Archive for March 20th, 2012
Inaugural athletic meet to boost local sports tourism
(CNS): A new international athletics event will be debuting in the Cayman Islands this May which will feature world class professional track and field athletes. The Cayman Invitational was launched this weekend by the premier, who said the event will mark a new sporting era in the Islands. Given the visibility international athletes can bring sports tourism offers a big boost to the islands Bush said. Based on an idea from local commonwealth gold medallist Cydonie Mothersill, the event is being organised by the tourism ministry and will take place at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex on 9 May, featuring over 80 professional athletes.
Sprinter Carmalita Jeter, shot-putter Dylan Armstrong, women’s 400 metre runner Novlene Williams Michael Frater from Jamaica’s 100 meter relay team and Bahamian Olympic medallist Chris Brown are among those who will join local stars such as Mothersill, Jon Rankin Ronald Forbes and the Morgan brothers among others.
The Cayman Invitational is being billed as an annual event which will form a trio of regional pro track and field meets with the Jamaican Invitational, which takes place in early May, followed by a meet in Puerto Rico. The Cayman meet will include eleven track and two field events.
Mixed fortunes for Cayman Men.
(CRFU): Dartmouth University kicked off their spring tour to the Cayman Islands with the Dartmouth 2nd XV taking on a Cayman Club side select made up of good mix of Iguana RFC, Buccaneer RFC, Pigs Trotter RFC and Cayman Storm RFC players. The Club Select Side, captained by Chris Kennedy started well and with good ball retention found themselves 10-0 up before the tide turned firmly in favor of the young Americans as speed and agility overtook the more experienced Cayman side. Three unanswered Dartmouth tries shocked Cayman into gear who changed tactics and played a much more forward dominated game. Photo Caroline Deegan
The Cayman “pick n go” from the base of the rucks kept Dartmouth on the back foot and the college students could not compete at the breakdown due to the size and weight of the Cayman forwards.
Whilst the Dartmouth 2’s never gave up the Cayman select maintained the lead and built towards a 41-27 victory. The top billing of the day was the Cayman National Men’s XV vs. Dartmouth 1st XV match. The National Side suffered an embarrassing setback to their 2015 World Cup qualifying preparations with a 29-25 loss. The cavernous difference in quality of play between the Dartmouth 1st and 2nd team was evident as Dartmouth started strongly and kept the Caymanians camped in their own half for the first 40 minutes and built up a 15 point lead before Cayman finally responded.
The Cayman National Side featured a mixture of experience and size up front and youth out wide with 4 of Cayman’s U19 Caribbean Champion players in the back line. Whilst Cayman found themselves camped in their own half for the first 40 minutes attempts to relieve pressure by kicking the ball deep only resulted in feeding the ball directly to the Dartmouth fullback who had little difficulty in running the ball directly back into Cayman territory.
Eventually the Cayman side found some reprieve when their first venture into Dartmouth territory resulted in a Tom Mann try in the corner which Morgan Hayward duly converted.
The Cayman score started a comeback which featured two Ben Blair tries but the Dartmouth composure under a new found Cayman resilience belied their young years.
Whilst Cayman did come close to getting a comeback win it was the Dartmouth side who lead from beginning to end and gave the Cayman National side much to ponder on before they have a second chance to take on one of the best College Rugby teams the US has to offer!
Next games:
Tuesday, March 20:
5:00pm KO – Dartmouth 1st XV vs. Cayman Club Select XV
Thursday, March 22:
5:00pm KO – Dartmouth 2nd XV vs. Cayman U21s XV
Saturday, March 24:
3:00pm KO – Dartmouth 2nd XV vs. Cayman Club Select XV
5:00pm KO – Dartmouth 1st XV vs. Cayman National XV
Local football clubs have eye on ball for CFU game
(CNS): Local football players are gearing up for Group 1 of the CFU Club Championships which start next weekend. Last season's Cayman Premier League champions, Elite Sports Club, and runners-up, George Town Sports Club, and Bermuda Premier League champions, North Village Rams, will contest in three matches at the T. E. McField Playing Field between 25 and 29 March. The group winners and the best runners-up of the three groups will advance to the next round, which is to be played in Puerto Rico, against the Puerto Rico Islanders and Caledonia AIA of Trinidad in May. George Town SC Head Coach, Lee Ramoon,said it was a great opportunity for local players to compete in the region.
“‘Some guys had the privilege to represent the national team and play at that level; however, most of our players don't get such opportunity, so it is wonderful for our players to participate in this prestige event," he said.
Elite SC Head Coach, Gregory Ebanks said not only was it a lifetime opportunity but both the local teams playing in the regional tournament were looking to advance further and compete in Puerto Rico."
Mark Scotland, the Minister of Sports asked for people to encourage and support Elite and George Town at a recent press briefing about the football competition. “These are big games we will play here, and we need the support of our fans to use the home advantage," he said.
Players Jairo Sanchez, from Elite SC and Miguel Pitta from elite thanked everyone for their support and noted that although some of the players competing have played on the international stage before the competition would help develop the teams “This competition will help us to get better, so we need everyone's support to use this opportunity to qualify to the next round," they said.
