After the detailed expose given by Attorney-at-Law Christlyn Moore on the finances of the THA, buttressed by reports of the Auditor General for the period 2001 to 2015, I thought that civil society would have stirreds.

I thought that David Abdulah and the MSJ would have commented. They have commented on less imsportant matters.

I thought that Fixin T and T would have started to gather signatures for a petition to go to the President asking him to appoint a Commissioner of Enquiry into the finances of the THA. They have gone to him for less important matters.

I thought that Father Clyde Harvey would have organised a walk around the Parliament or the Administration Building in Tobago to protest the misuse of taxpayers’ monies at the THA.

I thought that Ancil Roget would have taken time off from his efforts at preventing the completion of the San Fernando/Point Fortin Highway to lead a march in Tobago to highlight the disregard for internationally accepted accountinga practices at the THA.

I thought that Senior Counsel Ramesh Maharaj would have had a press conference to organise a meeting at Gaston Court, Chaguanas to explain to taxpayers the financial disaster that is now the THA and what it means to all of us in T&T.

I thought that TV6 would have posed their usual leading questions on possible corruption at the THA as they do about every single financial discrepancy in any State enterprise.

I thought that self styled corruption-buster and political leader of the ILP, Mr Jack Warner would have spoken at length about the matter as he usually does at any hint of corruption in the present Government.

But alas I was mistaken!

You see, my friends, the THA is not under the control of the PP Gov’t, and maybe, just maybe, that is the reason why there has been such a deafening silence on the shameful financial matters that now exist at the THA.

And that, my friends, is our T&T, one set of rules for some and a different set of rules for others.

Joseph Toney

When all is said or done, the matter of whether Dr Rowley will pay a heavy political price if he is wrong about the emails is not to be determined solely by members of the Government benches in the Lower House. As anxious as Mrs Persad-Bissessar and members of her Cabinet are to have closure on this matter, they cannot ignore the ongoing investigations by two independent agencies and must give them the time and space to complete their probes.

Government has some hard questions to answer about Wednesday’s hastily-pursued motion of censure that ended with the suspension of Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley. This latest in a flurry of parliamentary broadsides against the leader of the country’s main opposition party effectively ends his participation in the House of Representatives, with just over six weeks to go before the current parliamentary term ends.

The fact that the action came just days after passage of a no-confidence motion against Dr Rowley and on the day that House Speaker Wade Mark sent him before Parliament’s Privileges Committee, pales in comparison to the many larger issues raised by the timing and conduct of the motion. 

There are simply too many grey areas, with key issues ignored during the close to eight hours of debate on the motion, most of it conducted in the absence of all but one opposition MP.

That debate failed to calm the political storm that erupted in May 2013, when Dr Rowley read out the contents of 31 email exchanges, purportedly between Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and senior members of her Cabinet. If anything, it added further fuel to a controversy which was a direct spin off from the Section 34 fiasco of August 2012.

The biggest issue arising from the motion spearheaded by Leader of Government Business Dr Roodal Moonilal is the use of the Parliament to censure a democratically elected member in circumstances in which public investigations are still ongoing, both by the police and the Integrity Commission. Is there precedent for such action in T&T, or indeed in any other part of the Commonwealth with similar parliamentary structures?

This is a matter that strikes at the heart of T&T’s parliamentary system, and Mrs Persad-Bissessar and her administration must explain to the people why this motion, formulated and executed with haste, deserved to be given priority over other important items on the legislative agenda.

When all is said or done, the matter of whether Dr Rowley will pay a heavy political price if he is wrong about the emails is not to be determined solely by members of the Government benches in the Lower House. 

As anxious as Mrs Persad-Bissessar and members of her Cabinet are to have closure on this matter, they cannot ignore the ongoing investigations by two independent agencies and must give them the time and space to complete their probes.

As acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams indicated just a few days ago, Deputy Commissioner of Crime Glen Hackett and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions are still finalising their investigation which includes sifting through a “voluminous” amount of documents provided by Google and other authorities in the US. 

The Integrity Commission independently took steps in a US Court to obtain the emails from Google, and has not yet reported to the public on the progress made there. 

That could be because, notwithstanding that court order, Google repeatedly asked for more time to produce the emails.

There cannot be closure in the Emailgate matter until all these probes are completed. Finality in this matter requires that there must not even be a shadow of a doubt about whether the emails are real or fabricated. 

Wednesday’s marathon debate, regardless of the political points scored or lost, has added nothing new or useful which will help in getting to the whole truth about Emailgate.

Joel Jack, Secretary of Finance and Enterprise Development in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), expects the recent Moody’s downgrade of T&T to be followed by similar action from another ratings agency, Standards and Poor’s.

“That downgrade is likely to be of the same order of magnitude as the Moody’s downgrade, that is one notch. Whether Standard and Poor’s also places a negative outlook or maintains stable at the revised rating level remains to be seen and will depend on measures the government takes in the next few weeks,” he said at a THA post-Executive Council media briefing.

Jack said the Moody’s downgrade could further dampen investor and consumer confidence in the economy and worsen already limited prospects for economic growth. In addition, credit and access to finance might be provided to the country on less favourable terms, he said, and these outcomes could constrain the public sector investment programme.

“The downgrade is serious, and beyond its implications for foreign exchange and external debt management for the wider national economy, the ranking has also had an impact on the positioning of the Tobago House of Assembly in the global economic space,” Jack added.

He described the central government’s response to the downgrade as “regrettable and disappointing”, since it had indicated that there will be no adjustments to its current monetary and fiscal policy and will continue with the current rate of spending.

“As Moody’s has implied one off boosting of revenues do not meet the requirement of a responsible fiscal response to the need to adjust to the fall in oil and gas prices. With continued stimulus from government spending and in the absence of co-operating monetary exchange policies, expenditure in the private sector will continue at levels inconsistent with the timely correction of projected balance of payment deficits. 

