Pinnock signs new Brentford deal

Brentford manager Thomas Frank has hailed Jamaica international Ethan Pinnock as “ a mountain in defence” after the center back penned a new four-year contract with the Premier League outfit last Saturday

The new deal will see the 30-year-old, sixfoot, two-inch standout extend his stay in west London until 2027, a massive boost for the club after they completed an impressive ninthplace finish in their second straight stint in the top flight

“This is great news for Brentford, and I am incredibly pleased that we have Ethan with us for four more years I am sure our fans are delighted,” Frank said

“Ethan has been a mountain in defence for us for the last four years He played a key role in our journey to the top half of the Premier League He is a top, top player and a great person

“He has stepped seamlessly in the Premier League and it is an amazing story for him, and

CRICKET for football, that he can progress from nonleague to the top of the game so quickly ”

Pinnock, who has been capped six times for the Reggae Boyz, joined Brentford in 2019 from Barnsley and quickly became a key player, helping them gain promotion to the Premiership two years later

Eight goals

All told, he has scored eight goals for the club, nicknamed “the Bees”, the latest coming on Saturday as the hosts shocked newly crowned champions Manchester City 1-0 at the Community Stadium on the final day of the season

“His impact in both boxes has been very important for us,” Frank continued

“He is superb defensively in the air and on the ground and plays a key role in our setpieces I think we will see even more goals from him next season

“Ethan has been so reliable and consistent for us, and I am sure that will continue He will be spending the prime years of his career with us, and we look forward to him helping the team be successful in the coming seasons ”

Pinnock, who started his career with nonleague Dulwich Hamlet in 2010, has made 154 appearances for Brentford – 62 of which have now come in the Premier League

Jamaica Tallawahs conrm retentions for 2023 season

The Jamaica Tallawahs have confirmed their Caribbean player retentions ahead of the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL)

The tournament gets underway on 16 August with the final taking place on 24 September There will be matches in Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago

The Tallawahs have also brought in Hayden Walsh Jr who was transferred from the Barbados Royals

Krishna Persaud, owner of the Jamaica Tallawahs, said: “We are delighted to be the defending champions, but that was last year Now we will focus on this year ’ s team as we look forward to another great tournament We are excited and our team will seek to defend the CPL championship ”

The overseas players and draft picks will be announced during the Republic Bank CPL draft show which will be broadcast at the end of June

Indeed, it was only the month before Taylor’s incident with the anti-doping officials that another Jamaican professional athlete, cricketer John Campbell, was suspended for four years for a similar anti-doping violation And there are many others before who would have run afoul of the WADA Codes because of simple errors in judgement on their part

I’m almost certain that on reflection Taylor would have delayed his travel plans in order to meet the requirements of the doping officers at the airport, rather than risk being suspended for between two and four years

Clearly, that can’t be up for debate

This breach has the possibility of being career-changing, at the least, or even careerending, as four years can be a very long time And it could have been avoided if the athlete had been fully cognizant of the WADA Codes and their repercussions

The proverb, “It’s better to be safe than sorry” aptly describes this scenario Also, it’s better to incur the added expenses of constructing a proper management team to help athletes navigate the minefields of professional sport than to fall prey to same and lose out on everything

I wish Christopher Taylor all the best as the Athletics Integrity Unit takes charge of his case However, for the umpteenth time, I hope other athletes take stock of what has happened here and learn from it One doesn’t have to personally experience the ills of life to learn from them. Enough said!

The retained players:

• Brandon King

• Fabian Allen

• Shamarh Brooks

• Raymon Reifer

• Amir Jangoo

• Shamar Springer

• Nicholson Gordon

• Kirk Mckenzie Joshua James by way of the purchase of ornamental fish for their location as well as the Aquarium industry in the USA Jamaica will facilitate the growth of the industry

In addition, there will be a level of Capacity Building by the Atlanta Aquarium in working with the Government of Jamaica to assist in the provision of Skills & Capacity training and development to support Aquatic sustainability including Animal Care and Life Support Systems

They will also work towards the protection of important marine areas through the establishment of fish sanctuaries in Jamaica This would build on the work we have done so far in Jamaica for the two(2) new sanctuaries being gazetted

Yet another initiative will be a Shark Research, Conservation & Education component where the Georgia Aquarium will work with the government of Jamaica to conduct research and education on sharks, towards the possible establishment of a shark sanctuary in Jamaica

As part of the initiative, an exchange program Exchange Program will be implemented to explore facilitation of exchange of students and early career professionals to gain exposure to relevant training programs and environments both in the USA and Jamaica

Both parties will work towards the establishment of a Port Royal Exhibition at the Georgia Aquarium, highlighting Port Royal and the marine protected areas

The Georgia Aquarium is the most popular visitor attraction in the state of Georgia, generating over US$120 million in estimated annual revenues, and has stimulated over US$5 billion of investments in the city of Atlanta

While in Atlanta, Senator Hill met with a number of business interests, addressed a business breakfast sponsored by the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce of Altana as well as town hall meeting attended by members of the Jamaican community in Atlanta