Windies Seek Change Of Luck
West Indies open their five-match One-Day Inter-national (ODI) series against Australia here today hoping to break a worrying trend of losses against the powerful tourists.
Yesterday, the side put the finishing touches on their preparation for the 9:30 a.m. (Eastern Caribbean time) encounter at the Arnos Vale Stadium, confident they can strike first blood in the series.
However, the Windies will have history against them as they have failed to get the better of Australia in their last 10 ODIs dating back four years.
Two years ago Down Under, they lost their five-match series 4-0, and back in 2008 in the Caribbean they were swept 5-0.
Despite the enormity of the task ahead of West Indies, captain Darren Sammy said the confidence in the side would play a crucial role.
"We have to believe we have it in us to win. We will look to hit the ground running and start the series on a winning note," Sammy said.
"Arnos Vale has been a good venue for us. The last time we played here we won the matches and we enjoyed the crowd support from the fans here, and the atmosphere at this venue is always superb."
He added: "We are playing against the Australians, and everyone knows they are a good team ... a very competitive team. But we are focusing on us and what we have to do.
"We have a young team but we are a team hungry for success. They are several young players in the squad, who are new to the international stage."
Experience could also be a key factor in the series as Sammy leads a relatively novice group, with all-rounder and vice-captain Dwayne Bravo the most seasoned campaigner in the side with 117 matches.
Seam options
While West Indies will look to his experience, they will also pull on the talent of elegant left-hander Darren Bravo, the resurgent Marlon Samuels and the big-hitting Kieron Pollard to boost the batting.
In the bowling, West Indies will miss speedster Fidel Edwards and the ill Ravi Rampaul but will look to recalled pacer Tino Best, fellow Barbadian speedster Kemar Roach and Sammy himself to provide seam options.
Mystery off-spinner Sunil Narine and leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo will provide support with their slow stuff.
Australia, meanwhile, have been hit by the loss of seamers Ben Hilfenhaus and James Pattinson who have both been ruled out of today's game.
Hilfenhaus is down with a virus while Pattinson has not yet recovered from the injury he arrived with.
This means veteran campaigner Brett Lee and Clint McKay will lead the pace attack, with captain Shane Watson and Dan Christian chipping in.
Australia are mulling over playing both left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty and off-spinner Nathan Lyon in today's opener, a move Watson said he was keen on.
"They have a chance because they did a brilliant job in the last game in Adelaide especially," Watson told reporters.
"For me as a captain it gives me plenty of options when you do have two spinners of that quality."
WEST INDIES (from) Darren Sammy (captain), Dwayne Bravo (vice-captain), Carlton Baugh, Tino Best, Devendra Bisho, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, André Russell, Marlon Samuels.
AUSTRALIA (from) Shane Watson (captain), George Bailey, Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, Peter Forrest, Brad Haddin, Ben Hilfenhaus, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Nathan Lyon, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Matthew Wade, David Warner.
--CMC
DOLPHIN DOMINO TOURNAMENT IN TCI CONTINUES
The Dolphins Domino Tournament sponsored by “the bigger better network,” Digicel welcomed team Fishermen to the league as they took on the Strikers.
The competition was close from the onset as it appeared that no team despite little runs here and there could have taken full control of the game. At the half both teams hurdled together in search of a solution as the score was deadlock at 46.
The second half commenced and nothing seem to have changed until the last 8 minute of the game, when the Strikers pulled away slightly and was able to hold on to win by 7 with the final score 86 to 93.
It appears that home court does have its advantages, and despite the efforts of the Fishermen, they just simply could not find the right bait to wheel in the Strikers, after all they should know that you can’t fish with slop when the bait of chose is sprat.
The next game is scheduled for tomorrow Saturday (March 17) at the Tigers Club at 7 pm, where the defending champs the Mighty Dolphins will be taking on the red hot Eunice Lodge.
SEMI FINALS FOR PABA March 23rd,2012
It was only last Friday night that the Lions beat the Police 98 - 78.
K. Doughty of the(Police) scored 23 pts, had 9 rebounds, 5 assists. Lathario Harvey had 18 pts, 6 assts. Damian Seymour of the (lions) scored 23 pts, 7 rebs, 7 assts during that game
he had 12 steals. Kino Williams also had a great game scoring 25 pts and had 6 rebounds. In Game 2. the Knights beat the Predators 71 - 67. Saundro Jermain(Knights)had an impressive 23 points,21 rebs and 7 steals. Tamauri Lightbourne 12 pts,5 rebs, 5 assts.
