CPL 2014 launched on Thursday; first match on Friday

The 2014 Limacol Caribbean Premier League cricket competition will get underway on Friday and was launched in Grenada on Thursday.

Speaking at the launch, Damien O’Donohoe, CPL CEO,  captains, coaches and legendary West Indies mentors, all spoke of their excitement for the competition, and promised an even bigger, better and more exciting spectacle than last year’s tournament, which thrilled sell-out crowds across the region, earning the nickname ‘The Biggest Party in Sport’.

Ahead of the start on Friday, a group of CPL stars, including Kieron Pollard, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle and Daniel Vettori, took part in a beach cricket match with local youngsters in Grenada.

The tournament bowls off  on Friday at the National Cricket Stadium, Grenada, with the Guyana Amazon Warriors, captained by new West Indies Test skipper, Denesh Ramdin, and featuring global T20 stars, Sunil Narine and Lendl Simmons, taking on Antigua Hawksbills, led by Marlon Samuels, coached by Tim Nielson, former Australia coach, and mentored by West Indies legend, Sir Viv Richards.

On Saturday there will be an intriguing double-header. First up, legendary former West Indies openers, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, go head-to-head as team mentors, as the Red Steel, led by Dwayne Bravo, face off against Kieron Pollard’s Barbados Tridents.

The opening weekend draws to a close with Chris Gayle’s defending champions, Jamaica Tallawahs, taking on West Indies T20 captain, Darren Sammy, and the St. Lucia Zouks.

O’Donohoe said:“After the huge success of the inaugural tournament, we’ve got a lot to live up to, but we’re confident this year will be even better. We’ve got some fantastic players, coaches and mentors on board, and you can expect bigger hitting, bigger crowds and an even bigger party!”

Chris Gayle, captain of Jamaica Tallawahs said: “There’s nothing better than playing in front of full crowds in the Caribbean. CPL is the Biggest Party in Sport and I’ve already seen how excited everybody is for the tournament to come to Grenada, so I can’t wait to give the fans something to cheer about.”

Robin Singh, Barbados Tridents Coach, said:“I’ve coached and played all over the world, but the atmosphere in the CPL is something else. The players are raring to go and we’re looking forward to putting on a good show for the people of the Caribbean.”

Sir Viv Richards, Antigua Hawksbills mentor, added:“Last year’s tournament was a massive success. The cricket was of a high quality, and it reignited local interest in the domestic game, so I’m looking forward to more of the same in 2014.”

The Limacol Caribbean Premier League runs from July 11- August 16, with 30 matches taking place over 37 days.

The final week of the tournament, in St. Kitts & Nevis, will also feature Beefy’s Bash, an all-star charity match featuring Sir Ian Botham, Brian Lara and Piers Morgan, as well as a concert by hip-hop star, Rick Ross.

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CPL 2014 launched on Thursday; first match on Friday

Search launched for CPL girls

As the biggest party in sport, the Caribbean Premiere League (CPL), prepares to bowl off on July 11, sponsors Digicel, along with Appleton, have launched a search for the ultimate CPL girls.

The auditions will be held today at the J, Wray and Nephew Headquarters on Dominica Drive in New Kingston, beginning at 11 a.m. The prospective CPL girls must be between 18 and 24, be able to dance well, and possess the requisite looks and personality to match.

Certainly, the ladies will have to bring their A-game as they undergo the scrutiny of a top-class panel of judges including Digicel Brand Ambassador, Yendi Phillips; style icon, Dexter 3D Pottinger; as well as representatives from Digicel, Appleton, and CPL.

Encouraging the ladies to put their best foot forward, Pottinger said, “We want girls with energy and they must look the part. it’s not an either/or. it has to be both. Our aim is that these girls will represent the energy of Jamaica and be memorable.”

At the end of the casting, of 24 stunning and talented ladies will be chosen: 12 to wear the outfit of the CPL/Appleton girls; six for the Digicel/CPL ‘Babes’; and another six for the Appleton cheerleaders.

Tahnida Nunes, senior sponsorship manager at Digicel, said: “The Digicel/CPL Babes will help to keep the vibe going with dancing and entertaining the crowd. The biggest party in sport simply could not take place without fun and energetic dancing girls!”

