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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Mom was driving USACA lawsuit to stop force behind success CPL matches dismissed ‒ Hasely Crawford
Hasely Crawford won Olympics gold for Trinidad and Tobago in 1976.
NINETEEN-seventy-six Olympic 100-metre champion Hasely Crawford celebrated, on Saturday night, the 40th anniversary of his historic win in Montreal. Back then, Crawford snared Trinidad and Tobago’s first-ever OIympic gold medal, winning the blue riband event in 10.06s over Jamaica’s Donald Quarrie.
Last Saturday, family, friends and well-wishers, including West Indies great Brian Lara, gathered at Joseph’s Restaurant in Maraval for the occasion staged by the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago. The OIympic gold medalist said his mother, Phyllis, was the driving force that pushed him to succeed.
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER
(Tuesday November 03, 2015) 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) Tallawahs-100 in 18 overs (vs Warriors, Providence, July 7) (2) Sohail Tanvir (Warriors vs Patriots, Warner Park, June 30) Today’s Quiz: (1) How many sixes were struck in the Barbados leg of Hero CPL 2016? (2) How many players represented the Warriors in the Providence leg of Hero CPL 2016? Answers in tomorrow’s issue
“I could remember every night she would wash that one blue shirt and that khaki pants. And then in the morning time she would iron it and that blue shirt will start to turn white,” he recalled of his humble beginnings. “I said I must do something for this lady. My father died at an early age.” The desire to see his mother live a better life, he said, pushed him towards the pinnacle of world sprinting. “Things were really rough and I said someday I must do something so she could really attain a better life. That is one of the reasons why I won the gold medal,” he said. He also hailed his coaches and support team that helped him achieve his goal. Several personalities paid tribute to Crawford on the night, including Lara, who said the great excitement for him was when Crawford returned to the twin-island republic a hero. “That (winning gold) was an amazing experience for me, but what was even more amazing and more of a personal touch for me is when my parents and my 10 siblings jumped into my father’s car and we headed to airport. We got upstairs and we got a pretty good position and I held on as a seven-year-old to the railing, my two legs hanging over and Hasely arrived.” Guests at the 40th anniversary celebrations included former Miss Universe Janelle Penny Commissiong, legendary masman Peter Minshall, former national cyclist Ian Atherly, as well as Chief Justice Ivor Archie and former chairman of the West Indies Cricket Board Ken Gordon. Others who paid tribute to the iconic Olympian included NAAA president Ephraim Serrette, Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon and Basil Ince, manager of the TT 1976 Olympic team.
The USA Cricket Association's attempt to block six Caribbean Premier League (CPL) games from taking place on July 28-31 in Lauderhill, Florida by pursuing an emergency injunction was denied on Monday afternoon by Judge Michael L Gates in Florida's 17th Circuit Court in Broward County. Judge Gates struck down the arguments made by former USACA executive secretary Kenwyn Williams on behalf of USACA, that the games were not properly sanctioned, with Gates writing that USACA's claims were "insufficient to justify ex-parte relief". "Ex parte orders are antithetical to precious due process rights," Judge Gates wrote, citing previous legal precedent. "There must be a 'strong and clear' showing before a temporary injunction without notice may issue." Williams had filed a lawsuit against Lauderhill Mayor Richard Kaplan, Broward County Parks & Recreation, and Central Broward Regional Park manager Duncan Finch last week - with USACA and USACA vice-president Owen Grey listed as
co-plaintiffs - seeking an emergency injunction to prevent the games from happening. Williams claimed that in bypassing USACA and going to the ICC for sanctioning, the CPL had not gone through the proper sanctioning process in order for the games to be staged. However, Williams did not file suit against the CPL nor the ICC, the two parties who applied for and approved sanctioning respectively. Mayor Kaplan's lawyers filed a motion for dismissal on July 20, arguing that Williams should not be allowed to file a suit as a pro se litigant because he is not licensed to practice law in Florida. In addition to his ruling that the suit did not meet the merits to justify ex-parte relief, Judge Gates also sided with Kaplan's lawyers in ruling that Williams did not have standing to represent USACA in a legal capacity. "Petitioner Kenwyn S Williams purports to bring the instant action on behalf of USA Cricket Association," Gates wrote in his summary. "Mr Williams is not permitted to do so. Mr Williams is not a member of the Florida Bar, nor has he provided
any documentation that he is authorized to practice law in the State of Florida. Under Florida law, a corporation may not represent itself through non-lawyer employees, officers or shareholders. "Thus, if petitioner USA Cricket Association wishes to proceed in the instant action, it must retain counsel." Marshall Beil, a lawyer representing USACA from the firm McGuire Woods LLP, had sent a cease and desist notice to Williams in June when he first threatened to take legal action to stop the CPL games. Based on the stance taken by Beil on behalf of USACA, it is unlikely USACA will continue pursuing the case. Mayor Kaplan was satisfied with the ruling handed down by Judge Gates. "The Judge's ruling did not surprise me, and we were extremely confident that we would prevail in this situation," Kaplan told ESPNcricinfo in a written statement. "The action had no merit, and the ICC, who has sole authority to sanction the event, did so in writing some time ago. I look forward to seeing everyone at the games."(ESPN Cricinfo)
Russell stressed by doping woes WEST Indies all-round star Andre Russell has admitted that the uncertainty surrounding his future and the possibility of facing anti-doping sanctions has weighed heavily on his mind in recent weeks. The Jamaican faces the possibility of a two-year suspension from the sport of cricket after the doping association in his country (JADCO) claims he has missed three consecutive drug tests. The infringement is considered to be the equivalent of a failed drug test. The case is currently before a special anti-doping panel. "It's not easy, honestly, it's tough," Russell told Espn
Andre Russell
cricinfo. "When I cross the rope, I definitely block it off my
head but then when you go back to your room and you know you have to face reality and know that something is going on like that, it's kind of stressing and depressing. But I have an amazing bunch of guys around me. So they keep me occupied, they keep me laughing. I just think that is a very good thing to do while going through something like that,” he added. The announcement that Russell had committed a violation came in March, ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup, but with a disciplinary panel not yet convened he was free to take part in the tournament. (Sportsmax.com)