobago and West Indies batsman Lendl Simmons blasted 13 fours in 57 to lift Road Runners to a seven-wicket victory over Blood Brothers in their Big 16 match in the Media 21/Seenath’s auto Parts Ltd-sponsored Savannah Boys Windball Cricket League.

Blood Brothers scored 85 for eight in their knock led by Anil Ramsawak 22 and Ronald Bisnath 12 with Vinood Maharaj taking four for 33.

The Blood Brothers’ total was boosted by 38 extras.

CG Construction Savannah Boys powered past Paradigm by 35 runs after scoring 91 runs to which their opponents replied with 56, with Vishal Kallicharan taking three for 11 and Rajin Singh two for 12. Tunapuna Savannah Boys were also victorious over El Socorro United by just 11 runs.

Parish David topscored with 25, Roger Millien 16 and Sheldon Thomas 15 in the Savannah Boys total of 106 for nine.

El Socorro United could only reply with 95 for seven with Ryan Gobin scoring 20 and Kevin Seewah 17.

Aranjuez Sports had a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Underdogs who they bowled out for 44 with Fareed Mohammed taking four for 11 and Wendell Samuel two for three.

The Aranjuez men raced to 45 for three wickets led by Michael Brown 15.

Another seven-wicket winner was NLCB Anthrax who replied with 58 for three wickets to Raiders’ 53 for nine.

Summarised scores:

CG CONSTRUCTION SAVANNAH BOYS 91 - G Ramharrack 20, Ronnie Parmanand 23, Vijay Teemul 13, Ravi Saith 3/28 vs PARADIGM 56 - V kallicharan 3/11, R Singh 2/13.

TUNAPUNA SAVANNAH BOYS 106/9 - P David 25, R Millien 16, S Thomas 15, Anthony Parmassar 11, Jason Bnachan 3/1, R Lalchan 2/24 vs EL SOCORRO UNITED 95/7 - R Gobin 20, K Seewah 17S Thomas 2/19.

UNDERDOGS 44 - F Mohammed 4/11, Wendell Samuel 2/3 vs ARANGUEZ 45/3 -M Brown 15, Avinash Singh 2/13.

RAIDERS 53/9 - Trevor Simpson 11, Ryan Mohammed 3/4, Jason Jairam 2/6 vs NLCB ANTHRAX 58/3 - Peter Mahase 20, Daniel Balkaran 13, Surujdeen Chadee 2/6.

BLOOD BROTHERS 85/3 - A Ramsawak 22, Ronald Bisnath 12, V Maharaj 4/33, Verin Mohanlal 2/8, Varendra Maharaj 2/17 vs ROAD RUNNERS 87/3 - L Simmons 57, Aneil Mannah 12.

T&T Newsday

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Teamwork key to U17 victory


COACH of the Trinidad and Tobago Under-17 cricket team, Tarandath Sammy has said that team work and mental strength were the key elements which enabled his team to come out victorious at the Sir Garfield Sobers School Boys Under-19 tournament in Barbados in August.

The national Under-17 team played unbeaten in Barbados overcoming their older and much more experienced opposition. Trinidad and Tobago were placed in the “Combined Schools” group which contained past winners Dominica Schools as well as the Bermuda Under-19 team which recently qualified for the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup.

Also in the group were Antigua, Queen’s Park of TT, Barbados Combined League, Xenon Cricket Academy and Curacao Combined.

The national Under-17 team finished top of their group and defeated defending champions Combermere High School in the final.

“We went across to Barbados well-prepared both mentally and physically as a team. The guys stuck to the team mantra of playing strong cricket as a team and all things would fall into place,” said Sammy.

He said the match against Bermuda was a testing encounter for his young charges as it was the only time the team struggled.

“Bermuda had Malachi Jones in their team and he represented the country at the 2007 Cricket World Cup. He rattled the guys a bit with his medium pace and picked up some quick wickets but the team eventually settled down and completed an important victory,” said Sammy.

The coach revealed that in order to get the guys to maintain their focus and motivation he allowed them to relax when they had time off.

“On the free days the team was allowed to wind down and would regroup again before matches. In the 19 days at the tournament we had three practice sessions where the team worked on the weakest areas which were running between the wicket, target bowling, fielding drills and general batting practice for the batters.

“In the past I have seen players been over killed with practice and become mentally tired. The problem with mental fatigue is that there are no visible signs until it is too late.

“Therefore I decided to take it one match at a time with the guys to ensure that they were at their best for each match,” said Sammy.

Trinidad and Tobago were flawless in their cricket with the team able to execute each aspect of the game to perfection.

