The Trinbago Knight Riders made only three picks at the 2017 CPL draft yesterday as they stuck to their core players in an effort to build their unit.

Team operations manager Colin Borde showed up alone to take part in the draft and went for three spinners as his pick because the team retained 12 of their players from last year. Leading the pack at US$160,000 was Dwayne Bravo who skippered the team last year. The players retained from last year are Brendan McCullum at US$130,000, Sunil Narine (US$110,000), South African Hashim Amla at US$90,000, Darren Bravo (US$70,000), Denesh Ramdin (US$60,000), Colin Munroe ($40,000), Ronsford Beaton (US$10,000), Javon Searles (US$7500), Nikita Miller (US$7500), William Perkins (US$5000) and Kevon Cooper (US$5,000).

The three men the Knight Riders went for were spinners Brag Hogg from Australia (US$4,000), Shadab Khan (US$30,000) from Pakistan and Kharry Pierre (US$15,000).

Speaking to Guardian Media after the draft, Borde said: “We went for spinners as our pick because of the nature of the tracks in the Caribbean. We have included Brad Hogg who everyone who has played with him thinks he is the right man to have around any franchise. Kharry Pierre is new to the CPL but not new to regional cricket and we think that he has a contribution to make to our team.

“Apart from those, we decided to stick with our tried and trusted players from last year because we want to build a solid unit going forward. Looking around at the players who have been chosen, we think that we have a good team that can challenge for the title. Last year Chris Gayle and Andre Russell took us out at the semifinals and this time around we will be coming back to go all the way and lift the title.”

Among some of the notable acquisitions for the other teams were that of Australian all-rounder Ben Cutting who has been recruited by St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, while West Indies ICC World T20 winner Marlon Samuels has joined the St Lucia Stars. Samuels was not the only high profile Caribbean capture, with the Jamaica Tallawahs signing up batsman Lendl Simmons. Chadwick Walton has made the move, meanwhile, to Guyana Amazon Warriors and looks set to be a strong addition to their batting line-up.

For the first time ever, there will be an Afghanistan presence in the Hero CPL, with Mohammad Nabi (St Kitts & Nevis Patriots) and Rashid Khan (Guyana Amazon Warriors) being snapped up. Barbados Tridents have also supplemented their bowling attack with the signing of Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz.

In addition to the high-profile acquisition of New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson, coupled with the return of Dwayne Smith following his transfer from Guyana Amazon Warriors, the Tridents have retained Pakistan’s Shaoib Malik and South African all-rounder Wayne Parnell as they bid to win the coveted title they last won in 2014. Kieron Pollard will lead an exciting team which includes wicket-keeper/batsman Nicholas Pooran, who impressed following his comeback from a long injury lay-off joined the likes of Ravi Rampaul and emerging West Indies player Shamar Springer for the forthcoming campaign.

Guyana Amazon Warriors have been one of the most consistent sides since the tournament’s inception in 2013 and that is reflected in the retention of a number of stalwarts including Black Caps opener Martin Guptill, in-form Australian batsman Chris Lynn and Pakistan’s towering left-armer Sohail Tanvir who was one of the most consistent performers in 2016 with bat and ball. In addition, the squad will include West Indies duo Rayad Emrit and Jason Mohammed, as well as exciting batsman Shimron Hetmyer who led the West Indies to the Under-19 ICC Cricket World Cup title last year.

The Trinidad and Tobago Pro League, on behalf of its chairman, CEO and board members, extended condolences to the family of legendary Trinidad and Tobago striker and current national team assistant coach Stern John on the passing of his daughter Nikela John.

Nikela, 19, passed away on Thursday evening at her Cunupia home due to medical causes still to be determined according to a press release from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) on this morning (Friday).

Stern John, T&T’s all-time top scorer and current Central FC assistant coach, according to the release, was on his way to pick up duties with the national team for a practice session at Ato Boldon Stadium on Thursday when he received a phone call informing him that his daughter was not well. He was excused from the session. Nikela was pronounced dead later that evening.

The former Holy Name Convent spent her early childhood in England during her father’s time at Birmingham City Football Club.

TT Pro League CEO Dexter Skeene, on behalf of his chairman and board of directors, said, “…condolences to Stern and his family in this time of grief. We stand behind them, supporting them through this difficult period. We pray that he leans on God and God comforts him and his family during this time of bereavement.”

TTFA President David John-Williams also expressed condolences, saying, “My thoughts and prayers are with Stern today. This is indeed a difficult time for him and his family as well as our TTFA family. As President I will like to urge Stern to stay strong. Words are difficult to find at this time to say to him. We ask for God’s blessings upon him at this time and may she (Nikela) rest in peace.”

T&T head coach Dennis Lawrence, teammate of Stern at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, stated: “We want to extend our condolences to Stern and his family and also let him know that we have him in our thoughts and we share in this time of grief with him.

“We know that no amount of words can really help to ease the pain he is bearing, but we pray that the comfort of God helps him and his family through this difficult time.