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Search launched for CPL girls

2nd Digicel 5K Night Run/Walk launched

BY HOWARD WALKER

Observer senior reporterwalkerh@jamaicaobserver.comTHE second staging of the Digicel 5K Night Run/Walk for Special Needs, set for October 26, was launched yesterday with Senator Floyd Morris throwing out a challenge to the participants to catch him if they can.The visually-impaired Morris was the guest speaker at the launch held at the Digicel office in downtown Kingston, and he urged people to support the worthy cause.“I was there last year and was looking at the screen to see myself, but I was nowhere around,” said Morris.“I noticed that the event will be organised in the night as was last year, ideal conditions because we are king of the dark, and so I say to those who will be participating, catch me if you can,” said the government Senator to loud laughter.He continued: “I want to implore all Jamaicans to come out and support this event because it is for a worthy cause and that $1,000 that they will be required to pay is going to impact in a fundamental way on the lives of some of the most vulnerable individuals within our country. That’s $1,000 that will be well spent.”In keeping with its commitment to special needs, the Digicel Foundation is seeking to raise funds and increase awareness for the special needs community.The beneficiaries will be Jamaica Association of the Deaf; Jamaica Association of Intellectual Disabilities; Jamaica Society for the Blind; Jamaica Autism Support Association; Jamaica Down’s Syndrome Foundation; The Step Centre (School for Therapy Education and Parenting of children with multiple disabilities); Mustard Seed Communities; The NAZ Children’s centre; Genesis Academy; Early Stimulation Plus; and Liberty Academy.Samantha Chantrelle, Digicel Foundation’s director, said her organisation spent $115m in the special needs sector last year and this year that figure has increased.“I am happy to say that this is just the beginning. I welcome you to enjoy. It is going to be the most amazing event downtown,” she noted.The race will take place on Saturday, October 26, starting on Ocean Boulevard, at the Digicel headquarters, at 7:00 pm. It will proceed west along Ocean Boulevard, left onto Port Royal Street, around the bend onto Water Lane, right onto Pechon Street, then left onto Harbour Street, left onto King Street, left onto South Parade, right onto West Parade, right onto North Parade, then right onto East Parade to Church Street. It continues left onto Harbour Street, right at the corner of Exchange Place, right onto Port Royal Street, left at the corner of Duke Street onto Ocean Boulevard, and finishing at the same starting point.All roads leading to the staging area will be closed to vehicular traffic between 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm. The course will feature water stops at the start/finish, and two along the course to ensure adequate hydration.The event, which will also be sponsored by the Jamaica Observer, CVM TV, Irie FM, the Gleaner, KLAS ESPN KM, Catherine’s Peak, SportsMax, Marksman and Island Grill, will cost $1,000 per person and entries are not refundable or transferable.Individuals and teams can register online with either credit or debit cards at www.runningeventsja.com. Registration closes on Sunday, October 6 or upon achieving the event limit, whichever comes first.Last year, the event was deemed a resounding success with 5,400 registered participants and an estimated 3,000 spectators.The event has been fully endorsed by the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) and Mayor Angela Brown-Burke was on hand to give her blessing.“We are extremely pleased to know that Digicel is attempting, once again, this activity. We are pleased for a number of reasons. Persons know we have been promoting downtown as the place to be, and those of us who are here know it is the place to be,” said Brown-Burke.Digicel Ambassador Alphonso Cunningham (seated centre), one of the first persons who signed up to participate in the 5K Run/Walk at yesterday’s launch, is being assisted by Digicel’s programme manager, Special Needs, Judine Hunter (right). Sharing the occasion (from left) are Senator Floyd Morris, Mayor Angela Brown-Burke and race director Alfred Francis. (PHOTO: KARL MCLARTY)

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2nd Digicel 5K Night Run/Walk launched

24th Kingston Wharves U15 Cricket Competition launched

THE 24th Kingston Wharves Under-15 Cricket Competition was launched on Friday at Lucas Cricket Club in Kingston with St Andrew and Portmore teams in attendance.