“There is likely to be an accelerated decline of foreign exchange reserves which will be exacerbated by capital flight if confidence in the government’s economic management is further eroded,” he said.

Jack said the THA’s creditworthiness has been directly impacted by the T&T downgrade and there could be challenges to their efforts to access funding and institute partnership arrangements aimed at stimulating investment on the island.

However, he was comforted by the fact that Moody’s found the THA’s financial performance to be relatively strong and did not highlight any weaknesses in the island’s macroeconomic performance, 

“Indeed, our latest data has shown that the rate of headline inflation in Tobago is now below the national rate largely driven by a decline in food price inflation. Headline inflation in Tobago is now down to about 2.5 per cent, significantly lower than the national rate of about 9 per cent. In addition, the latest data suggests that the rate of unemployment in Tobago is about 3 per cent—considered by economic experts to be full employment.

“Tobago has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the Caribbean,” Jack said.

Despite Moody’s Investors Services downgrade of the T&T’s government bond rating, the economy is strong, Trade Minister Vasant Bharath assured yesterday.

“We have positioned it on a platform where our economic fundamentals are extremely strong, far better relative to our Caribbean neighbours, our Latin American and Central American neighbours. We have put a number of economic policies in place to ensure continuity of those programme,” he said.

Bharath, who was a guest on CNC3’s Morning Brew, said another rating agency, Standard and Poor’s, had maintained and reaffirmed that the country’s AA rating with a positive outlook just four months ago. 

“Fitch Ratings, which is the other ratings agency, immediately after the Moody’s report came out said although they shared some of the concerns, in fact they felt as if the rating was far too aggressive. So clearly you have out of three rating agencies, two who do not agree with the current rating,” he said.

Vasant described the Moody’s rating as “unjustified” and pointed out that Central Bank and some local business groups, including the T&T Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) and the T&T Chamber of Commerce shared that view. 

“There is nothing new there that would have created the rational for this rating,” he said.

Bharath said he does not believe other rating agencies will follow Moody and downgrade T&T.

He defended the budget deficits highlighted in the Moody’s report, saying when the People’s Partnership came into office in 2010 they met budget deficits left by the People’s National Movement.

“If you look at the last five years, you will see that the deficit has come down significantly to where it is today at 2.3 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and the Minister of Finance has declared that we will be balanced in budget in 2016,” he said.

First Citizens Bank Limited is the latest local entity to be downgraded by Moody’s Investor Services. The banking group’s latest long term local and foreign currency deposit ratings has gone down to Baa2 from Baa1 and it has been assigned a counterparty risk assessment of Baa2(cr) / Prime-2(cr). 

In addition, First Citizens’ foreign currency short-term deposit rating was downgraded to Prime-3 from Prime-2, while the Prime-2 local currency short-term deposit rating was affirmed. Its outlook has been revised to negative from stable, although its baa3 baseline credit assessment (BCA) was unaffected. 

Moody’s said the bank’s negative outlook reflects the negative outlook on the government bond rating. However, its baa3 BCA reflects its robust capitalisation and liquidity buffers. 

The ratings agency also considered the relatively stable funding from retail deposits, from which First Citizens benefits as one of the largest banks in the country. 

It said: “Key credit challenges derived from T&T’s more modest economic growth prospects given the recent decline in oil prices. These weaker growth prospects are expected to drive a deterioration in asset quality and an increase in provisioning expenses, and to limit future earnings potential.” 

First Citizens Bank Limited is 82.64 per cent state owned with total consolidated assets of $37 billion and shareholders’ equity of $6.2 billion.

The downgrade came just as the banking group announced successful six months of operations with an after-tax profit of $325.6m representing growth of 1.5 per cent over the corresponding period in 2014.   

“This is a demonstration that the fundamentals of the Group remain strong,” said group CEO Karen Darbasie. 

First Citizens Group also showed significant growth in its loan and investment portfolio. 

“We were able to manage our expenses while we grew our total income, resulting in an increase in operating profit by $9.4m,” Darbasie said, further noting that total assets amounted to $35.8 billion—a growth of 2.7 per cent. Most remarkable were our loan and investment growth of 15.8 per cent and 7.2 per cent respectively,” she said.

CHENNAI—Opener Lendl Simmons and West Indies teammate Kieron Pollard suffered contrasting fortunes but still emerged on the winning side, as Mumbai Indians produced a late surge to beat Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in the Indian Premier League yesterday.

Playing at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Mumbai chased down Chennai’s 158 for five, reaching their target in the final over with four balls to spare.

Simmons and Parthiv Patel gave the hosts a rollicking start, adding 84 from 61 balls for the first wicket.

The right-handed Simmons gathered 38 off 31 balls with three fours and two sixes while Parthiv top-scored with 45 from 32 deliveries, with six fours.

In one over from seamer Ashish Nehra—the fifth of the innings— Simmons plundered 15 runs, crashing the left-armer for two fours and a six.

Parthiv fell off the first ball of the 10th over and Simmons followed three deliveries later, skying a sweep to another West Indies teammate Dwayne Smith at mid-wicket, at 85 for two.

Pollard fell in the next over, run out for one, with a throw from his fellow Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies counterpart Dwayne Bravo, finding him short of his ground at the striker’s end.

Facing a tall order of 51 runs from the last 24 balls, Ambati Rayudu (34 not out) and Hardik Pandya (21 not out) came to Mumbai’s rescue with an explosive, unbroken 34-run stand for the fifth wicket.

With just five runs needed from the last over, Bravo could do little as Mumbai gathered the runs required from the right-armer’s first two balls.

Earlier, Smith cracked 27 off 34 balls in a 44-run opening stand with big-hitting New Zealander Brendon McCullum who hit 23 from 11 balls.

When Chennai slumped to 104 for four in the 16th over, captain MS Dhoni (39 not out) and Pawan Negi (36 not out) put on 54 from 28 balls for the fifth wicket, to lend energy to the innings. (CMC)

T&T senior women’s netballers suffered yet another Tri-Series defeat as they went under to host England 42-67 in the second of three matches at Copper Box Arena, London, yesterday.

