Last Post? My Favourite Sporting Moments

In this post, which may well be the last for my Class Project, I will reflect on my five favourite sporting moments to date. I am just 21 years of age so my favourite moments would not go far back. In fact my five favourite moments have all been within the past decade or so, therefore I trust that you will be familiar.

My favourite sports are cricket, football and athletics; and these very sporting disciplines make up my Top 5 Sporting Moments. This top 5 showcases some outstanding feats accomplished by sons of the soil and also the wider Caribbean. I hope you enjoy my Top 5 and I'm certain that one (or two) of these is fond in your memory as well.

5. Keshorn Walcott's Gold Medal Javelin Throw

Gold Medalist Keshorn Walcott shows off his new jewelry
Photo Courtesy Getty Images

This could have probably been higher given that we share a surname and all but Keshorn's outstanding effort at the 2012 London Olympics comes in at 5. This feat was made all the more incredible to me because Keshorn was still a junior and at the time was the World Junior Champ in the Javelin. This was not enough success for the Toco native though as his 84.58 metre throw topped his more experienced competitors and saw him capturing the second Olympic Gold Medal in this country's history. He shattered many records with his gigantic toss which included the national record mark for the Men's Javelin event, a mark which he has since increased to a staggering 85.77 metres. He also became the youngest Javelin Gold Medalist at the Olympics (aged 19 years, 131 days) and the first athlete to be the Junior and Olympic champ in the same year.                                                                                                                      


4. Brian Lara's Record Breaking 400 not out vs England

The Prince of Port of Spain rightfully reclaimed his record of having the highest individual score in a Test match innings when he battered the English bowling attack on a placid Antigua Recreational Ground pitch in April 2004. Lara's feat came some 10 years after his record breaking 375 against the same opposition and at the same venue; someone say deja vu? Australian opening batsman Matthew Hayden had eclipsed Lara's 375 just months earlier but the classy left-hander was not having it. He put a torrid tour for himself and his West Indies team behind him with the groundbreaking effort, an effort which still stands untouched to this day. I was not witness to his 277 or his 501, so this 400 not out will have to do.

                                     Here is just a sample of what the 'Prince' did to England
                                     Video Taken from Youtube


3. Richard Thompson's Olympic Silver Medal in the 100m

Thompson's silver medal effort at the Beijing Olympics ranks a high third. The Men's 100 metre dash is probably the event that I show the keenest interest in when it comes to athletics, and even more so for the Olympic Games. "Thorpedo" bettered the likes of former world record holders Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay en route to his 9.89 (personal best at the time) second place finish in a final which was one by Usain Bolt. I think it's one of my favorite moments since I've always longed to see a Trini win Olympic Gold in one of the sprint events. Thompson did not get the gold but he was dang close; two tenths of a second close. The guy who beat him doesn't seem human anyway.

                                     
                                           Running against Bolt isn't even fair
                                           Video put together by Fraser Cairnduff



2. West Indies Champions Trophy Triumph in 2004

This was not too long after Lara's amazing 400* so West Indian fans had a lot to be happy about, and about time too. The West Indies cricket team had not won a trophy for over two decades and all I had known up to this point was heartache and teary eyes. Well the Bajan duo of Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw changed this when they dug the Windies out of a dicey situation at The Oval in England to upset the hosts. West Indies was batting 147 for 8 when the pair came together at the crease, still some 71 runs away from victory. I still had an inkling of hope at the time. The veteran pair turned that hope into unimaginable joy as they battled and toiled hard in the dimming evening light to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Bradshaw even borrowed a classic Lara cover-drive to seal the win.

Bradshaw and Browne celebrate to Alex Wharf's displeasure
Photo Courtesy Getty Images

1. T&T's qualification for the 2006 World Cup in Germany

This of course had to be Number 1

There are many fond memories from the "Soca Warriors" qualifying campaign for the 2006 football World Cup. However the one that stands out the most in my memory is the majestic header by the Dennis Lawrence against Bahrain which made this country's dreams of playing in a World Cup more than just a fantasy. The 6' 6" defender used all of his long frame to meet Dwight Yorke's corner and head into the Bahrain goal to cement his county's place in World Cup football history.
                               
