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The journey from Linden to Berbice for Soiree Page 8

Martha James

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One killed, another surrenders –as Joint Services hunt down prison escapees

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Got to do better at next LGE

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Surrendered: Kerry Cromwell

killed: Clive Forde called “El Sinke”

Members of the Joint Services at the area in East Ruimveldt where the prison escapee Clive Forde called “El Sinke” was shot and killed on Sunday (Samuel Maughn Photo)

Systemic weaknesses fuelling prison overcrowding

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–– Pres. Granger urges comrades

Mother of nine dies in house fire Page 10

Woman dies in Herstelling crash Page 14

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 31, 2017

Systemic weaknesses fuelling prison overcrowding –– data vital to aid reform, says Attorney Hughes

By Rabindra Rooplall THE current state of the overpopulated prison system is part of the systemic weaknesses facing the criminal justice system in Guyana, former Magistrate Omeyana Hamilton-Dummett has said. She offered her views in light of two major prison riots in the past two years that have resulted in deaths and prisoners escaping. On March 3, 2016, 17 prisoners died at the Camp Street Prison after a fire was set during hours of unrest. Just over a year after, on July, 9, 2017, another fire was set at the Camp Street prison, this time burning most of the buildings to the ground. Following the July 9 fire, about 1000 inmates from Camp Street were transferred to the Lusignan Prison and since then, there have been a number of disturbances. Thirteen of the prisoners there escaped, but the majority of them have been recaptured. All the prisons in Guyana are overcrowded, and a Commission of Inquiry into the first Camp Street fire noted that the situation could have been avoided if overcrowding there had been addressed. Hamilton-Dummett said the current state of affairs is not attributable to one factor, but to a combination of unaddressed issues. “The fact is that for decades there has been no comprehensive criminal justice reform. The Guyana Police Force, the criminal courts and the prison system were basically the same position as there [sic] were despite the passage of time and availability of modern technology and methodologies,” said Hamilton-Dummett, who now practises as a criminal

lawyer. She said there is need for abolition of mandatory sentences for “soft drugs” and/or small amounts, stressing that the focus in these instances should be on counselling and rehabilitation of the addict/ offender. The result of incarceration for soft drugs and minor offences is the criminalisation of persons, who otherwise (with intervention) could have been contributing members of the society. “Incarceration in and of itself for serious offences, isn’t altogether negative, because society has to be protected from damaging criminality, example, murderers and perpetrators of robbery under arms etc,” Hamilton- Dummett contended. ASSESSMENT NEEDED But noted: “Criminality often is fostered and bred in or by group dynamics and it is untenable and counter-productive to co-mingle hardened criminals with novices. We therefore have to completely reassess how we manage petty offences and offenders. There needs to be a minimum security/ rehabilitation centre for persons who are convicted of relatively minor offences.” The attorney also pointed out that the issue of recidivism is closely connected with lack of opportunities and improper re-integration into society and emphasised that intense counselling, provision of opportunities to work and learn a trade, among other steps, can help in solving this problem. “Programmes should be created where companies and industries get tax breaks

for hiring ex-offenders and follow-up services, whereby the person is being monitored and mentored,” she said. And on that note, she noted that “We have to have the political will to transform the way that we see criminality and deal with the root causes of crime. It is my respectful opinion that this requires Executive attention and action. When the Executive makes a policy-decision regarding its treatment of crime and criminality, this would translate into legislative action and ultimately it would be sanctioned and, or followed by the courts.” This aside, she stressed that persons charged should be given speedy trials, but there are some notable limitations. “For example, magistrates and judges still take hand-written notes. There is in no electronic recording service. This is a painstaking process for all the parties involved; the witness, the prosecutor, defence counsel, magistrate/judge. People may find it easy to cast blame on the judiciary, but this is one of the serious limitations of expediting justice in a timely manner,” the former magistrate pointed out. She said all aspects of the criminal justice system in Guyana are in need of reform and strengthening. The police have to be better equipped and retrained for crime- fighting, crime-solving and monitoring in the modern world. Adding that a police DNA testing facility is necessary and can reduce trial times as well as eliminate suspects and allow the police to focus on the right direction, Attorney Hamilton-Dummett said the police force has to be adequately equipped. This, she noted, will as-

sist in eroding the culture of lengthy remands. “The magistrate courts and high courts are in dire need of complete digitisation. There should be emphasis on strengthening the magistrate courts because these tribunals hear and determine over 80 per cent of all criminal matters. Digitisation and the presence of electronic recorders would facilitate drastic reduction of trial time,” the former magistrate noted. Prominent Attorney Nigel Hughes agreed with Attorney Hamilton-Dummett that prison reform should not be isolated from broader criminal justice reform, but stressed that these must be guided by data to ensure proper analyses. NON-CUSTODIAL SANCTIONS According to Hughes, there is need for non-custodial sanctions and measures which reflect a fundamental change in the approach to crime, offenders and their place in society. He said attention should move away from punishment and isolation to restorative

Senior Counsel Peter Pursglove

justice and re-integration. Hughes said this when accompanied by adequate support, offenders are less likely to return to a life of crime. Ex-inmate Howard Jeffrey said not having a pay cheque is part of the problem which results in recidivism. He said finding a job is hard these days, “but finding one when you have a criminal record can be all but impossible,” adding that “I made Attorney Nigel Hughes

Former magistrate now criminal lawyer, Omeyana Hamilton-Dummett dumb mistakes when I was younger that led to my conviction, but there’s a lot more to me than just that.” Introduction and implementation of non-custodial sanctions and measures, Hughes said, is a key element in prison reform. Hughes also contends that there is need for a historical review on the modern philosophy of criminal punishments, along with a review of mandatory sentencing, imprisonment for soft drugs of small amounts and the

mixing of hardened prisoners with minor offenders. In addition, he noted that reliable data is vital in understanding the issue of incarceration and the criminal justice system. A senior prison officer also spoke with the Guyana Chronicle but requested anonymity. He said in order for the prison system to be managed in a fair and humane manner, national legislation, policies and practices to protect warders and the human rights of prisoners must be adhered to. He explained that prison authorities have a responsibility to ensure supervision and treatment of prisoners are in line with the rule of law, with respect to individuals’ human rights, and that the period of imprisonment is used to prepare prisoners for life outside of prison when released. SELDOM HAPPENS However, he noted that this seldom happens. The senior prison officer also noted that national legislation and rules relating to See page 3

One killed, another surrenders

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 31, 2017

–as Joint Services hunt down prison escapees

GUNFIRE disturbed the tranquility of East Ruimveldt Sunday at midday as members of the Joint Forces took out Lusignan Prison escapee, Clive Forde, during an armed confrontation. Clive Forde called “El Sinkie” was one of 13 prison escapees who tunnelled out of the Lusignan Prison a week ago. Police in a statement said Forde was mortally wounded during an operation to recapture him in the East Ruimveldt, Georgetown area. A 9MM pistol with a magazine and 11 live rounds were found a short distance

Surrendered: Kerry Cromwell from his body. Police said based on intelligence gathered, the escapee was hiding out in a house in the Ruimveldt area

The louvres which were shattered by a bullet during the confrontation with the armed prison escapee (Rabindra Rooplall Photo) and a planned operation was were taken to the Georgelaunched. town Public Hospital beDuring the operation, the fore being transferred to the escapee opened fire on the Lyken Funeral Parlour. police who responded while “This man even walked he was fleeing on foot. in front of the East La PenThe operation and death itence Police Outpost before of Forde were subsequently and no one recognised him; confirmed by acting Police is either these escapees stuCommissioner David Ram- pid, or they carefree, because narine. I can’t see why all of them Reports indicate that the feel so confident to return escapee of Lot 68 Laing Av- home and not be caught,” enue, West Ruimveldt, had one East La Penitence resivisited his home after escap- dent said. ing and police later learned One woman in the area that he was in the area. told the Guyana Chronicle After realising the po- that when gunshots started lice were combing the area, ringing out, she dropped to Forde decided to flee, but the floor and grabbed her was cornered at the East La children and stayed there Penitence Market, resulting until the entire episode was in him seeking refuge on a completed. dam in the squatting area. She said when the police He was mortally wound- were finished the area was ed between a fence and a la- littered with spent shells. trine. His remains which bore Another resident said multiple gunshot wounds police bullets shattered her

Systemic weaknesses fuelling ... From page 2 the management of prisons are outdated. In many countries, the prison department is under the authority of the police or military institutions. Locally, managers and staff have no specific training on prison management and the system suffers from understaffing. “Staff morale is usually low and effective leadership to drive prison reform is lacking,” he said, adding that “There is need for sound policies and strategies based on reliable, factual data to actually have any real change.” Senior Counsel Peter Pursglove, who has been hired by government and the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) under the Citizen Security Strengthening Programme, has held a series of consultations from July 24- 28 to gather data for a study on alternatives to pre-trial detention. Among the consultant’s task are: reviewing criminal laws in order to flag for legislative review any offences that need no longer

be classified as criminal acts or which may now be decriminalised; collecting and analysing the relevant statistical information relating to the various offender groups that may be targeted by any diversion programmes; and consulting on the possibility of developing a diversion strategy aimed at diverting certain types of offenders out of the criminal justice system. He will also investigate the possibility of establishing a pilot-diversion programme for the mentally ill to ensure that offenders with mental health problems who enter the criminal justice system are identified and directed towards appropriate mental health care. This is in addition to examining the prospects of establishing a diversion strategy for alcohol and substance abusers, aimed at curbing alcohol and drug-related crime and exploring possibilities for the use of restorative justice as a diversion mechanism and alternatives to imprisonment in respect of matters that would otherwise be subject to criminal sanctions.

louvres and smashed up her plastic tub. “The police kicked down the gate and run into the yard, damaged my tub and clothes, shoot at my louvres and even used one of my sheets to wrap the wanted man in to take him away,” the woman of 459 Front Road, East Ruimveldt Phase Two Squatting area, said. She is hoping to receive some compensation. Meanwhile, acting Commissioner Ramnarine on Sunday evening also confirmed that another Lusignan Prison escapee, Kerry Cromwell, surrendered to police.