On Wednesday last, the world ninth ranked Wesley “Pepe” Gomes-coached women led by a 27 from 31 goals shooting performance from Samantha Wallace were beaten by the third ranked England 42-65 at Sports Training Village, Bath, Somerset and were hopeful of drawing level in the series with a win yesterday.

But in the end, England clinched an unassailable 2-0 Series on what proved to be a momentous evening for one fans favourite.

Following in the footsteps of some legendary England names, Pamela Cookey etched her name into the 100 club, racking up her centenary after being named in the starting seven.

It could hardly have been a better evening for the evergreen goal attack as she captained her side to a hard-fought but dominant success.

There was also an indication of the future on court as Natalie Haythornthwaite collected the Player of the Match award with an assured display in Wing Attack having only made her debut two days previously.

Having impressed in Bath, Layla Guscoth was rewarded with starting berth in game two and her combination work with Sonia Mkoloma allowed England to turnover possession with ease in the opening quarter.

Although the hard work from the defence wasn’t always translated to goals on the board, the plethora of chances did allow the hosts to forge 13-5 clear after fifteen minutes.

The momentum continued in the second quarter with Helen Housby and Cookey benefitting from some excellent mid-court work from Haythornthwaite and Bayman.

At the other end of the court, T&T, co-captained by Joelisa Cooper and Candice Guerrero were struggling to build any pressure of their own and at half time the England lead had stretched to 34-17.

A change at the interval saw Kadeen Corbin replace Housby for England and there was real bite to their play from the home side, the mid-court worked tirelessly to retrieve any lost possession.

Enforcing this point was the excellent Laura Malcolm who was making tips, intercepts and steals for fun in the third quarter. With one quarter remaining England had the game at their mercy held a 52-27 advantage.

Lindsay Keable was introduced for the final fifteen minutes with Mkoloma given a breather. She continued the fine defensive work that was made before her, combining nicely with her Hertfordshire Mavericks colleague Guscoth.

This allowed Haythornthwaite and Bayman to unlock their creativity and feed Corbin and Rachel Dunn, who had replaced Housby late in the previous quarter.

With the result beyond dispute, the only concern for the England attack was to avoid the physical contact from the visiting Caribbean defence.

A hefty collision taken by Corbin was noted by the umpires and when it occurred again with a minute to go, the decision was taken to send off the offending defender as Trinidad & Tobago ended the game with six players.

This failed to dampen the party spirit inside the Copper Box and the best moment of the night was saved for last.

In front of an adoring crowd, and equally adoring team mates, Cookey stepped forward to take a bow on reaching 100 caps. If the current winning trend continues, this landmark may not prove to be the final chapter in her already glittering career.

Tomorrow (Sunday), T&T and England will meet again on Sunday, before both teams head to Belfast, Northern Ireland for the Netball Europe Ranking Competition and Open Championship, May 14-17. 

That tournament will feature the host, Scotland, Wales, England, T&T and fellow guest team South Africa.

The quartet of Gibraltar (#34), Ireland (#28), Malta (#36) and Switzerland (#30) will compete in a rankings round-robin tournament. 

The tournament in Belfast will serve as the last real test for T&T ahead of the 14th Netball World Cup in Sydney Australia, from August 7-16

The Calypso Netballers who won the world title in 1979 jointly with the Australia and New Zealand will come up against the top two teams in the world, host Australia and New Zealand in Pool A as well as Caribbean rivals Barbados in round-robin play in Australia.

Zarwaan ticks enough boxes for a sporting nap selection in the £102,000 Victoria Cup Handicap over seven furlongs of ‘good’ Ascot ground today, it’s six weeks since this Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned Dutch Art gelding finished a creditable sixth (of 22!) in the ‘Lincoln’ and that form bears close inspection.

A major factor is the form of Ed Dunlop’s yard. ‘Big Ed’ hit the winners’ enclosure on Wednesday with Chester Cup hero, Trip To Paris, which continued a lucrative spell, and Zarwaan will undoubtedly be rarin’ to go over a distance that should be ideal. No complaints either with his draw, smack in the middle (14) of 29 runners.

Of course this-type race is reckoned a ‘lottery’ but our time-handicap has enjoyed tremendous successes down the years with strongly-run sprints, especially on straight, galloping, grade one tracks.

Pointless trolling through others, Zarwaan has an excellent chance and with Paul Hanagan at the top of his game is worth backing, and following.

Forgotten Hero is ready to win and though selecting ‘decs’ from a trainer on the dreaded ‘cold list’ seldom pays off Charles Hills will soon be back on track, of that I’m certain.

One of six other meetings on yet another overwhelming ‘super-Saturday’ is ‘good to soft’ Thirsk where Richard Fahey-trained should win the Maiden Stakes over a mile, by default!

Purchased out of John Gosden’s yard this four-year-old Street Cry colt  was well beaten a fortnight back in a similar race at Leicester but shaped well and it’s interesting to note Obsidian is dropped back in trip!  

My latest fitness obsession is the Fitbit Charge HR activity monitor. Activity monitors do exactly what they say; they are small pieces of impressive technology that attach to your person, usually your wrist like a watch, and can calculate, monitor and record activity indicators like your heart rate, the number of steps taken per day, sleeping habits and even the number of floors climbed each day. 

As with every kind of tech toy, there are numerous levels of activity monitors, among the many brands. From Jawbone to Fitbit, to Garmin, to Misfit Shine and Nike, the choices are quite varied, with each brand offering something a little different. Choosing the best activity monitor is a highly individual process, based upon one’s level of physical activity and goals. 

I wanted to “nerdify” (as my dear colleagues at Total Rehab call it) my activity monitor, and was interested in monitoring my heart rate throughout the day, with special attention to my resting heart rate, which gives an idea of one’s fitness level. I was also interested in monitoring my sleep patterns. However, I was not keen on having GPS capability, and as all phones these days have that feature, I thought it would be redundant, not to mention, too pricey. So after tons of research on the different brands, I finally settled on the Fitbit Charge HR. Consider this column a basic review of this activity monitor.

