Archive for March 4th, 2014
East End man denies multiple stabbing
(CNS): A 32 year old man from the district of East End has pleaded not guilty to two counts of wounding in connection with a stabbing in the district in January when he appeared in Grand court Friday. Handel Bodden has denied intentionally or unlawfully stabbing 47 year old James Chisholm at his home in the early hours of Sunday 12 January. The victim was said to have received multiple stab wounds to his back during the knife attack. Bodden will now face trial in June and was bailed by the judge until the trial date.
Beneficial ownership register would ‘cripple’ markets
(CNS Business): The Cayman Islands Law Society (CILS) has saidthat the mechanism by which beneficial ownership information can already be obtained is sufficient and there is “absolutely no need to jeopardise the privacy of legitimate business” by allowing full public access to confidential information with a publicly accessible register. In its submission to the Financial Services Ministry regarding the consultation paper on the issue, the Law Society presented a raft of arguments against the register, including costs, which would “cripple all financial markets (onshore and offshore)”. All points made by the CILS were endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce in its own submission to the ministry, which urged government "to oppose vigorously any attempt to introduce a public register of beneficial ownership information." Read more on CNS Business
Cayman beats Jamaica-roar heard around West Bay
(CNS): March 6, 2014 will come and go like any other weekday. Children will go to school, mothers and fathers will go to work – a normal Thursday for most. But 20 years ago, on this very date, a legendary and truly remarkable sporting event occurred. An event that will forever be embedded in the minds and hearts of those spectators present at the Ed Bush Sports Field in West Bay that night, or those tuning in to Radio Cayman, and every Caymanian sports enthusiast. It was 9:30 p.m. and the Cayman Islands Senior National Football Team had just beaten mighty Jamaica 3-2 in the 1994 Shell Caribbean Cup Qualifying Zone to win the group and advance to the Finals in Trinidad.
Before we get ahead of ourselves and reminisce about the game, a brief history lesson is needed. Following a spattering of good results and performances during the late 1980s and early 1990s under Winston Chung and then Ed Wilson, most notably a 2-2 draw with the touring Brazilian U-21 Olympic Team boasting a young Bebeto and others, a very unfortunate 2-0 defeat to Santos FC from Brazil complete with World Cup superstar Socrates, a draw with Southampton FC and Norwich FC from England and a draw with Borussia Dortmund from Germany, the Cayman Islands National Football Team had now reached the pinnacle of Caribbean football – a final showdown with the mighty Jamaicans.
After all, this was the National Team that Winston Chung had built and it was his dream to one day conquer the Caribbean beginning with Jamaica. Veteran players from the 1980s mixed with youngsters from the victorious Miami Classic Youth Tournament campaigns – the Cayman team was complete and ready.
For headcoach Ken Fogarty and Assistant Coach Joscelyn Morgan, who had assumed the reigns earlier in the year, it was a tweak here, a tweak there and the team was ready – all the pieces were in place. Bring on the Jamaicans.
I distinctly remember the journey that evening from the Island House guest house on West Church Street where we stayed in West Bay to Rev Blackman Road, to Stadium Drive and on to the Ed Bush Sports Field. Both sides of Stadium Drive and portions of Rev Blackman Road were lined with cars and as we approached the stadium, an unusual “buzzing” noise got increasingly louder.
As we pulled up to the rear of the grandstand and the doors of the bus swung open, the buzzing noise transformed into a deafening roar from the crowd as we disembarked and headed to the dressing room.
Red and blue flags and banners hung everywhere. For once, the famous Jamaican black, green and gold was shrouded in a sea of red, blue and white.
With the Wight brothers – David and Christopher – darting to and fro on the full to capacity main stand holding aloft the Cayman flag all the while ignoring the taunts of the Jamaican faithful, to Brent McLean complete with painted face incessantly beating a small drum, to the temporary broadcast booth erected across the field on the ‘pond side’ complete with “legends of the game” Lennie Hew and Renard Moxam, who would be providing play-by-play commentary for radio listeners island wide – the setting was complete.
We had disposed of St. Maarten and the British Virgin Islands earlier in the group as had Jamaica. This clash would settle the group and the winners would book their passage to Trinidad.
With all the tension and excitement during the game, to me the actual game itself was mostly a blur but I vividly remember the three goals we scored and the heroics of our goalkeeper Cecil Walton.
To relive portions of this special event, we need to highlight certain sections from the article that appeared in the Caymanian Compass on Tuesday, March 8, 1994 written by then sports writer Paul Drury who splashed the headline “Cayman beats Jamaica!” across the back page.
The article began, “Cayman’s National Soccer Team made history Sunday beating Jamaica for the first time ever in senior competition. And what a spectacle it was!”
He continued, “This fabulous victory in front of a capacity crowd in the magnificent new Ed Bush Soccer Stadium marks a new era for Cayman soccer. It will go down in the annals of Cayman sports as one of the greatest nights ever.
Cayman’s captain and twin goal scoring hero of the night, Lee Ramoon, was moved to shed tears of happiness and relief afterwards, and said emotionally, “We created history tonight!”