“Stern is one of us and we will give him the time and support he needs right now and welcome him back at the appropriate time,” ended Lawrence.

Trinidad and Tobago national team will take on Barbados in a friendly from 7pm today at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.

Meanwhile the TT Pro League has postponed Sunday’s Flow Youth Pro League games between Central FC and Morvant Caledonia United in the Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 divisions which will be rescheduled at a later date due to the passing of John’s daughter.

We acknowledge the tremendous job done by SWAT men and women in uniform under the blazing sun and pouring rain at times to ensure the safety of everyone taking part in the biggest and most beautiful festival in the world, T&T Carnival.

SWAT’s own hard-working officers were outstanding, over 500 extraordinary officers were on duty as they worked alongside the State’s law enforcement officers and contributed to making this Carnival safer for all as they went beyond the call of duty to get the job done.

Thanks for your commitment and dedication which resulted in quick action to deter criminals and prevent unlawful activity. With crime at an epidemic level, we must continue to join forces. SWAT vows to continue working with the State’s law enforcement to keep our people safer as we try to rid the country of criminal elements.

Let us remember those who lost their lives to accidents and other violent incidents this year and over the years. Let us stand together as a people for what is right always, making compassion, patience, and love our new watch words.

Congratulations on a job well done, SWAT officers. Thank you for your invaluable contribution. As MX Prime, Ultimate Rejects, Full Extreme soca 2017 Road March winner puts it, “we jammin still”.

Aaron Henry,

Group chairman, SWAT Estate Police Limited

This year as we celebrate International Women’s Day 2017, we stand behind women who challenge bias and inequality, campaign against violence, champion women’s education and who forge the advancement of women. We support the businesses, organisations, and schools that are erected and headed by women and whose very existence is a sign of change.

The NGO Moms for Literacy recently celebrated the graduation of 20 women from its Tutor Training Programme through the kind sponsorship of The JB Fernandes Memorial Trust II. The programme gives participants the skills to teach children in their homes, schools and communities to read. The graduates are from various communities in Trinidad and are now certified reading instructors. These women underwent theoretical and practical training under the programme director and coordinator, Ms Gonzales and Mr Trevor Oliver, who ensured that they adopted the ‘Moms Approach’ to teaching reading.

Moms holds strongly the belief that “When you educate a girl, you educate a nation” and mothers being their children’s first teachers must be able to read, write, and comprehend so that they can excel at their role. Moms sees literacy for our young women as ensuring a better quality of life for our children because when girls are left without the skills of reading, writing and comprehending, they are more susceptible to a life of poverty, domestic violence, early pregnancies, HIV and Aids and other social ills.

The organisation also hosts literacy awareness conferences helping mothers to achieve higher levels of literacy in their communities. Remedial reading enhancement classes for children, workshops and tutor training for parents and teachers are held at the San Juan location. The organisation can be contacted at 638-5440/638-6667 if you wish to volunteer or enquire about these programmes.

Sherina Mohammed

Moms for Literacy Caribbean

Our engineer Finance Minister, Colm Imbert, ignited a firestorm when he accused the last government of attempting to hide the losses of Petrotrin, which are really some $4.2billion (TT) between 2011 and 2016, since to him it should have been explicitly shown in Petrotrin’s books. This brought an immediate response, condemnation, from the big guns of the current Opposition who claim that indeed there is this loss as the minister claims.

However, according to accepted accounting practise, if the company is in a position to make a profit in the future, this loss can then be used to offset its future tax burden. Hence, by the stroke of the accountant’s pen this accrued loss disappears from or is not recorded on the profit and loss statement and appears on the balance sheet as an ‘asset’; as a deferred tax asset.

The accounting literature indeed talks about such a deferred asset, eg, a capital allowance, which appears on the balance sheet to offset future taxes.

This being so, the defenders of Petrotrin’s accounts see the minister’s accusation as challenging the integrity of the accounting firm and possibly an ulterior move meant to result in the privatisation of Petrotrin. Let us ignore for a moment the conventions of the accounting profession and look at the reality.

If a company loses money in a particular year then it had to fund this loss by something; debt, overdraft or even its own resources or whatever. Hence the company would have incurred a capital liability because of the loss.

The tax laws of this land allow a company to relate its poor performance in one year to its tax requirement in future years if it has made a loss. In other words, the tax burden on a company can span its aggregate performance over one or more years if losses have been incurred.

What the accountants attempt to do is to record on the balance sheet the losses accrued that can be used in future years to offset taxes if and when profits are made. This record they call a deferred tax asset (may as well have called it accrued losses or an elephant—what is in a name).

Still these deferred tax assets cannot be seen in the same light as plant and equipment (tangible assets) or intellectual property assets. The Dodd Frank Regulations in the USA after 2009 frowned on practices such as these.

In this way, the balance sheets of consecutive years are linked via the deferred tax asset as to the accrued losses or capital allowances that can be carried across the years for tax purposes. But what is real is that the company lost money in a particular year or years and this cannot be transformed into a traditional asset by the stroke of an accountant’s pen.