The Fitbit Charge HR can monitor one’s heart rate throughout the day, count and record the number of steps taken and the number of floors climbed during the day, calculate daily calories expended and monitor one’s sleep patterns. The monitor syncs automatically via Bluetooth to apps on the computer and mobile devices. This is a great feature, as no physical connection to the devices is required. When the apps are opened, one’s latest activity information is already there in numbers and graphs on a very user-friendly interface.

My favourite feature is the step counter. I am obsessed! The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that one should take 10,000 steps per day. This goal is automatically set into the Fitbit. I can be seen throughout the day diligently checking my step count. I admit that at night, if I have not met the goal of 10,000 steps, but am close to it, I briskly walk around the house until that glorious buzzing sounds, indicating I have met the physical activity goal for the day. Neurotic, isn’t it? LOL!

Before getting the Fitbit, I thought that I easily made 10,000 steps per day, as my job is quite an active one. However, there was a rude awakening when I discovered that upon completion of the workday, I would average only about 6,000-7,000 steps, and would have to make up the remainder after work. Much to my dismay, it’s quite hard to make those 10,000 steps by just working a reasonably active job! I guess I walk less than I think at work!

However, it is quite easy to complete that daily goal if one purposely sets out to exercise. Within half an hour of walking my dog after work, I complete 10,000 steps, and on these days, I usually can easily make 15,000 steps. 

The Fitbit is highly personalised, and quite accurate. It actually can estimate the distance walked as one can measure one’s stride and enter it into the Fitbit. It uses this to calculate distance based on the number of steps walked that day. On the days I make 10,000 or more steps, the distance walked is upwards of seven miles.

The Fitbit is also fairly accurate regarding heart rate. In fact, I compared it to a heart rate monitor I use for more intense physical activity, and there were only a few beats difference between the two. 

The other interesting feature is the sleep monitor. It records the number of hours slept, awake time and restless time during the night, and displays them in graphical form in the app. The app also shows one’s sleep patterns over the last 30 days and is a fabulous tool for noting trends. When I feel rested or tired, it is helpful to look back to the patterns of the previous days to help understand the reasons for such. As expected, tiredness is usually associated with fewer hours slept and restlessness at night. I can look back at my activities on those days and try to adjust so that I can get better sleep, an important factor in good health.

An activity monitor is a very useful tool for understanding one’s daily patterns of activity and/or inactivity. A better understanding of such can help in improving one’s health and ability to live an active lifestyle. I would recommend it to almost anyone!

Carla Rauseo, DPT, CSCS, ATRIC is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Certified Aquatic Therapy Rehabilitation Instructor at Total Rehabilitation Centre in San Juan. http://www.totalrehabtt.com

Queen’s Park will have to be on top of its game for the rest of the season to lift the Shanghai Construction Group National League title, as the leaders will face formidable opponents in the coming weeks.

The Parkites are on 145 points, seven points ahead of second placed Merry Boys with three rounds remaining. Queen’s Park has some tough assignments coming up as it plays third placed Jenexcon Tableland in round seven starting today, Merry Boys in round eight and third placed Powergen Penal in the last round.

On the other hand, defending champions Merry Boys will face seventh placed Caldrac in round seven and eighth placed Alescon Comets in the last round. In other round seven fixtures Powergen and Clarke Road will square off, Jailal Enterprise Victoria plays Preysal, while struggling teams Comets and Esmeralda will face off at Pierre Road, Charlieville.

Tomorrow the same fixtures will take place in round seven of the Sunday 50-over League, while round seven of the National League will conclude on May 16 and 17.

Round Seven Fixtures

•Jenexcon Tableland vs Queen’s Park at Tableland

•Caldrac vs Merry Boys at Gilbert Park

•Powergen Penal vs F.C Clarke Road at Syne Village

•Alescon Comets vs Esmeralda at Pierre Road

•Jailal Enterprise Victoria vs Preysal at Barrackpore West

National League Standings

1 Queen’s Park—145 pts

2 Merry Boys—138 pts

3 Powergen Penal—108 pts

4 Jenexcon Tableland—95 pts

5 F.C Clarke Road—90 pts

6 Jailal Enterprise Victoria—79 pts

7 Caldrac—71 pts

8 Alescon Comets—56 pts

9 Preysal—54 pts

10 Esmeralda—34 pts

President Anthony Carmona celebrated the efforts and success of the national senior men’s 15s team, with a reception at the President’s House, St Ann’s, on Wednesday following their recent caputure of the North America and Caribbean Rugby Association (Nacra) Rugby Championship title.

President Carmona was present two weeks ago when T&T defeated Mexico 30-16 in a thrilling title showdown at St Mary’s College Ground, St Clair, between the winners of the North and South Zones, respectively.

T&T advanced to the final after dethroning Guyana with a 22-20 win—also at home—and a comfortable 44-7 win away to Barbados. 

The President, patron of the T&T Rugby Football Union (TTRFU) hosted the team, coach, manager and TTRFU staff at his office, where he extended hearty congratulations for their outstanding performance. Further, he acknowledged the discipline shown in defence, especially in the second half, when Mexico turned on the pressure.

The players, through vice captain Felician Guerra, expressed elation at President Carmona’s presence at the game, hosting them and of his knowledge of the sport. Guerra extended his appreciation for President Carmona’s presence at the match, something he said provided inspiration.

On December 2, last year, the country came to a standstill as this nation’s women footballers were on the verge of making the World Cup Finals. Since then the girls who played their hearts out, have not kicked a ball.

Thursday afternoon, Minister of Sport Brent Sancho gave them a lifeline with the news that there will be a professional women’s football league in T&T. This is the greatest shot in the arm that T&T’s women footballers have ever gotten. Here comes a situation where the girls can focus on playing ball and not have to worry about doing a day job or night job and having to juggle a footballing career with work. 