Sammy revealed that all-rounder Yannic Cariah and vice-captain Marc Panchu played a major role for the national Uunder-17 team and they has bright futures ahead of them.

“Yannic Cariah is mentally tough and immensely talented. His major asset is that he is a team player and he never thought at any point in time, believe he could do everything on his own.

“Marc played a pivotal role in the final as an opening batsman where he scored 55 and returned with the ball to take four for 33,” said Sammy.

Currently the members of the national Under-17 team are engaged in the High Performance Centres in their various zones.

The team is scheduled to take part in Tri Nations tournament which will be place in Trinidad during October which will feature Guyana and the Windward Islands.

The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) under president, Deryck Murray has been lobbying for a regional Under-17 tournament to bridge the gap between the Under-15 and Uunder-19 age group and has developed the Tri Nation tournament for the interim period.

Sammy revealed that the team would soon return to training for the tournament and would be looking to continue their successful run. As coach of the national Under-17 team Sammy has been unbeaten thus far with guiding the team to tournament victories in Antigua in 2006 and Barbados earlier this year.

T&T Newsday

Murray- T&T success causing envy


TRINIDAD and Tobago board president, Deryck Murray claims the recent success experienced by TT cricket has created a sense of jealousy among regional nations.

He said this was emphasised by the fact that when Trinidadian Daren Ganga was made captain of the West Indies team it was done almost reluctantly.

“When Daren Ganga was made captain of the West Indies team it was almost done in a way that was begrudging,” Murray said as he delivered the feature address at the TTCB’s Central Zone’s presentation function in Chaguanas.

“In a way, that shows how strong TT cricket is because we understand there will be jealousy and we understand that there is always a reluctance in the Caribbean to accept what is good or what is better that something someone else is doing.” Murray, a former West Indies player, praised his board’s development programmes saying that the other territories needed to look at what was happening in Trinidad and model their development plan along similar lines.

“We have done very well over the past few years due to our cricket development programmes and other regional boards must look at our programmes for their betterment,” said the 64- year old who played 62 Tests for the regional side between 1963 and 1980.

“This is the only way that our cricket can get back to the top, where it was for so long. I am very happy with the way we have progressed in Trinidad and Tobago but we cannot get complacent.

“We must continue to develop and keep with the times in order to keep ahead of the competition.”

T&T Newsday

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Ramlal faces strong challenge in North East


THE ELECTION race in the North East Zone of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) has intensified with Raffie David emerging as a strong candidate to challenge the incumbent chairman Arjune Ramlal.

David is a long-serving member of the zone representing Cunaripo Sports Club for over 20 years as well as being a former member of the North East Zonal council, TTCB certified coach and former captain of the North East team.

He revealed that the state of cricket in the North East was the main reason why he decided to run for chairman of the North East Zone.

“The state of cricket in the North East is poor with the game dying in the area. What is even more cause for concern is the drop in the standard of play.

“When I use to play cricket the matches were keenly contested with the crowds coming out to watch the game and support the players.

“Now when you go to see a match there are no spectators, no umpires and you can see the lack of enthusiasm in the cricket being played” said David.

He explained that teams show up to play without 11 players and the interest of the game is dying in the North East.

David had been away from the game in the North East due to job commitments but has heeded the call of the clubs and various stakeholders in the North East to return and rescue the zone from its demise.

“Cricket in the North East needs to be rejuvenated. There is more to the administrative process than having meetings and planning fixtures” said David.

The former North East captain explained that his plans for the North East includes improving the prize money, improving the grounds and facilities, getting official umpires to games and establishing a youth coaching programme catering to all areas in the North East.

“The prize money for winning the zonal competition is $2,500 with windball cricket offering more financial incentive. There needs to be a cash injection because cricket is not a cheap sport to play.

“The regional corporation needs to be incorporated more to improve the grounds. I have attended matches and seen players from teams umpiring matches and we need to get away from this if we are to improve cricket in the North East,” said David.

He said there are many talented players in the zone and while conducting coaching sessions for Moosai’s Sports Cricket Club he had over 60 children between the ages of six and 16 showing up for sessions.

David stressed that the youths were the future of cricket in the North East and they needed to be catered for to ensure that cricket is revived in the zone.

He explained that there are talks to have a coaching caravan to areas such a s Plum Mitan, Toco and Tamana which are traditionally neglected due to their distance but produces high quality players.

Kern Ramlochan
T&T Newsday

Cricket chief praises Central Zone


PRESIDENT of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB), Deryck Murray has praised the Central Zone for the “magnificent presentation function which they organised for the season.”