According to accounting practices, the loss for a particular year appears on that year’s profit and loss statement. However, the accrued losses over the years, which allow future tax relief, are indicated in the deferred asset and also as capital liabilities in the balance sheet.

The minister may not have been concerned with these accounting subtleties and was focusing on the capital implications of the accrued debt/losses of the company, which are of acute importance to the shareholder, the corporation sole.

Mary K King

St Augustine

MAC QUAN: EMELDA (neeDe La Rosa) of Marabella passed away on Thursday 9th March, 2017 .Wife of Henry Mac Quan (dec). Mother of Trevor, Jerome (dec), Joseph,Moylan (dec), Francis, Moylin, Charles, Romeo, Finbar (dec), Hamil (dec) Peter & Eddie. Grandmother of Twenty Three (23). Great-Grandmother of Nineteen (19). Sister of Henry Mano De La Rosa, Bruno Logan (dec), Leo Logan(dec) and Clement Logan(dec) . Relative of The Pan-choo's, Tang-Lee, Ng Pack,Logan, De La Rosa & Chang Families.

Funeral service for Emelda Mac Quan takes place at Our Lady of Perpetual Help R.C. Church, Harris Promenade, San Fernando Tuesday14th March, 2017 at 9.00 am followed by interment at Paradise Cemetery.

WARWICK: RUDOLPH retired Fire Officer passed away on Tuesday 7th March 2017 at the E.W.M.S.C. (Mt. Hope). Husband of Juliana Warwick(nee Noreiga). Father of Angela Warwick-Alexander(Canada), Michael Warwick(decd), Bernadine Warwick-Worrell, Donna Warwick, Sherry Ann Warwick-Carring-ton & Nichole Warwick-Marcelle. Grandfather of Aaron Velleton Roberts, Derek & Anthony Alexander (Canada), Rondell & Riguel Worrell, Kendon Joachim, Krystal Joachim-Audain, Dion, Stephanie & Shannon Carrington, Stephon, Selena & Sahara Marcelle.

Great-grandfather of KimberlyRoberts, Kaegan Audain & Evelyn Alexander. Father-in-law of Cornel Alexander(Canada), Rodney Worrell(decd), Derek Carrington & Andre Marcelle. Brother of Alicia Simon, Jean, Rose-marie & Steve Warwick. Brother-in-law of Catalino Noreiga & Rose Warwick. Uncle of Marlene (U.S.A.), AnnWarwick, Joanne James, Sandra Chan Wah, Garvin Simon & many others. Cousin of George (Bunny) Dieffenthaller, Cynthia Piper, Gerard Warwick, Glenda, Karen Stewart (U.S.A.) & many others.

Funeral Service at 2:00p.m. on Tuesday 14th March,2017, from Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Independence Square, P.O.S., thence to the Lapeyrouse Cemetery. For further enquiries please contact C&B 625-1170. To send cond-lences, please visithttp://www.clarkandbattoo.com/.

DELIA ANDERSON of #61 Capriata Road La Pastora Settlement Upper Santa Cruz departed this life on Wednesday 8th March, 2017 She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson ( deceased ) Sister of Sonny Anderson better known as Andy, Knolly, Olivia, Millie, Alice, Lena ( All deceased ) Aunt of Elisie, John ( deceased ), Cheong and Hillary Aunt-In-Law of Claude and Agnes Family of the Johnson's, Bethelmy's, Annmarie and Spiritual Acquaintances of the Greys family

The funeral of the late Delia Anderson will take place onTuesday 14th March, 2017 at 3:00 pm from the Holy Cross R.C. Church, La Pastora Road, Upper Santa Cruz, thence to the churchyard cemetery

BALDEO BIDAISEE better knownas “Brains” and “Bees” of Ojoe Road, Sangre Grande passed away peacefully on Wednesday March 8, 2017. He will always be lovingly remembered as the: Husband of Marjorie; Father of: Ronald, Allison, Kerry, Heidi, Brendon and Sacha; Grandfather of: Ethan, Ari, Liam, Alec and Joshua; Father-in-law of: Gillian Bidaisee, Adrian Chadee, Riad Ramlogan, Sheeba Khan and David Cockburn; Son of: Mahadaiand Sookhdeo Bidaisee (bothdec.); Brother of: Sankalia (dec.), Basdeo (dec.); Rajkalia, Sukalia,Sahadeo (dec.), Jagaldeo (dec.),Parandeo (dec.), Deokalia,Anirudh, Dhankalia, Joe, Gupteeand Patsy; Son-in-law of: Joshuaand Ceclia Dookeram (both dec.);Loving uncle and dear friend tomany.

The cremation service for the Baldeo Bidaisee takes place on Monday March 13, 2017 at the Bel-groves Funeral Home, Tacarigua at3:00 p.m.

JODHAN; Nicholas Gerard, fondly called Sco, 10-8-1962-12-2-2017. Husband of Ginger Brown Jodhan. Beloved father of Samantha, Nixon and Micah Jodhan. Son of George and Annie (both deceased). Brother of Michele, Lori, Michael, Tracey and Jacqueline. Brother-in-law of Wilson Ayoung Chee, Mark Fojo and Paul de Gannes. He was a most loved husband, father, son and brother.