I want to applaud the minister on this great initiative and even more so because it comes very early in his tenure at the helm of domestic sport. It tells me that he can get things done and get it done quickly. Coming in at a difficult time in the Ministry of Sport, Sancho has not only quelled the fears of many NGBs but has also found the time to make progressive steps. 

This women’s professional league will have enormous advantages in store for this country. Not only will our footballers be gainfully employed and playing regularly but also there would be a job creation aspect for many people. As we have seen with the Caribbean Premier League T20 cricket tournament, a number of people will benefit off the field.

Let’s take a look at all the advantages this league can bring to our shores. Firstly, our female footballers will have a peace of mind and can now fully devote their time to honing their football skills. Having foreign players come to T&T (Sancho mentioned that about 40 foreign pros will be coming to T&T), will only lead to better quality football and greater development for our players. It will also lead to our girls taking a professional approach to the sport and not just some pastime.

I always make the point that neighbouring Guyana has seen football rise quite significantly because their players have been taking part in our Pro League football in recent years.

The same kind of benefits will accrue for our players who are taking part in this professional set up. Secondly, our players would now be seen regularly by foreign football interest and this could lead to many of them getting Collegiate stints. This would prove a major boost in their academic well being and the T&T women’s pro league can function as a starting point to great things for them. Secondly, the league opens the possibility for employment for many people, like coaches, administrators, marketing officials and caterers etc. This stimulation of many sectors would be another way in which the government is achieving its goal of diversification and also boosting sport tourism in this country. Seeing that many regional footballers will be taking part in the three-month tournament, there is bound to be people coming into the country to take in the event.

Thirdly, sport as we all know is a major crime fighting tool and having these meaningful sporting events would serve to save a number of young people who would have normally taken to drugs etc. Not only would the players get away from the negative elements but non players as well because they would now be focussed on something that is positive.

I have always used this space to expressed my belief that sport is a big turn away from crime. I for one supported the initiative of LifeSport and interviewed many people who benefitted from it and turned their lives around. Whatever happened in terms of contracts and mis-management must not take away from the good that it brought as well. I remember when a massive meeting was called by the LifeSport stakeholders at Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, I arrived to cover it and one of the young men who had just bought a car after getting involved in the programme came up to me. It was an old car but you could see just how proud the young man was to display his car to me. He asked me for a jumper cable and when I told him that I did not have one in my possession, he said to me: “You people are also failing us, you think I want to take your cable and run away.” I sat him down and spoke to him and what I realised was that this young man just wanted society to give him a chance and he got that through LifeSport. 

Today every sporting programme that comes to fruition will save a life in this country. We are all involved in sport and we have to know the power of its goodness and use it to benefit T&T. Let’s support the women in their pro league and celebrate another significant moment in sport in this country. 

The 2015 season of the TTWoLF (T&T Women’s League Football) will commence this afternoon from 1 pm at the Hasely Crawford Stadium training field with a series of activities including parade of teams and fun events where the teams will be grouped for a few novelty events.

This year twenty teams will compete in one division. Among those teams is the National Under 17 Women’s Team, currently coached by Rajesh Latchoo and which is preparing for the upcoming FIFA Under 17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers. Some of the other clubs are Trincity Nationals, St Ann’s Rangers (two competing teams), Tobago Chicas, Defence Force, Queen’s Park CC, Malvern FC, Real Dimension, Point Fortin Civic Centre, Central FC, Crown Trace FC and Petrotrin among others. 

Janelle James of WoLF explained the format of the League for the 2015 edition: “The teams will be placed into one of the three groups according to their geographical location. There will be two North/EAST groups and one South/Central group which would be named after pioneer female footballers —Izler Browne, Delia De Silva and Shirley Mae.”

The League’s winner will receive $12,000, the runners up $8,000 and the third placed team will walk away with $5,000.

T&T Women’s League President Sharon O’Brien said the League was anticipating a strong turn out of players with the interest in local women’s football continuously growing.

“We are quite excited about the upcoming season as we expect quite a number of young players to come into the fray this season. We are also anticipating that there will be several of the senior players opting to enter the new Women’s Professional League which will make way for more of the younger players, some still in Secondary School, and more of the players at the community level, to have the opportunity to compete in the Women’s League (WOLF),” O’Brien said.

O’Brien said she was pleased to that the local governing body was able to continue the League, particularly as it provided an avenue for local players to improve on their game over the past few years, many of which went on to make the National Senior and Youth Teams.

The Women’s Football League falls under the umbrella of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association.

Teams

Competing teams in the 2015 WOLF Season

GROUP 1 NORTH EAST

• ST. ANN'S RANGERS

• ST. AUGUSTINE F.C.

• TRINCITY NATIONALS

• TOBAGO CHICAS

• DEFENCE FORCE

• NATIONAL U-17 TEAM

GROUP 2 NORTH EAST

• QUEEN'S PARK CC

• MALVERN FC

• NET SHAKERS

• ST ANN'S RANGERS

• DIEGO MARTIN

• NORTHERN RUSH F.A.

• REAL DIMENSION

SOUTH CENTRAL

• CENTRAL FC

• LA BREA

• MOS SCHOOLAZ

• PETROTRIN

• PT. FORTIN CIVIC

• WATERLOO

• CROWN TRACE

The only man to enter the Kerrygold Bake Off Competition found a recipe for success that helped him rise over his culinary competitors.

Victory tasted sweet for Jason Radhay, a 35-year-old baking enthusiast from San Fernando, whose Mocha Cheesecake wowed the judges at the competition which took place on March 25 at Fanatic Kitchen Studio, Dere St, Port-of-Spain, a release said.

Radhay, along with four other finalists, were selected from a total of 64 entries received to participate in the first-ever bake off hosted by the renowned Irish brand, Kerrygold, which offers all natural, distinctive products made from the highest quality of milk from grass-fed cows. 

