t r o Sp West Indies include More CARIFTA medals definitely - Boyce Deonarine for first Test on the cards believes as
By Edison Jefford With the assignment of getting Guyana more medals at the CARIFTA Games, the local athletics contingent departed this morning for Bermuda to compete at the region’s most prestigious junior competition this weekend assured that they will be successful. “I firmly believe that each of these athletes has the ability to win a medal at these Games, and as such, we might just have much more medals than we are anticipating,” President of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), Colin Boyce stated at a media update before the team’s departure yesterday. Six athletes that included Chavez Ageday (U-20 100m, 200m), Davin Fraser ( U - 2 0 1 0 0 m ) , Te v i n Garraway (U-17 100m, 200m), Stephan James (U20 200m, 400m), Samuel Kaiton (5000m) and Andrea Foster (U-17 800m, 1500m) will be representing Guyana. Letitia Myles was present with an outside chance of joining the team after her sponsorship was in late and the AAG had
contingent departs
President of the AAG, Colin Boyce (seated, centre), manager of the CARIFTA team, Pamela Phillips (right) and Coach, Julian Edmonds are swarmed by the athletes that will be representing Guyana in Bermuda this weekend. already closed its airline arrangement for the team that will be travelling to Trinidad and Tobago then Bermuda via a chartered aircraft. Up to press time, the association was attempting to negotiate with Caribbean Airlines to facilitate Myles; among the six athletes, Pamela Phillips was named as manager while the Running Braves Athletics Club’s, Julian Edmonds was identified for coaching duties. “It’s a very balanced team and judging from
CARIFTA trials that we had, and the times athletes turned in, I believe it was worthwhile to send this team; the sprinters rose to the occasion and it’s for them to continue to improve in Bermuda,” Edmonds indicated. He said that James, who is a Running Braves athlete and who made the 400m finals at the Games last year, will be aiming to reduce his average 47-second times to 46 seconds. Edmonds said that once James does that he will be among the medals this year.
Asked if he believes it is time Ageday deliver on the international stage after being well-exposed for quite sometime, Edmonds observed the steady improvements in Ageday’s 100m times, which he thinks could mean a definite big performance on the rubber track. “Ageday and I would have spent a lot of time in Venezuela (at the Alba Games last year) where he competed and worked-out with much more senior athletes and he did well; he (Continued on page 26)
ESPNcricinfo - West Indies have recalled batsman Narsingh Deonarine for the first Test against Australia in Barbados, starting April 7. The 13-member squad also includes fast bowler Ravi Rampaul, who missed the one-dayers and Twenty20 due to injury and illness. Deonarine, the lefthanded middle-order batsman and offspinner, last played for West Indies during the home series against South Africa in 2010. He was the leading run-scorer in the Regional Four-Day Competition with 582 runs in seven matches at an average of 44.76. He also took 20 wickets for Guyana, including two five-wicket hauls. “Deonarine has been the leading the batsman this season in the Regional FourDay and has demonstrated his commitment and a new level of maturity,” said Clyde Butts, the chairman of selectors. “We have not seen many big scores from the batsmen in this year ’s competition, but he has played some very good innings for Guyana and also bowled very well coming onto the latter half of the tournament. We expect this same level of focus against the Aussies. He is sure to be an asset.” Deonarine was among those not offered a contract or retainer last year by the West Indies Cricket Board because his fitness was “deemed unsatisfactory”. The board was not pleased with his attitude to fitness, which it said was “unacceptable for an international cricketer”. Butts said he was impressed by the performances of the batsmen on the two away tours of Bangladesh and India last year, and backed them to do the same against Australia, ranked No.3 in the world. Kirk Edwards, who scored a century on Test
Narsingh Deonarine
debut against India last year, has been named Darren Sammy’s deputy. Those missing from the squad that toured India include the experienced batsman Marlon Samuels, wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and spinner Shane Shillingford. Samuels, who played the one-dayers recently is away in India for the IPL. Rampaul was unable to be considered for the West Indies pre-tour training squad or the ODI series due to a bout of dengue fever. He also had to shrug off a shoulder problem. He played for the Trinidad and Tobago in the Regional Four-Day semi-final against Barbados, taking 4 for 55 in the first innings. The one-dayers and Twenty20 series were shared 2-2 and 1-1 respectively. The First Test Squad Darren Sammy (capt), Kirk Edwards (vice-capt), Adrian Barath, Carlton Baugh (wk), Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Fidel Edwards, Kieran Powell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach.
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