Nick was a dear friend, who touched the lives of everyonewho knew him. Memorial Service on Friday 17th March, 2017 at 6.00 p.m. at St.Marys College Chapel, Frederick Street, Port of Spain. For enquiries, call C&B 625-1170or visit clarkandbattoo.com

Mystery spinner Sunil Narine grabbed 4/38 to help bowl out PowerGen for 118 and give Queen’s Park, another come from behind win in the third round of the TTCB Premiership at Syne Village in Penal, yesterday.

Queen’s Park made 136 in their first innings, before bowling out PowerGen for 150 and conceding first innings points. However, following Saturday’s play, the Parkites resumed on 163 for eight and moved on to 185 all out with Narine scoring 48 and Daron Cruickshank 47. Spinner Kavesh Kantasingh took 6/91 and Ancil Bhaggan 4/54. It meant that all 20 wickets taken by PowerGen came from their spinners. Chasing 161 runs for victory, PowerGen folded to the spin of Narine, Marlon Barclay 3/2 and Darren Deonarine to fall short by 43 runs-making just 118. Mark Deyal was stubborn, getting 26 but got no support from the others. In this clash 40 wickets fell and spinners from both sides accounted for 38.

Merryboys after their loss to Queen’s Park last round, came back to defeat Victoria by 109 runs. After scoring 310 runs in their first innings, Merryboys took a lead of 105 runs, after Victoria made 205. Yesterday, the Patna Boys declared at 162/6 - setting Victoria a winning target of 273. The southern team was bowled out for 163 with three wickets apiece to Ricky Jaipaul and Keon Isaac.

Tableland recorded their first win of the season with a thumping 8-wicket triumph over Clarke Road at St Julien. After their under-par 152 in the first innings, Clarke Road conceded a first innings deficit of 156, as Tableland made 310 for nine. Clarke Road resuming yesterday on 27/1 crashed to 192, despite 80 from Sean Siloch.

Tableland then responded with 32/2 for the eight-wicket win.

Reigning Under-18 javelin champion Tyriq Horsford yesterday booked his spot to the Carifta Games carded for Curacao over the Easter weekend (April 15-17), joining defending Girls 100m winner, Khalifa St Fort.

Both Horsford and St Fort, who won gold medals in those events at 45th edition of the youth meet held in Grenada, last year, put on some dominating performances at the National Gas Company-sponsored Carifta Trials held over the weekend at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo.

Yesterday, Horsford of Zenith surpassed the Carifta standard of 59.00 metres on each of his legal attempts in the Boys Under-18 javelin event, measuring 67.90m in the first throw, 67.44m in his third attempt, his best of 70.94 in the fifth toss and 63.05 in his final effort. The other attempts he fouled. St Fort returned to the track in the Girls U-20 200m, already setting the stage as to what to expect in the city of Willemstad, where the track and field Athletics championship which was created in 1972 by Austin Sealy (Barbados), will be held.

St Fort, who on day one retained the Girls U-20 100m title with a comfortable 11.30-second victory in her season debut, breezed to the line in 23.64 in the 200m, surpassing the 24.00 standard. Similarly in the 100m dash, the World Junior 100m bronze medallist, was again the lone sprinter to meet the standard as she did in the 100m (standard 11.80), the day before.

Other former Carifta medallists in Adell Coltrust, Che Lara, Vandell Joseph and Anya Akili also booked their spot for the annual athletics competition.

Coltrust, who won bronze in Boys U-18 100m last year, clocked 21.69 to finish second to be among an Abilene trio that made the qualifying standard. Winning was Avindale Smith in 21.24 and third was Che Lara in 21.88. Lara had won bronze with the U-18 4x400m team in Grenada.

Joseph is another former bronze medallist in the U-18 javelin, which he bagged in 2015. Yesterday, the Zenith athlete finished runner-up in the Boys U-20 category with a best effort of 57.96m. Taking the top spot was his teammate Odell Joefield with 58.32m to both meet the qualifying standard of 57.00m.

Game Shot remains in charge of the A Division, sitting on top of the table with a six-point lead over closest challengers, E-Z Lines 1, in the 501 Tournament in the National Darts League being hosted by the T&T Darts Association at the Kosmos Club in Port-of-Spain.

Game Shot, whose accuracy has helped them mustered a leading 30 points from four round of matches, picked up another win on Tuesday, defeating Jus Drifters, 7-3, the same margin of victory by second-place E-Z Lines 1 (24 points) over Scorpions. In the other match played on the evening, Savir Original Game Shot also fell to a four-point (7-3) loss to Dartalong.

Rainbow XX made it a closer race in the B Division after upsetting leader Random Squad, 6-4 that evening. Random Squad (24) is still on top though by a narrow one-point margin over Rainbow XX, which has 23.

Rainbow Posse XXX 7-3 win over Pub House Pirates, keeps them in the race for the title. It sits in third with 20 points.

