West Indies marks out of ten

Chanderpaul stands alone

It was a largely forgettable series for West Indies who, at times, sank as low as any touring side in England. There were occasional glimpses of something more promising, but there is a tough road ahead. Cricinfo looks at how the battered and beaten tourists rated. One man can't make a team, but it can stop them from being humiliated. The one match Chanderpaul missed West Indies were bowled out twice in the equivalent of less than a day. He then proceeded to bat nearly three days' worth of time before being dismissed. His concentration and application was unbelievable (even though it was the third time he batted more than 1000 minutes without being dismissed) against, at times, some very testing bowling and on lively surfaces. Brian Lara has gone, but it could be the best thing to happen to Chanderpaul. He can come out of the shadows and be acclaimed as the wonderful batsman he is. Only loses a mark for exposing the tail at Old Trafford ... and even that feels harsh.

Bucknor and fellow officials pay for error in World Cup final

Steve Bucknor and the other officials that presided over the World Cup Final between Australia and Sri Lanka in Barbados have been disciplined by the International Cricket Council for their inaccurate interpretation of the rules. Cricket’s world governing body announced on Friday that it would not appoint the officials for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa from September 11 to 24. "It would have been easy to let sleeping dogs lie and pretend nothing happened," ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed remarked in a news release.

THE CRICKET PUNDIT

CARIBBEAN CRICKETERS – PART TWO

by Gladstone Critchlow

Sony Ramadhin was not only the first Indo-Caribbean player to represent the West Indies but was one of the finest spin bowlers produced by the region. With his shirt sleeve buttoned down, the English batsmen failed ignominiously to distinguish between his leg break or his off spin and in England in 1950, Ramadhin and his spin partner Alf Valentine reaped a rich harvest taking 59 of the 74 wickets which fell in the four-Test series. In eleven years of Test cricket, Ramadhin took 158 wickets at an average of 28.98.

Olympic Gold Medalist Jones Nearly Broke

Track Star's Bank Balance Reportedly Down to $2,000

Seven years after winning a women's record five Olympic track and field medals and snagging multimillion-dollar endorsement deals, Marion Jones is broke. The sprinter is heavily in debt, fighting off court judgments and down to a bank balance of about $2,000, according to recent court records reviewed by the Los Angeles Times. Last year a bank foreclosed on her $2.5-million mansion in an area of Chapel Hill, N.C., where Michael Jordan was a neighbor. She was also forced to sell two other properties, including her mother's house, to raise money. Jones' financial woes were revealed in a 168-page deposition in a breach-of-contract suit she filed in Dallas against veteran track coach Dan Pfaff. Pfaff countersued and won a judgment against Jones for about $240,000 in unpaid training fees and legal expenses.

Guyana’s footballers doing well in North America

Guyana’s football took another distinctive weave last weekend when five of its teams’ pro-level players took to the field in separate games in North America, a unique occurrence that has one of its International Coordinators keen with optimistic rapture. This chapter manifested last Friday to Sunday (June 22-24) at seven different locations in the USA and Canada, and was followed closely by all-round assessments from New York-based Guyanese M. Garth Nelson. The International Coordinator who liaises with the players and their federation’s (GFF) executive, informed Caribbean Impact of the simultaneous appearances of Roger Cambridge, Nigel ‘Powers’ Codrington, Konatta Manning, Charles ‘Lili’ Pollard and John ‘JP’ Rodrigues for their respective teams.

Caribbean athletes maintain brilliance at NCAA Track & Field

By GARY TIM

Sacramento, CA (NMG) – Caribbean athletes continued their brilliance as the most dominant imports outside of the traditional American-born competitors at top level of collegiate track and field in the USA.

The region’s young stars dolled out eight titles in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One Championship from June 6-9 in Sacramento, California. Add a collection of 49 All-American awards – given to finalists – and ‘promotion is up’ for the region to also sustain its impact in the sport on the global and professional stages in the coming years.

Favorites Florida State and Arizona State won the men’s and women’s team titles, respectively, while powerhouse Louisiana State University (LSU) settled for the runner-up spots in both categories.