Police probe bar massacre, other killing
...victims were reportedly having birthday drink
POLICE were yesterday investigating the two shooting incidents in Kitty, Georgetown on Wednesday evening which left five persons dead and at least 10 others nursing gunshot wounds.

Eyewitnesses described the latter attack as probably the most brutal since the escalation of high-profile criminal activities, including execution-style murders, in recent times.

Police in a statement yesterday said the first incident occurred at Craig Street, Campbellville at 18:35 hrs. when Delroy Gomes, a 19-year-old businessman, was gunned down in front of his home by bandits in a burgundy-coloured motorcar.

The second incident occurred about 18:45 hrs. at a popular liquour restaurant at Pike and Lamaha Streets, Kitty where four persons were shot dead and at least 10 others, including the Director of Public Prosecution, Mr. Denis Hanomansingh, were wounded.

According to the Police, four gunmen emerged from a car and opened fire on the patrons in the shop, leaving popular national race-car driver Gavin Narine, 42; businessman Lloyd Singh, 48; Singh's sister, Joy Arjune, 38; and Fazeer Baksh, 20, dead.

Wounded were Hanomansingh, who was shot in the shoulder, and Mr. Beharry Dookie, also known as 'Nathoo', proprietor of the business place. They were both treated at a city hospital and sent home.

Among those also wounded were Mr. Deon Clarke, Assistant Commissioner of Police Kenneth Barran and Senior Superintendent Balram Persaud.

Unconfirmed reports indicated that Narine was celebrating his birthday at Nathoo's with friends shortly before 19:00 hrs. when the four gunmen sprayed the place with bullets.

Arjune of 106 Thomas Street, Kitty and a former Manager at the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), was not a frequent visitor to the business place and had just gone there last night "to have a drink"

She was reportedly invited over to Nathoo's by her brother, Lloyd.

According to a relative of the deceased, Lloyd called his younger sister on the telephone around 18:20 hrs and invited her over to the shop for a drink. She immediately left, telling her 14-year-old daughter, Michelle, who was at home with her at the time, that she will be back in an hour's time.

It is understood that Joy's husband was in the interior and he has since been contacted by the family and informed of the tragic news. Joy also has another daughter, 16-year-old Veronique.

The siblings' grandmother, Sarah Singh, 84, said that Lloyd and Joy and her other grandchildren were all decent and law-abiding citizens.

Their mother, 67-year-old Bibi Singh, could not control her tears yesterday as she recalled to the Chronicle how wonderful and loving her kids were to her.

She noted that she had seven daughters and one son and Lloyd was her third child, while Joy was her last.

The ailing woman, who lives alone in a small and modest home at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, said that of all her children, Lloyd was the one who checked her out regularly, almost daily, to make sure she was okay.

With tears streaming down her face, the woman recalled that on Wednesday morning Lloyd visited her and gave her money and kissed her on her cheeks.

"He does mind me because I'm a stroke case and is he looking after me and I ain't know how he and he sister can meet in this dilemna," she lamented.

It is understood that Lloyd's wife, Wanda Hercules, and their two children, Lolda, 12, and Vidal, nine, recently went to the United States to reside due to the current situation in the country.

Bibi said her son went to the U.S. about two weeks ago to be with his family, but despite them persuading him to stay with them over there, he decided to return home to look after her (Bibi) and the fishing business.

Wanda and the two kids were expected to arrive in Guyana sometime yesterday.

According to Bibi, her daughter-in-law decided to migrate because "she frighten to pass Buxton".

When the Chronicle arrived on the scene on Wednesday night, a huge crowd had already gathered at the bar.

There was blood almost everywhere inside the bar - on the tiled floor, on chairs and on the walls.

According to reports, the dead and wounded were among several persons who were socialising at the time in the bar when the gunmen made their entry, opened fire with their sub-machine and AK-47 assault rifles, and left.

The dead and wounded were subsequently transported to hospitals by ambulance and private vehicles.

As news of the shooting spread, friends and relatives of the dead and wounded and some Government officials hurriedly made their way to the bar and later to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where the dead persons and most of the wounded were taken.

Persons identified as being on the scene during the shooting, including a barman, were visibly shaken and tight-lipped.

One man said that after the shooting he saw "bodies lying everywhere and blood all over them. It look like if was about 15 people lying down there."

The shootings at Nathoo's were preceded by the fatal shooting of Gomes by two men toting machine guns and travelling in a burgundy car.

Reports said the men pulled up at the house and asked for the young man's father who is known as `Zapper', but he was not at home.

Gomes went outside to speak with the men and according to reports, they were seen questioning and manhandling him before opening fire and escaping.