“I am very pleased that I won the competition,” Radhay said. “I love to bake. I find baking quite relaxing, being in the kitchen on a whole is quite relaxing and Kerrygold makes great butter, not margarine, butter!”

Three professional chefs judged the all-day event. The judges included Ridge Juman, house chef at Fanatic Kitchen Studio, Charmaine Bardo, pastry chef at Hilton Trinidad Hotel and Conference Centre, and Simonne Edwin, chef lecturer at the T&T Hospitality and Tourism Institute.

As the first place winner, Radhay won a 30-inch gas KitchenAid stove with convection oven and a HP V/Protector and Wire, as well as a standing KitchenAid mixer. 

The second and third place winners also received KitchenAid mixers. The five ​finalists were rewarded for their participation with vouchers worth $500 and Kerrygold hampers.

Kerrygold Brand Manager Anita Lall said Kerrygold is committed to supporting initiatives that give back to consumers. “All of our finalists walked away with great prizes. The bake off was a part of Kerrygold’s Butter is Better for Baking Campaign. We held the competition to reward our consumers and offer them the opportunity to participate in an event they would enjoy, while using our great products.”

The amateur bakers signed up for the competition on Kerrygold’s Facebook page where the entrants also submitted recipes and a picture of their baked good. The only stipulation for the competition was that the item was made using at least one of Kerrylgold’s products, which include butter, cheese and milk.  

The event was featured live on Facebook with posts and updates throughout the day.

An innings saving knock from Jean-Paul Rocke and brilliant death bowling led Fatima to the Powergen Secondary Schools Intercol Knockout T20 title against Naparima at the National Cricket Centre, Couva, on Friday night. 

Left-handed Rocke struck an unbeaten 46 to guide Fatima to a fighting 133/7 batting first, before Daniel Brown and Jonathan Hirst reduced Naparima to only 11 runs in the last two overs as the Mucurapo Road boys prevailed by two runs. Naparima, which won the premiership 50-over league title earlier this season, seemed set to win another title getting to 120/4 after 18 overs with Cephas Cooper and Dominic Nandlal at the crease. After Nandlal slammed a straight four off the second ball of the penultimate over Naparima only needed nine from ten balls to capture the crown. 

However, there was no more scoring in the over as fast bowler Brown bowled four consecutive dot balls as the equation now read nine runs from six balls. The Fatima supporters with some students still clad in school uniform, were now in full voice anticipating victory. Fatima captain Donovan Clayton then threw the ball to another fast bowler in Jonathan Hirst. Hirst was trying to redeem himself after being bowled for one earlier by Nandlal. 

The batsmen could only scramble a few runs thanks to some brilliant fielding led by Dominic Henderson on the boudary. With Naparima needing three runs of the final delivery Hirst bowled another dot ball which was collected by wicketkeeper Andrew Davidson to hand Fatima the narrow win. Former national Under-15 player Cooper finished on an unbeaten 71 off 62 balls including seven fours. Nandlal ended on seven not out, while Naps skipper Roberto Samai pitched in with 20. Clayton was the top bowler for Fatima, snatching 2/28 in four overs.

Earlier, an excellent knock from the powerfully built Rocke rescued the Fatima innings. After being reduced to 60/5 after ten overs, Rocke cracked six fours and one six to push Fatima to a competitive total. Rocke was ably supported by Akiel Guerra, as the pair shared in an unbroken 47-run eighth-wicket partnership. Rocke was named man-of-the-match for his knock and getting the prized wicket of Naps national youth player Clevon Kalawan for duck.

Before the boys final, Cedros Secondary led by captain Rashme Deoajit defended the Girls’ Open T20 title with a crushing ten-wicket win over ASJA Girls’, Charlieville. 

SCOREBOARD

Fatima Innings
J Hirst bowled D Nandlal    1
W George c J Gangoo b R Samai    2
A Jangoo run out (J Gangoo)    20
S Persaud c C Kalawan b G Maharaj    10
J Rocke not out    46
D Clayton c S Rambaran b S Soogrim    2
D Henderson c A Mahabirsingh b J Gangoo    20
D Brown run out (J Samuel)    1
Akiel Guerra not out    14
Total    133/7
Did not Bat: Andrew Davidson, Tyrone Phillipe
Fall of Wkts: 4, 17, 32, 44, 47, 71, 86
Bowling: D Nandlal 3-0-20-1, G Maharaj 4-0-18-1, R Samai 3-0-12-1, A Mahabirsingh 4-0-26-0, S Soogrim 3-0-26-1, J Gangoo 1-0-12-1, C Kalawan 2-0-13-0

Naparima Innings
C Cooper not out    71
J Samuel bowled D Clayton    17
S Rambaran c J Hirst b D Clayton    3
C Kalawan c A Davidson b J Rocke    0
R Samai lbw S Persaud    20
D Nandlal not out    7
Total    131/4
Did not Bat: A Telesford, A Mahabirsingh, S Soogrim, G Maharaj, J Gangoo
Fall of Wkts: 52, 58, 60, 111
Bowling: D Brown 4-0-23-0, J Hirst 4-0-27-0, J Rocke 4-0-21-1, D Clayton 4-0-28-2, S Persaud 4-0-27-1
Result: Fatima won by two runs
Man-of-the-match: Jean-Paul Rocke

Beverage company Angostura on Thursday signed as the title sponsor of the 17th National Six Table All-Fours Championship hosted by the T&T All-Fours Federation (TTAFF). White Oak is the lead brand in this partnership deal valued at $300,000. Sixty-two teams in eight zones have registered to compete in seven months of competition across the country starting May 24.

The announcement was made at a media conference held at the House of Angostura on Eastern Main Road in Laventille. Randolph Archie, acting president of TTAFF said the introduction of the Championship Division was made possible through the creation of the premiership division, which features T&T 16 top-tiers teams.

He said Angostura’s buy-in to the tournament came, however, came even as the organisers struggle to get the Ministry of Sport to recognise all-fours as a well-constituted sport, as opposed to being a rum shop game or an activity to pass the time at wakes. But despite challenges related to securing national recognition, Archie said, new teams were interested because of the introduction of categories and believed their chances of winning this $100,000 first prize was closer to reality.