Police said that Cromwell’s mother contacted a senior government functionary and related their willingness to disclose Cromwell’s whereabouts and their concerns for his safety. His mother, along with other relatives, on the advice of the government functionary, took Cromwell to the Brickdam Police Station where he was placed under arrest and is being held. On Saturday, another escapee Stafrei Alexander, was captured in Berbice. Police are hunting for the remaining five escapees.

killed: Clive Forde called “El Sinke”

The area where Lusignan Prison escapee Clive Forde was shot during the armed confrontation with law enforcement officers (Rabindra Rooplall photo)

One held in guns, ammo find

The shotgun and ammunitions that were seized A HUNTER has been arrested after Joint Services ranks conducting operation “Clean Sweep” at a camp in Twenty-Five Miles, Mabura Access Road, Linden, unearthed two

improvised shotguns and seven live cartridges. The suspect, who is from Anarika, Essequibo River, is being processed for court.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 31, 2017

Alleged plot to kill President…

Persaud to testify today EVEN as Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud will testify before the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged plot to assassinate President David Granger today, another officer of the Guyana Police Force’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) testified that he (Persaud) had made contact with the brother of the accused in the matter. On Friday, Assistant Superintendent Eon Alonzo, Officer-in-charge of the Criminal Records Office (CRO), told the commission headed by retired Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Slowe that on March 29, as he was preparing to leave his office for home, he heard “recognisable voices” speaking loudly and using profanities. He said based on what he heard, law-enforcement officers stationed at CID were attempting to calm an angry person at the station. Alonzo said he left his office to see what was transpiring and

upon arrival at the station, he observed Imran Khan “using a series of profanity.” “I then started to warn him. In doing so,[I noticed]

what should I do. “I said based on the name on the phone give the man his phone. He took his phone, he stepped a few paces and

Commissioner Seelall Persaud

he was already arrested, I would have noticed Corporal (Keon) Benjamin who would have took some of his property and his cellphone rang, when the phone rang the Sergeant Komal Petamber raised the cellphone and said man the name that is on the phone is that of Seelall Persaud,

July 29, 2017 H

answered,” said Alonzo. On July 24, Detective Corporal Keon Benjamin gave a similar statement to the commission. He said shortly after he returned to his office to finish packing his items so that he could leave. It was on his departure that he noticed In-

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spector Prim Narine arriving at CID Headquarters. The officer said he did not write a statement on what he had observed. Attorney Ian Chang, who is representing the interest of the Police Force, questioned whether the CRO has records of persons charged and convicted. Alonzo related that the CRO has records only of those convicted. Attorney Christopher Ram, representing Imran Khan, asked Alonzo to state the number of voices he recognised from his office. The officer noted that it was only Corporal Benjamin. He told the commission that he knew that Khan had been arrested based on what had obtained when he arrived. Alonzo said too that he was not privy to what had transpired before his arrest and as such, was unaware of a wrongful arrest allegation. “No sir, I don’t know,” he said, while adding that his office was not asked to provide a record on the accused

13:30hrs

Nizam Khan, his brother Imran Khan or the accuser, Andriff Gillard. Earlier in the inquiry, detectives and other officers attached to the CID had testified that Imran Khan had arrived at the Eve Leary location and behaved in a disorderly manner. The commission was also informed that it was the top cop who intervened and instructed that Khan, his brother Nizam and Gillard, be released. ‘FRIEND OF THE POLICE’ The commission also heard that Imran Khan was a “friend of the police” and particularly, the police commissioner. Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police Joel David said he had interacted with Khan on March 30, the day after Khan was detained by police and subsequently released. He alleged that he was assaulted by the police while being arrested for disorderly behaviour. “He told me he was arrested for disorderly behaviour at CID headquarters on the night of the 29th and I told him if the police was affecting [sic] an arrest, then he should not claim assault,” said David. Khan reportedly told David that he would have the matter addressed at the Office of Professional Responsibility. Moreover, David recounted that he summoned Detective Corporal Benjamin, the officer who had arrested Khan and asked him for a statement in relation to the allegation. Benjamin indicated that he was not finished with his statement, but subsequently took it to David. David said there were missing ingredients in the statement and he asked Corporal Benjamin to fix his statement and then return. “I perused it… I realised there were certain ingredients that were not there… [There was] no sequence, I told him what he had to do and he went to complete. He didn’t return [the] statement,” said the officer.

July 29, 2017

Attorney Ram asked whether a report was taken from Khan upon his return to the force on March 30. “No…because he said he was going to OPR,” noting that Khan did not indicate that he wanted to make a report. The officer said too that he enquired about Khan being assaulted while being arrested and contended that Khan had resisted arrest. He said he was unaware of a complaint of wrongful arrest, while noting that the police are not permitted to assault persons during lawful arrest, but force can be used. David disclosed that he has never heard of the concept of an unlawful arrest during his 33 years as a policeman. “I don’t want to suggest the entire police force doesn’t know the difference between lawful and unlawful arrest,” responded Ram, who found the officer’s utterance surprising. Khan did not submit a medical report along with his allegation of assault by the police.

July 29, 2017

ALLEGED OFFER Meanwhile, Corporal Julian Griffith appeared before the commission on Friday. He told the commission that Gillard never made mention of an alleged plot to assassinate President Granger between March 27 and 30 while he was on duty. Gillard alleged that in June 2015, Nizam Khan offered him $7M to assassinate President Granger. Gillard contends that he reported the assassination plot to Grove Police Station, but was not taken seriously. However, Griffith said on March 27, one Stephen Persaud made a simple larceny allegation against Gillard. He alleged that Gillard stole three of his tyres valued $10,500 from his place of business located at Diamond, East Bank Demerara. The policeman said he contacted Gillard the said night the allegation was made and informed him of

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 31, 2017

Holes in the fence Commissioner Seelall ... the allegation. He said Gillard admitted to removing the tyres, but noted that he had consulted with the Grove/ Diamond Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) and one Inspector Ram. It is unclear why Gillard had to seek permission to remove Persaud’s tyres. A rural constable was sent to the scene with both men and the constable reported that Gillard had disrespected her during her conduct of the investigation. “I asked Gillard to do a written statement and he refused, saying he has to consult his lawyer. On the 28th March, about 11:00hrs, I received a call from Superintendent Van Dyken…he reported to me that he is sending Gillard to the station to take a written statement from him. Gillard never showed up,” recounted Griffith. The corporal told the commission that Gillard called him on the station’s landline phone and during his conversation, he invited Gillard to a confrontation between himself and Persaud. “His reply was that he

is not coming to any **** station and that he was going to Travis Chase news for the entire station. He also mentioned a few names Inspector Ram, Nizam and the station Sergeant. I made a diary entry of what he told me, and brought it to the attention of Inspector Ram who was in charge,” the policeman stated. He noted that on March 29 between 10:00hrs and 10:30hrs, he visited the scene where the alleged incident took place and spoke with persons in the area. “I then went to the business of Andriff Gillard, King of Diamond Taxi Service and Stephen Persaud pointed out three tyres from Gillard’s business premises near to the fence.” The police noted that the tyres were taken to the Grove Police Station where they were lodged and photographed. On March 31, Gillard was arrested and kept in custody for about two hours as he had behaved in a disorderly manner. He reportedly raised his voice and noted that Persaud had fabricated the story.

Continued from page 4 “He kept insisting he was going to put the whole station in problems,” Griffith told the commission. Thereafter, a confrontation was held with the duo, but Gillard repeatedly refused to provide a written statement. “I informed him of his rights …he promised to return on April 1 to give the statement,” the police corporal added. Meanwhile, Commissioner Slowe said the story was a bit confusing as the definition of simple larceny suggests that the person steals an item or items with the intention to permanently deprive the owner. Other reports were made to the Grove Police Station for Gillard. Back in 2016, when he resided at 19th Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme, he was accused of abuse and threatening language against a female tenant. That matter was however dismissed. He was also arrested and charged for unlawful wounding and inflicting grievous bodily harm.

These photographs of sections of the asphalted holding facility at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara suggest that the prisoners may have been planning another escape. Sixteen prisoners were shot when inmates tried to resist a routine search exercise by prison officers Saturday afternoon. Prisons Director, Gladwyn Samuels had said the prisoners behaved aggressively during the search, resulting in disorder. According to reports, the inmates used improvised weapons to attack the officers, forcing the officers to resort to the use of force, including the use of firearms, to restore order.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 31, 2017

Emancipation G UYANA will join with the rest of the Anglophone Caribbean in celebrating another emancipation anniversary on Tuesday. We take the opportunity to salute our African-Guyanese brothers and sisters as they celebrate with the rest of Guyana what is easily the most important day on their calendar and by extension the Guyanese calendar. On August 1, 1838, the wall of formal slavery was shattered, bringing to an end the most inhuman institution in the history of humanity. Emancipation Day, then, is an important moment, for it represented a new beginning for a people whose cultures and identities were forcefully interrupted. The institution of slavery not only bound people against their will, but it introduced one of the most destructive ideologies—Racism. This ideology eventually became a defining mode of social, political and economic organisation and would go on to outlive slavery itself. Slavery was a global phenomenon designed and executed by Europeans in pursuit of accumulation of the

wealth upon which present-day European development was built. This is a critical aspect of the Emancipation story as it explains the current disparity in development among countries. It was this theory that was so ably articulated by our own Dr. Walter Rodney in his famous book, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Our developmental challenges in Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean can be linked directly to the slavery phenomenon. Haiti, which dared to overthrow slavery in the most dramatic way, still pays the price for that act; its extreme poverty ultimately is a result of retaliation from France and other Eurocentric powers. Another significance of Emancipation is that it not only draws attention to the horrors of slavery, but it represents in a profound way the overcoming of slavery. It is often a forgotten aspect of the Emancipation narrative. Resistance to enslavement was an integral part of the period of enslavement. Whether it was the runaway slaves or the numerous slave uprisings, the enslaved Africans did not surrender

