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Under a Jamaican cloud
Fazeer Mohammed
Wednesday, November 21st 2007
FACING THE MEDIA: Trinidad and Tobago netball coach Grace Parkinson Griffith addresses the media on Monday at Piarco International Airport following the "Calypso Girls'" return from the World Netball Championships in New Zealand. Also in photo is T&T captain Rhonda John Davis, second from right. T&T finished 11th at the competition. We've grown accustomed to their domination in athletics, but the Jamaicans seem to have our number across the board these days.
From Cave Hill to Auckland, Nassau to Macoya, teams from the largest of the English-speaking Caribbean islands have gained prominence at our expense over the past three weeks. It may just be a coincidence, but these recent results should give us cause to pause and at least contemplate on what our regional brethren are doing to give them the edge.
It all started in the KFC Cup final, where Chris Gayle led his men to an upset 28-run victory over a Trinidad and Tobago team that betrayed more than just a touch of complacency on the way to surrendering the premier title in regional limited-over cricket. The defending champions may argue that is was more a case of their losing the match than the Jamaicans winning it, but the evidence of that Sunday evening in Barbados was that a team starved of success had greater determination and desire than opponents who have become increasingly familiar with lifting trophies in the last three seasons after a long time in the wilderness.
True champions never really lose their competitive edge, although they may be prone to the very occasional off-day. Australia have just completed their 14th consecutive Test match victory. Despite the considerable challenges of Arsenal and Chelsea, Manchester United remain the most consistently dominant force in the 15 seasons since the advent of the English Premier League.
And after suggestions that he was lacking the competitive edge in an opening round defeat, tennis' undisputed world number one Roger Federer brushed aside David Ferrer in the Masters Cup final in Shanghai last Sunday for his fourth hold on the season-ending trophy to add to the small matter of three more Grand Slam titles this year.
But back to the Trinidad and Tobago versus Jamaica thing.
While they never met face-to-face at the World Netball Championships, the gap in class between the two teams is obviously as wide as the distance between our two territories on the evidence of the results in New Zealand.
For the second consecutive tournament, the Jamaicans claimed third spot behind the ever-present top two of Australia and New Zealand. In contrast, our squad slipped one rung further down the rankings ladder to 11th, prompting the immediate resignation of coach Grace Parkinson-Griffith.
At least team captain Rhonda John-Davis was candid enough on their return home on Monday to admit that her side made too many mistakes, although the explanation offered by Netball Association president Austrid Rochford about the national players struggling in the cold conditions reinforces the opinion that the local administration remains out of touch with the developing trends in international netball and therefore has little to offer by way of charting a course back to the upper echelons of the sport.
Making excuses now after all that confident pre-tournament talk about being well prepared rings very hollow. If they're serious, let's hear about the planning-at least for the next four years-and whether or not the position of technical director, now that the contract of Australian Sharon Finnan has ended, will remain vacant until a year before the next World Championships in Singapore.
We enjoy spouting off how naturally talented we are, especially when it comes to football, and there is ample evidence to support that boasting in the number of nationals playing professionally abroad, Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones being the leading light at the moment. Yet last Friday's victory by the Jamaicans of Harbour View over TT Pro League champions Joe Public in the final of the Caribbean Cup at the Marvin Lee Stadium is yet another timely reminder that skill and flair may be exciting to behold, but the less attractive intangibles of determination and purpose are more likely to bring success.
While our senior national team remains idle, the Jamaicans are making full use of the current one-week window for international competition. They hammered El Salvador 3-0 three days ago at the National Stadium in Kingston and a full house is expected at the venue they fondly call "The Office" for tonight's clash with Guatemala.
The return of the flamboyant Horace Burrell to the helm of that island's football administration and expectation that Rene Simoes, the Brazilian who took Jamaica to the 1998 World Cup finals, will also make a comeback have sparked a resurgence in the game and the fortunes of the national team over there.
Back here, we wait to see if the Football Federation's grandiose plans for its centenary year in 2008 will have a similar impact on our quest to make it to South Africa 2010. In the meantime, valuable preparation time is lost.
If that is not enough, we also have to contend with Jamaica beating us at the North America West Indies Rugby Association sevens tournament in the Bahamas last weekend, not once but twice, a 19-12 victory in the preliminary group stage being followed by a 10-0 blanking in the semi-finals. Although they were edged 7-5 by Guyana in the final, here too the country at the other end of the Caribbean chain is making strides forward.
There is obviously no cause for widespread panic, for three weeks of good results do not make a sporting dynasty. However instead of being dismissive or jealous of the Jamaicans' success, we should realise that there may be more that we can copy from them than just the accent.
