sport week ending december 12, 2013
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WICB withdraws Under-19 Meeting Mandela my greatest moment, says Sir Viv from Bangladesh
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cting in the best interest of the safety and security of the West Indies Under 19 team, the West Indies Cricket Board on Sunday took the decision to withdraw the team from its tour of Bangladesh. The WICB’s decision was taken following consideration of a report on the situation in Bangladesh as prepared by WICB Security Manager Paul Slowe. The report emphasised that the current security environment in Bangladesh is not conducive to the playing of cricket in light of the 72 hours nationwide blockade and calls for countrywide dawn to dusk protest. The State Department of the United States of
America has also issued a travel alert to its citizens living in and travelling to Bangladesh. Travel arrangements are being made to allow for the team’s return to the Caribbean as quickly as possible. The team will remain safely accommodated at the team hotel under adequate security protection until departure from Bangladesh. An explosion had occurred a short distance away from the team hotel in Chittagong on Saturday evening. The players and members of team management were not targeted and were not in immediate danger as a result of the incident. The WICB also thanked the Bangladesh Cricket Board for their
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WICB Security Manager Paul Slowe
hosting of the team and the security arrangements provided to the team while in Bangladesh. The WICB has contacted the parents and guardians of the players to advise them of the latest developments. (WICB)
TT scrabble stars competing in Dubai
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n eight-member team, led by senior bpTT secondary schools scrabble champion, Omari Blake, left Trinidad on Saturday (December 7) to compete in the World Youth Scrabble Championships (WSYC) to be held in Dubai, UAE, from Thursday to Saturday. The team, which will seek international scrabble honours, comprises Blake, his St Mary’s College schoolmate and junior champion Christopher Thomas, Sion De Souza (Presentation College, Chaguanas), Matthew Wong Sang (Fatima College), Adam Ali (St George’s College), Alissa Noel (St Augustine Girls’ High School), Anastasia Francis (Bishop’s Anstey
High School) and Khelsey Ramsumair (ASJA Girls’ High School). They are accompanied by Kurt Ross, president of the National Scrabble Association of Trinidad and Tobago, who will coach the team; and Valerie PedroHarris, public relations officer who will perform duties as manager/chaperone and assistant coach. The WYSC is the foremost international tournament at which youths under 18 years of age from more than 20 countries participate and compete at an astonishingly high level. In 2011, Blake, then 15, and Amir AndiAbdoerrachman, a 16-year-old student of Marabella South Secondary, represent-
ed Trinidad and Tobago at the WYSC held in Malaysia. They placed 20th and 37th, respectively, among a field of 84 competitors. Blake has dominated the bpTT National Secondary Schools Scrabble Championships in recent years, registering a hat-trick as senior champion at this year’s finals in November. The TTSATT is working toward increasing the number of youths involved in playing scrabble by at least 20 per cent each year, said PedroHarris. It has planned year-round workshops and training sessions to create avenue for structured performance among youths from primary to tertiary levels. (TT Newsday)
Lara’s hero
TT and West Indies star cricketer presented Nelson Mandela with an autographed bat, commemorating his world record 400 Test runs, when he met the former South African president at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Johannesburg, South Africa on September 21, 2005. The inscription read: "To a man who has inspired the world. I love you President Mandela. My best wishes to my personal hero. Brian Lara." (TT Newsday file photo)
ricket legend Sir Viv Richards accomplished whatever there was to achieve in the game--playing for West Indies, the No 1 team in the world in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, being part of two World Cupwinning teams and not losing a Test series as captain from 1985- 86 to 1991. However, when it came to matters off the field, Nelson Mandela, who passed away in Johannesburg last Thursday, provided him with his greatest moment. Richards told MiD DAY from Antigua last Friday that meeting Mandela in Monaco during the Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000 was his greatest moment. “That meeting will stay in my memory for a long time. He knew about my decision to not go to SA (in the apartheid years). He said, ‘Thank you’ and those words meant so much. I was extremely happy. To hear this from a person,
Sir Vivian Richards
who is revered by almost everyone around the world was very special. When he said ‘Thank you’, I knew where he was coming from. He did say to me that he knew exactly what was happening then as well as the people, who helped make a difference (in dismantling apartheid),” said Richards. In the film Fire in Babylon, Richards revealed that he was offered an “open cheque” to play in South Africa, but refused to bite the bait
because touring South Africa during the apartheid era went against his principles. Also, he felt that there would have been an exodus in West Indies cricket had he agreed to go. “You felt seriously embodied with the folks who were suffering in South Africa. Human injustice was taking place for so many years,” he said. The proud Antiguan first heard that Mandela appreciated his decision to stay away from rebel tours to South Africa from Bishop Desmond Tutu. That was before he met Mandela in 2000. “Tutu told us that they listened to the radio when West Indies played against England and Australia. They were frequent listeners. He also said that they took satisfaction from the success we had at that time. For me to hear that was a privilege,” said Richards. (Excerpted from Cricketinfo.com)
Jamaican among six released on bail amid match-fixing allegations in Britain
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ormer Reggae Boy defender Ian 'Pepe' Goodison was released on bail Monday for his alleged involvement in spot-fixing in British football. Goodison represented Jamaica from 1996 to 2009 and retired after 120 appearances and 11 goals. He played in Jamaica's historic World Cup Finals appearance in 1998 in France. The Jamaican is among six men being fingered in the probe. The Sun newspaper in Britain initially uncovered alleged spot-fixing--where minor elements of a game are rigged---in the professional leagues. That follows another newspaper investigation by the Daily Telegraph, which led to non-league players being charged. The latest probe is seemingly more serious, as it involves games as high up as the second-tier League Championship. "These allegations, if proven, unfortunately demonstrate the real issue football faces in terms of corruption and highlights the necessity of the work carried out by the PFA and other stakeholders in the game in educating players of these risks," the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) said. "We take the issue of integrity very seriously and will continue in our efforts to eradicate this evil from our game." Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) said it is probing spot-fixing involving Football League players being paid to get yellow and red cards. It had not identified any of the people arrested, but said all six men had been released on bail until April. However, The Sun named Goodison as one of six men arrested on Sunday. Goodison plays for Tranmere
Ian 'Pepe' Goodison (Jamaica Gleaner file photo)
Rovers in England where he has made 402 appearances and scored 13 times, since 2004. In a statement Tranmere said: "Tranmere Rovers is aware of reports in today's media regarding Ian Goodison. As it is an ongoing investigation, the club has no further comment at this time." (Excerpted from Jamaica Gleaner)