O’neil Cruickshank, the competition coordinator who spoke at the launch, explained that this year’s competition comprises the 14 parishes, including Portmore.Portland will not compete this year as they pulled out at the last minute. Each team will now play five preliminary matches, while the top four will play the semi-finals and them the final, which is scheduled for Friday, August 30. The teams are divided into four zones.The top 30 cricketers will be invited to a camp to be held during the Heroes holiday later this year. The camp will cover cricket skills, along with media training, personal etiquette and cricket history, among other topics such as doping control.Grantley Stephenson, chairman and chief executive officer of Kingston Wharves, indicated that the company was more than happy and proud to renew its sponsorship of the competition because it continues to achieve a number of objectives, including the further development of cricket skills, instilling discipline, strengthening concentration, fostering sportsmanship and camaraderie among the young cricketers.He also said that they are seriously committed to the development of the young men selected for the competition.Milton Henry, first vice-president of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), welcomed Kingston Wharves’ sponsorship, heaping praise on the fact that it was the longest sponsored competition in the JCA. He said that it represented a valuable training tool for the young cricketers and was one of the pillars on which Jamaica’s Under-15 cricket stood.He also indicated that every national player in recent times had passed through the Kingston Wharves Under-15 Cricket Competition and this augured well for the competition, as well as the cricketers who benefited from participating in it.He also said that there was an alignment of the competition with the regional one organised by the WICB and that this would make it more valuable to the JCA’s preparation of the Jamaica team in the future.In the day’s feature match, defending champions St Andrew defeated Portmore by nine wickets in a low- scoring game. Portmore won the toss and batted, making just 78 all out in 20.1 overs with captain Kirk McKenzie, 33 top scoring. Keffin Murray, 13, was the only other batsman to get into double figures. The bulk of the wickets went to Raewin Senior, who took 4 for 10 in 4 overs, and Kyle Pottinger, who bagged 3 for 3 in 3.3 overs. Portmore lost their first wicket for 20 runs and continued to lose wickets at regular intervals throughout the innings.St Andrew, in reply, made light work of the total after reaching 79 for 1 in just 11.4 overs on the back of Okarchi Brown, 26 not out, Raewin Senior, 20 not out, and captain Dominik Samuels, 18. The lone wicket to fall went when the score was on 42. Sachin Simms got the wicket for 13 runs.The next set of matches are scheduled for Monday with several matches across the island.Grantley Stephenson (right), chairman and chief executive officer of Kingston Wharves, in discussion (from left), Milton Henry, first vice-president of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), Kirk McKenzie, captain of Portmore, and Domink Samuels, captain of St Andrew, during the launch of the 24th Kingston Wharves Under-15 Cricket Competition at Lucas Cricket Club last Friday. (PHOTO: MICHAEL GORDON)

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24th Kingston Wharves U15 Cricket Competition launched

$10-m silver tilapia production project launched

THE fisheries sector is set to benefit significantly from a multimillion-dollar aquaculture project, which targets the production of the imported Silver Tilapia species of freshwater fish, for sale to the local and overseas markets.

The initiative, for which a four-month $10-million pilot project was recently concluded, is spearheaded by newly established entity Sunshine Aquaculture Limited, in partnership with Aqua Wilson Farm, a 100-acre fresh water fish sanctuary in Hill Run, St Catherine.Sunshine Aquaculture is seeking to introduce the new Silver Tilapia as well as improved nutrition and management processes within the local sector, which should serve to complement the indigenous Red Tilapia, regarded as a local culinary favourite, and boost the local industry’s output, enabling it to generate earnings of up to US$200 million per annum.Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Roger Clarke and other officials of the Ministry were taken on a tour of the Aqua Wilson Farm last Friday to view the operations.Sunshine Aquaculture Director Mark Wildish said the pilot project demonstrates the possibility of double growth rates for the Silver Tilapia, based on the results of the pilot project, conducted at their Kew Park Farm in Westmoreland, and Aqua Wilson Farm.He informed that fingerlings at Kew Park, grew from 26 grams to 400 grams in 66 days, while those at Aqua Wilson recorded growth of up to 322 grams over the same duration. This contrasts sharply to the 107 days it takes the Red Tilapia fingerling to grow to 26 grams, and 180 days to get to 322 grams.“The main advantage of the Silver Tilapia is that through improved efficiencies, we can significantly reduce the cost of production, and this will allow a lower price for the consumer. We expect that the Jamaica Tilapia will continue to sell. But, our aim is to make sure we can compete with much of the frozen fish which currently comes in from abroad, like the Mangrove Snapper and Grunt,” Wildish said.Noting that local production declined to 800 tonnes in 2012, Mr. Wildish is optimistic that introduction of the Silver Tilapia will boost output to well over 4,000 tonnes within three years, with the potential to generate earnings of between US$150 million and US$200 million.“Jamaica has great competitive advantage in fish…we have great land, great water, and we have already got a lot of the existing farms. In a study done as to the aquaculture potential of Jamaica, it is not impossible to imagine Jamaica producing 50,000 tonnes of Tilapia a year,” he added.Wildish disclosed plans by Sunshine Aquaculture to commence the development of a fish nursery by year end, with some US$10 million being earmarked for investment in the first phase.“It will be based in Westmorland. But most of the farming is likely to be done, initially, on the Clarendon and St Catherine plains, where most of the existing farms are, because we intend to contract farms with existing farmers,” he informed.He said that Clarke “has been very supportive” of the venture.Meanwhile, Minister Clarke welcomed the initiative, and emphasised that the project demonstrates that local Tilapia production can be significantly advanced with proper genetics and proper feeding systems, thus ensuring that “we can compete in a significant way” in the global market.“As far as marine fish [is concerned], we are being challenged. The fact (is) that…with all that we have been doing with our sanctuaries, the stock is still depleting, and if you look worldwide, aquaculture is growing in a significant way. We must catch up with the world, because that is where our future lies,” the minister said.He gave an undertaking to work with Sunshine Aquaculture and other industry stakeholders in safeguarding and enhancing the sector’s output.— JIS