                                                            Lawrence books the ticket to Germany
                                                                   Video taken from Youtube
                                                         

The other moments that should not be forgotten in the campaign include Chris Birchall's thunderous goal in the first leg of this very tie; Stern John's double vs Mexico to keep qualification hopes alive; and Kelvin Jack's stupendous stoppage time save in the second leg against Bahrain that helped secure that qualification spot.

My mum was fortunate enough to see the drama unfold in Germany as the "Soca Warriors" left an impression on the World. She brought back some souvenirs with her as well.

The Warriors line up for kickoff vs Paraguay in the final group match.
Photo courtesy Claudette Noel

Two Honourable Mentions are West Indies' triumph in the T20 World Cup in 2012 which was done in Gangnam Style and Paul Scholes' screamer vs Barcelona in the 2008 Champions League semi-final which paved the way for my team Manchester United to win it all in the final. What a goal though!

I have a feeling that December 2nd could provide many locals with another fond sporting memory. 

What do you think?

What are your favourite sporting moments?

Warriors escape to final with draw

The "Soca Warriors" advanced to the final of this year's edition of the Caribbean Cup after a goalless draw with Cuba at the Montego Bay Sport Complex in Jamaica last night. The defending champions Cuba needed a victory heading into the Group A match in order to top T&T in the group standings and then qualify for the final but that did not happen. This edition of the Caribbean Cup has no semi-final round and the teams that top the two groups will meet in a final instead. The "Warriors" did that honor last night and will now face either Haiti or the host Jamaica in Tuesday's final.

After a relatively good start to the game in the first five or so minutes, the "Warriors" backline began to look sluggish and invited the Cubans onto them. The Cuban front trio of Yoandir Puga, Ariel Martinez and Armando Curoneaux linked up to dangerous effect and the latter came close to scoring on a couple of occasions. First in the 8th minute Curoneaux was played in on goal by Puga after some nice play down the the left hand side but the speedy attacker failed to bend his shot around the big frame of Jan-Michael Williams. He forced Williams into action again eight minutes later after receiving a ball over the top of the two T&T central defenders but his stinging shot was palmed away for a corner.

Curoneaux and Cuba could count themselves really unlucky for not being awarded a penalty in the 22nd minute as Curoneaux again found himself beyond the defense but this time he was impeded in his progress by T&T defender Carlyle Mitchell; no foul given (it should have been though). This was just a small part of the shaky showing by Mitchell and his defensive partner Yohance Marshall on the night as the pair was prone to errors for much of the match.

Taking no prisoners: Mitchell in Caribbean Cup action in 2012.
Photo credit: Allan V. Crane

T&T's first real chance of the game, and quite possibly the best one fell to captain Kenwyne Jones in the 33rd minute. The burly Cardiff City striker was however unable to direct his header on goal after meeting a Cordell Cato corner. Kenwyne's namesake Joevin Jones had a crack at goal himself just moments later but the  utility player failed to cap off his neat one-two with Ataulla Guerra with a shot on target.

The second half was far less exciting than the first as both teams dropped their tempo considerably and seemed to be playing for a draw, a result which would see both through to next year's Gold Cup. Cuba's danger trio weren't as menacing as before, and that could be understood given that it was the third game the teams were playing in five days.

Referee Trevor Taylor probably had a tougher job than most in the second half as he tried his utmost it seems to keep 22 players on the pitch. Cuba's Alberto Gomez was a fortunate man to stay on the field following his dangerous sliding tackle that left T&T's diminutive Leston Paul riving in agony in the 63rd minute. Taylor had to have his wits about him again in the 75th minute as things threatened to escalate between T&T's skipper Jones and defender Renay Malblanche after the Cuban defender was a bit too aggressive for Jones' liking. No cards were shown in this incident.