Editor-In-Chief

Nigel Williams Editor

Godfrey Wray

Editorial: 227-5216; 227-5204 guyanachronicle.com wnigel10@hotmail.com gnnleditorial@gmail.com

to slavery. Here in Guyana, the famous uprisings of 1763 and 1823 are inscribed in our consciousness. Emancipation, therefore, came not through the slave masters’ change of heart, but by the persistent resistance of the enslaved. Emancipation also became the springboard for the historic Village Movement. Mere months out of bondage, the freed Africans bought lands and turned them into villages. In doing so, they transformed Guyana from a slave castle to a bastion of civilisation. What we now know as the Guyanese nation can trace its practical roots to the Village Movement. This movement is unique to Guyana; it was not replicated in other parts of the African Diaspora—it is the African- Guyanese gift to Guyana and the world. While Emancipation is an African Guyanese-grounded experience, it has had wider consequences. When African-Guyanese won their freedom, they ensured that other Guyanese who arrived after emancipation could not come in chains. Emancipation freed all Guyanese from

Editorial

slavery. It is, therefore, more than an African-Guyanese phenomenon, it is deeply rooted in the evolution of the Guyanese nation. Finally, we wish to emphasise that Emancipation is both a moment and a process. The moment in 1838 closed formal slavery, but the legacy of enslavement still haunts Africans all over the diaspora -- what Eusi Kwayana calls “the scars of bondage” are still very raw in some regards. The challenges of African-Guyanese in 2016 can be traced right back to the period of enslavement, so overcoming those challenges requires, first and foremost, a recognition of their origins. So as we observe another Emancipation anniversary, let us as a nation redouble our efforts to wipe away the blood and tears of slavery and make Emancipation a reality of Freedom, Equality and Justice for the sons and daughters of the enslaved and for all Guyanese regardless of race, ethnicity and culture. In the end, our diverse Guyana is enriched when each ethnic group overcomes. (Reprinted)

Army, police must be better equipped Dear Editor, MR. Singh had mentioned in his earlier letter published last Sunday about the need for the government to acquire more airplanes, helicopters and trucks and other assets to support the government’s mandate

to protect, serve and support the public. I agree and believe this should be done. Since recently, we have seen many cases driving a need for the government to be better equipped. I had recalled that during the previous government they had gotten a

grant from the Canadians or Americans to secure a fleet of new airplanes and helicopters. It was silly to not accept the offered package of new planes and helicopters to re-equip the GDF and establish a Police Air Wing with western helicopters and airplanes to

deal with all the new security, search-and-rescue and other challenges facing this coalition government. Hopefully, the current coalition government might be able to get that same deal rekindled again and acquire new western equipment with a full warranty, training, support and

not any used aircraft and helicopters acquired by the previous government. The acquisition of new and proper western equipment by our government would enable us to have comparable capabilities available by the governments in Trinidad and Jamaica.

The need for proper search-and-rescue, patrol and other enhanced security capabilities should not be viewed as luxuries, but as necessities. Yours sincerely, BALRAM BHAGWANDIN

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 31, 2017

Stafrei Alexander slept in abandoned house

STAFREI Hopkinson Alexander also known as “Mad Dawg” knew Topoo well and used to stay at a house there, residents of the village, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. The Guyana Chronicle on Sunday visited the quiet community of Topoo, nestled between Hampshire and Albion in East Berbice, Corentyne and practically everyone was talking about the capture of the prison escapee. Alexander was captured while exiting the canefields. It was reported that he would sleep in a white, one-storey wooden house in an unfenced yard, along R & S Street in Hampshire. From information gathered, the home belonged to someone who had migrated and was occupied by persons known to have had brushes with the law. One such person is Shannon Batson, who is presently on remand

for murder and robbery of businessman, Danian Jagdeo. It was reported that Batson and Alexander are friends and he would stop by from time to time when Batson lived there. Batson’s wife and child have since moved out of the house. Residents explained that Alexander was first seen on Thursday in the company of another person in a pasture under a tree around 10:00 hrs. Police have been in the area since then, but managed to apprehend the wanted man only on Saturday night around 20:00hrs. From information gathered, Alexander was rotating between the canefields which is aback the village, a short distance away and two houses: one where he would usually sleep and the other that is abandoned. “We hear he does come from the canefields and go to the other white

house at the back that nobody don’t live deh; and sometimes by the other one in front whey he normally does deh night time.” The area where he was found is sparsely populated and covered with thick vegetation. One resident is of the view that since the altercation on July 18 at Port Mourant, Alexander has been in the area. “From Follow-Up [an area in Port Mourant] you can come straight to this area, all you gah do is follow the canefield and them dam and you reach hay easy, me think since then he deh hide in the canefield and by he know them people at the house them help him.” Four persons were detained earlier in the day Alexander was re-captured. It was disclosed by a source close to the investigation that the persons had been providing sustenance for the wanted man as well as helping him with his injury. Police have since con-

-Topoo residents

The house in which prison escapee Stafrei Alexander is reported to have slept at nights firmed that Alexander was treated for an injury to his left foot at a hospital in Berbice and was

subsequently taken by police to Georgetown. The four persons are still in custody assisting with

investigations. Residents are calling on the police to do regular patrols at Topoo.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 31, 2017

The journey from Linden to Berbice for Soiree By Vanessa Braithwaite

“IT is a time to remember our ancestors, it is a time for celebration, where we reunite and dance all night,” were the words of Martha James, a born and bred Berbician who migrated to Linden in the 1970s.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, Martha was fondly describing the soiree celebration in her native village of Hopetown in West Coast Berbice (WCB). Like in many other WCB villages, Soiree is the celebration of emancipation from slavery in 1838. It takes place on the eve

of Emancipation Day and the celebration ends on the break of the new day. Like Martha, many WCB residents from villages such as Hopetown, Belladrum and Ithaca, migrated to Linden between the 1960s and 1970s to settle. Her husbands had pre-

viously journeyed to Linden in search of jobs at the bauxite company. Martha, followed her husband Lloyd James, who is now deceased and so did many of her fellow Hopetown Berbicians. The migration was so massive, that to date, there is a sub-community in Amelia’s Ward Linden, which is

called, Hopetown Square. In this ‘Square’ live residents who had migrated from Hopetown, WCB and to them, they are all family. Everyone is referred to as ‘cousin’ or ‘aunty’ and the close-knit circle in which they share, makes it more evident, that their ancestry line has some form of connection. Even though it may be many, many decades since they had moved from Berbice and added tremendously to the population of Linden, the many matriarchs of these families that are alive today, cannot hide the fact that they are Berbicians, because their raw Berbician accent is still firmly intact. “Me a wan Berbician, me follow me husband, who come up hay sah fah look wuk, and me neva went back, but ah Hopetown me born and grow,” James proudly revealed. Journeys back to Hopetown would normally occur whenever there is a funeral or a wedding, but most importantly, for the Emancipation Soiree celebration on July 31. EMPTY HOMES Almost all of the houses in Hopetown Square are empty during this time and many pack up their bundles and journey back home, to participate in this significant celebration of their African ancestry and roots. Joy James, Martha’s daughter, who was born in Linden, despite not being a Berbician, has it engrained in her, the importance of taking this journey and therefore makes it a must, along with the rest of her siblings, to be in Hopetown on July 31 every year. The custom became so popular, that even friends of these children, that have no roots in Berbice, also take the journey. Hopetown Soiree is a mixture of libation ceremonies to evoke the spirits of the African ancestors, African drumming, chanting and shanto dancing. The village of Hopetown was bought by exslaves in the 1840s and the tradition of Soiree dates back since then. Drumming, marching

Martha James and dancing would start around 18:00hrs on the eve of Emancipation Day in an area of the village called ‘Twenty Two’ and the large crowd would disperse into groups, keeping their separate libation ceremonies, while the main road is flooded with hundreds of boom boxes which create a party atmosphere for the young people. NOT LIKE IT WAS BEFORE While some ‘old timers’ in the villages strive to upkeep the old African tradition of Soiree, the older villagers, the few of whom remain, are of the belief that the young people are twisting the culture to suit their way of entertainment. “Apart from the small groups that try to keep the tradition, mostly there is men sporting, women wining to the boom box music, the young people drinking and smoking, barbeque and all these fancy nowadays food selling and it is really sad,” one old timer in the village said. She explained that the youths have the responsibility to carry on the culture and they are not doing so and fears that it may be completely lost, since they do not even dress in the traditional African garbs. Despite this reality Berbicians in Linden, young and old continue to take that yearly journey back to their homes, and for those who cannot make it, some African groups located in Linden, try to mimic the Berbician Soiree and keep little celebrations in communities such as Silver Town on the Wismar shore.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 31, 2017

US$1.6B needed to tackle climate change By Navendra Seoraj

US$1.6B will be needed over the next few years to ensure Guyana remains resilient against the adverse effects of climate change, Kandila Ramotar, of the Office for Climate Change said. There phenomenon is tackled through mitigation

speaking at a media workshop organised by the Office for Climate Change and the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISB) on Saturday at the Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown. Media workers were told that within 2015-2020, the sum stated earlier will be needed for “priority adapta-

of opportunities that may arise. Studies have shown that well planned and early adaptation action saves money and lives. According to the European Commission, examples of adaptation measures include using scarce water resources more efficiently; adapting to building codes

Ramotar said, pointing out that the Ministry of Public Infrastructure has been proactive in ensuring they increase the country’s sea defense by eight millimeters each year to accommodate the rise in sea level. The work of the Ministry is complemented by the assistance of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)

Technical Officer of Climate Change, Shane Singh, making a presentation as members of the head-table look on. At left: Climate Change Officer, Kandila Ramotar, Head of the Office for Climate Changem, Janelle Christian, and Executive Director of Global Economic Cooperation, Trade and Investment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rawle Lucas and adaptation. While Guyana has been more on the side of mitigation with its green initiative and gradual shift to solar power, adaptation is yet to be fully initiated, said Ramotar. She was at the time

tion investment”. Ramotar said more systems are needed in order to anticipate the adverse effects of climate change and take appropriate action to prevent or minimise the damage they can cause, or take advantage