Results

Game 4

A Division

Jus Drifters (3) vs Game Shot (7)

E-Z Lines 1 (7) vs Scorpions (3)

Savir Original Game Shot (3) vs Dartalong (7)

B Division

Random Squad (4) vs Rainbow Posse XX (6)

Rainbow Posse XXX (7) vs Pub House Pirates (3)

E-Z Lines 2 (5) vs Bullz I (5)

Feb 21

Game 3

A Division

Jus Drifters (5) vs Scorpions (5)

Game Shot (9) vs Savir Original Game Shot (1)

E-Z Lines 1 (4) vs Dartalong (6)

B Division

Rainbow Posse XX (6) vs E-Z Lines 2 (4)

Bullz I (4) vs Random Squad (6)

Pub House Pirates (5) vs Reno 501 (5)

Team Points Standings

A Division

Game Shot 30

E-Z Lines 1 24

Dartalong 23

Jus Drifters 20

Scorpions 14

Savir Original Game Shot 9

B Division

Random Squad 24

Rainbow Posse XX 23

Rainbow Posse XXX 20

Bullz I 16

Reno 501 14

E-Z Lines 2 14

Pub House Pirates 9

Neon Wolf in Neptune, American misses Cheltenham Rag Tatter could well recoup recent losses, and become another three-year-old winner for trainer Kevin Ryan and stable jockey, Kevin Stott, in an ‘aged’ Maiden Stakes over six furlongs of Chelmsford polyrack tonight; Saturday-night yielded a ‘beaut’ for this column when Lualiwa ran them into the ground on this course, winning unchallenged.

Front-running by the best horse in the race always makes good sense, hopefully the ‘Kevins’ are of a mind to sort out the wheat from the chaff with twice-raced Rag Tatter, a confident nap judged on efforts around Catterick and Lingfield ‘poly’ just sixteen days ago.

Mine is to relate time-handicap information which involves compiling/computing ‘returns’ daily; it’s my opinion but I’ve been working as a ‘clocker’ working out times for decades and know that solid sprint performances are usually accurate enough to venture forth when the need arises.

Just because a thoroughbred comes out ‘best-in’ doesn’t mean it represents a betting opportunity; from experience they only pay off when it’s definitely possible to say that such a runner has achieved a mark which wins a certain race at least eight times out of ten.

Patience is the supreme virtue when punting seriously, unfortunately from a tipping perspective I’m tasked to produce ‘goods’ every day which is why I’m keen to enlighten readers as to the ‘minefield(s)’ that confront all of us. Never force the issue, ‘let the ball come onto the bat!’

On a point of singles we advise NEVER bet less than 2/1 but, there again, my DAILY PATENT takes care of all eventualities and often short-priced ‘anchor’ bets provide tremendous support.

Running in tandem on the eve of the four-day(s) Cheltenham Festival will be three jumping fixtures, Chepstow, Plumpton, and Stratford, where it will be packed to the old rafters on a left-handed sharp course only a ‘stone’s throw’ from Prestbury Park.

Chandos Belle, though moderate, has experience and trainer Stuart Edmunds has found an unexpected opportunity in the opening Juvenile Hurdle over two miles of ‘soft ground which should also suit Fountains windfall and Lough Derg Farmer in a Novices’ Hurdle over two and a half miles of the popular southern venue. Ex-champion jockey Fred Winter once genuinely dreaded ‘Plumpton on a Monday’ because of traffic jams; wonder what his tolerance level would be like nowadays!

Neon Wolf will run in the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, trainer Harry Fry confirmed.

The son of Vinnie Roe has been hugely impressive on his three starts to date under Rules, completing his hat-trick with a stunning display in a Supreme Trial at Haydock in January.

Connections left the door open for a crack at the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on Tuesday, but with the ground drying out, he will instead step up in trip the following afternoon.

Fry told Press Association Sport: “He’ll run in the Neptune, all being well.

“We said all along it would have to be slow ground for him to run in the Supreme and we’ve got drying ground.

“He’s in good form and we’re looking forward to it.”

The Seaborough handler also revealed his unbeaten chaser American would miss the Festival due to unsuitable ground.

“It’s just dried out too much for him. He’ll have an entry in a novice handicap chase at Uttoxeter next Saturday,” Fry added.

Bleu Berry pips

Outspoken at Naas

Bleu Berry got up in the shadow of the post to land the Irish Racing Writers Kingsfurze Novice Hurdle at Naas.

An impressive winner of a maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse last month, the Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old was the 5/2 joint-favourite for this Listed contest along with Minella Till Dawn.

Black Key took the field along for much of the two-mile journey, but dropped away before the home turn, leaving the JP McManus-owned pair of Minella Till Dawn and Outspoken vying for the lead.

Bleu Berry loomed up ominously under Paul Townend, but was untidy at the final flight and Outspoken would not go down without a fight.

After a ding-dong battle to the line, Bleu Berry claimed victory by a short head.

Townend said: “We always thought a lot of him after what he showed at home. He disappointed us last year, but this year he seems to be a different horse.