All matches will take place at the Annex Field and tickets are on sale by $10.00 for a single match and $15.00 for all three matches.
Sunday, 25 March 2012 – 7:00 p.m. – George Town vs. North Village Rams
Tuesday, 27 March 2012 – 7:30 p.m. – Elite SC vs. North Village Rams
Thursday, 29 March 2012 – 7:30 p.m. – Elite SC vs. George Town SC
Brac airport expansion first step to boost tourism
(CNS Business): The Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA) has announced plans to expand of the terminal facilities at the Gerrard-Smith International Airport on Cayman Brac to accommodate direct international flights, a move that has been sought by stakeholders on the island for a number of years and was described as very good news. However, MLA Moses Kirkconnell, who is on the Sister Islands Tourism Association board, said that it is just one part of the solution to an overall boost to the Brac’s tourism. The upgrade to the terminal so that flights can go directly into the US will not do the island any good unless there is also a whole new marketing strategy in order to fill those flights. Read more on CNS Business
Dictionary spearheads study of Caymanology
(CNS): A dictionary designed to preserve Cayman’s own unique linguistic heritage alive was selling like hotcakes at the recent agricultural show but it is now available in shops across all three islands, its publisher has said. Although in the first place an entertaining read which examines the local dialect the author Kevin Goring (left) says its publication is part of a wider goal to promote Caymanian culture and heritage. Goring began collecting Caymanian words out of passion and curiosity some 12 years ago the dictionary is the first in a line of products that he hopes will fuel a cultural movement.
“I was in college at the time and simply became interested in learning more about my culture,’ he said. “I started researching words by interviewing my friends and family members, reading local books, and I even made several visits to the National Archive. After reviewing the massive collection of information that accumulated over several years, I decided that I should publish a dictionary. It’s just something that needed to be done, because the Cayman Islands are over 500 years old and we have never had our linguistic heritage documented for all to see.”
Featuring more than 1,000 words used in the Caymanian dialect, the dictionary is the first in a line of products under ‘The ‘Caymanology Collection’ brand. According to goring it is based on a philosophy that “all things Caymanian should be studied, preserved and promoted,” Caymanology is a movement towards heightened cultural awareness and native pride, he said that he hopes to expand throughout 2012.
At the request of several educators, Goring also hopes to meet with various schools and training centers in the coming months to promote the Dictionary and the Caymanology movement to students of all ages.
The Cayman Islands Dictionary is now available from supermarkets and other authorized retailers.
Misick seeking political asylum in wake of warrant
(CNS): Following the news from the Turks and Caicos Monday, that officials there have issued a warrant for the arrest of the former premier, Michael Misick says he is being forced to seek political asylum in a third country. In a statement to the press released yesterday evening the former TCI premier who is wanted for questioning regarding a corruption investigation said he could not expect to get a fair hearing in his native country. He said he was being politically persecuted because of his plan to move the country towards Independence. Misick also accused the UK interim government of changing laws in an attempt to convict him and his political colleagues and supporters.
The former leader of the overseas territory did not reveal his whereabouts or the country in which he will be seeking asylum but it is understood that since his exile from TCI he has been living in the Dominican Republic.
Misick described the investigation as a “set-up for a modern-day John Crow political lynching,” and said he would not be a part of it. “I have therefore sought protection from anothercountry in accordance with the United Nations Convention on Human Rights and the human rights laws of that country, as it is my right to do and the right of any person that is being politically persecuted,” he stated. “I am not a fugitive, and will never be a fugitive. I have applied for political asylum from another country and I am merely seeking protection from political persecution.”
Misick said however that he would continue to bring challenges to clear his name and that of the administration he led. “I dream to return to my homeland as an independent, victorious, proud and free nation,” he added.
Accusing the current TCI government of already convicting him he said the whole notion of a trial was just a show as he made it clear he would not be returning to face the special prosecution investigation team.
He accused Helen Garlick, the special prosecutor appointed by the UK government, of trying to get rich of the backs of Turks and Caicos Islands’ tax payers and to make a name for herself. He said she had already collected over $20 million slated to collect at least another $10 million while the interim government is laying off hundreds of civil servants, cutting pensions and increasing taxes.
Misick said he faced “political persecution of the highest order” because he and his supporters “desire to live in an independent Turks and Caicos Islands.”
On Monday officials in TCI confirmed that not only had a warrant been issued for Misick’s arrest but Interpol had also issued a red notice. The governor’s office said the prosecution team had tried to get Misick to come back voluntarily to answer the allegations of corruption and money laundering but despite every opportunity being given to he has failed to show up.
US authorities may accept lower sentence on Dudas
(Jamaican Gleaner): United States prosecutors have indicated a willingness to accept a lower minimum prison sentence for alleged drug kingpin Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, even as they prepare to return to the US District Court in New York for his May 22 sentencing hearing. Prosecutors now say they are willing to accept an 18-year prison sentence for the Jamaican, down from the 23 years they still think he deserves. Last Friday a judge delayed the sentencing of Coke and ordered the prosecutors to provide proof of their allegations about his violent control of a drugs gang to back their demands for a lengthy prison term. But, according to the prosecutors, even if the allegations about Coke's murderous control of an international criminal gang are not proven, an 18-year prison sentence is deserved.
