Guillen Twenty20 Selection Thrills Bradshaw

 

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Former West Indies all-rounder Ian Bradshaw says he is elated over teammate Justin Guillen’s selection on Trinidad and Tobago Twenty20 team for the Stanford Super Series later this month in Antigua.

The left-handed Guillen, one of four newcomers named in the 15-man squad for the series which also involves the Stanford Super Stars, England and English County side Middlesex, plays alongside Bradshaw at the Wanderers Cricket Club in Barbados’ Division One competition. “During the early part of our domestic cricket season, Inspire Sports Wanderers Club was fortunate enough to have Justin play in our first division team,” said Bradshaw, who played five Tests and 62 One-Day Internationals.

“A few seasons before, he had played against us and despite a gritty innings, failed to get a significant score. I had heard some reports about his improvement so naturally I was keen to see for myself. “The day of his first practice I arrived after it had started. Justin was just about to have a knock. After about six balls he faced, I realised that his game had grown. There was good balance and decisive foot movements, key elements for any batsman.”

Bradshaw said that throughout the season, Guillen continued to improve steadily and displayed a great work ethic. 

“Throughout the season as I knew Justin better and saw more of his game, I was impressed by this young man,” Bradshaw explained.

“He is quick to acknowledge that he has not done anything yet but is determined to reach his potential.

The reward of his routine of putting in high volume of drills and hard hours of physical training is beginning to show. His off side driving is testimony to that.

“I hope that he breaks into his national team on a regular basis. His game will do well in the first class arena, where fitness and a strong mental approach are key ingredients to success,” Bradshaw added.

Former T&T all-rounder and current T&T coach, Kelvin Williams told CMC Sports the side was a well-balanced one and was the best the selectors could do in the absence of four key players.

The trio of Rayad Emrit, Dave Mohammed and Kieron Pollard will be on duty with the Stanford Super Stars team while Dwayne Bravo is recovering from ankle surgery.

Four players who are yet to represent T&T at Twenty20 level have also been selected on the team, including Amit Jaggernauth, Ravi Rampaul, Rishi Bachan and Darren Bravo.

“The four newcomers have the potential to step up as they have played the shorter version of the game so well in the trial matches,” Williams said.

 

IAAF Ratifies Bolt’s Records

 

MONTE-CARLO, Monaco, CMC – The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) last Friday ratified the impressive sprint world records the Jamaican Usain Bolt delivered at the Olympic Games in Beijing this past summer.

The IAAF confirmed that Bolt’s efforts of 9.69 seconds in the 100 metres and his 19.30 seconds in 200, in addition to Jamaica’s men’s sprint relay run of 37.10 seconds, were officially endorsed as new world marks.
Other world marks from Beijing by Russians Yelena Isinbayeva and Gulnara Galkina-Samitova were also ratified.

In the men’s Olympic 100-metre final on August 16, Bolt scored a sensational victory – celebrating with open arms sliced 0.03 seconds off his own mark of 9.72 seconds.

In another awesome performance, Bolt smashed Michael Johnson’s formidable 12-year-old record of 19.32 seconds with his clocking of 19.30 on August 20.

Two days later, Bolt ran a blistering third leg while joining Asafa Powell, Michael Frater and Nesta Carter as the Jamaicans chopped three-tenths of a second off the USA’s previous world mark of 37.40 seconds.

Isinbayeva improved her women’s pole vault world record from 5.04 metres to 5.05 metres in Beijing and this achievement was also ratified along with Galkina-Samitova’s 3,000-metre steeplechase mark of eight minutes 58.81 seconds, lowering her own previous mark of 9:01.59.

Williams Believes She Could Have Won 400m Gold

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Jamaica’s Olympic 400-metre silver medalist Shericka Williams believes her Beijing success could have been greater if she had not mistimed her run in the final.

Williams landed silver in the women’s one-lap event in a personal best 49. 69 seconds behind Great Britain’s Christine Ohuruogu (49.62) and ahead of favourite Sanya Richards of United States (49.93). She, however, agrees with the assessment of her coach, Stephen Francis, that a mistimed run may have cost her the gold medal.“I should have started to run from the 120m-150m mark,” Williams admitted. “...When I entered the straight in fifth or sixth position, I knew I did not run the race the way I should,” she said.

 Having found herself in that position though, Williams says she held her composure.  “I knew Sanya was the only person with a faster 200m PB (personal best) than I, so I knew once I sprinted my last 100m I would beat them,” added Williams, who has a 200m PB of 22.50. “... And that’s what coach told me to do, ‘make sure you run the last 60m-70m of your race very hard ... keep on form and you can run past all of those girls’; and that’s what I did,” continued   Williams. 

Williams added that she could not be ungrateful because no one had expected her to medal. “I have to be thankful, because everyone expected Novlene Williams (her teammate, who failed to make the final) to finish behind Sanya,” said added.Williams, who returned to the island last Saturday was welcomed home with a motorcade and celebration in Appleton, St. Elizabeth last Sunday. National 100-metre hurdles record holder Brigitte Foster-Hylton, a finalist in her event at the Olympics, and Nesta Carter, who ran the lead-off leg on Jamaica’s record breaker men’s 4x100-metre team, also arrived home with Williams.

 

Football T&T Edwards Completes Wolves Loan Transfer
 

TYNE AND WEAR, England, CMC – Injury-plagued Trinidad & Tobago winger Carlos Edwards has joined Championship division Wolverhampton Wanderers on a three-month loan from Premiership club Sunderland.
The pacy midfielder, who has been beset by a string of injuries since his arrival at the north-east England club, has not started a single Premiership match for Sunderland this season though he came off the bench against Liverpool in a 1-0 loss at home.

Sunderland manager Roy Keane had hinted last week that a couple of offers had come in for the 30-year old and he had been willing to listen to them.

“There has been interest in Carlos and I’ll have a chat with him,” Keane said recently.

Edwards, who turns 30 this month, arrived at Sunderland during the January transfer window last year in a £2.5 million move from Championship division Luton.

He helped the club to promotion but a hamstring injury at the start of the Premiership season in August and a broken leg on his return to action, all but ruined his first season in the top flight.

Keane’s signings during the off-season significantly decreased Edwards’ chances of first team action, leading to his loan to Wolves. Edwards is one of three Trinidadian internationals at Sunderland, with Dwight Yorke and Kenwyne Jones being the others.

Wolves are currently at the top of the Championship division table following a rollicking start to the new season.