“All-Fours is healthy for the mind. You have to use a lot of brain power. It is not about luck anymore. It’s about strategy. You have to be able to strategise. Like every other sports, All fours has evolved. It is a team sport. Your partner has to understand you. You have to understand one another,” he said.

Archie believed Angostura’s decision to link one of its premium brands to All-Fours was because of the discipline associated with the game. Another innovation of the game would be the introduction of two power plays during each half of the match. This move was designed to speed up the game and would include six substitute players for each table.

Additionally, the finals would be set in a stadium style arena where teams would be able to follow the game of the respective tables through the use of digital cameras.

“My goal and the of TTAFF is not only to expand the game in every community in T&T, but to change the image of the sport, thereby showing the wide community, sporting enthusiasts, corporate community including the Ministry of Sport that all-fours is a rich part of our culture and is attracting greater respects and participation of families in the sport due to the level of discipline in the sport which can compete with any sport in T&T,” Archie said.

If you were at Kensington Oval in Barbados two Saturdays ago, second afternoon, Test No 3, as West Indies got five English wickets in a splendid late afternoon burst, to start the tourists’ second innings misery, and you were un-imbibed enough to enjoy the batting collapse and WI celebrations, I envy you.  

Yes, I was absent from that wild unexpected Day 2 which changed the game to WI’s favour!  

But in the euphoria and if you are old enough, you might have recalled that in March 1994, similar situations obtained against England on Day 4 at Queen’s Park Oval (QPO), T&T. Many would claim to having been at K-O when underdogs WI, noted in big letters as being supposedly ‘mediocre’—so said ECB Chairman Colin Graves anyway - beat so-called ‘masters’ England in Test No 3 to draw that series 1-1. What a fillip for present West Indies cricket!  

Similarly, since 1994, many who were not there insisted afterwards that they were indeed at QPO. Therefore, after such a superb effort by coach Phil Simmons, captain Denesh Ramdin and their charges, here is a short history of goings-on back in 1994, my first sojourn as a sports journalist and summarizer, when shoes were on the other team’s feet.

So, batsmen Brian Lara, man-of-match Jimmy Adams and Keith Arthurton’s 126, and fast bowler Kenny Benjamin, whose eight wickets in the First Test in Kingston, Jamaica out-bowled Courtney Walsh, (Sir) Curtly Ambrose and Winston Benjamin, put WI 1-0 ahead for the teams’ arrival in Guyana for Test No 2.

At Bourda, England’s Mike Atherton (144), WI’s man-of-match Lara (167) and Adams (137), scored centuries. Some 1,078 glorious runs were made in that Second Test but WI still won by an innings and 44 runs, courtesy of the fast bowlers’ determined efforts on a batting paradise; 2-0. Many may also recall that that game at Bourda in 1994 signaled the debut of the extraordinary twenty-plus year career of Shivnarine “Tiger” Chanderpaul, who got 62 first up.

Nothing in the previous two Tests prepared anyone for the classic in T&T for No 3, which England badly needed to win to come back into that five-Tests series. Dismissing WI for only 252 in first innings, then leading by 76 after making 328, England seemed well on its way to winning at QPO; hopefully for them, to a closer 2-1.

WI fared just better in second innings; 269; Chanderpaul’s top-score 50 helping WI to recover from 167-6. Needing just 194 to win, in a day and a session of batting, with a world-class batting line-up of captain Atherton, Alex Stewart, Guyanese-born Mark Ramprakash, South African-born Robin Smith, Rhodesia/Zimbabwe-born Graeme Hick and England’s best batsman then, Graham Thorpe, England seemed set to “walk” that Test with time to spare.  

But, as is well known, nothing is ever set in cricket in these parts. After early rains, patrons were leaving QPO in droves that Tuesday,  March 29, 1994 afternoon, standard fickle WI fans already having given up. Those who had planned to attend cricket after work headed home or to bars instead. Upset and disappointed, expecting WI to lose easily, some caught early flights to Barbados, Guyana and rest of the Caribbean, to Miami and New York, a day ahead of planned departures. 

When England started its quest for success, there were less than 7,000 hardy supporters, and a sprinkling of desperate English travelers, on hand to witness that afternoon’s carnage.

With a magnificent display of focused fast bowling, (Sir) Curtly Ambrose, ironically the man who engineered England’s demise two weekends ago, as WI’s bowling consultant, caused airplanes to leave late, ‘maxi-taxis/mini-busses’ to heave to, so that drivers could not kill anyone; grid-lock. Other drivers pulled into any available parking spaces to enjoy the extremely high tension and excitement as they listened to us on their radios.

By the time Day No 4 ended, England was in an impossible state to believe or retrieve; 40-8! Suddenly, as if by magic, QPO was full to overflowing; 30,000 people in a 25,000 arena; with more still coming in – “Wha bhoy, dis is history; ah comin down dey too”. Entrance gates still had lines of hopefuls when umpires Steve Bucknor of Jamaica and Srinivas Venkataraghavan of India finally called a halt to the destruction caused by WI’s bowlers. 

(Sir) Curtly’s bowling that March afternoon in 1994 was as sublime against England as was Argentinian Lionel Messi’s “masterclass” of footballing skills against Bayern Munich last week in Champion League 2015 semi-final first leg. “Ambi” cleaned up Atherton first ball; LBW for zero. Ramprakash was run out for one, then Smith was bowled by (Sir) Curtly for no-score before any breath was taken.  

The best delivery, though, fast and straight, from “Ambi” was one that breached the normally solid defense of Thorpe; bowled for three.

By close of Day 4, England 40-8, was doomed, eventually ending at 46, its second lowest Test score ever. “Ambi” ended with 10-1-24-6! (Sir) Curtly in 1994, Messi last week, and WI two weeks ago showed creativity and excellence, not mediocrity. With that kind of perseverance, yes, WI could be good again. Enjoy! 