Meanwhile Roger Martinez of the (Predators) scored 17 pts and had 8 steals. Troy Saunders had 22 pts, 11 rebounds. On Saturday Night the Lions beat Police 109 - 80. Damian Seymour of the (lions)scored 38 pts, 9 rebs, 9 stls his partner Kino Williams scored 25 pts, 4 assts. K. Doughty of the (Police)scored 24 pts and had 16 rebs while Lathario Harvey scored 18 pts,6 assts. In Game 2 on Saturday, the Knights defeated the Predators 93 – 62. S. Jermain of the(Knights) scored 22 pts with 9 rebs. Roger Martinez(predators)scored 23 pts and 7 steals. The Knights and Lions have now advanced to the P.A.B.A Semi Finals after winning the best of 3 series. The game to watch will be the Knights vs South Caicos and Flyers vs Lions in a best of five series, which is set to begin March 23rd.
SOUTH CAICOS BASKETBALL LEAGUE CONTINUES
The SOUTH CAICOS AMATEUR BASKETBALL LEAGUE continues in the Big South. In games played last weekend MARCH 10TH,2012
THE YOUNG GUNZ went up against THE CANNUCKS but in the end the final score was YOUNG GUNZ-98, and THE CANNUCKS-83
YOUNG GUNZ
(1) Corelle Cox,10pts,6assist,3steals,5rebounds,3blocks
(2) Giltrivio Jennings,21pts,1assist,5steals,4rebounds
(3) Markenly Cox,29pts,1assist,3steals,15rebounds,1block
(4) Valdez Thomas,10pts,1assist,2steals,21rebounds,3blocks
(5) Willis Ingham,18pts,1assist,4steals,8rebounds
THE CANNUCKS
(1) Corey Kelly,11pts
(2) Conrad Kennedy,20pts,1steal,24rebounds,1block
(3) Jay Walkin,30pts,4assist,3steals,2rebounds
IN GAME 2 ALSO PLAYED ON MARCH 10TH,2012 THE HB BULLS TOOK ON TEAM SHOTTAS. THE HB BULLS SCORED 82 BEATING TEAM SHOTTAS-68
HB BULLS
(1) Camiko Lewis,21pts,7assist,4steals,9rebounds,1block
(2) Delano Fulford,22pts,1assist,4steals,17rebounds,1block
(3) Kivarno Handfield,14pts,2assist,1steal,10rebounds
TEAM SHOTTAS
(1) Corderro Seymour,17pts,1assist,1steal,7rebounds
(2) Chenson Seymour,20pts,1assist,1steal,11rebounds,1block
(3) Dondre Taylor,18pts,3assist,2steals,8rebounds
(4) Ammethe Cox,11pts,5rebounds
CURRENTLY THE POINTS STANDINGS ARE:
HB BULLS 4-1
THE CANNUCKS 3-2
YOUNG GUNZ 2-3
TEAM SHOTTAS 1-4
HB Bulls will play Young Guns at 7:30pm tomorrow night and on Sunday evening Team Shottas will meet the Cunnicks at 6;30pm. Stay with RTC Sports we will have those results for you.
Whitney Houston's daughter: 'I can always feel her'
Whitney Houston's only child opened up Sunday about her late mother in her first interview since the singer's death last month.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, 19, told Oprah Winfrey she can still hear her mother's voice sometimes and feel her spirit, urging her to "keep moving."
"She's always with me. I can always feel her," Brown said during the interview that aired on Winfrey's network, OWN.
On the same show, Winfrey also spoke to Houston's sister-in-law and friend, Patricia Houston, and her brother, Gary Houston.
Whitney Houston, 48, died February 11 in her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, the day before the music industry gathered for the Grammys in Los Angeles.
The famed singer won six Grammys and sold 170 million albums, singles and videos during her career. But in recent years, her struggles with drug addiction overshadowed her accomplishments.
When asked whether she feared drugs would one day take her friend, Patricia Houston told Winfrey she "would be kidding" to say otherwise. "The handwriting was kind of on the wall."
Recently, she said, she observed Houston "chasing a dream, looking for love in all the wrong places."
Houston was married to singer Bobby Brown from 1992 until 2007. Bobbi Kristina was born in 1993.