Elderly man killed in accident

A 26-YEAR-OLD Dowden Street, Kitty resident has been detained after a hit-and-run accident on the Covent Garden Public Road, East Bank Demerara on Sunday that resulted in the death of 61-year-old pedestrian, Francis Persaud. Persaud, who was a cook, formerly resided at Craig Village, East Bank Demerara. Police in a release said investigation revealed that the victim was crossing the road from east to west, about 19:10hrs when he was struck down by a motorcycle. The rider then fled the scene. The pedestrian was taken to the East Bank Demerara Public Hospital (Diamond) where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The body of the man is at the Lyken’s Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem examination. The suspect, when arrested, was found with minor injuries about the body, consistent with that of a vehicular accident, while his helmet was found in proximity of the accident scene. He is receiving medical attention. A breathalyser test was administered and he was found to be slightly below the legal limit.

to future climate conditions and extreme weather events; building flood defenses and raising the levels of dykes; developing drought-tolerant crops; choosing tree species and forestry practices less vulnerable to storms and fires; and setting aside land corridors to help species migrate. BEING TESTED Some of those measures are being tested by Guyana,

in addressing the sea and river defense systems by increasing the resilience of the coastal and riverine areas. Ramotar said the strengthening of sea and river defenses is necessary because a study in 2012 showed that due to climate change, water levels are expected to rise by 40-60cms/1m by the turn of the century. The same study revealed that temperatures are expected to increase by four degrees Celsius, which will result

in more extreme weather patterns, a decrease in the average annual rainfall but very heavy showers when it rains. She pointed out that a new study is being done which will be submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). They are however optimistic about better results from the new research. Adverse effects of climate change are nonetheless affecting Guyana said officials of the Climate Change Office. Recently Regions Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) suffered tremendously because of unexpected heavy rainfall. This resulted in farm lands, houses and livelihood being lost. An earlier example of the global phenomenon was the local flood in 2005 which resulted in the loss of housing, agriculture, lives and other social elements. According to the Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean, during the said period, Guyana suffered a loss of 60 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE The events and research revealed Guyana’s vulnerability to climate change, which was described as “particularly vulnerable”. Head of the Office for Climate Change, Janelle Christian said climate change is a threat to small Islands, developing states and least developed countries. “Guyana is located in a tropical climate which is influenced by ocean and at-

mosphere interactions which result in extreme weather events... we are inherently vulnerable because of the sea level which is compounded by climate change,” she said. The reduction of vulnerability can however be achieve through the full implementation of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), said Christian. This plan was established under Paris Agreement on climate change which is geared at enhancing adaptive capacity, resilience and reducing vulnerability, with a view of contributing to sustainable development and ensuring an adequate adaptation response in the context of temperature goal. According to the Head of the Office, Guyana’s response to the issue of climate change has been good so far, given that in 2016 the Government completed the draft climate resilience strategy and action plan, which is a framework identifying priority area for adapting and building resilience to climate change impacts over a fiveyear period. The Office for Climate Change is also in the process of preparing a monitoring and evaluation framework, a national agricultural strategy for enhancing climate change management through disaster risk management, among other things. In addition, Guyana is among 10 countries benefitting from a climate change adaptation programme funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC).

Members of the media at the climate change workshop on Saturday

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 31, 2017

Mother of nine dies in house fire By Navendra Seoraj

F I F T Y- s i x - y e a r- o l d Amilia Sookdeo, a mother of nine, died in a fire of unknown origin which completely destroyed her Enterprise, East Coast Demerara home on Sunday afternoon. The woman’s eldest daughter, who asked to be unnamed, told the Guyana Chronicle that she was shocked after she heard about the passing of her mother. She said that around 16:00hrs, she got a call from someone who said that her mom died in a fire. “By time I reach there, de house done bun down and mommy de burn so bad that I couldn’t even recognise her,” said the distraught daughter. The Guyana Chronicle understands that the woman lived with her re-

puted husband, Terrence Prescott, but at the time of the incident, he was not home. Eyewitnesses told this publication that around 14:00 hrs, they saw the woman breaking the lock on the door to get into the house, and about an hour after they saw smoke emanating from the house. Persons who live in the area said they called the Guyana Fire Service but by the time firefighters arrived, the house had already been completely destroyed. Sookoo’s daughter said her mother was an alcoholic and had a number of medical complications, including diabetes and hypertension. “She used to take on her sickness them and like she used to be lost at times,” said the woman’s daughter, who added that because of that reason, all of her siblings had

to grow up in different homes. According to information from the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Prescott, who is in their custody, said his wife left the house, which was her usual habit, since July 23. He told officers that he locked the door and left the house at about 13:30hrs to pick green mangoes in the backlands but later received a call saying that his house was on fire. When he arrived, he discovered that the house, which had no electricity, was completely destroyed. The charred body suspected to be that of his wife was found among the rubble. The body is at the Lyken’s Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem examination. Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.

The spot where the house stood before fire reduced it to ashes

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 31, 2017

Guyana commended for anti-corruption, good governance initiatives

THE Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commission and Anti-Corruption Bodies have commended the government for taking “bold steps to combat corruption and promote good governance in the public life.” According to the Department of Public Information, Government Information Agency (DPI/ GINA), Chairman of the Association, Eugene Otuonye, commended Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo in a letter dated July 24, for these efforts. He said the association is “delighted” that

the government has acknowledged the plea “of well-meaning Guyanese” to crack down on corruption in public life. Otuonye also commended the government for reactivating the dormant Integrity Commission of Guyana. “No doubt they will augur well for people of Guyana and contribute to regional and global anti-corruption efforts,” he said in her letter. Otuonye pledged the association’s support and assistance to the government’s efforts. “We…wish you well in this courageous endeav-

our,” he added. An invitation was also extended to Guyana to have its Integrity Commission become an active member of the association. Prime Minister Nagamootoo is leading the constitutional reform of the county which aims to strengthen integrity legislation. The integrity legislation has been presented to the Cabinet for consideration. The government has allocated $36M in the national budget towards constitutional reform in 2017. Prime Minister Nagamootoo laid the Constitution Reform Consultative

Commission Bill 2017 in the National Assembly on Thursday.

The Constitutional Reform Consultative Commission Bill 2017 provides for the establishment of the Constitutional Reform Consultative Commission. The Bill seeks to sup-

port the government goals of reforming the Constitution to the point where it is more inclusive, democratic and transparent, removing all anomalies.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 31, 2017

Vendors battle rats, roaches at Wismar Market By Naomi Marshall

THE vendors of the Wismar Municipal Market in Linden will now have to wait weeks before the termites and rodents infested facility is sprayed. According vendors, the Wismar Market is heavily infested with mosquitoes, ants, roaches and rats creating not only a health concern for those selling food but also for the others whose goods have been damaged. After making several reports to the Linden Mayor and Town Council, the ven-

dors were informed more than three months ago that the market would have been sprayed, but to date, this has not happened. “For the past while Town Council has been promising us to spray the place… it cost me $16,700 in borrowing people barrel for me to pack up my business and for people to help me clean my shop and repack my shop when I get back here,” said Carol Archer as she complained bitterly about the situation. Archer is among the few vendors who continue to operate in the market despite

Simone Johnson standing in her unpacked stall

the present situation. Vendors told Guyana Chronicles that another meeting was held last week by the Town Council, which promised them that the market will be sprayed during July 28 and July 29, 2017. Unfortunately, they subsequently received a call indicating that the market will no longer be sprayed during the specified period. “They said they coming and spray and they asked us to pack up everything, so we pack up everything and is unfair for us right now to pack back up these selves,” pointed out Simone Johnson. In addition, the vendors told Guyana Chronicle that they are affected by the darkness of the market and the stench from the drains. “When you look from outside and look in here, in here looks like a ghost town,” remarked one of the stall owners. Patricia Corbin echoed similar sentiment, contending that due to the current atmosphere, sales within the vicinity have always been extremely low. “This is not a now issue, is long we complaining about the state of the market and I think is time they do something to improve it,” said Corbin. When Guyana Chronicles visited the Linden Town Council on Friday, a senior official who requested to remain anonymous said the Council is aware of the many problems affecting vendors

The Wismar Municipal Market in Linden at the Wismar Market. “In business, the most important thing is the location, so the location is the problem,” explained the official. She further noted that the Council has planned in a meeting to build a park opposite the market so that the environment can be busier. Other plans made are for the fencing off the market which would be done before Christmas, installation of lights and repairing of the roof. Turning her attention to the issue of the market being infested by the termites and rodents, the municipal official explained that an entity had offered to help the municipality with the spraying of the market. On July 26,, 2017, the Council was about to source the chemical to spray the market when the entity contacted them, explaining that it would have to withdraw from the spraying or face sanction. According to the official,

wrong information was being filtered from the one or more vendors of the market to higher authority, resulting in the entity withdrawal from spraying the market. The Town Council has now decided to do things

the professional way and are presently awaiting the third quotation out of three from a company to go ahead with the spraying of the market. It is expected that this process will be completed by August month-end.