“I thought he’d thrown it away at the last, but he’s a smart horse and battled and ground it out.

“If he can smarten up his jumping there’s improvement in him, hopefully.”

Plumpton, 11.00 Fountains Windfall Stratford, 11.10 Chandos Belle Chelmsford, 4.50 Rag Tatter (nap).

It is all about timing!

There is a point, where you must be patient, and wait for the right time to make your move, to deliver the blow, that will define your existence and further emphasize your strength in both position and future relations.

This is applicable in any form of your life, from sports to whatever may keep you motivated. For our sporting personalities, Carnival is normally a time for both relaxation and reflection, as many use this time to either relieve some pent up pressure on the streets of T&T, while others may just relax at the seaside in the great company of family and friends.

Perhaps though, as the Lenten season for all Christians began - on Ash Wednesday, this is indeed the time over the next forty-odd days to address your demons and rid yourself of burdens and those that would seek to keep your progress down, if you can use this extra time to enhance yourself and set your goals going forward with a clear perspective of the pathway, it can be critical.

As we all know in this country, many of those not involved in sports, love to be around the leading sportsmen and sportswomen in this country, especially when these individuals are at the top of their game, and achieving success and bringing fame to the country. However, when the very said athlete, may be struggling or injured, we are quick to dismiss them and forget about their significance until they again make improvements.

So while History may be important for those that deal with archiving, for others it is more of a nuisance, as most youngsters will struggle while reading this to tell us, the date and year Hasely Crawford won gold in the Olympics, or the date and year, that Brian Charles Lara scored 400 not out, and what about the date and year that current National Football coach Dennis Lawrence scored the famous header against Bahrain that book our place in Germany 2006. And to mention what year T&T won its first and only team world title. Perhaps to even name the sport (Netball) might be catastrophic.

So as you listen to the sermons over the next few day after absorbing and displaying your ashes from Ash Wednesday, it is the right time for all of us to open our hearts and forgive those who have wronged sports in this country, as difficult as it may be to do so, it is necessary to advance sports in this country.

At the Moment, let us hope that the Minister of Sports Darryl Smith will forgive both those in athletics and football for speaking the truth on funding, and not allowed the constant phenomenon of  “Pride and Prejudice” to play out at the Ministry of Sports/ Sports Company of T&T.

In football, let us hope that the errant footballers who assisted in the demise of Stephen Hart, can put aside their misguided convictions and seek redemption and represent their country proudly come March 24th against Panama and March 28th against Mexico.

There are fourteen stations of cross and all are significant in their own way to the World, in T&T’s Sports, we have all experienced our own burdens and crosses that have to be carried, in most cases, we sometimes have to bear them on our own, and in other cases, we get assistance and this is what we have to work towards, hopefully that the society will help sports with the situations ahead.

So, my wish is that all of those involved in sports, can understand their roles and appreciate the significance of others, and acknowledge, that everyone has some trial to experience , that nothing is perfect , and that most of us fail regularly to look into the mirror at our reflections, which perhaps are symptom of our lack of appreciation for each other. Too much self interest has led to division, hopefully Sports can bridge that gap in 2017.

Barbados may have been very much of what the Warriors wanted to test the mettle of the local players and also to observe the early preparations of Dennis Lawrence introduction into international coaching as head coach.

His former national teammate Stern John, who he called in as one of three assistants will have been pleased to see striker Jamille Boatswain display excellent potency in his short stint by scoring two well taken goals that lead T&T to victory.

There was a very interesting start to the game where the locals were able to demonstrate the midfield options of cohesiveness and accurate passing—a feature which our regular players often tend to ignore by their preference to individualism.

The newcomers to this level certainly were motivated to show their worth and although Hughton Hector, Sean De Silva, and Curtis Gonzales all have previous experience at this level, it was a breath of fresh air to see the solid defensive play of Tristin Hodge, who seem to have the flair for recognising his responsibility, but utilising the task of overlapping to the flank when the need arose.

Alvin Jones, whom we already know, seemed ready to take on the duty of travelling the flank to provide service to the forwards.

Barbados left wing back, Alvin Chapman, allowed him the space to receive passes but kept him at bay each time he rushed the sideline.

It was a pleasure to see the high work rate of the midfield and expose the central defence of the visitors. Their biggest opponent in that regard was the use of boots which deprived them to retain proper footing. Two more goals could have been scored if Hashim Arcia and Dennis Mitchell had not lost their footing at crucial times within the penalty area of the visitors.

Striker Jamille boatswain was brought onto the field in a timely fashion and from his first touch of the ball, his speed, his desire to turn some good passes by De Silva and Hector into goals, two of which he did before half time, that’s after just being on the field four no more than four minutes.

Clearly, the coaching staff decided to get a look at almost every player on the bench, a decision which was certain to restart the previous inter-passing game and swift approaches towards the opponents’ goal.

This immediately allowed the Bajans to improve their tactics, controlled the midfield, and created three chances, all of which could have been goal chances.