As the game drew closer to an end both teams looked to have settled for the nil all result and were just casually knocking the ball around, but maybe a bit too casual. Mitchell under hit a back pass to Williams in the T&T goal and Martinez looked certain to get on the end of it but was tugged back by the "Warrior" just outside the box. With Mitchell being the last man this surely had to be a red card, but to Mitchell's relief the card that flashed before him was yellow.

                             Highlights of T&T's victory over Curacao in the Caribbean Cup opener.
                                                           Video by: TTFA

With the game already into stoppage time Martinez was left with a glorious chance to win in it all for his team but his left-footed free kick was easily dealt with by the composed Williams. Goalless it finished then and the "Warriors" had ousted the defending champs, though not convincingly.

Will coach Stephen Hart go with this same centre-back pairing in the final come Tuesday? I highly doubt it.

St. Anthony's flatten QRC in Intercol action

St. Anthony’s College rebounded from their Big Four disappoint eleven days ago to come away with a comfortable 4-1 win over QRC in Intercol action in Westmoorings yesterday. The ‘Tigers’ were not at their fluent best against the recently promoted Royalians but still created and converted enough to please their home fans. Talisman Matthew Woo Ling was available again after serving a suspension and his mere presence uplifted the ‘Tigers’ attack which lacked potency in that pivotal Big Four decider against Naparima College.

It was Woo Ling’s lofted 25^th minute corner which provided the route for St. Anthony’s opening item as lanky midfielder Denzil Woods stole in at the back post to head in unchallenged past QRC custodian Jadel Poon Lewis. Poon Lewis saw the ball headed into the back of his net in the very next minute but he would have been relieved to hear the whistle of referee Ishmael Mohammed who blew for an offside against Kwesi ‘‘Jep’’ Allen.

There was no such help for the QRC backline just moments later though as Seth Knight was adjudged to have fouled the Premier Division’s top scorer Allen following a Woo ling corner. ‘‘Jep’’ took the penalty himself and dispatched it to make it 2-nil to the ‘Tigers’ in the 30^th minute.

The Royalians offered very little by way of goalmouth threat during the first half and most of their attention was paid to the dangerous duo of Allen and Woo Ling. The strongly built Joshua Prescott looked like the man who was placed with the task of disrupting the ‘Tigers’ play through the middle, and that he tried, sometimes too rough for the liking of the home faithful.

The QRC coaching staff give a stern talk to the team at half time

Despite this, St.Anthony’s made it three in the 48^th minute as Woods turned provider for Woo Ling. Woods cushioned a lovely right-sided cross into the path of Woo Ling who beat the offside trap before coolly applying his finishing touch; it was like a training ground move and the muted celebration reflected that. QRC probably should have pulled a goal back in the 57^th minute but striker Joash Williams failed to keep his header down after he was able to steal some precious yards in the opposing box, much to the displeasure of coach Nigel Grosvenor.

The ‘Tigers’ went on to put the result beyond all reasonable doubt in the 74^th minute when Allen sent a glancing header past Poon Lewis. Woo Ling’s set piece delivery was again the cause of QRC’s demise as they failed to deal with another one of the national youth player’s left-footed crosses.

Matthew Woo Long ominously stands over a dead ball

QRC’s Williams somewhat made up for his earlier miss in the 76^th as he sent ‘Tigers’ goalie Carlton Alfonso the wrong way from the penalty spot after being fouled in the area. This goal would be all the Royalians had to celebrate on the day however and they definitely would be hoping for some better fortune when they come up against the ‘big boys’ in the Premier division next season.

St. Anthony’s on the other hand will be doing battle with East Mucurapo Secondary in the North Zone Intercol Semis come next week Tuesday. 