One of the many stalls in the market

Got to do better

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 31, 2017

–– Pres. Granger urges coalition to correct poor performance at next LGE

LEADER of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) President David Granger has expressed dissatisfaction with the party’s showing at the last Local Government Elections (LGE) and has urged the General Council to do better at the next polls. “We have to correct that; a team has been put in place to address these issues,” he said, noting that the appointment of a new general-secretary, assistant general-secretary and three principal political secretaries were meant to fortify the party’s secretariat and prepare for the 2018 LGE and 2020 General and Regional Elections. The PNCR on Saturday held its third General Council meeting this year at the party’s headquarters, Congress Place, Sophia. The General Council was held under the theme, “United and Strong: 60 Years On.” In delivering the featured address, Granger warned about the complexity of the existing political situation on the international stage. “The international political situation today is replete with uncertainty and complexity. U.S. policy, as a result of changes in its administration, is uncertain; UK policy, owing to its resolve to exit the European Union, is uncertain; and EU policy, after the

expiration of the Cotonou Accord, is uncertain,” he said. The PNCR leader said the party must continue to be vigilant and cognisant of these changes. “Our party is committed to the building of the Linden-Lethem Road; our party is committed to building the deep-water harbour; our party is working towards full employment of young people,” he said. The PNCR Leader told the General Council that on January 1, 2018, the Guyana Youth Corp would be re-established and noted that he was satisfied that the measures to be taken by the coalition government will ensure full employment of young people. Reporting on his recent visits to several education institutions, including the New Opportunity Corps (NOC), President Granger observed that most of the girls at that institution were charged with the so-called crime of wandering. REPEAL “The so-called crime of wandering will be taken off the books by this administration,” he told the gathering to loud applause. The party leader also provided an update to General Council on the search for a chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission

(GECOM). President Granger said he would stick to the letter of the Constitution and will appoint someone whom he feels is fit and proper and assured General Council that the next GECOM chairman will be someone who enjoys the confidence of the Guyanese people. The party leader reported to the Council on the changes at the level of the party’s secretariat and the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the party. Member of Parliament (MP) Joseph Harmon and Dawn Hastings-Williams, MP, have been appointed to the party’s Central Executive Committee and John Yates has been appointed assistant general-secretary. “The PNCR is the most important popular, populous movement in Guyana; totally committed to working for national unity,” President Granger said, pointing out that after 60 years, the party remains committed to the working people. It remains committed to the trade unions, non-governmental organisations and all the groups that have supported the party over the past six decades. NO LET DOWN “We will not let them down,” Granger said, contending that the PNCR

remains strong and he is proud to be the leader of the party. As part of the party’s 60th anniversary celebrations, there was a symposium on the history and evolution of the PNCR. The panelists included Robert Corbin, CCH, who gave a brief history of the youth arm of the party; Yvonne Harewood-Benn, CCH, who gave a brief histo-

PNCR General-Secretary Amna Ally ry of the women’s arm; Hazel Woolford gave a chronology of the party and President David Granger gave a presentation on Forbes Burnham -the man and his philosophy. A lively plenary during the second session examined the party leader’s address, the general-secretary’s report and

the chairman’s welcoming remarks. Annette Ferguson, MP, also gave an overview of the implementation of the party’s 60th anniversary programme. The General Council concluded with a summation and charge which was given by the President. Meanwhile, earlier, Party Chairman Basil Williams, SC, welcomed the members of the General Council, especially those who had travelled from the hinterland regions and overseas. The chairman noted that General Council was meeting at a time when Guyana was celebrating the 179th anniversary of the Emancipation of African people from the pernicious bonds of slavery. He extended special greetings on behalf of the party to all Guyanese. The chairman extended congratulations to Amna Ally on her appointment as general-secretary of the PNCR, the first woman in the 60-year history of the party. Williams also paid tribute to and expressed the party’s gratitude to outgoing General-Secretary Oscar Clarke, CCH, for more than two decades of service to the party. The party chairman reported to the council that Guyana was on the verge of unprecedented prosperity. “Our (Guyana’s) oil find is estimated to be around 2.7 bil-

President David Granger lion barrels to date. Manganese production is also projected to resume in Guyana shortly. Our pursuance of the green-energy solutions in a green state will greatly contribute to the generation of wealth which translates into unfathomable job opportunities,” he said. The chairman urged members of the party to equip themselves with the requisite knowledge and skills to take advantage of these opportunities. The General-Secretary’s Report was presented by Amna Ally, who brought the General Council up to date with the state of the party’s secretariat, the youth and women’s arm and all party regions (local and overseas) and the work of the secretariat during the period between general councils.

CH&PA zeroes in on vandals By Vishani Ragobeer THE Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) is in the process of recruiting rangers to curb vandalising of infrastructure in communities. According to CH&PA C h i e f E x e c u t i v e Officer (CEO) Lelon Saul, the rangers will be tasked with patrolling the schemes and ensur-

ing there is no vandalising of infrastructure. Saul told the Guyana Chronicle that candidates are required to have a “sound secondary education,” will be conducting some amount of enforcement work and will be employed directly under the CH&PA. These rangers, as explained by Saul, would be required to follow the regulations governing the housing schemes

and would have to act within the confines of the agreement of sale between the authority and homeowners. While employing these rangers should aid in abating vandalism, the authority will also be seeking to mark its hardware components to protect against theft. T h e C H & PA i s currently in the mobilisation phase of its electrification project

CH&PA Chief Executive Officer Lelon Saul

which seeks to provide electricity for some 16 housing schemes by December. Saul said the electrical wires and transformers used in this project will be marked. Thus far this year, there has been a general and significant decrease in the number of vandalism reports to the authority. One major report of vandalism this year oc-

curred along the East Bank of Demerara where one water-supply network was installed by the CH&PA. To remedy this act of vandalism and rehabilitate the network, a sum of approximately $40M has to be expended. There has been some amount of damage to roadways too, but Saul affirmed that vandalism has decreased.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 31, 2017

Woman dies in Herstelling crash THE body of an unidentified female of African descent suspected to be in her late 40s is at the Lyken’s Funeral Parlour awaiting identification and post-mortem. Police Press Officer Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan said the woman was struck down by an alleged speeding motorist, who is in custody assisting with the investigation. Police investigations disclosed that motorcar PKK 3251, driven by a 45-year-old resident of Burnham Boulevard, Mocha, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was proceeding south along the eastern carriageway of Herstelling EBD at a fast rate. The pedestrian allegedly crossed the road from west to east into the path of the vehicle and collided. As a result, the left leg of the pedestrian was severed and she also sustained injuries to head and body. She was taken to the East The car that was involved in the Bank Demerara accident Public Hospital in an unconscious state and was pronounced dead on arrival. A breathalyser test was administered to the driver and no alcohol was detected his system. Investigations are in progress.

Third NOC escapee recaptured THE third juvenile who escaped from the New Opportunity Corps (NOC), Onderneeming, Essequibo Coast on Monday was recaptured last Friday, police have confirmed. Two others were apprehended earlier in the week. Reports indicate that the escapees assaulted one of the guards attached to the institution and escaped from the compound. Reports also indicate that during the period, the juveniles were blamed for several burglaries in a number of communities on the coast. One of the escapees is currently before the court for a capital offence. In February last, two other juveniles escaped from the NOC. The NOC is one of Guyana’s better known juvenile correctional and rehabilitative institutions. While detained there, the juveniles who commit various infractions are trained in different skilled areas. Former UNICEF country representative, Marianne Flach, had expressed concerns over the large number of juveniles (75 per cent), who were in the institution for wandering. UNICEF has consistently argued that preventing contact with the law is a crucial element of a juvenile justice policy.

Three held for La Penitence robbery THREE suspects are in police custody after a vendor of La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara, was robbed at Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, Saturday night. The man was robbed of gold jewellery valued over $500,000, his Nighthawk Motorcycle CH 7050 and $570,000 cash by two armed bandits. According to reports, the 48-year-old vendor during a visit to his girlfriend in Middle Road, La Penitence, decided to check on his car which was parked at his girlfriend’s home. While making checks inside the car which was parked on the northern side of the road, two men came up from behind, held him at gunpoint and relieved him of his valuables. They also seized the keys to his motorcycle which they used to flee the area. The motorcycle was later found abandoned on Durban Street, Lodge. When contacted,the police confirmed that there was a robbery but no shots were fired. Police later apprehended three suspects: a 25-yearold of Hadfield Street, Lodge; a 29-year-old of Werken-Rust; and a 32-year-old of Durban Street, Lodge, Georgetown.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday July 31, 2017

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 31, 2017

Reynolds’ hat-trick propels Chase Academy to second Digicel title ... Waramadong exacts revenge against ‘Multi’ 3 – 1 for third place By: Rawle Toney

THE clash between first time finalist Annai Secondary and defending Champions, Chase Academy, was supposed to be mouth-watering, but what fans saw was a lopsided contest in the finals of this year’s Digicel Schools Football Championship which was played last evening at the Leonora Track and Field Facility. A hat-trick by Stephon Reynolds, along with a double from Nicholas McArthur and a single strike from Ryan Hackett were enough to hand Chase Academy

their second title, after playing in their third consecutive final of the country’s most prestigious Schools Football Tournament. For Annai, supported by the capacity crowd, National U-15 star Orville Daniels and his cousin Sherral Daniels were the only two players to find the back of their opponents net. The win saw Chase Academy pocketing $1M for a school project of their choice, while Annai Secondary collected $700,000. Waramadong defeated arch rivals, Christianburg Wismar Secondary (Multi)

3 – 1 to finish third, and will head back to Region 7 with $400,000. The Lindeners, who for the first time in the tournament’s seven year history did not feature in the finals, had to settle for $300,000. Meanwhile, it was clear that the Region 9 School was overwhelmed by the Chase Academy, who were not only more athletic and tactical, but also had a distinct height advantage. After being greeted by Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, Digicel’s Head of Marketing Jacqueline James and Digicel’s Regional Chief Executive Officer,

Gregory Dean , the two teams headed to the touchline amidst thunderous applause from the vociferous crowd at the venue. However, for the Annai Secondary, those cheers were quickly turned into frowns when only nine minutes into the game, McArthur score the first of his two goals. Eight minutes later (17th minute), Reynolds doubled the score while McArthur, in the 20th minute, scored his second goal and the third of the game after connecting for a point-blank range shot. Having taken a 3 – 0 lead just 20 minutes into

the match, Hackett, in the 37 th minute, got on the score sheets to make it 4 – 0 as the Annai fans disappointed turned into stunned silence, since they expected a better showing from their team. However, in the 41 st minute, Orville Daniels gave Annai’s supporters a glimmer of hope, when he scored a free-kick from about 25-yards from goal to stun Sese Norville between the uprights. The first half ended 4 – 1 but the Annai Secondary players felt that they could roll back to the times to two days earlier when they

defeated Waramadong 7 – 5, coming back from being down 4 – 0 in their semi-finals. Annai Secondary came out with more energy and played with a little more propose as a Sherral Daniels’ shot caught Norville off guard in the 56th minute to reduce the Region 9 boys deficit to two (4 – 2). But Chase regrouped and showed why they’re the defending champions, with Reynolds scoring in the 69th and 85th minute to complete his hat-trick and eventually put the ‘icing on the cake’ for the city school.

