Sports

By Tony Cozier West Indies’ firepower has been appreciably diminished for the forthcoming tour of Australia by the absence of their fastest bowler and leading wicket-taker Fidel Edwards.

By Rawle Toney As days flit by towards the final leg of the 2009 Caribbean Motor Racing Championships, one of the Caribbean’s biggest names in the sport, Mark Vieira, is all excited about competing at the event.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – Red-hot forward Al Harrington  scored 24 points including 13 in the key fourth quarter to help  the New York Knicks beat the New Orleans Hornets 117-111 on  Monday for their first victory of the NBA season.

ABU DHABI, (Reuters) – All rounder Shahid Afridi  smashed a rapid 70 and took two wickets for Pakistan who eased  to a 138-run victory over New Zealand in the first  one-day international yesterday.

BASSETERRE, St Kitts,  CMC – West Indies will seek to rebound from their series loss to South Africa when they clash with England in their three-match One-Day International series which bowls off  today.

SYDNEY, Australia,  CMC – Controversial international cricket correspondent Peter Roebuck has blasted Chris Gayle’s reappointment as West Indies captain, slamming the move as “beyond comprehension”.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Chris Gayle was the unanimous choice to lead West Indies on the three-Test tour of Australia, chairman of selectors Clyde Butts revealed Monday.

By Rawle Toney Since 1993, Kevin Graham has been coming to Guyana to compete in the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships (CMRC).

‘Replacement’ quartet finds favour for Aussie trip -Butts confident squad will do well ST JOHN’S, Antigua,  CMC – Four players from the controversial makeshift outfit have been retained but selectors yesterday named a full strength 15-man squad for the tour of Australia, ending a dark period in West Indies cricket where the best players had been sidelined by a bitter contracts dispute.

– Defending champs through to final By Marlon Munroe Trinidad & Tobago’s (T&T) Captain Daren Ganga led from the front with a resilient unbeaten 79 as T&T recorded a two wicket victory over Barbados to book their place in the final of the WICB President’s Cup limited-overs Tournament at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence last evening.

N/A United sends hosts packing By Kizan Brumell Hosts of the NAMILCO Football Festival, Fruta Conquerors, suffered a cruel fate when they were knocked out in the first round of the tournament by New Amsterdam United in a tough battle Sunday night at the Tucville Playfield.

By Rawle Toney `Sometimes people think I just turn up and things would happen for me but it’s not like that I have to go and put in the hard work’With the West Indies preparing to wing off to Australia to compete for the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy, star batsman Guyana’s Shivnarine Chanderpaul said he is ready to let the ‘Tiger’ loose ‘Down Under’ as he expressed optimism for the West Indies success.

– Kenneth De Abreu Table Tennis League It was Day Four of the Kenneth De Abreu Table Tennis League competition and the NP Electronics duo of Michael Vieira and Andre Lopes faced Terror Squad (Samuel Fraser and Elishaba Johnson).

ST JOHN’S, Antigua,  CMC – Disgraced billionaire cricket financier Sir Allen Stanford is to have his knighthood revoked by Antigua, the first time in the country’s history officials have ever withdrawn its second highest honour.

Wendell Meusa continued to sail smoothly through the choppy waters of the National Closed Chess Tournament opening up a three point lead over his nearest rival as the second of the double-round championships commenced over the week-end at the Ocean Spray International Hotel.

Our Opinion One of the most unexpected benefits of the building of the National Stadium at Providence has been the number of events that have been and are going to be held there.

MOHALI, India,  (Reuters) – Medium-pacers Doug  Bollinger and Shane Watson grabbed three wickets apiece to  inspire Australia to a 24-run win in the fourth one-dayer  against India yesterday to level the series 2-2.  

NAIROBI,  (Reuters) – Olympic and world sprint champion  Usain Bolt  yesterday adopted a cheetah cub in Kenya’s Nairobi  National Park.  

DOHA, (Reuters) – Women’s tennis appears to be in  good shape despite the sight of the world’s best players  limping across the finishing line in Doha last week, where the  WTA Championships often resembled a dance of the walking  wounded.  

BOSTON,  (Reuters) – Paul Pierce sparked the unbeaten  Boston Celtics with 27 points in a 97-87 victory over the New  Orleans Hornets on Sunday.