"The undisputed facts before this Court make (it) clear that the appropriate sentence, and one sufficient but not greater than necessary … is 216 months (18 years)," the prosecutors said in a memorandum filed in court hours before last week's postponed sentencing hearing.
UK charity calls for more cash for OT’s birds
(CNS): The UK government needs to increase spending tenfold in its overseas territories, including Cayman, to protect significant numbers of birds facing extinction, the Royal Society for the Protection for Birds has warned. Graham Madge, an official from the ornithological charity, told the UK Sunday paper, The Observer, that fascinating and charismatic species of birds on the remote shores of UK overseas territories are now close to extinction. A report which has been submitted to the Foreign Office as part of the consultation process regarding the territories says 33 species of birds, including penguins, parrots and albatrosses, are now critically endangered across the remnants of the British Empire.
"Our overseas territories hold more threatened bird species than the entire European continent," said Madge. "Yet only £1.4m a year is spent by the government protecting habitats that provide homes for these endangered creatures. We need to spend 10 times that amount to save them."
The key concern for environmental activists is the need to improve care of the alarming number of threatened and endangered animals in the territories. "The overseas territories hold 85% of the threatened biodiversity for which the UK is responsible," said Jonathan Glenn-Hall of the RSPB.
Birds are not the only threatened species; the blue iguana in Cayman and sea turtles across the Caribbean, which will lose many nesting sites as global warming melts ice caps and causes sea levels to rise, are also at risk.
It is the importance of the bird populations of the overseas territories that is stressed by Madge, however, and in particular seabirds. When it comes to these, Britain is in second place among countries with the most threatened populations. Apart from feral invaders, ecologists have highlighted three other main dangers facing birds in overseas territories: climate change, poor planning controls and weak management of local fisheries.
In the Cayman Islands, the RSPB said uncontrolled development is destroying the habitats in which the Grand Cayman parrot and the Cayman Brac parrot breed, again with disastrous consequences for populations. "Many of these places rely on money brought by tourists who visit to see the exotic wildlife," added Madge. "We have a responsibility to make sure that wildlife survives."
Top cop says officers are getting overseas experience
(CNS): The police commissioner has said that several officers from the RCIPS have already been sent on attachment and training courses overseas where they have gained new crime fighting experiences. He said several officers have gone to major cities in the UK to work with serious crime units there and more will be going in the coming weeks. He also said others have been sent on training programmes with the FBI in the United States. Baines said the local police force was constrained by its budget when it came to sending staff abroad for training but he said the RCIPS still seized every possible opportunity for officers to gain experience in other jurisdictions.
David Baines spoke about the various training his officers were undergoing while answering questions in finance committee last week. As members voted for an additional $2million opposition member Anthony Eden asked if officers were being sent abroad to address what people believe are failings in investigative capabilities.
The commissioner also revealed that he was in the process of recruiting 54 officers and that soon the staffing levels on all shifts would be at their full compliment. He said 40 people had been identified but in some cases these officers had to work out long notice periods in the UK before they could start work here. He said officers were being recruited mostly from Britain, Canada and Jamaica.
Baines also noted that as staffing levels improved which would mean he would not have to ‘rob’ one police for another in the wake of a serious incident, he said this would also lead to rebuilding community policing and the possible return of ‘live-in’ police officers with their families in the district stations at North Side and East End.
Asked about staff changes he said around 10% of the staff were being moved around to get a better mix of experienced officers with new recruits and help develop younger officers. Baines said that he was aware that change was not always welcome but his goal was to prevent the police from working in silos. The changes he said had been carefully planned and also reflected the promotion of several officers.
He also denied speculation that ex-pat officers were being given favourable conditions and working the 9-5 shifts. He said all staff were mixed up and were working across the five different shifts. The commissioner said it may be what people perceive but it was not the reality as there was no discrimination in the service.
Krys Global win Big
(CRFU): The Krys Global Buccaneers retained the DART knockout Vase on 3 March witha 24-0 drubbing of the Queensgate Pigs Trotters.The Pigs Trotters, coming off a resounding victory over the DHL Storm could not get out first gear throughout the game as a mixture of big game nerves and the absence of talisman Marco du Plessis handed control to the Buccaneers. Whilst against the Storm the Pigs Trotters were able to turn over ruck ball and steal ball in the lineout the Buccaneers were able to stifle the Pigs around the pitch and a frustrated Pigs Trotters pack found no joy on the day.
The Buccaneers, who in last year’s knockout final defeated the John Doak Architecture Iguanas were elated with their first trophy of the season but the league trophy has eluded the team since 2009 when they won the double.
Next season will provide the Buccaneers a renewed chance at the Triple when they will have a chance to compete for the Heineken Charity Shield, the Alex Alexander Memorial Trophy and DART Knockout Vase.