Reggae Boyz will improve with better facilities - Lawrence EVEN after a second consecutive trip to the CONCACAF Gold Cup finals, Reggae Boyz Kemar Lawrence believes the country is not doing enough for its football programme. Lawrence, who had a solid tournament, scoring the free-kick that booted CONCACAF kingpins

Mexico from the semi-final, believes the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) needs to provide better facilities for training and more international exposure if the team is to do better than it has. That team, made up mostly of players from Major League Soccer, and a few smatterings

from the Red Stripe Premier League in Jamaica, Lawrence believes, has major talent and needs to be kept together. “We should definitely keep the guys together, keep the guys aiming in the right direction, and just continue to work with us. Put some investment. Everything won’t happen

overnight,” said Lawrence. According to Lawrence, one of the ways to ensure better results from this group of players, is to invest in them, as a unit. “I think we need more games. The more games we play together, we will have a game plan and get to know each other better; each other’s movement.

We should not wait another three months to play one game,” said Lawrence. The unity in the team that lost 2-1 to the United States last Wednesday, Lawrence said, is second to none, and the left back is uniquely positioned to say so, having played in the unit that went to the Gold Cup final last time out.

“Each player was working for the next player - this is what we need. The JFF or who is in control should see that and pick it up from there and put us in a position, so that from now on we can succeed. Get us better training facilities, so we can gel as a team,” he said.

Kohli backs all-rounder Pandya to become India’s Stokes (REUTERS) - All-rounder Hardik Pandya has the potential to become India’s Ben Stokes and improve the balance of the side, captain Virat Kohli said after the 23-year-old’s encouraging Test debut in the win against Sri Lanka. England’s Stokes is widely regarded the best

fast-bowling all-rounder in the world with his match-winning prowess with both bat and ball. “When you play away from home, one guy (all-rounder) gives you a lot of balance, and I think Hardik can be that guy going ahead, specially playing so much cricket away from home,” Kohli told reporters after India’s 304-run win on Saturday. “If he grows in confidence -- you see someone like Ben Stokes, what he does for England. Brings in great balance as an all-rounder. I see no reason why Hardik Pandya can’t become that for India.”

In his first innings in Tests, Pandya scored 50 off 49 deliveries, his knock stud-

took one wicket in Sri Lanka’s first innings but looked more dangerous during

India’s all-rounder Hardik Pandya celebrates his half century.

ded with five fours and three sixes. The medium paceman

a hostile spell in the second when he peppered the hosts’ batsmen with short

deliveries. “First innings, he didn’t get the opportunity to bowl much but I think in the second innings, he bowled really nicely on a wicket that wasn’t offering much and he kept it in the right areas,” Kohli said. “He used the bouncer well. He bowls around 135 (kilometres per hour), when he bends his back he can go higher. So he is a great asset and I have mentioned this before as well. “And specially his batting ... He got 50 quickly and that saves you time as well. That gives you another 15 overs to bowl at the opposition. And his fielding is

also tremendous.” Pandya is already a regular feature of India’s limited-overs side and Kohli backed the all-rounder to shine in the red-ball format and in all conditions. “I have a lot of faith in him as far as any format is concerned,” said the India skipper. “Test cricket, he has got the technique. He is a really good batsman. “You might not look at it precisely but we understand how much he can bring to the table, and I surely have a lot of faith in him that he will be able to perform on any surface on which he plays.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 31, 2017

England close in on victory after Stokes’ burst … SA still 375 short of their target on final day

LONDON (Reuters) - England ripped apart South Africa’s top order in Sunday’s final session at the Oval to bear down on a victory that would put them 2-1 up with one to play in the four-Test series. Two wickets from successive balls in Ben Stokes’ third over removed Quinton de Kock (5) and Faf du Plessis (0) and ended faint South Africa hopes of mounting a rearguard action in pursuit of their nominal target of 492. Although Stokes failed to record what would have been the first-ever Test hat-trick at the Oval, the damage was done. Du Plessis’ wicket, lbw without playing a shot to a first-ball in-

swinger, was a particular blow, with South Africa needing their captain to survive at least into Monday. The tourists limped to the close on 117-4, still 375 short of their target with a day’s play remaining. The battling Dean Elgar was unbeaten on 72 despite a painful blow to his finger, and Temba Bavuma on 16, as England turned to Moeen Ali to try to secure another breakthrough. Elgar had been fortunate to survive on nine, dropped by Keaton Jennings at third slip off Jimmy Anderson, and went on to strike seven fours in his 77-ball half-century. N o o n e e l s e p ro v i d ed much resistance. Before

an extended run at England’s problem number three spot. Westley went on to make 59 before he was stumped misjudging a dash at Keshav Maharaj. Root (50) followed soon afterwards, top-edging the same bowler after recording a half-century for the ninth successive match. England gradually accelerated with Stokes (31) and Roland-Jones (23 not out) joining Bairstow in some lusty blows Ben Stokes took two in two as South Africa were flattened in the last session.

Stokes struck, Stuart Broad removed opener Heino Kuhn for 11 and Toby Roland-Jones dismissed Hashim Amla for the second time in the match,

this time having South Africa’s danger man sharply caught by Joe Root in the slips for five. England have a further 98 overs available on Monday to complete the victory and vindicate Root’s decision to delay his declaration to apply maximum pressure to South Africa. England’s new captain eventually called time when Jonny Bairstow was dismissed before tea after a breezy 63 which lifted England, who had resumed on 74-1, to 313-8 After Jennings departed early for a painstaking 48, debutant Tom Westley pushed on to a maiden half-century, an innings that should ensure

as England’s lead extended way beyond the test record for a successful final innings run chase of 418. If South Africa fail to survive on Monday, it will complete a one-sided sequence in each of the tests. England won by 211 runs at Lord’s before South Africa hit back with an even more emphatic 340-run victory at Trent Bridge. The final Test starts in Manchester on Friday, Aug. 4.

SCORECARD

ENGLAND 1st innings 353 (B. Stokes 112, A. Cook 88) South Africa 1st innings 175 (T. Bavuma 52; T. Roland-Jones 5-57) England 2nd innings (Overnight: 74-1) A. Cook b M. Morkel 7 K. Jennings c Morris b Rabada 48 T. Westley st de Kock b Maharaj 59 J. Root c M. Morkel b Maharaj 50 D. Malan lbw b Morris 10 B. Stokes b Morris 31 J. Bairstow c Rabada b Maharaj 63 M. Ali run out (, Bavuma) 8 T. Roland-Jones not out 23 Extras: (lb-11 w-3) 14 Total: (for 8 wickets declared, 79.5 overs) 313 Fall of wickets: 1-30 A. Cook,292 K. Jennings,3-170 T. Westley,4-180 J. Root,5-202 D. Malan,6-251 B. Stokes,7-265 M. Ali,8-313 J. Bairstow Did not bat: S. Broad, J. Anderson Bowling: M. Morkel 19 - 6 - 44 - 1(w-1), V. Philander 15 - 3 - 54

- 0(w-2) K. Rabada 18 - 4 - 56 – 1,C. Morris 11 - 0 - 70 – 2, K. Maharaj 13.5 - 2 - 50 – 3,D. Elgar 3 - 0 - 28 - 0 South Africa 2nd innings (Target: 492 runs) H. Kuhn b Broad 11 D. Elgar not out 72 H. Amla c Root b Roland-Jones 5 Q. de Kock b Stokes 5 F. du Plessis lbw b Stokes 0 T. Bavuma not out 16 Extras: (lb-5 nb-3) 8 Total: (for 4 wickets, 38 overs) 117 Fall of wickets: 1-21 H. Kuhn,247 H. Amla,3-52 Q. de Kock,4-52 F. du Plessis To bat: V. Philander, C. Morris, K. Maharaj, K. Rabada, M. Morkel Bowling: J. Anderson 8 - 0 - 20 – 0, S. Broad 10 - 3 - 27 – 1, T. Roland-Jones 7 - 1 - 20 – 1, B. Stokes 8 - 0 - 29 - 2(nb-3), M. Ali 5 - 2 - 16 – 0.

Vettel wins while sporting Hamilton keeps his word

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Sebastian Vettel won a tense Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday in a Ferrari one-two that stretched his championship lead to 14 points after Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton sportingly surrendered third place to his team mate. The German, savouring his fourth win of the season and 46th of his Formula One career, took the chequered flag 0.9 seconds ahead of team mate Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn had looked faster than Vettel for most of the afternoon. “I’m over the moon, that was a really difficult race,” said the winner, who had to wrestle with a skewed steering wheel on a sweltering afternoon at the Hungaroring and had no room for error. Hamilton finished fourth after slowing down on the last lap and allowing Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas to go past, despite the loss of vital points to the Briton’s championship challenge. Bottas had let Hamilton through on the 45th of the 70 laps, on the assurance that his team mate would hand back the place if he could not over-

take the Ferraris, and the triple champion duly kept his word. “Really thanks to Lewis for keeping the promise in the end and letting me by,” said Bottas.

On a circuit where overtaking is notoriously hard, the top five all finished in their starting order with Max Verstappen fifth for Red Bull. The Dutch teenager was

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel celebrates winning the race on the podium and kissing the trophy

“I don’t think every team mate would have swapped back.” Hamilton, whose radio was malfunctioning for some of the race and would have had more of a chance had he got past Bottas earlier, said he had done what he had to do. “It’s tough in the championship but I’m a man of my word,” he said. “I did say that if I can’t overtake them I would let him back through.”

handed a 10 second stop and go penalty for colliding with his Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo on the opening lap. The impact ended Ricciardo’s race, with the car stranded on the track and fluid leaking from the broken radiator, and brought out the safety car. “It’s not on. It was amateur to say the least. It’s not like he was trying to pass -- there was no room to pass,” said an angry Ricciardo.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 31, 2017

Players ‘would be silly’ not to consider arbitration - Clarke AUSTRALIA’s cricketers “would be silly” to turn down Cricket Australia’s proposal for arbitration in their ongoing pay dispute, former captain Michael Clarke has said. CA had suggested the option last Thursday, with a guarantee of rollover contracts, to ensure the tours to Bangladesh, in August, and India, in September and October, go through unaffected. But the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) was wary of the idea because it could result in “significant” delays to the resolution of the pay dispute. ACA chief executive

Michael Clarke

Alistair Nicholson said he would prefer to continue negotiations with the board, but will have a final answer on arbitration “by next week”.