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$10-m silver tilapia production project launched

KBC Learning Tennis Academy launched

Sport

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

KBC Learning Sports has launched Jamaica’s first real tennis academy — the first programme to combine accredited online academic study with certified tennis training.The KBC Learning Tennis Academy with USPTR coach LLockett McGregor at Liguanea Club launched last Thursday is now accepting students for the September term.The KBC Learning Tennis Academy is unique to Jamaica and similar to other overseas programmes with one difference — all the academics are online. The curriculum is developed to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) standard providing graduates with a US high school diploma, SAT scores, and good tennis skills, making them eligible for full US college tennis scholarships and local college entrance. Aspiring tennis players can now pursue their tennis and their high school education locally.“The KBC Learning Tennis Academy is not focused on creating tennis champions,” explains USPTR certified coach McGregor. “We are developing competent and competitive tournament players who, with strong academics, will be eligible to take up the many tennis scholarships for team players, particularly girls, that are available in colleges and universities.”KBC Learning graduates Siquenia Sinclair and Shantal Blackwood, both high-ranking Jamaica tennis juniors, are now playing on scholarships at Shorter University, Georgia, and Florida A&M, respectively.At the launch, both players detailed their successful completion of their first year at college, noting their appreciation to KBC Learning.KBC Learning has been delivering online education since 2003 and is approved by the Ministry of Education as a home school. The KBC Learning Tennis curriculum has been developed to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) standards for admission to Division One and Division Two colleges.The Tennis Academy will operate in three terms, mirroring traditional schools. Each day students will have four hours of on-line academics at KBC Learning and four hours of tennis with LLockett McGregor and his professional team at Liguanea Club.“Our graduates have benefited from college admissions and scholarships as a direct result of a combination of academic preparation and sports training managed by KBC Learning,” explained KBC Learning Academic Director Angela Bennett.“In 2012, five KBC Learning graduates gained access and scholarships to local and overseas colleges. In addition, several current students are working towards gaining college scholarships using sports as a vehicle.”Each student will have an individual academic learning plan based on identified learning needs. KBC Learning will administer a diagnostic academic assessment and evaluate the results to determine each student’s strengths and weaknesses prior to acceptance and placement with a selected on-line school. Teachers are online, while subject matter experts are available at KBC Learning to guide and monitor students as they work online.KBC Learning’s association with tennis has grown out of an early partnership with The Scholarship Fund. The programme was developed when KBC Learning occupied space at Tennis Jamaica and offered academic services to some of the country’s outstanding junior players. KBC Learning has also developed strong associations with tennis college coaches in the USA.

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KBC Learning Tennis Academy launched

JSE bond market launched

Business

Corporate bonds can now list on stock exchange, access given to smaller investorsSunday, June 30, 2013

Companies are now able to list bonds on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE), which will give a wider pool of investors access to debt instruments.The JSE is currently reviewing the minimum amount, also called a board lot, that investors can buy into the bond market, but it should be in the region of $10,000 increments.And while no corporate bonds — instruments issued by an entity for the purpose of borrowing money from investors for a defined period of time at an interest rate — are ready to be listed, the stock exchange is waiving the fee to do so for the rest of 2013.“The bond market is designed to facilitate the trading of bonds whether they are corporate bonds, Government of Jamaica securities, or the securities of any other sovereign CARICOM nation,” said Marlene Street Forrest, JSE general manager. “The JSE Group has the platforms through which issuers of corporate bonds can raise capital on the primary market and list on the JSE.“Equally, those corporate bonds that have already been floated privately can still be listed on the exchange.”The idea behind the JSE bond market, is to facilitate the trading of bonds with the aim to increase efficiency, transparency and liquidity.For companies, the the market and trading platform offers an alternative to bank loans, flexibility to expand from equities into bonds, and potentially cheaper source of funding.Rating of bonds provide another means by which companies are able to signal the grade bonds they are floating, which could potentially impact on the cost of borrowing, according to Wayne Dass, CEO of Caribbean Information and Credit Rating Services Limited (CariCris).On the other side of the coin, investors will be able to enter or exit bond positions much easier, they will have greater access to information on the borrower, there is potential for capital appreciation of the bonds, and continuous pricing allows for daily monitoring of the bonds.As is customary, investors will be required to place their buy and or sell orders with a licensed member of the JSE.Wayne Dass (right), CEO of Caribbean Information and Credit Rating Services Limited (CariCris) speaks with Donovan Perkins (left), Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) chairman, while JSE general manager, Marlene Street Forrest listens attentively. (PHOTO: BRYAN CUMMINGS)

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JSE bond market launched