Addressing the gathering on Sunday morning at Presentation College, Chaguanas, he said: “This is a magnificent effort and it is a great privilege to be here to share in your success. It is a tribute to your leadership skills,” he added. Central Zone Chairman, Mishri Lutchmedial, he said must be highly commended for his administrative skills.

“We are here to serve cricket and to ensure that the game is played in as fair a manner that is possible,” said Murray.

“We must understand fully when we celebrate the success of a national team. It is an outpouring of goodwill towards national success,” he said.

Murray said that the success of cricket in the region was the support given by many organisations including the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago.

He said the recognition given in the last Independence Awards to Cricket Board CEO Forbes Persad and Darren Ganga (captain of the national team) was an honour that was bestowed to the TTCB and cricket at large in Trinidad and Tobago.

“It is a sign to demonstrate how strong cricket is in Trinidad and Tobago,” he added.

He pointed out that the TTCB had been able to organise a series of developmental programmes and the success rate is evidenced by performances at the regonal level in recent months.

He congratulated all sponsors of the various competitions and said that “without your help all will be lost.”

Murray said that “we have a beautiful country and we need to strengthen it by our willingness to co-operate and make a meaningful contribution towards progress.”

“When we do that then we would be making a meaningful contribution towards development,” he added.

Carol Charles Austin, CEO of the Sports Company of TT, said: “We must unite to celebrate the success of Trinidad and Tobago.”

“We must be properly focussed to achieve success,” she added.

T&T Newsday

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Central Zone poised for election


The Central Zone of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board will hold their club elections on September 23 while the Annual General Meeting will be held on September 30.

Currently there are 15 nominations in the running for the six Central Zone executive positions. Incumbent Chairman of the Central Zone, Mishri Lutchmedial explained that he would be seeking re-election.

“I am confident going into these elections. Over the last few years I have worked very hard in the Central Zone and with the clubs. I will continue to serve the Central Zone and these are very exciting times coming up right now,” said Lutchmedial.

Within the past few years the elections have been keenly contested. Lutchmedial added that all factions must work together and unite to ensure the further development and upliftment of Trinidad and Tobago cricket.

T&T Newsday

Friday, September 7, 2007

Ganga:Hard work to repeat KFC cup success


Captain Daren Ganga believes Trinidad and Tobago success at the upcoming KFC Cup is not guaranteed and players will have to work hard to ensure they replicate their previous success.

“Our success at any tournament is not guaranteed. We may be the defending champions but this does not guarantee that we would walk away with the title this time around,” Ganga told CMC Sports.

“The players on the TT team have to work very hard to ensure success and that starts from now. I am very happy with the fact that we have started our preparations this early and I am sure this would work to our advantage when the series comes around.” The KFC Cup, the regional limited overs series, will bowl off on October 15 with TT going into action on October 16 in the preliminaries in Guyana. Ganga said the twin-island republic will be strengthened for the tournament by the return of West Indies players Dwayne Bravo, Ravi Rampaul, Denesh Ramdin and coach David Williams.

“These are key players in our set up and they will bolster our team when they return. Also coach David Williams has been a tremendous asset to us and we look forward to his return,” Ganga said.

Two 50-overs trial matches will be played at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva tomorrow and on Sunday, beginning at 10am.

T&T Newsday

Nanan picks WI to win 20/20 World Cup


“The West Indies have a good chance of winning the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa” declared former West Indies and Trinidad and Tobago off-spinner, Rangy Nanan.

“We have a good team and the guys played really well in the two Twenty20 matches in England. They played really good and despite losing the second Twenty20 match to England the game was close” said Nanan.

The West Indies team has not been in the best form crashing out of the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies at the Super Eight stage, losing the Npower test series in England 3-0, drawing their Twenty20 matches in England 1-1 and only managing to win the limited overs series 2-1.

Nanan explained that in the limited overs game any team on their day could beat anybody at any given time. He stressed that South Africa and Bangladesh on their day could beat the West Indies since such is the uncertain nature of Twenty/20 cricket.

“Twenty20 cricket is very different because teams cannot recover from a bad spell. This is unlike test cricket where you may have a bad spell but can recover and still win the test match. The way the West Indies played in the Twenty20 matches in England would only give the team confidence ahead of the tournament” said Nanan.

The West Indies team compared to the other nations participating in the Twenty20 World Cup has played very little of the 20 over game. Pakistan, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa and the Indian reserves have been playing in several warm-up matches in South Africa and Kenya in preparation for the tournament.