Clarke, though, felt it important that the players capitalise on a chance to actually spend some time in the middle. “As a (former) player, I’m saying if a deal’s not done by Monday afternoon allow it go to arbitration because we need this finalised,” he told Channel Nine. “I believe this is definitely going to arbitration, and I think the ACA would be silly to say no to it. The players can’t say no. The players have got to say yes because they’ve got to play.” In the nine months spent deciding on a new Memorandum of Understanding between

CA and ACA, one tour has already fallen by the wayside - Australia A’s to South Africa - leaving some of the nation’s best players with little to no practice ahead of what is expected to be a tough visit to the subcontinent. Bangladesh beat England in Dhaka last year, taking all 10 wickets in a session and similar spinner-friendly conditions might await Steven Smith’s men. Facing India for one-day cricket in their own conditions will be a daunting prospect as well. Clarke felt it imperative that the players face such challenges if they are to be ready

to win back the Ashes in November-December. “This team cannot afford to miss one game of cricket if we want to beat England in the Ashes,” he said. “We need to go to Bangladesh, we need to go to India for the ODIs, and then we need to play our best cricket to beat England in Australia, which I believe we will if we’ve played some cricket together as a team. “The players are not CEO of a business or general manager of a business. That’s not their responsibility. This needs to be done between CA and the players’ association, and the players need to do

what (they) know best and that’s to play this game we love.” If a peace deal cannot be brokered between CA and ACA as their chiefs James Sutherland and Nicholson meet again over the weekend, and it does go down to arbitration, Clarke tweeted that the “players will win.” Despite the uncertainty surrounding Australian cricket’s immediate future, CA has confirmed that day one of this summer’s Ashes series against England - November 23 at the Gabba - was already sold out, with day two close to a sellout as well.

Test cricket could ‘die’ in several countries because of dwindling crowds FORMER England captain Mike Brearley believes Test cricket could “die” in countries such as Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa due to dwindling crowds. Brearley, who recently stepped down from his role as chairman of the MCC World Cricket Committee, claims Test cricket is facing a looming crisis due to the popularity of the limited-overs game. “If Test cricket declines further in places like Pakistan, and I don’t mean they’re declining as a team, they’re doing very well, but in countries like Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, where there are no crowds, then it will die in those countries,” Brearley told BBC’s Sportsweek. “We made some of those statements at the end of our meeting two or three weeks ago in London and actually I’ve heard nothing from them (the game’s authorities). “I hope, nevertheless, that these things infiltrate under the surface. There’s a lot of good effort and good thinking in the ICC, but I

think they’ve got to grasp, get hold of Test cricket by the scruff of the neck and put all the effort into promoting and marketing it, like they already do with marketing and promoting T20 cricket.”

Mike Brearley

Brearley said Test cricket has suffered due to the rise of Twenty20 leagues in all the leading Test-playing nations. “There is a looming crisis for Test cricket. It’s already there to some extent,” he said. “But it’s likely to get worse unless something is done about it and the looming crisis has two facets. “One is that there is a conflict or tension between 20-over and 50-over cricket

on the one side and five-day cricket on the other. “ S e c o n d l y, t h e r e ’s a tension between domestic leagues, like the Indian Premier League and also now the South African League and the Big Bash in Australia, the T20 competition that’s going to start in England, and so on. “I hope, nevertheless, that these things infiltrate under the surface. There’s a lot of good effort and good thinking in the ICC, but I think they’ve got to grasp, get hold of Test cricket by the scruff of the neck and put all the effort into promoting and marketing it, like they already do with marketing and promoting T20 cricket.” Brearley said Test cricket has suffered due to the rise of Twenty20 leagues in all the leading Test-playing nations. “There is a looming crisis for Test cricket. It’s already there to some extent,” he said. “But it’s likely to get worse unless something is done about it and the looming crisis has two facets.”One is that there is a conflict or tension between

Barcelona edge out Real Madrid in thrilling Miami Clasico (REUTERS) - Barcelona drew first blood against Real Madrid ahead of the new season with a 3-2 victory in a pulsating Clasico friendly on Saturday in Miami. The historic rivals will meet again twice in August in the Spanish Super Cup and this International Champions Cup match set the entertainment bar high, with Barcelona maintaining their 100 per cent record in pre-season. “Physically we are in good shape, the team is winning, we just have to correct our errors,” Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets told Premier Sports. “We’re happy for the win, it was a lot of fun for the fans because there were a lot of chances, although the players

suffered in the heat and humidity.” While Barcelona beat Juventus and Manchester United, Madrid’s defeat means they end their pre-season tour of the United States without a victory. “I don’t care much about the defeat, it always hurts but right now it’s not the important thing,” said Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane. “It’s pre-season. The results haven’t gone as hoped for but it will not change anything. The important thing is to be ready for Aug. 8 (when Madrid face Manchester United in the European Super Cup).” Madrid were missing Cristiano Ronaldo, still on holiday, but both teams were close to full strength.

Ernesto Valverde, getting a taste of Clasico drama early in his career as Barcelona manager, selected Neymar despite speculation swirling over the Brazilian’s future at the club. However, it was stalwart Lionel Messi who opened the scoring after just three minutes, firing home with the help of a deflection, before Ivan Rakitic doubled the lead with a powerful drive from Neymar’s low pass. The sell-out crowd at the Hard Rock Stadium were in for a thrilling night and Madrid fought their way back into the game with Mateo Kovacic drilling home expertly, before Marco Asensio equalised in the 36th minute after a lightning break.

20-over and 50-over cricket on the one side and five-day cricket on the other.”Secondly, there’s a tension between

domestic leagues, like the Indian Premier League and also now the South African League and the Big Bash in

Australia, the T20 competition that’s going to start in England, and so on. (Telegraph Sport)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 31, 2017

‘The hunger for the game is still there’ - Gajanand Singh By: Colin Bynoe ‘GOOD things come to those who wait’ certainly applies to former West Indies Under-19 batsman, Gajanand Singh, as he prepares to represent the Guyana Amazon Warriors. Singh earned a surprised 11th round pick set at US$7500 at the fifth edition of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2017 players draft in Barbados. He was selected for the Guyana Amazon Warriors Team. His entrance in the draft on two previous occasions were unsuccessful. This breakthrough comes on the heels of some sterling performances recently for the left-handed batsman who now resides in New York. Gajanand Singh was born on the 3rd October 1987. He represented his country at all levels of the game, Under-15,17,19 and made his first-class debut for Guyana in Jamaica in 2008. His

DCC’s Gajanand Singh

highest first-class score being 66 in the first innings against Barbados at Albion in February 2010. As early in his youth cricketing days Singh was earmarked as one for the future. However, after playing at the ICC U-19 Youth World Cup in 2006, and two years later debuting at the first-class level, Gajanand Singh faded from the scene. Many questioned his absence from the local cricketing scene. His hiatus from the game was a cause for concern by his close friends and family. When quizzed on the reason for him being away from the game, he said, ‘I took a break for some personal reasons, I never lost the hunger and passion for the game’. The love and support of his family and friends helped him in rediscovering his potentials. The passion for the game was evident in his last major competition. Playing for DCC

he amassed a tournament high 328 runs in the UWI/UNICOM T20 cricket tournament played in Trinidad and Tobago. Singh’s run fest in the tournament saw him only being dismissed once. He had scores of 64, 88, 55, 56 and 65 with an incomparable average of 276.00. Because of his eye-catching performance, he was adjudged the most valuable player. Most recently his prolific run of form continued in the Greenline Independent T20 Tournament in New York. He was presented the award of MVP and best batsman. His scores were 42, 102, 30 and 70. Sights on first class cricket. Singh attests that hard training brought about his recent success. ‘I’ve been working with the Jaguars’ academy for over a year and I knew that it was the perfect opportunity to make an impact’. His T20 exploits has

earned him a highest score of 116 in the Chicago Premier League. Singh stated that, “T20 cricket is a wonderful format of the game which is full of excitement and entertainment for both the players and the fans”. The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2017 will see one of four new faces in the Guyana Amazon Warriors team, that of Gajanand Singh. He further emphasise, “I’m looking forward to this tournament and I will give it my best shot when called upon”. At 29, Gajanand Singh is far from finished. With a modest First class record thus far in his career, He sets his sights on getting back into the first class set up for Guyana, ‘I’m working really hard to get back into first class cricket and scoring lots of runs, and see where it goes from there’.

Regional Under-19 cricket

LABA meets clubs tonight to Looknauth, Perez star for Guyana in stalemate with T&T plan for two tournaments

PLANS to stage its 2017 Open League and an Under-19 inter club basketball championships are high on the agenda tonight when the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) meet with its seven affiliate clubs from 18.00hrs at the Mackenzie Sports Club pavilion. These two tournaments may be played simultaneously, according to one official of the association, in an attempt to satisfy the need of players for serious competition especially during the summer holidays. Clubs are asked to send their representatives, namely their president, secretary and coach to this meeting which will be chaired by President of the LABA, Lawrence Simon. At the same time all referees and table officials are also invited to this meeting. It is hoped that the tournament can start on Saturday, but the completion of registration must be done by Wednesday, hence the meeting this evening to apprise clubs on this important requirement.

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, (CMC) – Raymond Perez grabbed the opportunity for a half-century as Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago played to a tame draw on the final day of their second round match in the Regional Under-19 Championship here Sunday. With no outright result possible after T&T battled their way to 128 all out, Perez lashed a breezy 76 as Guyana ended on 118 for two in their second innings at St Paul’s Both Guyana and T&T had pulled off victories in the first round but any hope of similar fortunes here were

Guyana Under-19 off-spinner Richie Looknauth grabbed five for 18

dashed. Resuming on their overnight 67 for four, T&T failed to make serious inroads into their target and found themselves conceding a first innings lead of 129 runs. Christian Thurton, unbeaten on 33 at the start, made 43 while Saiba Batoosingh chipped in with 31. Thurton put on a valuable 30 for the fifth wicket with Joshua James (18) as T&T made a strong start to the day but the last six wickets fell for 33 runs in a disappointing collapse. Off-spinner Richie Look-

nauth was at the heart of the decline, claiming five for 18 while left-arm spinner Keshram Seyhodan finished with two for 21. Batting a second time, Guyana dominated the Trinidadian bowling with Perez posting 109 for the opening stand with Aley Algoo who struck 35. Perez faced 96 balls and counted seven fours and one six while Algoo struck two fours and a six off 91 balls. Left-arm spinner Justyn Gango picked up both wickets, to fall to end with two for eight.