They lost superior possession of the ball in the second and did not look the part.

The introduction of Cummings brought a new picture to the Warriors team. His speed, skill, and desire to challenge defenders reminded us all of the wonderful performances in a previous Gold Cup in the USA, when he scored some excellent goals.

Unfortunately, the speed level of the team dropped considerably and their opponent used the opportunity to show their worth if given the chance.

Eventually, no goals were scored in the second half, a factor which gave consolation to the visitors who enjoyed a drawn second half.

Coach Lawrence and his staff will not be able to ignore the efforts of players like Hector, De Silva, Arcia, Hodge and of course Leston Paul and Keron Cummings.

The foreign based players must now take note and show that they are superior, if they really are.

To this point, Coach Dennis Lawrence and his squad can take this step forward as acceptable. Now, the task of paying attention to their next opponents must be viewed seriously from watching video tapes of Panama and Mexico.

We look forward to the new two. weeks. Well done, Warriors.

Police keeps raking in the titles in the Courts All Sectors Netball League, this time around its elite team nabbed the Fast 5 crown in the Premiership Division on Saturday afternoon at the Eastern Regional Indoor Sports Arena in Tacarigua.

Police strayed from its customary grey and blue uniforms for competition and dressed in fluorescent green tops and multi-coloured pants to match their flashy moves on the court, which earned them a well-fought 25-16 victory over Fire in the final.

This after leading throughout the affair 7-2 in the first period, 9-6 at the half and 21-12 in the third quarter before claiming the comfortable nine-goal victory.

The winning Police unit included Joelisa Cooper, Jeselle Navarro, Tahirah Hollingsworth, Jillisa Allan, Anika La Roche, Anika Euin, Jacinta Bristol, Tia Bruno, Rhonda John-Davis, Jenisha Cassimy, Alyssa Homer, Dawn Gordon and Monica Maule.

Earlier the police officers had easily knocked off the University of the West Indies (UWI), 30-4 to advance to the final while the other finalist Fire had topped the University of T&T (UTT), 28-24, in the semifinals.

The previous weekend saw Police emerge as the winner in the Courts Open Knockout competition.

Unit Trust Corporation (UTC) reigned in the Championship Division, beating Las Lomas, 26-7. En route to the title match, UTC defeated Police, 21-14 in the preliminary round, returning later to eliminate TSTT 12-8 in a low-scoring encounter. Newcomer Las Lomas had taken out Bermudez 21-15 in the first round, then Defence Force, 27-18, in the next round.

Fire walked away with Alternative Division Fast 5 title, getting success against Defence Force, 25-16, after leading at the end of each quarter 5-2 in the first, 20-9 at halftime and 20-17 in the third.

More action today in the ASNL with UTC meeting UTT in the Jean Pierre Challenge, a knockout competition for teams in the Championship Division. This follows a double-header in the Retro Division.

"When I was nine or ten my stepmom would get so frustrated with me because she thought I had “nothing to think about” if I was crying and getting depressed over something like forest fires. Almost no one I encountered at the time seemed to care about such things either."

Nigel Noriega is the founder of Sustainable Innovation Initiatives, a US NGO that enables ecologically sustainable economies in tropical forest regions and a documentary filmmaker. He grew up in a former World War II era US Navy officer home at Macqueripe, Tucker Valley, Chaguaramas.

Noriega attended La Puerta Government Primary school in Diego Martin, St Mary’s College, Port-of-Spain. He has a BSc in Zoology with honours from the University of Florida and a PhD in Integrative Biology from University of California at Berkeley.

He now lives on the West Coast of the US with his wife, daughter and the family is awaiting a daughter on the way.

Dr Noriega spoke to T&T Guardian columnist Marc deVerteuil about growing up in Chaguaramas in the early 1980s. He gives clues about the isolation of growing up in Macqueripe and his social isolation, surrounded by peers and mentors who did not share his wonder and empathy for nature. One big surprise is the origin of the Bamboo Cathedral, a prized natural feature which is the result of neglect and fire.

Old Macqueripe

As a child it was not easy to get out of Macqueripe Valley on my own unless I ran the distance of Tucker Valley Road and back. Even so, there was usually no one to meet if I did so. On mornings I’d be up long before dawn, and found that as my stamina increased I could cover most of Tucker Valley Road, or get up to the Tracking Station and back, or swim Macqueripe bay before school.

The (US Navy) war infrastructure was still quite impressive. The bomb shelters were built of incredibly thick concrete. A few signs of Macqueripe as an ‘officer’s playground’ existed. There were still diving boards on the small jetty on the right side of the bay. They were on their last leg and were not safe to spring off of though. Harold LaBorde (first Trini to sail around the world) lived in Macqueripe at that time, but I almost never saw him.