With the Shell Caribbean Cup Qualifying Zone trophy in his hands he cried gleefully over the loudspeaker system, “This is for you Cayman! This is for you.”
Coach Ken Fogarty was “delighted” at this success and conceded “there’ll be no training tomorrow!” He added enthusiastically “it’s all down to the players and the supporters – we’ve never had support like this. We want to thank them, they were fantastic.”
Playing a part in the game and listening to the supporters relive certain events during the game, from all accounts, it was a very, very exciting game. Cayman went ahead in the eighth minute thanks to a wonderful Lee Ramoon goal only to see Jamaica draw level in the 25th minute through Easton Smith. Lee grabbed his second with a ubiquitous chip over Jamaican goalkeeper Warren Barrett just before half-time to make it 2-1 and Carlos Welcome added a third early in the second half as he rose to power home an inviting cross from Rohan Clarke. Jamaica scored their second in the 80th minute off the boots of Donald Hewitt and the pressure was on.
Cayman’s goalkeeper on the night, Cecil “CI” Walton, had a remarkable game between the posts. He was truly outstanding as he managed to stop everything that was thrown at him and in my opinion, a performance like that has never been equalled by a Caymanian goalkeeper. He deservedly won the “Man of the Match” award following the game.
We held on for the last 10 minutes or so and at the sound of the final whistle, we had finally achieved what some said could never be done by a team from Cayman – we had beaten Jamaica at the senior level.
Of course, there are those detractors who claim that it wasn’t a ‘great’ Jamaican team but with the likes of Warren Barrett, Hector Wright, Linval Webb, Easton Smith, Devon Ricketts, Altimonte Burtler, Donald Hewitt, Durrent Brown and Clive Smith, this was the best team Jamaica had and some of those players on that field that night, would go on to play a key role in Jamaica’s journey to and participation in the FIFA World Cup Finals in France in 1998.
The then Sports Editor Guy Harrison from the Compass summed the night up best for the supporters when he wrote, “I’ve heard many knocks against Caymanians for not supporting their football team. But Cayman showed up in force with flags and painted faces. The fans gave meaning to the home field advantage and the value of their support had no small part in the inspired play of Cayman. Yes, Cayman stood proud Sunday night like never before.”
So, for those of you who were there or who had their radios tuned in to Radio Cayman that night, if you come across one of the Cayman players, coaches or staff members this week who were on the field or on the sidelines that night, just tell them, “we will always remember what you achieved and what you were a part of. Thank you.”
Cayman’s starting team that night was Cecil ‘CI’ Walton, Paul ‘Cap’ McField, Richard ‘Farmer’ Hew, Sylvester ‘Pongo’ Coleman, Noel Williams, Greg ‘Hammer’ Ebanks, Neil Murray, Anthony ‘Anti’ Ramoon, Rohan ‘Scratch-eye’ Clarke, Carlos ‘J’can’ Welcome and Lee ‘Granny’ Ramoon. Substitutes and squad members were Gary ‘Wiz’ Whittaker, Lloyd ‘Stoka’ Ramon, Ricky ‘Seven’ Seymour, Arden ‘Cheeky’ Rivers, Floyd ‘Jacko’ Webb, Henry Ebanks, the late Gladstone ‘Gladdy’ Brown, Ivan ‘Rockman’ Kelly, Clay ‘Tupac’ Coleman, Winston ‘Henny Dog’ Hurlston, Alton Davis, Kim ‘Kimo’ Samuels, Ercley ‘Kobe’ Bodden and Clifton ‘Bobo’ Parsons.
Coaches were Ken Fogarty and Joscelyn ‘Bugs’ Morgan and Team Manager was Kennedy Kelly.
At the end of his article 20 years ago, Paul Drury wrote, “To see Lee’s face at the end made one realize why sport can be such an integral and crucial part of life for so many. It gives you something to get excited about, something to strive for. It’s capable of taking you higher than any drug. The passion it instigates deep within is almost indescribable. Sport is simply a metaphor for life, and still one of the most irresistible catalysts known to man. It is a psychological magnet for anyone who wishes to take life to a higher level.”
We should never forget what happened on the night of March 6, 1994.
Paralympian’s Fundraising Push celebrated
(CNS): Tourism officials presented internationally renowned paralympian Ryan Chalmers with a replica of his racing wheelchair made from local mahogany and caymanite by craftsman Horacio Esteban, recently, to mark his fundraising efforts and for putting Cayman in the spotlight. Chalmers returned to the Cayman Islands this week almost a year after he began his epic Push Across America in April, 2013 from Los Angeles. He pushed his racing wheelchair for a gruelling 3,321 miles across the entire United States of America, arriving 71 days later on 15th June, in New York’s Central Park.
The challenge was undertaken to raise funds and awareness for Stay-Focused, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing teens with disabilities the opportunity to become certified scuba divers in the Cayman Islands. After learning to scuba dive in Cayman through the program in 2005, Chalmers remained active with the organisation, serving as a mentor and guiding other youngsters as they learned to scuba dive. Through the programme he has retained close ties with the Cayman Islands over the past nine years and considers it his home away from home.