Fazeer Mohammed
Wednesday, November 21st 2007
FACING THE MEDIA: Trinidad and Tobago netball coach Grace Parkinson Griffith addresses the media on Monday at Piarco International Airport following the "Calypso Girls'" return from the World Netball Championships in New Zealand. Also in photo is T&T captain Rhonda John Davis, second from right. T&T finished 11th at the competition. We've grown accustomed to their domination in athletics, but the Jamaicans seem to have our number across the board these days.From Cave Hill to Auckland, Nassau to Macoya, teams from the largest of the English-speaking Caribbean islands have gained prominence at our expense over the past three weeks. It may just be a coincidence, but these recent results should give us cause to pause and at least contemplate on what our regional brethren are doing to give them the edge.
It all started in the KFC Cup final, where Chris Gayle led his men to an upset 28-run victory over a Trinidad and Tobago team that betrayed more than just a touch of complacency on the way to surrendering the premier title in regional limited-over cricket. The defending champions may argue that is was more a case of their losing the match than the Jamaicans winning it, but the evidence of that Sunday evening in Barbados was that a team starved of success had greater determination and desire than opponents who have become increasingly familiar with lifting trophies in the last three seasons after a long time in the wilderness.
True champions never really lose their competitive edge, although they may be prone to the very occasional off-day. Australia have just completed their 14th consecutive Test match victory. Despite the considerable challenges of Arsenal and Chelsea, Manchester United remain the most consistently dominant force in the 15 seasons since the advent of the English Premier League.
And after suggestions that he was lacking the competitive edge in an opening round defeat, tennis' undisputed world number one Roger Federer brushed aside David Ferrer in the Masters Cup final in Shanghai last Sunday for his fourth hold on the season-ending trophy to add to the small matter of three more Grand Slam titles this year.
But back to the Trinidad and Tobago versus Jamaica thing.
While they never met face-to-face at the World Netball Championships, the gap in class between the two teams is obviously as wide as the distance between our two territories on the evidence of the results in New Zealand.
For the second consecutive tournament, the Jamaicans claimed third spot behind the ever-present top two of Australia and New Zealand. In contrast, our squad slipped one rung further down the rankings ladder to 11th, prompting the immediate resignation of coach Grace Parkinson-Griffith.
At least team captain Rhonda John-Davis was candid enough on their return home on Monday to admit that her side made too many mistakes, although the explanation offered by Netball Association president Austrid Rochford about the national players struggling in the cold conditions reinforces the opinion that the local administration remains out of touch with the developing trends in international netball and therefore has little to offer by way of charting a course back to the upper echelons of the sport.
Making excuses now after all that confident pre-tournament talk about being well prepared rings very hollow. If they're serious, let's hear about the planning-at least for the next four years-and whether or not the position of technical director, now that the contract of Australian Sharon Finnan has ended, will remain vacant until a year before the next World Championships in Singapore.
We enjoy spouting off how naturally talented we are, especially when it comes to football, and there is ample evidence to support that boasting in the number of nationals playing professionally abroad, Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones being the leading light at the moment. Yet last Friday's victory by the Jamaicans of Harbour View over TT Pro League champions Joe Public in the final of the Caribbean Cup at the Marvin Lee Stadium is yet another timely reminder that skill and flair may be exciting to behold, but the less attractive intangibles of determination and purpose are more likely to bring success.
While our senior national team remains idle, the Jamaicans are making full use of the current one-week window for international competition. They hammered El Salvador 3-0 three days ago at the National Stadium in Kingston and a full house is expected at the venue they fondly call "The Office" for tonight's clash with Guatemala.
The return of the flamboyant Horace Burrell to the helm of that island's football administration and expectation that Rene Simoes, the Brazilian who took Jamaica to the 1998 World Cup finals, will also make a comeback have sparked a resurgence in the game and the fortunes of the national team over there.
Back here, we wait to see if the Football Federation's grandiose plans for its centenary year in 2008 will have a similar impact on our quest to make it to South Africa 2010. In the meantime, valuable preparation time is lost.
If that is not enough, we also have to contend with Jamaica beating us at the North America West Indies Rugby Association sevens tournament in the Bahamas last weekend, not once but twice, a 19-12 victory in the preliminary group stage being followed by a 10-0 blanking in the semi-finals. Although they were edged 7-5 by Guyana in the final, here too the country at the other end of the Caribbean chain is making strides forward.
There is obviously no cause for widespread panic, for three weeks of good results do not make a sporting dynasty. However instead of being dismissive or jealous of the Jamaicans' success, we should realise that there may be more that we can copy from them than just the accent.
Mek dem stick to Angostura bittas!
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