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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Monday February 8, 2016
Indian businessman Jagessar earns Red Force 4-Day call acquires Barbados Tridents
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – Regional Super50 star Jon Russ Jagessar is now poised to make his first class debut after being named in a 14-man squad for the next two rounds of the Regional Four-Day Championship which resumes next weekend. The 29-year-old off-spinner sprung to prominence in the recently concluded regional one-day tournament when he claimed a team-high 14 wickets to help Red Force successfully defend their title. He was impressive in his six outings in the tournament, averaging 13 and with an economy rate of just under four runs per over. Former captain Rayad Emrit has been recalled after missing the last two Red Force games in the four-day tournament due to his commitments in the Bangladesh Premier League. Jason Mohammed has been retained as captain and will have Yannick Ottley as his deputy. Red Force travel to Georgetown next week to take on leaders and defending champions Guyana Jaguars at the National Stadium at Providence before moving on to Kingston to clash with Jamaica Scorpions in the seventh round. Red Force had a poor first half of the season, winning just one game and lie fourth on 37 points – already 48 points adrift of Jaguars. Barbados Pride are second on 63 with Scorpions ten points further back in third. SQUAD – Jason Mohammed (captain), Yannick Ottley, Evin Lewis, Jeremy Solozano, Kyle Hope, Narsingh Deonarine, Steven Katwaroo, Rayad Emrit, Imran Khan, Marlon Richards, Akeal Hosein, Jon Russ Jagessar, Yannic Cariah.
MILLIONAIRE Indian businessman Vijay Mallya has confirmed his purchase of Caribbean Premier League franchise Barbados Tridents, ending weeks of speculation about the proposed sale. The 60-year-old said he had met with Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart last week and secured government’s support in the venture, and had subsequently moved ahead with the acquisition. “I’ve acquired the team. It is a joint venture if not exactly in the classical sense of the term. I will, of course, take a lead role and that is because I understand the Twenty20 competition,” he told the Mumbai Mirror newspaper here Saturday. He added: “There is no central revenue in the CPL as in the case of the IPL (Indian Premier League) and the revenue stream is tickets and sponsorship. The numbers did
Indian businessman Vijay Mallya recently met with Prime Minister Freundel Stuart
not add up and the only solution was to go to the government. “I met the Prime Minister of Barbados and he has promised all the support. Once the government came forward, I told the CPL that
Notable Dates
Jon Russ Jagessar
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER
(Monday February 08, 2016) Compliments of THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Wes Hall (2) Clive Lloyd
Today’s Quiz: (1) How many Test wickets Curtly Ambrose captured? (2) Against which team Carl Hooper cracked his maiden ODI century? Answers in tomorrow’s issue
THE name Lennox Blackmoore will always be remembered when the best pugilists from the Caribbean are being mentioned. Equipped with one of the best defence in the business and counter punching skills to be envied, Blackmoore ruled the regional lightweight division with stern gloves in the 1970s. His record was an excellent 9-1 when the Guyana lightweight champion met Trinidadian Fitzroy Giuseppe on February 8, 1976. Twenty-five years old at the time, the local champion pleased home fans with a dominating display which earned him a TKO victory. It was the seventh consecutive win for the crafty Blackmoore who only loss at the time came at the hands of `Tiger’ Green in May 1974. Four bouts after the stopping of Giuseppe Blackmoore earned Guy-
Lennox Blackmoore ana’s first Commonwealth title. The Guyanese proved not to be an honourable guest as he whipped Jonathan Dele in his hometown of Lagos, Nigeria in October 1977. Upon his return home the newly crowned Commonwealth champion was feted in unprecedented style and showered with gifts by the Forbes Burnham led government.
I’m ready. It is a joint venture of sorts. “Going forward, the CPL has said it will disburse central revenue and when it happens, it will be bonus.” Mallya’s acquisition of the Tridents follows a similar move by fellow Indian businessman Shah Rukh Khan who purchased Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel last year. The move also comes just days before the official CPL draft set to take place in Barbados this Thursday, with the season scheduled to start in June. Mallya will pay a US$2 million franchise fee and also fund Tridents players’ salaries but is confident of recouping the investment. “It can be recovered as Kensington Oval in Barbados is one of the best stadiums in the Caribbean,” he pointed out. “The CPL history shows all games are full.” With Mallya chairman of United Spirits which owns IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, there has been speculation over a
possible name change for the Tridents once the franchise was sold. H o w e v e r, M a l l y a assured the Bridgetown-based franchise would remain the Tridents, as the name reflected the country’s heritage. “It will not be RCB II. They have a name and I don’t want to tinker with that,” he stressed. “Trident is the national symbol of the country and so I don’t intend to change it.” Tridents are one of the most prominent teams involved in the three-year-old CPL, the Caribbean’s premier T20 championship. They boast the likes of IPL star Kieron Pollard, Pakistani Shoaib Malik and West Indies Test and one-day captain Jason Holder. Tridents won the 2014 CPL title to qualify for the Champions League Twenty20 in India, and were also good enough to reach the final of the 2015 edition where they eventually lost to Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel.