Warm-up games to help shape final XI – Sammy
SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates, (CMC):West Indies Twenty20 captain Darren Sammy says the unofficial warm-up games against Zimbabwe and Warwickshire will be used to help tour selectors determine the best XI for the upcoming T20 World Cup in India.The Windies face Zimbabwe in the first of four warm-up games at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium today at 7:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. Jamaica time).They take on the African unit again on Monday, before clashing with Warwickshire on March 4 and again two days later.Sammy said the side was such a strong one that finding a final XI could prove a headache.”We have the core of our team. Obviously, we have some new players coming into our World Cup team like Carlos (Brathwaite), Jason Holder, Sulieman Benn, Ashley Nurse … they are coming back into the team. We need to come up with a combination that we think will help us win the World Cup,” the experienced all-rounder said yesterday.”To be fair, it will be tough to select that 11-man squad. Carlos has played really well, Jason [has played well], Benn becomes a very important fact with Narine pulling out of the World Cup, so it’s just about fine-tuning ourselves, both technically and tactically.”He added: “We will use those four games here – the two against Zimbabwe especially – to come up with the XI that will closely be what we want to play in the World Cup.”ONEOFTHEFAVOURITESWest Indies enter the T20 World Cup as one of the favourites, especially after winning the event in 2012 in Sri Lanka and reaching the semi-finals two years ago in Bangladesh.They have retained the likes of superstar opener Chris Gayle, all-rounder AndrÈ Russell, Dwayne Bravo, and Lendl Simmons – all of whom are in great demand on the global T20 circuit.Sammy said he was pleased with the side’s preparations, especially with several members of the squad having played in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League here.”It has been good. Eight guys from the squad have been here playing in the Pakistan Super League,” he pointed out.”The conditions have been similar to what we will get in India … and now we have the camp, which will help us prepare even further for the World Cup.”It’s always good to be back in West Indies colours, especially in T20 cricket – a format that we have a World Cup and which we are confident of playing really well in.”West Indies will wrap up their preparation camp on March 7 and fly to Kolkata, where they will play official warm-up games against Australia and India.The T20 World Cup runs from March 8 to April 3.
Portmore United’s early spark in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL), after returning to the top flight following a season this year, has raised a few eyebrows.However, the return of a former fan favourite and ex-national player, Omar Daley, to the St Catherine club’s set-up has certainly been one factor behind the former winners’ excellent start to the campaign, which has seen them perfect after three starts.But Daley’s purpose for coming back is not necessarily to win titles. He thought it was time to quit overseas and assist the local club’s young players understand and make the transition into professional footballers.”I came back home because I chose to,” Daley told The Gleaner. “Portmore’s season was about to start, so I cancelled my contract and took the opportunity to come back and start the season with Portmore,” he explained.”I was happy with the team (Oklahoma City Energy FC) I was playing for. We cancelled by mutual consent, so there was no bad blood. But I just decided to come home and start the season with Portmore.”Everything was fine [at Oklahoma] and that’s why I felt the time was right [to leave] and I needed to take a little break and come home. They (Portmore) said they were going to start fresh with the youths, and I wanted to be a part of that,” he stated.The former Glenmuir star believes the club’s good start to the RSPL season has already started to repair damage done to the club’s reputation after they were relegated in 2013-2014 season.”Portmore needed rebuilding, and that’s what they are doing, and I can personally say that Portmore is back. The Portmore United brand is back,” hecontinued.”My target is to help the youths at Portmore. The fact of the matter is they look up to me as an elder. I give them advice and they can get a contract and help their families buy a nice house. so my personal target is to help Portmore United players,” he insisted.successful teamThe 34-year-old says the current team is nothing compared to the Portmore teams he was part of in the early 2000s. But he thinks they have the potential to be a successful team. He also promises to show his best football as the season progresses.”It’s a young group, but if they play without being naÔve and give energy and effort. I guarantee that nobody in this league can stop them. I wouldn’t say they are championship material yet, but (championship) potential,’ he commented.Daley had a solid performance in the come-from-behind 2-1 win over Waterhouse, first on the wing, before moving into midfield in the second half.livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com
LONDON (AP): A change of managers at Chelsea, but Arsenal still can’t conquer their London rivals. Arsenal was undone by a damaging five-minute spell in the first-half of yesterday’s derby against a Chelsea team unbeaten after a month under Guus Hiddink’s control. Per Mertesacker was sent off for tripping Diego Costa, then the striker scored the game’s only goal at the Emirates Stadium in the 23rd minute. “He got Mertesacker sent off,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said of Costa. “A fact is a fact, I do not accuse him of anything. It’s just what happened.” It’s now four years, three months since Wenger figured out how to beat Chelsea, which have their fifth manager since the 5-3 loss to Arsenal in November 2011. Arsenal turned their stadium into a fortress this season, remaining unbeaten in the league since the opening day – until yesterday. Arsenal dropped from first to third place this weekend, behind leaders Leicester and Manchester City, although there are 45 points still to play for. “We had a mountain to climb with 10 men but I believe even there, there was enough to come out at least with a 1-1,” Wenger said. “It’s a shame to put such an energy into a game and come away without the point. And overall I felt we gave absolutely everything until the end.” Wenger was jeered by Arsenal fans for replacing striker Olivier Giroud with defender Gabriel after losing Mertesacker. “You want to make a poll for every decision to see who does what? I made the decision and for me it was quite normal,” Wenger told reporters. “We had to go for long distances and we needed pace to go from one goal to the other. We knew we had to drop deeper and use pace to get forward.” For Chelsea, the focus is now on the Champions League and FA Cup. Since Jose Mourinho was fired last month for turning the champs into chumps, the league campaign has been about restoring pride. Hiddink has achieved three wins and four draws, but Chelsea are still in the lower reaches of the standings in 13th place. The fourth Champions League place, occupied by Tottenham 14 points away, looks unobtainable. Everton are a point and a place above Chelsea after losing 2-1 to Swansea in yesterday’s other game. Gylfi Sigurdsson put Swansea in front from the penalty spot in the 17th minute and after Jack Cork’s own goal levelled the game, Andre Ayew netted before half-time to give Francesco Guidolin made a winning start as head coach of the Welsh club. Swansea moved four points above the relegation zone. “I dreamed of working in Premier League but I didn’t dream of winning the first match,” said Guidolin, the former Udinese coach. “I must understand what happens in this day because I am surprised. It is new for me.”
Tennis and soccer took centre stage last Friday and Saturday on the grounds of the American International School of Kingston (AISK).The schools’ Liguanea campus was host to the first weekend of the 2016 AISK SportsFeva tournament. The event is spread over two weekends and features more than 290 student athletes from Aruba, Cayman, CuraÁao and of course Jamaica.”SportsFeva 2016 has been going great so far. We had some hiccups with the rain on Saturday as it postponed the U12 TennisFeva finals, but that is to be expected as we deal with Mother Nature and a growing event. In the long run, however, the event continues to deliver for these young athletes and that’s what we are focused on,” said Shirley Davis, AISK’s Head of School.”We had TennisFeva and SoccerFeva last weekend and the turnout was great. Seeing our young athletes, and by ‘our’ I mean the region, compete and grow as athletes. Many of the competitors have been here more than once, and they have formed great bonds and friendships with each other,” added Bradley Ransom, who heads AISK’s athletics department.TennisFeva 2016 started with U-10s competing hard for bragging rights amongst their peers. A number of exciting moments kept on-lookers fully engaged in the rallies on court. In the end, Hillel Preparatory came out on top with the AISK “A” and AISK “B” teams taking second and third place respectively.The Immaculate Conception Preparatory School was recognised for being the most disciplined team and nine-year-old Tomas Bordeau from AISK was identified as the competition’s best sportsman.Hillel was not to be left out of the individual awards, as their nine-year-old Matthew James was named the most valuable player.On the U-12s side, St Peter and Paul Preparatory edged out Hopefield Preparatory for first place as Hillel “A” finished in third.Eleven-year-old Nathan Chin of St Peter and Paul was named the most valuable player, while Hillel Academy’s Xander Bicknell was named best sportsperson. Wolmer’s Preparatory was recognised as this year’s most disciplined team.The excitement of SoccerFeva could not be contained. The football tournament began on Friday with group rounds.Big winners in Friday’s group qualifiers were defending SoccerFeva Cup boys champions Jamaica College, who trumped AISK 5-0 and Campion College with their 4-2 win over Cayman Prep.In Saturday’s knock-out finals, Jamaica College defended their hold on the SoccerCup with a decisive 3-0 win over CuraÁao in the finals. JC earlier beat Hillel 1-0 to make it to the finals, while CuraÁao overcame Campion’s semi-final challenge with a 4-1 win.Competition was no less intense for the female footballers, as Cayman Prep overcoming AISK 1-0 to claim the girls title. Cayman Prep beat the American International School of Cayman 3-1 in penalties after a 3-3 draw in the semi-finals.AISK had turn back Campion College in the semis with a 3-1 win in penalties after a 1-1 draw.AISK SportsFeva 2016 ends tomorrow with ClayFeva, a clay-shooting competition, at the Skeet Shooting Club in Portmore. The excitement begins at 8 a.m.
LONDON (AP):Maria Sharapova will be eligible to return to competitive tennis in April after her two-year doping ban was reduced to 15 months yesterday by a sports court that found the Russian star did not bear “significant fault” for her positive drug test.The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) cut nine months off the suspension imposed on Sharapova, who tested positive for the banned heart medication meldonium at the Australian Open in January.Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1-ranked player, appealed to CAS in June, seeking to overturn or reduce the two-year penalty imposed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).In a 28-page ruling, the CAS panel found that Sharapova bore “some degree of fault” but “less than significant fault” in the case that has sidelined one of the world’s most prominent and wealthy female athletes.”The panel has determined, under the totality of the circumstances, that a sanction of 15 months is appropriate here given her degree of fault,” the three-man arbitration body ruled.NOT INTENTIONALWhile Sharapova did commit a doping violation, “under no circumstances … can the player be considered to be an ‘intentional doper,'” the panel said.Sharapova’s ban, which took effect on January 26, was originally due to run until January 25, 2018. Now she can return on April 26, 2017, a month ahead of the French Open, a Grand Slam tournament she has won twice.”I’ve gone from one of the toughest days of my career last March when I learned about my suspension to now, one of my happiest days, as I found out I can return to tennis in April,” Sharapova said in a statement.”In so many ways, I feel like something I love was taken away from me and it will feel really good to have it back,” she added. “Tennis is my passion and I have missed it. I am counting the days until I can return to the court.”The doping suspension kept the 29-year-old Sharapova out of this year’s French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, as well as the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She will also miss the 2017 Australian Open in January.LOOKING FORWARDSteve Simon, CEO of the WTA tour, welcomed Tuesday’s ruling.”We are pleased that the process is now at completion and can look forward to seeing Maria back on court in 2017,” he said.Sharapova acknowledged taking meldonium before each match at last year’s Australian Open, where she lost in the quarter-finals to Serena Williams.But Sharapova said she was not aware that meldonium, also known as mildronate, had been included on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances from January 1, 2016.Sharapova’s lawyer, John Haggerty, called Tuesday’s ruling a “stunning repudiation” of the ITF, which he said failed to properly notify players of the meldonium ban.Sharapova said she was first prescribed the Latvian-made drug, typically used for heart conditions, by her family doctor for various medical issues in 2006. She said she took the drug for regular bouts of the flu, possible onset of diabetes and a magnesium deficiency.Meldonium increases blood flow, which improves exercise capacity by carrying more oxygen to the muscles.More than 100 athletes, including many Russians and other eastern Europeans, tested positive for meldonium early in the year. Some escaped with no sanctions because they argued successfully that they stopped taking the drug before January 1, and that traces had lingered in their system. Sharapova, however, acknowledged that she used meldonium after January 1.
Amid clear skies and an air of conviviality among those gathered, the 2016 edition of the CB Facey Foundation SANTA (Seeing A Need Taking Action) Charity Golf event closed on Sunday, December 4, at the Constant Spring Golf and Country Club, with prizes being presented to a host of tournament participants.Youngsters Luke Chin, Adrian Barnes, Rocco Lopez, and Brady Holmes were among the top-performing male juniors, with Samantha Azan and Mattea Issa figuring for the female juniors titles. The junior programme had 40 entrants this year, of which 14 were beginners.Andrew Richards was named overall winner of the tournament, which saw action in both the juniors and adult categories. He received the coveted CB Facey Trophy and a 50-inch LED TV for his efforts. Other adult category winners included Howard McKenzie, Carlyle Hudson, and Tommy Lee.Kai Harris won the Longest Drive sectional prize for ladies, with O’Shea Hay taking the same prize for the men. The two lucrative Hole-in-One prizes, of a new VW Tiguan SUV and a million-dollar Travel package, went unclaimed, while Alison Lyn and Sherold Philibert won honours for Closest To the Pin segment for ladies and men, respectively.The charity tournament, an annual initiative since 2001, benefits worthy institutions and projects in the immediate community and beyond. This year’s beneficiaries are the Wortley Home, the Constant Spring Police Station, and the Lalyce Gray Basic School, as well as the Boys’ Town Infant & Primary School.Golf club president and tournament chair Nigel Davy – who will hand over the latter duties to Scott Jones for 2017 – thanked all the participants, the organising committee members, and sponsors. Special tribute was paid to the ladies on the committee, and particularly to Alison Reid for her sterling work in developing the junior programme.For his part, emcee Scott Jones had clearly saved his best “roasts” for last, dishing out zingers and snappy lines to several of the evening’s winners.
Former vice-president of the Jamaica Olympic Associ-ation (JOA) Don Anderson believes that the country will lose some of its clout within the International Olympic Committee (IOC) when Michael Fennell steps down after 40 years in charge of the local Olympic movement. Fennell has stated his intention to leave the JOA next month and the current Vice-President Vishu Tolan and General Secretary Christopher Samuda have indicated their interest in running for the post. Anderson, who left the JOA in 2013, said the newcomers may take a while to establish the kinds of relationships that bring influence. “I am concerned about who might be elected to the presidency. A lot of people in the Olympic movement don’t understand why Jamaica is not better represented in the Olympic bodies. When you have two newcomers, it takes a while, and if people were concerned before, I believe you understand that kind of void. You don’t make that connection in one term or two terms,” Anderson told The Gleaner. “Jamaica will not have the kind of presence at that level for some time,” he added. Anderson said that while he is unsure he will be running, after having spent eight four-year terms as vice-president, he had established similar relationships with persons within the hierarchy of the IOC, that Fennell had. “It’s an honour to be an IOC member and in my view the kind of work that Mike Fennell has done, the reputation that he has had, he should have been elected an IOC member long ago. He is the most senior of the Caribbean Olympic presidents and is the most respected. Nobody from Jamaica will be able to make that leap in a short time,” Anderson said. Meanwhile, Anderson described his separation from the JOA four years ago as “single-most disappointing aspect of my entire sporting life which spans 40 years in administration”. Fennell was returned as president of the JOA in 2013 after he defeated Anderson 19 votes to 15 in an election. In a radio interview before the election, Anderson had said he only decided to run for the position after Fennell had earlier indicated that he would not be seeking re-election. Anderson is now involved with the Jamaica Olympic Ice Hockey Federation and said that he still maintains relationships with persons within the Olympic movement. That involves being part of the board which acquired broadcast rights for the Caribbean for last year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. “I still have a commitment that I’m passionate about,” he said. He added that some persons had encouraged him to run for election next month, adding that the “emotional” and “painful” experience made that a difficult consideration. “I miss the Olympic environment dearly, but I have not been able to overcome the manner in which I felt myself undermined in 2013. That has left me with a kind of disconnect which could be reconnected if I became president, but with a disconnect that I have not been happy about,” Anderson said.
National senior men’s team football head coach Theodore Whitmore is continuing the Jamaica Football Federation’s plan to invest in local players.A 25-man squad of mainly local-based players started training at the Stadium East Complex yesterday. The squad includes schoolboys stars Jourdaine Fletcher of Cornwall College, Alex Marshall (St George’s College), Javain Brown (Kingston College), Fabian Grant (KC) and Rodave Murray of Dinthill Technical.Also in the squad is the 36 year-old veteran attacker and leading scorer (16 goals) in the Red Stripe Premier League, Jermaine ‘Teddy’ Johnson of Tivoli Gardens Football Club. Johnson, who was not in the original list of invitees, is a late addition to the squad that is preparing for a friendly international against Peru on June 13 in Arequipa, Peru, starting at 7:30 p.m.They will then move on to the Caribbean Cup in late June and the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July.Whitmore gave Johnson the nod after a meeting with him.”I had a one-on-one meeting with Teddy this morning (Tuesday) and we discussed a lot of things. He expressed his concerns. We have Peru coming up and the Caribbean Cup, so we saw it fit to bring him in the training set-up. He is not guaranteed a place, but he has international and club experience,” the head coach said about his former national teammate, who also played professionally in England.CHANCE TO SHOWCASESKILLSWith the busy schedule, Whitmore is giving several players the opportunity to showcase their talent in the senior programme.”You would have known that some players in the programme are away with Portmore United (who are participating in the Caribbean Football Union Club Championship in Trinidad and Tobago), so we have decided to give other players opportunities,” Whitmore told The Gleaner during the training session.”We want to give players exposure. For the Peru game, we will have the overseas-based players who will join the squad. The Caribbean Cup is not on FIFA’s list of match dates, so the local -based players will be there,” he added.There are ten new players in the training squad including overseas-based Zachary Wallace and Casey Reid who both contacted the JFF for a chance to be seen by the technical staff.With regards to the upcoming friendly international against Peru, who are ranked number 17 on the FIFA list, Whitmore said: “It is always good to play against a quality team such as Peru, so we want to assemble a strong team.”The Regage Boyz are ranked at 74.The full training squad reads: Amal Knight (UWI), Damion Hyatt (Arnett Gardens), Fabian Reid (Arnett), Ladale Ritchie (Montego Bay United), Shawn Genius (Reno), Rosario Harriott (Harbour View), Jamie Robinson (UWI), Fitzroy Cummings (Sporting Central), Jourdaine Fletcher (MBU), Tevin Shaw (Tivoli Gardens), Owayne Gordon (MBU), Alex Marshall (Cavalier SC), Rodave Murray (Waterhouse), Shamar Nicholson (Boys’ Town), Jamiel Hardware (Boys’ Town), Kemar Bennett (Harbour View), Fabian Grant (Harbour View), Leonard Rankine (Reno), Johann Weatherly (Reno), Zachary Wallace (unattached), Casey Reid (unattached), Javain Brown (Harbour View), Damarley Samuels (Waterhouse), and Jermaine Johnson (Tivoli).
How to help the Taal evacuees Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. It’s too early to present Duterte’s ‘legacy’ – Lacson DAY6 is for everybody PBA IMAGESGlen Rice Jr. put on a shooting clinic and Barangay Ginebra couldn’t do anything but watch.Rice, the hot-shooting TNT import torched the Gin Kings with a game-high 36 points to lead the KaTropa to a 121-92 rout Saturday night.ADVERTISEMENT OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson LATEST STORIES Margot Robbie talks about filming ‘Bombshell’s’ disturbing sexual harassment scene In ‘Jojo Rabbit,’ Comedy and Drama Collide Steam emission over Taal’s main crater ‘steady’ for past 24 hours Mos Burger to open in Manila; teases with a pop-up MOST READ The 26-year-old Rice hit six 3-pointers and at one point made four straight triples in a pivotal point in the third quarter, where TNT blew the game wide open.“Man, that dude, he was unstoppable in the third quarter,” said Ginebra import Justin Brownlee.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’SPORTSFederer blasts lack of communication on Australian Open smogBrownlee said the Kings had a defensive game plan laid out for Rice and it was to force the former Washington Wizard to shoot from the outside rather than make him put the ball on the floor and drive.But Rice had the hot hand and when he started knocking down 3-pointer after 3-pointer, Ginebra didn’t have any answers for him. He had 18 points alone in the third period.“I knew what type of player he was. We had a certain way we wanted to guard him. We knew him driving to the basket would hurt our defense. Of course, we didn’t want to give up that many threes, but he made a lot of three-point shots and made it tough for us,” Brownlee, who topscored for the Kings with 28 points, said.TNT clinched the first top four slot and Rice thinks the best is yet to come for the KaTropa.“I think we’re just getting better and better. The longer we play together, really the better we gonna get. I just feel that we are where we wanna be. We’re playing some of our best basketball until the end of season.”ADVERTISEMENT Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’ View comments Ravena anchors 1-1 start for Chooks-To-Go Pilipinas Trending Articles PLAY LIST 00:50Trending Articles00:50Trending Articles01:02Fajardo predicts there will be no sweep in PBA Finals02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award
Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’ MOST READ Raymar Jose. PBA IMAGESTipped to be picked among the top five in the 2017 PBA Rookie Draft, Raymar Jose isn’t ruling out the possibility of reuniting with former coach Nash Racela in TNT.“If given a chance, why not? He’s my coach in college,” a smiling Jose, who even bumped into his old mentor during the Draft combine, said in Filipino.ADVERTISEMENT After nearly giving up on basketball, Herndon is ready to chase his dream OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson Margot Robbie talks about filming ‘Bombshell’s’ disturbing sexual harassment scene Though the odds of Jose falling into the lap of the KaTropa deep into the first round are far-fetched, one couldn’t blame the soft-spoken bruiser for dreaming. After all, it’s under Racela when Jose got his biggest break.Undersized at center, the 25-year-old had thrived doing the dirty work for FEU which rewarded the Tamaraws with a championship in 2015. What followed was successful stints in the PBA D-League, abroad in Taiwan and Brunei and with the national team.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’SPORTSFederer blasts lack of communication on Australian Open smogBut despite his sheer advantage in the draft, Jose remains nervous. “I think I did my part. I gave my best in the combine and I believe I’m ready physically and mentally.”While there’s no denying playing for TNT is on the top of Jose’s wishlist, the 6-foot-4 bruiser shared that he doesn’t mind whatever team picks him, saying that at the end of the day, he’s just grateful to get to the pros. LATEST STORIES Coco’s house rules on ‘Probinsyano’ set “I’m always ready for any team that selects me. My effort won’t change. I’ll always give my best,” he said.Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next
It’s too early to present Duterte’s ‘legacy’ – Lacson Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award View comments Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’ Kiss-and-tell matinee idol’s conquests: True stories or tall tales? Jo Koy: My brain always wants to think funny Coco’s house rules on ‘Probinsyano’ set