Windwards captain Eugene misses out on a century

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BASSETERRE, St Kitts, (CMC) – Captain Johnnel Eugene missed out on a hundred while opener Kimani Melius stroked his second score above fifty in the game, as Windward Islands and Jamaica played to a draw in their second round game in the Regional Under-19 Championship on Sunday. Trailing by 15 runs after Jamaica racked up 353 all out in their first innings, the Windwards grabbed the chance for batting practice to stroll to 249 for four in their second innings on the final day. Eugene perished for 96 while Dillon Douglas struck an unbeaten 52 and Melius, 51. Opener Wayne Edward,

who hit a half-century in the first innings, scored a cameo 30 from 31 deliveries in a 40-run first wicket partnership with Melius who made 109 in his first

opportunity at the crease. Melius, who faced 84 balls and counted six fours and a six, put on 40 for the second wicket with Johann Jeremiah (14) before adding

Johnnel Eugene … fell agonisingly short of three figures

a further 34 for the third with Eugene. Once he departed, Eugene and Douglas dominated, posting an entertaining 135 for the fourth wicket. The left-handed Eugene hit nine fours and a six off 129 balls in 2-1/2 hours while Douglas struck four boundaries in his 83-ball knock. Off-spinner Brad Barnes accounted for Eugene to finish with two for 56. Jamaica had earlier managed to overhaul the Windwards’ first innings of 338 after resuming from their overnight 304 for eight. This effort was due largely to David Bird (28) and Kristoph Virgo (21) who put on a valuable 43 for the ninth wicket.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, July 31, 2017

West Indies arrive for England tour

Holder says preparation games crucial to tour success

LONDON, (CMC) – West Indies captain Jason Holder has urged his inexperienced side to make the most of the three tour games in the build-up to the opening Test of the three-match series against England later next month. The tourists face Essex in a three-day contest starting Tuesday and will follow up with matches against Kent from August 6-8 in Canterbury and against Derbyshire from August 11-13. The opening Test will be a day/night affair beginning August 17 at Edgbaston. “I think it is extremely good that we have three games leading into the first Test match, all of them being three-day games and one being a day-nighter, so that’s more

New boy Kyle Hope arrives at Lord’s for West Indies’ first training session since arriving in London. (Photo courtesy CWI Media)

than enough preparation time to go into the first Test and into the Test series,” the all-rounder said. “The guys need to use these games importantly and make sure we make use of them to the best of our ability and get what we need out of them. It’s important that batsmen spend some time at the crease, get accustomed to the conditions and the quicker we get acclimatised to the conditions, I think the better off we would be. “We need to get comfortable and make sure that we give ourselves the best chance to perform.” The series is expected to be a difficult one for West Indies, especially with the majority of the squad making their maiden Test tour of

England. In fact, of the 15-man squad only opener Kieran Powell and pacers Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel have ever played a Test here. Further, two players – Kyle Hope and Raymond Reifer – are uncapped while six others have played less than 15 Tests. Holder, who has led the Windies in 15 of his 23 Tests, said critical to the success of the tour would be the squad’s ability to play as a unit and build on recent encouraging performances against Pakistan. “The biggest thing is for us to gel as a side. We’ve preached family in the dressing room and we have planned a lot of activities to try and bring the group together,” he explained.

“I have been seeing some wonderful progress. The last two Test series we played against Pakistan have been a great success for us, although we didn’t get the perfect results in terms of the overall picture. “We saw many of the guys improve – they are a lot more assertive at the crease as batters and the bowlers being a lot more consistent in their lines and lengths. “We can only ask the guys to continue in that vein and once we do the small things well … we will get the end results we’re looking for.” The Windies arrived here Saturday from the Caribbean and had their first training session at Lord’s yesterday.

CPL tournament

Pollard banking on new focus as Tridents leave for Florida

Bryce Prince during Qualifying

Prince snags pole position in Trinidad and Tobago By: Stephan Sookram in T&T compliments of GMR&SC, B.M. Soat and Mohamed’s Enterprise) BRYCE Prince was in fine form as he swooped to his maiden super stock pole win in the twin Island Republic when the Caribbean Motor Racing championship rolled into that country for round two. Prince, who had a clean sweep in Jamaica earlier this year, made good on his opening in Trinidad and Tobago after clocking a 41.167 time, more than half a second in front of the host’s Keil Abrahams and Warren DeNobrega. Speaking after the

performance, Prince said, “Today (yesterday) was another good day for us, we got a pole here in Trinidad ,but it was a little challenging though because we had one quick practice session just after lunch and then the 15-minute qualifying session, but we still feel like we have a lot more to go and we can get even faster.” “We don’t want to predict anything, but what I can say is that we are aiming for another clean sweep like Jamaica. The idea is to ensure that we bring home the bike and the rider safely.” E l s e w h e re , G ro u p

two will see Luke Bhola starting on pole ahead of Justine Sanginette, Dr Mark Williams, Che Carrington and Barbadian Mark Thompson. Guyana’s Rameez Mohamed will start 13th on the grid after mechanical troubles with the car were being sorted out. At the group three level, Trinidadian David Lyons pipped Paul Vieira to pole while Ronald Worthman starts third alongside Guyana’s Mohamed. At the group four 4wd level, Ross Vieira took pole while on the twowheel drive end; Franklyn Boodhram will start on pole.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC) – Barbados Tridents captain, Kieron Pollard, hopes a fresh approach to preparation can pay dividends in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League(CPL), and atone for a disappointing last season. The 2014 CPL champions were off colour last year, managing a mere three victories to finish fifth and miss out on the final four, as Jamaica Tallawahs beat Guyana Amazon Warriors in the final to claim their second title. Tridents leave here today for Florida where they open their campaign against Tallawahs at Central Broward Stadium in Lauderhill next Saturday, and Pollard believes the team camp staged here over the last week has been a vital part of their preparation and laid the groundwork for a successful run. “I thought thought looking back on last year [we weren’t] getting off to good starts and we were always behind the eight-ball in the first six overs and then we were always playing catch-up cricket,” Pollard told a media conference here Saturday “And I don’t think the discipline was there in all departments of the game – batting, bowling fielding – and even the mental part off the field as well. “It’s a whole new approach [this year]. We’ve taken a holistic view of things and we have to start from scratch, hence the reason I thought that it was [good] the camp started a bit

earlier – get the guys to come in and start to do some work and get rid some of the things we don’t need to travel with.” He added: “Slowly but surely we’re going to eradicate those things and hopefully by the time we step on that flight on Monday to head to Florida, we would have eradicated those things and it would just be wholely and solely concentrating on cricket.”

Barbados Tridents captain Kieron Pollard

This year, Tridents have snapped up New Zealand star Kane Williamson as their marquee overseas signing and have managed to retain Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik who has been a fixture in the squad for the last few seasons. Opener Dwayne Smith, who turned out for Amazon Warriors last year, has returned to the Tridents line-up and will join Pollard and Nicholas Pooran in a solid batting line-up. Out-of-favour West Indies seamer, Ravi Rampaul, along with speedster Tino Best and South African left-arm pacer Wayne Parnell, form the crux of the bowling attack. While Pollard said that confidence in the squad was

high, he also conceded that Tridents would not have things all their own way especially with the season shaping up to be the most competitive in the history of the CPL. “The quality of cricket has risen over the last four, five years in terms of the tournament. When you look at it this year, you can’t predict any clear winner – all teams have a lot of international players who have vast experience and you have to work hard,” he contended. “Once you work hard and you win then you know you have accomplished something. In other years before, you could have sat there and said ‘these two teams will qualify, and you have these four in the semis and we battle it out from there.’ “You’ve got more talented guys [now], more experienced overseas players, guys who have travelled the world playing within the different franchises and guys who have been playing international cricket for a long period of time as well, and the experience that they bring alongside the youngsters coming through … I think is going to make the competition a lot stiffer this year.” The CPL bowls off next Friday in Castries when hosts St. Lucia Stars take on Trinbago Knight Riders, and runs until September 9. The tournament will also feature St Kitts and Nevis Patriots as the sixth franchise.

Holder says preparation games crucial to tour success See

Page 23

Reynolds’ hat-trick propels Chase Academy to second Digicel title ... Waramadong exacts revenge against ‘Multi’ 3 – 1 for third place See Page 19

The victorious Chase Academy after picking up their second successive Digicel Schools Football title.

Annai Secondary’s Orville Daniels collecting their second place trophy and cheque from Digicel’s Head of Marketing, Jacqueline James.

Annai Secondary’s custodian, Leston Smith (first from left) lays flat after Stophon Reynolds (not in photo) scored his third goal of the game. (Samuel Maughn photos)

Bolt swansong expected to have record-breaking turnout HE may not be breaking records on the track anymore, but Usain Bolt’s final competitive run will have the most attendants in IAAF World Championships of Athletics history. Already, organisers have sold 650,000 tickets, but it isn’t just Bolt who has created the dash for the turnstiles. Opening night of the games where Britain’s Mo Farah will bid for a third gold medal in the 10,000 metres. There is also high demand for tickets on Sunday after it was announced that the organisers would give Jessica Ennis-Hill the Gold medal she earned in 2011 after Russian champion, Tatyana Chernova

was found guilty of doping during that period. “It is going to be a special night for me and I am honoured that the IAAF and the organisers of the London world championships have offered me the chance to receive my medal in front of the British fans,” said Ennis-Hill. It is expected that more than 250,000 will attend the first weekend of the championships. “For those that missed out on the London 2012 Olympic or Paralympic Games this is really it, the best chance to see the stadium in that form once more and I cannot stress enough how amazing the action is going to be,” said championships director, Niels de Vos.

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Usain Bolt MONDAY, JULY 31, 2017