“The West Indies have not played much Twenty20 cricket with the majority of the players getting their exposure at the Stanford Twenty20 tournament in Antigua. Despite the Stanford tournament being a regional one it should give the players an idea about what Twenty20 cricket is about and show them what is required of them” said Nanan.

Commenting on West Indies captain, Ramnaresh Sarwan’s comments where he stated that he was happy about the West Indies’ underdog tag, Nanan said that once the team itself was confident the players should not be worried about the “tag” given to them by the tournament organisers and pundits.

“It is important for the team gel and pull together. They need to forget about what is being said and have confidence in themselves” said Nanan.

The former West Indies spinner highlighted the importance of Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan to the team.

“Chris is very important because if he gets off the team would do well. He would be able to take advantage of the early field restrictions and put the team in a good position.

Sarwan is back in the team and he should bring a boost to the batting and there is also Devon Smith and Dwayne Smith who can be very dangerous when he gets off.

I was surprised Crandon was not given a chance but this is an international tournament and the selectors must know what they are looking for in the team” said Nanan.

He revealed that his pick to win the tournament was Australia because of the level of cricket they play as well as the quality of players in the squad.

“Australia are clear favourites to win the tournament but it is still very close to pick a winner because of the uncertainty in Twenty20 cricket.

The Aussies are the world champs and South Africa would be amongst the top team because they are playing at home and have that support which could give them an edge” said Nanan. He added that India and England would be in the running to win the tournament alongside the West Indies since the momentum from their series could be carried across into the Twenty20 World Cup.

T&T Newsday

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Cricket race starts tonight


THE RACE for the 2007/2008 Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) elections will officially start tonight with a North East Zone meeting to announce their candidates who will contest the zonal elections in their area.

The incumbent chairman of the North East Zone, Arjune Ramlal will again seek re-election.

He is joined by long-serving administrators John Lewis, Mitra Ragoonanan and Ravi Motilal.

However, it is reported that Ramlal’s nomination list is short by two candidates since each zone needs six representatives to contest an election.

This may prove to be a problem for Ramlal since the deadline for nominations was on Friday and he would be unable to register the two candidates needed to meet the quota.

The North East Zone has been hit hard this year with several of the clubs leaving to join soon to be introduced East Zone. As a result the formation of the East Zone had originally been met with resentment by the North East Zone.

Currently the reformation of the East and the South West Zones has been approved by the TTCB. The zones must now meet certain criteria before there are any elections in these zones.

The committee in charge of assessing the criteria for reformation of the East and South West Zones, headed by Azim Bassarath, will meet on September 6 before giving a final proposal to the TTCB.

All zonal, Super League and National League elections must be held before September 30 before the focus shifts to the annual general elections which will take place on October 27.

T&T Newsday

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Ganga praises parents for success

WEST INDIES batsman and Trinidad and Tobago skipper Daren Ganga said he was thrilled over being chosen for a national award as part of the country’s 45th anniversary Independence honours.

“It is great so see that my contribution to the country in terms of cricket has been recognised and I am thrilled with the fact that I am receiving the Humming Bird Medal Gold,” said Ganga, who has played 45 Tests for the West Indies.

“I would really like to thank my parents (Ramesh and Jenno) who have really been the ones behind my success.

“ Of course my friends and teammates on the Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies teams, have played a part in my success and I would really like to dedicate this award to them.”

Ganga, the most successful captain in the history of TT cricket after a string of regional titles recently, said the award would further serve to inspire him as he sought to bring further glory to Trinidad and the West Indies. “This award will serve as an impetus for me to move on to greater things in my career on the sporting field and life in general,” the 28-year old right-hander said.

“It is with much pride that I accept this medal, as it really shows that people are appreciative of the efforts and sacrifice that one makes for his country.

“I was the seventh TT player to skipper the West Indies and this was a very special moment for me. Getting this award would rank as another very special moment for me. “It is my hope that this serves as an inspiration for my teammates and all sports persons in general, as they make a contribution to the building of their country.”

Also receiving awards from the sporting fraternity were TT Cricket Board chief executive officer Forbes Persaud and boxer Jiselle Salandy.

Persaud received a Public Service Medal of Merit (Silver), while, Salandy got a Chaconia Medal Gold.

T&T Newsday

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Jan is Parkites Cricketer of the Year


EX-NATIONAL captain and batsman Imran Jan is Queen’s Park Cricket Club’s Player of the Year.

At the club’s awards ceremony and dinner at the Banquet Hall of the newly refurbished Queen’s Park Oval on Thursday night, Jan got the nod ahead of four of the country’s most talented cricketers which included the hard-hitting Kieron Pollard, Justin Guillen , Runako Morton and Darren Bravo, brother of West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo.