He was reportedly shot five times.

A top police officer yesterday said investigations were continuing but there were still no leads regarding Wednesday's brutal shooting spree.

DPP recalls deadly attack on bar
DIRECTOR of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mr. Denis Hanomansngh was yesterday still trying to come to grips with the "scare of his life" on Wednesday night.

Hanomansingh was among several persons wounded when gunmen opened fire on patrons at the `Nathoo' bar, Lamaha and Pike Streets, Kitty, Georgetown, around 18:45 hrs.

The DPP who was wounded in the shoulder, but has not been hospitalised, told the Chronicle that he lived through scary times in Northern Ireland as a student "but nothing has scared me more than last night (Wednesday night)."

He said he had gone home during the afternoon with the intention of exercising on his treadmill, but found there was an electricity blackout.

He said he subsequently left home about 17:00 hrs for the bar to "pass the time away gaffing, until I suspect the electricity had returned."

He remembered standing behind the counter, facing the roadway and chatting with deceased Gavin Narine when he observed a man walk into the bar and immediately open fire.

Hanomansingh said his immediate reaction on hearing the first volley was to hit the ground where he remained until the shooting subsided.

He said he then overheard Policeman Corporal Balram asking "Barran, yuh alright?" and it was only then that he got up.

The DPP said that as he came out of the bar and around to the customer area, "all I saw were bodies and blood everywhere."

He remembered that in addition Narine, another of the dead men Lloyd Singh, and Beharry Dookie, also called ` Nathoo', the proprietor, were with others in the customer area.

The DPP said he and Nathoo were transported by friends to St Joseph's Mercy Hospital where he received medical attention and was sent away.

Hanomansingh said that about four weeks ago, he was advised by a lawyer to be "careful" as he had received information from a client that the DPP was reportedly on the "hit list".

The DPP said he had requested a Tactical Services Unit (TSC) guard but was told none was available.

He reiterated that as a result of Wednesday night's narrow escape, he feels his life is even more threatened adding, the "fear is still there".

Asked if he would accept security if his request is reviewed, the DPP said, "if they offer, I will accept."

On whether he had recruited Trinidad Senior Counsel, Rangee Dolsingh to function as Lead Prosecutor in the ongoing Mark Benschop/Phillip Bynoe treason case being heard before Magistrate Chandra Sohan, the DPP said after the charge was instituted he "has not intervened, nor hired any prosecutor...none was hired by the DPP."

According to him, a formal request was made to the DPP's office regarding having people to prosecute and the request was granted.

Hanomansingh pointed out that such a request is a norm as no expense is incurred to the DPP's office.

Trinidadian Special Prosecutor could have been in bar with DPP
TRINIDADIAN-born Senior Counsel, Rangee Dolsingh, the Special Prosecutor recruited to lead the State's case in the ongoing historic treason case here, considers himself lucky to have escaped being a likely victim in Wednesday night's attack in Georgetown.

"I have been to Guyana many times...I would have been in Guyana now, maybe at the same location, but by God's grace I got away," Dolsingh told the Chronicle yesterday.

He explained that he was due in Guyana last week and most likely may have been at the same location with local Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Denis Hanomansingh.

In a brutal attack early Wednesday night, four persons were killed and at least 10 wounded, among them, Hanomansingh, at Nathoo's Bar at Pike and Lamaha Streets, Kitty.

The DPP was rushed to a city hospital after being shot in the shoulder, but his injury was not considered life-threatening. He was treated and released.

Dolsingh said he was approached indirectly and accepted an offer to lead the prosecution's case in the treason trial involving Mark Benschop and wanted fugitive Phillip Bynoe.

He was scheduled to be here in the last week but was suffering from chest pains and had to be hospitalised.

And when made fresh arrangements were made for him to arrive in the country for the start of the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) on Monday, he contracted a viral infection and on the advice of his doctor, again had to delay his travel.

The British-trained, former Deputy Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in Trinidad who went into pre-retirement about a week ago, said he is not deterred by Wednesday night's attack providing his security is guaranteed .

Reached by the Chronicle in Trinidad, Dolsingh said, "I am not deterred, providing my security is guaranteed. I see my participation in the case as a challenge and nothing will hinder me seeing that justice is done, one way or the other, for the State or the accused. I have to act as the man of justice."

The Senior Counsel, who said he has applied to the Trinidad Government for permission to practice during his pre-retirement, said he accepted the challenge because he is confident that with him being "civic, independent, non-political, non-racial and with an independent mind, (he) will see justice is done and not pursue anyone."

"When I accepted the job I thought that as an outsider I would not be molested."