Encountering wildlife

My access to information on Trinidad wildlife was limited, but I was able to see amazing things, like dolphins riding waves into Macqueripe whenever big storms came in, the largest snake I had ever seen (an anaconda that stretched across the entire width of the golf course road), the mating displays of zendoles and iguanas, Anis (birds) that would be so curious that they would lose their fear of me if I stayed still long enough, Rivulus hartii (jumping guabin) that I could train to jump six inches out of the water to snatch worms or pieces of meat from my fingers, or Gonatodes that would lay eggs in the rotting wood of the chicken pen and I could actually see the lizards hatch out.

In the rainy season, there was an amazing bioluminescent click beetle which I never see anymore and is probably closely related to Pyrophorus plagiophthalamus. Howler monkey vocalisations were a daily occurrence for many years. In addition to the things I encountered myself, there were tantalising clues as to what else could be out there, like an occasion when my dog ran away and came back with snout full of porcupine quills.

My peers and mentors at the time killed any living thing they encountered, either for food or recreation (including things like crapaud football, and throwing anole lizards against the primary school wall to make them explode. (I once rescued one of these anoles by hiding it in a pencil case and she laid a single large egg inside my pencil case!).

As a child, my adamant resistance to many norms made me a social outcast, or at least very socially awkward from an early age (this has not quite resolved itself).

The animals in my immediate environment were so amazing, that I wondered how come nobody seemed to write about them. You can imagine the effect that as a nine-year-old boy climbing 39 feet in a tree and encountering Phylomedusa had on me. It was the largest non-toad I had ever seen. It went from looking like a pasty non-living thing to literally exploding with vibrant reds, orange and blue colours. It almost cost me my life, as I completely lost one of my hand-holds from being startled.

Feeling lonely

The fragileness and loneliness were significant factors. When we first moved to Macqueripe, things like Edith falls were shrouded in forest. But much of the year could be spent in fire seasons that were so choking that it was literally difficult to breathe for weeks at a time. By the time some of the smoke left, formerly forested faces of the mountainside would be bare. I felt like I watched Edith falls dry up compared to what it used to be. Fires also caused a lot of the mountainside to wash out, and silt would extend far into the sea. In the flat areas of Tucker Valley, the progression of Bambusa vulgaris (bamboo) was explosive.

When I was nine or ten my stepmom would get so frustrated with me because she thought I had “nothing to think about” if I was crying and getting depressed over something like forest fires. Almost no one I encountered at the time seemed to care about such things either. There was some weird social navigation as a child with so little context except what information I could find from other countries. But these experiences also formed the trajectory for much of my later life.

Bamboo cathedrals

I don’t ever remember the cathedral on the tracking station road being quite what it is today. But there was a lot of bamboo already. The most northerly road leading to the golf course already had bamboo cathedrals in those days. In the early 80s, the area between the Maqueripe houses and the tracking station road was already mostly old bamboo forest. The bamboo leaf litter was so thick that as children, we could leap off of small hills and slide all the way down without a sled. The precursor of the cathedral we now see was recognisable then. Bamboo tended to invade any area that was cleared and left unattended. Repeated fires caused the bamboo area to rejuvenate and spread further every year, but after severe fires in 1984 or 1985, bamboo completely dominated the lower valley and began to make significant inroads up hill.

Return to the Valley

Feelings on returning to Macqueripe are very mixed. I’m grateful that so much of it is still recognisable, and am happy to see that people generally try to treat the area carefully. I’m saddened by the loss of wildlife in the bay, and I still get caught off guard by how many visitors seem to frequent Macqueripe now. I try to take changes (like the beach walkway) in stride because there have always been major projects there, and Macqueripe has a surprisingly complex history. I remember when the old hotel ruins were removed with dynamite in the 80s, I felt like change was going to come very fast. But in the big scheme of things, that change seems balanced enough to allow the character of the place to remain while allowing people to appreciate it in a sustainable way.

The Academy of Arts, Letters, Culture and Public Affairs of the University of T&T (UTT) will continue its Distinguished Lecture series on Monday with A Tribute to the Music of Lord Kitchener by Aldwyn Albino. The tribute will be held at Theatre 1, UTT Campus, National Academy for the Performing Arts (Napa), on Keate Street, Port-of-Spain at 7 pm.

This lecture-presentation aims to examine the illustrious career of Aldwyn Roberts (Lord Kitchener) through an analysis of some of his calypsoes. Albino will attempt, through illustrations and demonstrations, to highlight the story-telling techniques of Lord Kitchener. He will also use his own musical expertise to help the audience understand the contributions of the “Grand Master” locally, regionally and internationally.

About Aldwyn Albino

Aldwyn Albino was born in Success Village, Laventille. He attended Nelson Street Boys’ RC School and then St Mary’s College. After graduating, he commenced his career in education that spanned 60 years. Music always co-existed alongside his pedagogical passion and would become the hallmark of his professional life.

Albino was the first music director on T&T Television (TTT) and a resident pianist on the popular Scouting for Talent programme. This served as a forum to help launch the careers of several local artistes where his opinion on various topics was continually sought out. Before immigrating to Canada, Albino continued to promote his homeland through teaching and recording, which included a best selling album entitled A Tribute to the Grand Master. Albino is a true “son of the soil” and is dedicated to keeping the culture of T&T alive.