The left handed Jan was labelled as one of those players who was able to transform a bunch of talented cricketers at the club, into a winning team.

Jan was captain and leading batsman in the team.

Chairman Brian Davis also revealed that Jan who once played cricket in the English County League also assisted in coaching the junior cricketers at the club.

Jan was also included in the club’s Five Cricketers of the Year and was among many who received bonus cash prizes for their performances.

Meanwhile, Bravo a member of the national Under-19 cricket team was voted the Peter Waithe Youth Cricketer of the Year. And for his achievement he collected a trophy and $1,000 while Anthony Balgobin was named the Phil Thompson Youth Personality of the Year.

Bravo was also among the top six young cricketers of the year in the Under-19 category, the others being Kevon Cooper, Anthony Balgobin, Milton Dookran, Javon Charles and the talented Brent Cameron. National Under-15 cricketer Nicholas Alexis received the award for the best Under-15 cricketer while the award was shared in the Under-17 division between Marc Panchu and teammate Kyle Borneo.

Morton who represented the Windies at a series of matches leading up to the Cricket World Cup which was held in the Caribbean for the first time earlier this year, was also hailed as one of the top century makers. Morton scored 112 for the Parkites against Alescon Comets in a National League Division One match and later blasted 123 off FCB Clarke Road in the same competition.

Other centurions are Daron Cruickshank (124), Milton Dookran (108), Devon Rogers (110), Marlon Barclays (123), Sunil Narine (113), Shastri Samaroo (169), Nicholas Baptiste (115), Justin Guillen (108), Akil Husbands (104), Satyam Tam (121), Darryl Williams (104) and Vishal Samaroo (102) against Fulham in the Northern Super League Reserve match.

Former national and West Indies fastbowler Mervyn Dillon was also recognised among bowlers who had five-wicket hauls for the season.

The lanky Dillon claimed six wickets for 33 runs for the Parkites in an encounter with Clico Preysal in a National League Division One match.

A number of other bowlers were also highlighted for their five-wicket hauls including Ryan Austin (5/43), Akil Timothy (5/65), Ricardo Paty (5/22), Kevon Cooper(5/36), Brent Cameron (5/34), Miguel Paty (6/56), Rishaad (6/37), Kareem Quaccoo (6/43), Javid Ali (5/24), Kyle Borneo (5/83) and Rangie Ramadhin (6/11) versus Fulham in a Norther Super League Reserve encounter

Walter Alibey
T&T Newsday

Young players must play with passion

WEST INDIES allrounder Dwayne Bravo urged all young cricketers including his sibling Darren, to play the game with passion and not focus on the frills that the game brings.

His call came at the End of Season Awards ceremony of top local club Queen’s Park Cricket Club at the Queen’s Park Oval on Thursday night.

Bravo told a large gathering which also included national players Kieron Pollard, Ricardo Paty and brother Darren they must play the game from deep inside and not for the money that it brings. “Do not play for the money or the fame but play with passion and opportunities will come your way,” the athletic Bravo said.

He also advised the young cricketers to believe in themselves and most of all believe in God and he will direct their path.

Bravo made it clear that while there will undoubtedly be some tough times ahead, they will have to stick it out, saying it is just how life is.

“This is how I play when I go out onto the field for the regional team,” he told a large appreciative gathering.

Bravo (Dwayne) was described as one of the most admirable players on the West Indies team.

Brian Davis, chairman said the way he plays the game, the enthusiasm displayed during his fielding, batting and bowling is extraordinary. Bravo told the gathering at the new Banquet Hall of the refurbished Oval facility, he is currently living his dream by playing for the West Indies team.

The Windies allrounder also took time to plead to the regional public to bear with the West Indies team because it is a relatively young team he noted.

Bravo was a member of the Windies team recently beaten by England in a three-Test series in England, before bouncing back to claim the 20/20 series.

He congratulated Queen’s Park Cricket Club of which he is a member from age nine, for the work that it has done in shaping him into the player he is today.

The club currently boasts of having more than 50 percent of the national players under their wings, a claim that says the club is doing something right. Brian Stollmeyer an executive member at “The Parkites” as they are popularly known, said the club has been and still is the second home of many cricketers in Trinidad and Tobago.

He said it was born out of the hard work of many and urged young and budding players to cherish the venue which has been a landmark in the history of West Indies cricket.

In moving a toss to the club, Stollmeyer whose brother and uncle also represented this country and the Caribbean said he was able to form a bond in the club by getting to know people like Imran Jan and many others.

T&T Newsday