Host T&T booked a spot in the semifinals of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Men’s Beach Volleyball Qualifiers first round towards the NORCECA Continental Cup for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics 2016 after sweeping Curacao 2-0 at the National Development Centre, Saith Park, Chaguanas, yesterday.

In the opening match, the top ranked T&T pair of Daneil Williams and Fabien Whitfield brushed aside Curacao-B duo, Norandy Bonafasia and Kyran Ersilia 21-18, 21-12 while T&T-B pair, Abraham Eccles and Tevin Joseph overwhelmed Curacao-A duo, Darwin Colina and Jeandro Tokaay 21-13, 21-15 to seal the tie.

Joining top ranked T&T in the last-four was Jamaica which edged out third ranked US Virgin Isalnds 2-1 in a “Golden Set” with Mark Lewis and Ryck Mc Kenzie battling past Bradley Reading-Connors and Gustavo Cintron 15-13.

Earlier on Reading-Connors and Cintron (USVI-A) had put their team 1-0 ahead via a 23-21, 21-15 defeat of Jamaica-B’s Christopher Walters and Donovan Richards, but Lewis and Mc Kenzie evened the tie at 1-1 when they stopped Edward Peter Jr and Carlos Rosa Jr of USVI-B 21-17, 21-14. Today in the semifinals from 11 am, T&T will face either Aruba, Barbados or US Virgin Islands while Jamaica will meet either Haiti, Suriname or Curacao via the losers draw. 

On Friday’s opening day of competition in the 14-country two-teams double elimination tournament, the quartet of T&T, Curacao, US Virgin Islands and Jamaica all cemented a top six finish and qualification to the next round of Olympic Qualifiers along with the top six teams from the Easter Caribbean Volleyball Association qualifiers.

Of the four teams, top ranked T&T was the only to advance after winning one match, following a first round bye as number one seeds. While the local crowd left the venue in a happy mood it was not all smooth sailing for the home country though, as after they won in a “Golden Set” over Guadeloupe.

Daneil Williams/Fabien Whitfield (TTO-A) defeated Loic Couchy/Guillaume Coudevylle (Guadeloupe-B), 21-10, 21-9 to put the host 1-0 up, but the French-speaking islanders tied up the match at 1-1 when Baptiste Arnouts/Cedric Lavoye (Guadeloupe-A) rallied past Tevin Joseph/Abraham Eccles (TTO-B), 21-17, 22-20 to set up the decider.

Williams/Whitfield then made certain of qualification to the next round against the top six teams from the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association by beating, Arnouts/Lavoye 15-6. When the tournament served off earlier in the day, Guadeloupe beat Bonaire, 2-0 with Arnouts/Lavoye spanking Rishison Frans/Percy Prudencia (Boniare-B), 21-6, 21-4, and Couchy/Coudevylle crushing Emanuel Sillie/Deebro Trinidad (Bonaire-A), 21-8, 21-10.

The 12th ranked Curacao followed up its first round upset of fifth ranked Barbados, by raking down fourth ranked Cayman Islands, 2-1 via the “Golden Set” as well. At the end of the double-elimination tournament today, the top six ranked teams will be granted spots in a second round tournament of the NORCECA qualifiers against the top six teams from the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association.
 
Yesterday’s early results:
Aruba 2, Bonaire 0
Dwayne Angela/Elmerlindo Robles ARU-A d Richisons Frans/Percy Prudencia BON-B 2-0 (21-8, 21-6)
Fransua Angela/Michaello Martilia ARU-B d Emanuel Silie/Deebro Trinidad BON-A 2-0 (21-8, 21-11)
 
Barbados 2, Bahamas 0
Elwyn Oxley/Winston Gittens BAR-A d Muller Petit/Renaldo Knowles BAH-B 2-0 (21-17, 21-17)
Daran Gill/Sheldon Roach BAR-B d Byron Ferguson/Princtanique Wilson BAH-A 2-0 (21-18, 21-7)
 
Haiti 2, Cayman Islands 1
Kirk Shervin Rankin/Richard Campbell CAY-A d Senel Dupuy/Marco Alexis HAI-B 2-0 (21-14, 21-15)
Fritz-Emmanuel Mabou/Kempes Vilmont HAI-A d Phillippe Deslandes/Olney Thompson CAY-B 2-0 (21-16, 21-9)
GOLDEN SET: Fritz-Emmanuel Mabou/Kempes Vilmont HAI d Kirk Shervin Rankin/Richard Campbell CAY (15-9)
 
Suriname 2,Guadeloupe 1
Baptiste Arnouts/Cedric Lavoye GDP-A d Roberto Joval/Eurwin Daansi SUR-B 2-0 (21-19, 21-8)
Keven Sporkslede/Fugil Ong A Fat SUR-A d Guillaume Coudevylle/Loic Couchy GDP-B 2-1 (21-18, 6-21, 15-13)
GOLDEN SET: Keven Sporkslede/Fugil Ong A Fat SUR d Guillaume Coudevylle/Loic Couchy GDP (15-7)
 
Jamaica 2, USVI 1
Bradley Reading-Connors/Gustavo Cintron USVI-A d Chrsitopher Walters/Donovan Richarsd JAM-B 2-0 (23-21, 21-15)
Mark Lewis/Ryck Mc Kenzie JAM-A d Carlos Rosa Jr/Edward Peter Jr USVI-B 2-0 (21-17, 21-14)
GOLDEN SET: Mark Lewis/Ryck Mc Kenzie d Bradley Reading-Connors/Gustavo Cintron (15-13)
 
T&T 2, Curacao 0
Daneil Williams/Fabien Whitfield TTO-A d Norandy Bonafasia/Kyran Ersilia CUR-B 2-0 (21-18, 21-18)
Tevin Joseph/Abraham Eccles TTO-B d Darwin Colina/Jeandro Tokaay CUR-A 2-0 (21-13, 21-15)