Naparima reigns supreme

Naparima College clinched the BGTT/First Citizens Big Four title on Saturday with a 2-2 draw with St. Anthony's College at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella. 'Naps' just needed to avoid defeat to capture their second trophy of the season, and they did exactly that. There were some nervous tension among the 'Naps' faithful when 'Tigers' striker Kwesi Allen bundled in a goal in the last minute of stoppage time.However, that tension was soon turned into euphoria when the match announcer reassured the crowd that the game would not go to extra time or penalty kicks since it was indeed a 'league game' in this new Big Four format. This therefore meant that 'Naps' won the title by having a superior goal difference to their Westmooring opponents.
Initially, it did not look like Naparima would need goal difference or the match announcer to secure the Big Four title as they were able to establish a 2-nil lead within the first ten minutes. First in the 5th minute, midfielder Akinola Gregory smoothly jinked past a number of half-hearted St. Anthony's challenges before placing his right-footed shoot beyond the reach of Carlton Alfonso in the 'Tigers' goal. Alfonso was made to pick up the ball from the back of the net just two minutes later as National Under-20 striker Nicholas Dillon beat him easily after being played through on goal. I for one thought that Naparima would run away with this game given their unbelievable start, but I was wrong. St. Anthony's pulled a goal back in the very next minute as their defensive midfielder Leon Whlye nudged in a loose ball after the Naparima defenders failed to deal with a corner.
It was anybody's guess as to how the game would go from here on; and my guess was that at least four more goals would be scored but I was left hugely disappointed on that front.
Naparima's star player Jabari Mitchell showed some glimpses of coming to life but but looked intent on trying his luck from long range. He found Alfonso to be a very good match when he had his stinging long range effort palmed over the bar in the 31st minute. He was then able to escape the finger tips of the St. Anthony's custodian with a free kick just before half time but his his curling shot just would not dip in time. At the other end Akeem Awong was a bit underworked in the 'Naps' goal as the absence of St. Anthony's talisman Matthew Woo-Ling told heavily. Woo-Ling must have been regretting his earlier booking as he had to endure this decisive clash from the stands.
St. Anthony's started the second half in the same vein 'Naps' started the first but the telling difference was that there was no end product. Their coach Nigel Grovsenor made his intentions clear when he brought on striker Andrew Rullow to replace wide player Jules Lee in the 48th minute. Rullow left his coach and supporters alike cursing their luck in the 53rd minute though as he somehow managed an 'air shot' with the goal at his mercy. His strike partner Allen almost redeemed him just seconds later but his powerful shot rippled the side netting.

'Naps' were now reeling and probably had Rullow to thank for maintaining their one-goal advantage. The lanky striker looked a sure bet to score in the 65th minute but again failed to find the net, this time hitting his shot straight at Awong after being played through one-on-one. Allen on the other hand continued to look dangerous and would have scored if not for an alert Awong in the 'Naps' goal. The 'Tigers' top goalscorer could not add to his tally as he saw his venomous left-footed effort well saved by the 'Naps' goalie who was having a solid game.
The game inched closer and closer to the final whistle and 'Naps' looked as though they had dealt with the Tigers' wrath. Their coach Angus Eve chopped and changed as he sought to protect his team's advantage, taking off the two goalscorers in the process.
The 90 minutes were now up and it was just a matter of time before referee Cecile Hinds blew her whistle for the final time. She was made to wait a bit however as that man Kwesi 'Jep' Allen was finally able to find the back of the net. An ill-advised back pass in Naparima's final third led to a mad scramble in the area where the 'Tigers' swarmed the box and in the end Allen was the one that squeezed his shot through the crowd.

Naparima captain Amritt Gidharry holds poses with the Big Four trophy. 

Allen's goal was the last scoring action in the game and it meant that Naps' ten minute burst in the first half had just about done the trick for them. 'Naps' have now won the Premier Division title and the Big Four this season and I definitely would not put an Intercol triumph beyond them.