SPORTS
Sports
Photo: Abraham Diaz
Photo: Edison Boodoosingh
Photo: Abraham Diaz
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Ins & Outs of Trinidad and Tobago
2013 Sports Review by Sheldon Waithe
There were medals of every colour, delivered by experienced athletes as well as eager newcomers, yet it was supposed to be a “quieter” year following the London Olympiad. As ever, Trinbago’s sportsmen and women answered the call of competition and belied the relatively small population by again excelling domestically, regionally and on the world stage. In the nation’s beloved football it was all change as the Football Association rebranded itself, brought in Stephen Hart as national coach and old favourite Leo Beenhakker as Director. With five consecutive losses at the beginning of 2013 and barely a month to prepare for the Concacaf Gold Cup, the Soca Warriors looked a changed unit, solid and purposeful, and did themselves proud by reaching the quarter-finals in the tournament. There was further progress in September at a four-nation competition in Saudi Arabia, with the Warriors losing on penalties to UAE and then beating the hosts 3-1. Then in October, the team held New Zealand to a goalless draw on home soil; positive signs of a u-turn as they prepare for the long road of qualification for the 2018 World Cup. Domestically, the TT Pro League was won by the Defence Force, taking their tally to an astonishing 22 titles. The army men were again present in the First Citizens Cup Final, but could do little to stop newcomers Central FC securing their first domestic title. The two other knock-out competitions, the FA Cup and the Digicel Pro Bowl, were taken by the Police and W Connection respectively. W Connection was also victorious in the season opening Digicel Charity Shield. If the national men’s team was undergoing some repair work, the junior women’s team, affectionately known as the “Soca Princesses”, was a well-oiled machine. They won the Caribbean Football Union Under-17 Championship, beating hosts Haiti, which qualifies the team for the Concacaf championship to be held in Jamaica. As Twenty20 cricket continues its phenomenal growth, there was major upheaval to the regional scene with the arrival of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League: finally the West Indies had its own top-flight T20 competition. It proved to be a runaway success; an entertainment package that captured fans’ attention, with the pyrotechnics providing fireworks off the pitch while the players did the same on the field of play. The Queen’s Park Oval hosted the semi-finals and final, with sold-out crowds watching Chris Gayle’s Tallawahs claim the inaugural trophy. The Oval also hosted three matches, including the Final, of a Tri-Series involving India, Sri Lanka and the Windies, with India winning after a thrilling finale versus Sri Lanka. The Red Force, T&T’s national team, again represented with aplomb at the T20 Champions League held in India, with a battling performance to reach the semi-finals. On the home front, there was a shift in supremacy as Powergen usurped Queen’s Park CC in the National League and T20, while the Oval men retained their Sunday League title with a convincing win over their League conquerors. The seas around the nation never fail to provide thrilling sporting action, with a best-ever finish to the Great Race and a record 1,005 lb marlin caught at the Tobago International Fishing Festival. T&T continued its fine tradition of medalling at the Dragon Boat World Championships, collecting bronze at the event held in July in Hungary. These medals are the result of the numerous regattas and the growth of the sport within secondary schools.