"I'm her daughter. I gotta keep moving. I gotta carry on her legacy. ... I still have a voice," Brown told Winfrey.
Whitney Houston toxicology reports pending
The grief comes in waves still, Brown said, and sometimes it doesn't seem real that her mother is gone.
"I'm getting through it. I'm doing as good as I possibly can," she said. "Just trying to keep going."
Sources close to the investigation into the singer's death told CNN on Friday that officials were looking to speak with her daughter before closing the case. They said it was unclear whether Bobbi Kristina would agree to be interviewed.
She was interviewed briefly by Beverly Hills police the day her mother died, but she was too distraught to offer helpful information, the sources said. She was taken twice to a Los Angeles hospital briefly after her mother's death, a source close to the family said last month.
Investigators have wrapped up the logistical part of their inquiry by having contacted all physicians and pharmacies with ties to Houston, and nothing so far appears criminal, the sources said.
Authorities are reviewing additional medical information that will be used in the final ruling on cause of death, and Houston's toxicology report should be complete "on or around" March 23, the sources said.
Last month, officials with the Los Angeles County coroner's office said the singer's body had no visible signs of trauma and foul play wasn't suspected. Her cause of death was listed as "deferred," officials said.
More official details on the investigation haven't been released because the Beverly Hills Police Department was granted a "security hold" on the case, the coroner's office said. Common in high-profile cases, the hold restricts the release of information.
Authorities have said that police and fire officials were called to Houston's hotel room after her unconscious body was found in the bathtub, just hours before she was to attend a pre-Grammy party.
A coroner official last month downplayed the suspicion that drugs had played a major role in Houston's death.
Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said that "not many prescription bottles" were found in the singer's hotel room.
"I know there are reports that she maybe was drowned or did she overdose, but we won't make a final determination until all the tests are in," he said last month.
--CNN
Akon Countersues Construction Company over Unpaid Bill
Akon is not backing down from a construction company who is suing him over an unpaid bill.
Jay Poorak, who runs Southern Electric, has sued the star over claims he failed to settle a $51,000 bill for renovations on his Georgia mansion.
The singer has just filed a countersuit, alleging he was overcharged for poor workmanship. He claims much of the work on his home was carried out without his permission and without a price agreement.
He also claims the work was a disaster and he was charged $150,000 for a job which was only worth $33,660, according to TMZ.
The singer is suing to regain some of the money he has already paid and for damages from allegations of slander.
John Carter tops UK box office
Disney's sci-fi film John Carter has debuted at number one on the UK box office chart, despite lukewarm reviews.
The movie, which had a disappointing opening in the US, made an estimated £2.1m according to Screen Daily.
It pushed The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, in which a group of retired Britons travel to India, to number two.
Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' galactic adventurer, John Carter took $30.6m (£19.6m) at the US box office. It reportedly cost $250m (£160m) to make.
Starring Taylor Kitsch, John Carter has been panned by many critics. USA Today branded it "bloated, dreary and humorless".
Movie review website Rotten Tomatoes suggested that audiences were more positive than critics about the movie, with 72% of their users saying they liked the film.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was just behind John Carter on the UK chart, with takings of £2m. The film, which stars Dame Judi Dench, has now made more than £11m at the domestic box office.
Woman in Black fell one place to number three with £1.14m in ticket sales over the last week.
Hammer's adaptation of Susan Hill's ghost story has made a total of £19.5m since its release.
This Means War took £1.08m in its second weekend, putting it in fourth position.
The action comedy, about two spies who fall in love with Reese Witherspoon, was the highest new entry last week at number three.
Action thriller Safe House rounded out the top five, taking £850,000.
UK Box Office Top Five
- 1. John Carter - £2.1m
- 2. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - £2m
- 3. The Woman in Black - £1.14m
- 4. This Means War - £1.08m
- 5. Safe House - £850,000
Source: Screen Daily
Reggae Sumfest set for July 15-21
ORGANISERS of Reggae Sumfest — the Jamaica's premier reggae music festival — have announced that this year's event is to be staged from July 15-21 at Catherine Hall in Montego Bay.
Robert Russell, director of Summerfest Productions, which organises the event, says this year they will be pulling out all the stops for the festival, as, in addition to the Jamaica 50 celebrations, Reggae Sumfest is celebrating 20 years.