“I did the Push for the right reasons and at the right time in my life,” Chalmers said as he thanked those who helped. “One of the lessons we articulate in our programme is that no matter what challenges you face in life, if you stay focused, you can overcome them. That was the thought that motivated me to keep going on the journey and it is the motto that I try to live by.”
During the crossing Chalmers was interviewed by CNN’s Sanjay Gupta, and coverage of his journey was carried by major news outlets, including CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX NEWS, reaching an audience of 263 Million people and was worth an estimated $5.6M.
Stay-focused is dependent on the generosity of sponsors, and works closely with local organisations that provide invaluable on-Island support for the programme including Red Sail Sports and the Marriott group.
Local footballers prepare for cup final battle
(CIFA): When fans turn up at the Annex on Ash Wednesday for the first ever President’s Cup final they will be greeted by two teams committed tovictory. George Town meet Premier League kings Bodden Town in a match featuring the top two teams this season. The clubs have met twice already this season in the Premiership. Both matches were defensive encounters with only one goal being scored. Bodden Town marksman Theron Wood doesn’t expect anything different in Wednesday’s final. “We expect a good competitive game, with hard tackles. This will be two of the best teams in the country you will see a hardgame.”
Wood scored the equalizer that put his club in the final overcoming a tough disciplined Sunset team. Bodden Town manager Kennedy Kelly believes his team’s success in both Premier League and President’s Cup is based on their commitment to success.
In a press conference with the finalists at the CIFA Headquarters Kelly said, “Part of our success is our hard work on and off the field and our dedication.”
Kelly made clear that Bodden Town is not looking past their opponent George Town, even though they enter the final as favourites.
“Every game is different, what is played is in the past. When we go out we have to analyze the game and each game we have to have a different game plan for George Town.”
George Town had a tough road to the President’s Cup Final. After starting the season in blistering form, Paul Mcfield’s men have stuttered and had to earn a hard fought finals berth against Elite. Two goals from Ariel Tatum in the semifinals brought them back on par after a 0-2 loss in the first leg. Gustavo Aulisio’s winner put them in the Ash Wednesday final.
George Town Captain Ian Lindo already knows what to expect. Lindo said, “We can look for a high tempo game. Bodden Town has some fast, fit players who can score, our team has to be ready; we are ready.”
Head Coach Paul Mcfield echoed the confident sentiments. Mcfield said, “I tell our guys take one game at a time. This is another game, we are a lot more focused this season and know how to plan and set for Bodden Town. It will be a hard fought final.”
The men’s final kicks off at 7 pm at the T.E Mcfield Sports Complex. The Women’s President’s Cup final starts at 5 pm and features Sunset against Future.
Log on to www.caymanfootball.com for all the information of all CIFA leagues, latest news and team videos
Road won’t move for trail
(CNS): Premier Alden McLaughlin has said that the preliminary gazetting of the route of the east-west arterial road cannot be redirected around the Mastic Trail, though there may be a possibility that it could go over it. Speaking at a press briefing on Monday to formally announce an MOU which was signed between government and the developers of the proposed Ironwood project, he said that the Mastic Trail and Reserve are too far south to divert the road around and as a result it will need to cut through or possible over the area, which is owned by the National Trust.
The announcement comes in the face of concerns from the Trust about the road and in the wake of comments from the environment minister, made a few weeks ago, that he would ensure the trail and reserve were protected from development. However, Wayne Panton was not at the press briefing in which McLaughlin offered his wholehearted support to the progression of the development.
The government alsomade it clear that landowners whose property will be compulsorily purchased may not necessarily receive much, if any, compensation because the road development will increase the value of their remaining land.
The full development and in particular the Arnold Palmer golf course is contingent upon the road development and David Moffit from Ironwood (formerly a principal in the company MC Restoration that encountered controversy here before over the clean-up of the island post Hurricane Ivan) said that while some of the 80,000 sq ft development would get underway this year, the golf course would not be developed until the road was started.
However, that could take some time, as the premier said that the government would be following the requirements of the FFR and it would be undertaking an environmental impact assessment regarding the road and the plans for this private sector partner to build it. Kurt Tibbetts, the planning minister, also said that regardless of government’s support for the project, the planning process would not be abridged and all would be above board.
The cost to build the road is estimated at $40 million. McLaughlin said the developers were not asking for any concessions and so they would get that money back through the duty they would have paid over the lifetime of the project.
Billed as a development that will roll out over the next twenty years, the premier lauded the proposed development and described it as an amazing opportunity for Cayman, though he said government was sensitive to the environmental issues, the impact such development would have and the need to see projects properly planned.
McLaughlin said there was a “trade off” with any development but he said this would have a huge positive impact on the district of North Side and as well as an economic boost. It would increase the value of land in the area where it was owned largely by Caymanians. The premier also said that Cayman needed a second golf course to attract golfers to the island.
He said, however, that the MOU was non-binding and nothing was set in stone but the possibility of the developmentand the road deal had the support of the governor and the FCO.