"This year will be a signature year," Russell tells the Observer. "We are going all out to ensure that our patrons have a great show. We are going after a few big names, but of course, I cannot make any announcements at this time as we are still in negotiations, and divulging the names at this time could affect the deals," he says.
Over the past 20 years, Reggae Sumfest has been graced by an extensive list of both local and foreign acts. The list of locals reads like a virtual who's who of the reggae/dancehall fraternity and includes Damian Marley, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Mavado and Vybz Kartel.
When asked to name his top act over the years, Russell noted that it was hard to single out one performer.
"There have been so many great performers that I can't narrow it down to one. However, standouts have included Destiny's Child, Lionel Richie and Usher," he says.
Amidst the plans for the Jamaica 50 and Sumfest's 20th edition of the festival, the promoters are making an appeal to the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) — owners and operators of the Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex — to make necessary improvements to the venue, which has been home to Reggae Sumfest since its inception.
"With this year being such a big year, it is critical that the UDC looks towards upgrading and expanding the facility," Russell says.
Two years ago, continuous rainfall and poor drainage, left the venue waterlogged and threatened to disrupt the festival.
Vybz Kartel Penned Poem "Guilty before trial"
Vybz Kartel continues to proclaim his innocence behind bars. With the help of University of The West Indies professor, Carolyn Cooper, Kartel has released two letters to the public, via the Jamaica Gleaner.
Kartel who is facing murder, drug and obstruction of justice charges believes he is presumed guilty even before being tried, as law enforcement is using the media to tarnish his reputation.
Vybz Kartel also issued excerpts from his book, Voice of the Jamaican Ghetto, proclaiming his innocence while aiming to distinguish his controversial on stage persona from his off stage demeanor.
Part 2 of the letter was published on Sunday in the Jamaica Gleaner, along with a poem written by Kartel......
Conclusion of Adidja Palmer's letter
"Ms Cooper, please publish this letter so that the Jamaican people can see my point of view on this serious matter as my life depends on the outcome of this case.
"In closing I would like to let the people know that i am an innocent man and i have faith in my lawyers and know that i will be acquitted. Thank you. Sincerely yours Adidja Palmer.
P.S. I have enclosed a poem i wrote. feel free to publish it as well. Thanks Ms C."
(A poem) Guilty before trial?
by A. Palmer
The police have found me guilty and i haven't gone to trial yet,but they spread propoganda on T.V. & internet
Dem a beat it in the people's mind that i'm guilty and deserve death,but the public knows how the police operate, so mi nah fret.
So many people in court for allegedly taking 4, 5, 6 pickney life,
So how they don't discuss that on 'CVM at sunrise'?
Allegations of extra judicial killings by security forces have already been issue,but i've never seen them on t.v. so much, talking about that, did you?
Me never kill nobody yet but they say my music breeds crime,that's why they're on my case they want me imprisoned long time.
I am an artiste so i know things will make the news,but don't crusade this ungodly way to distort peoples views.
Mi swear my innocence before all mankind and God,why would i risk going to jail Leaving behind 7 children, after mi nuh mad.
I am not the first manThe romans soldiers have sacrificed,like me, that man was not guilty That man was Jesus Christ.
Haiti: UN peacekeepers sentenced for raping teenage boy
A Pakistani military tribunal has convicted two United Nations peacekeepers for raping a 14-year-old Haitian boy.
UN spokeswoman Sylvie Van Den Wildenberg said judges from a Pakistani military tribunal came to Haiti to hold the trial that resulted in the conviction last week of the peacekeepers from Pakistan.
They were found guilty in the rape of the boy in the northern city of Gonaives on January 20.
Haitian Justice Minister, Michel Brunache called the verdict for the two Pakistanis a "small" step in the right direction.
"We expected more from the UN and the Pakistani government, but now we want to focus on the proper reparation that the victim deserves," Brunache said.
The two unidentified soldiers were summarily discharged from the military and sentenced to a year behind bars in their homeland.
UN officials said it is the first time that members of the UN military on deployment in Haiti have been tried and sentenced within its borders.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission has faced a growing image problem in Haiti, with some of its members accused of responsibility for introducing a deadly cholera epidemic in earthquake-stricken country in 2010.
Several peacekeepers have also been accused of rape in cases that have fuelled public protests and demands that members of the UN force be stripped of their immunity and face trial in Haitian courts.
--AP