He noted too, that his plan to travel secretly to Guyana last weekend was blown when a Trinidad newspaper reported that he had arrived in this country since Sunday.

Remarking that he has been apprised of the alleged threats made against Chief Magistrate, Juliet Holder-Allen's life, Dolsingh declared, "chances are I may have been at the same location with the DPP".

It was on this note the Trinidadian Senior Counsel posited, "I am not deterred in any way, provided my security is guaranteed...."

Dolsingh says he hopes to be in the country in another four to five days, adding, "I would allow things to settle first."

The Senior Counsel recalled that in 1998 he appeared against Attorney General Doodnauth Singh in an extradition case involving Guyanese seaman, Allan Henry, who had killed a British national on a yacht in Trinidad.

Henry, Dolsingh said, was nabbed at Wakenaam island, in Essequibo and he, representing the State of Trinidad, was successful in having the fugitive extradited to Trinidad where he was subsequently tried, convicted and sentenced to death.

However, after being on death row for five years awaiting execution, the Trinidad Government commuted Henry's death sentence to one of life imprisonment.

National security remains top priority
-- President stresses
By Abigail Butler
PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday promised that no budgetary resource will be spared to boost the local law enforcement agencies in an effort to ensure that Guyanese are secure in their homes and communities.

Noting that national security is first on the agenda of the Government, the President stated that "whatever it takes" must be spent to ensure that people are safe in the country.

"We must recruit more Policemen. We must train our people and Policemen to handle any type of situation. There must be improvement in our investigative work and our intelligence. We must have better weaponry and protective gear," President Jagdeo declared to a gathering at the Sophia Exhibition Site, Georgetown, for the opening of Guyana's trade and investment exposition, GUYEXPO 2002.

Commenting on the "senseless violence" which shocked Georgetown residents Wednesday night, President Jagdeo said it goes back to some extent to people's values which have to be changed "because when people can so callously take the lives of others without showing any remorse, then it speaks a lot of our society..."

Four persons, including a woman, were shot dead and several others wounded Wednesday night when gunmen emerged from a car and opened fire on patrons at the popular 'Nathoo' bar and business place at Pike and Lamaha Streets, Kitty, Georgetown.

Following the killings, President Jagdeo had convened an emergency security meeting with the top brass of the Police and Army, Home Affairs Minister, Mr. Ronald Gajraj and Secretary to the Defence Board, Dr. Roger Luncheon.

The President yesterday said he has already made a commitment to the Police that the Government is going to make sure that there are other types of equipment to modernise their crime fighting capabilities, including armoured cars and maybe helicopters.

He added, "we must ensure that we pass tougher legislation," and noted that the Government had tabled in Parliament four pieces of anti-crime legislation - Prevention of Crimes (Amendment) Bill 2002, Criminal Law (Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2002, Racial Hostility (Amendment) Bill 2002, and Evidence (Amendment) Bill 2002 - Bill.

Among the proposed amendments, the Government is seeking to increase penalties for criminal offences and to broaden the scope of evidence that could be presented in court, including video tapes and data embodied in various other types of equipment and monitoring of deportees with criminal records.

However, there have been objections to the Bills in some quarters and the President said it bothers him that at times everyone agree that national security is top priority and call on the Government to take a tighter grip on the crime situation, and yet complain when the Government tries to take action.

"...as soon as we have tough legislative action to support our law enforcement agencies, the same people turn around and complain about the human rights of the criminals and they are not worrying about the human rights of the victims. It bothers me a lot because these are the same people who have been calling for tough legislative action," he stated.

He said the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) will continue to support the work of the Police in upholding the laws of the country though people are again objecting to the work that the GDF is doing in support of the law enforcement agencies.

He stated, "It is all legal, it is provided for by our laws and the GDF will continue to play that supportive role in the future."

"We are going to have to strengthen our collaborative efforts with the private security forces. We have to get our citizens more involved in the crime fighting activities. We must train them and equip our citizens so that they can support our law enforcement agencies," President Jagdeo said.

He, however, added that while these are all important issues and at the top of the agenda, he cannot promise total success and a totally crime free society.

He assured that all steps necessary will be taken to ensure that this is given priority attention.

The President said that all have to play a role in the fight, including churches and families.

"People have to work with their children to inculcate a different type of values. The citizens of the country have to speak out angrily about the various attempts we see on a daily basis to divide our people. We must not make them succeed."

He told the gathering, including other Government officials, diplomats, and dignitaries that as they visit the booths at the exhibition, they should observe the journey Guyana has embarked upon in search of modernisation and development.

"I would want you to note the technological skills and the imagination of our entrepreneurs. I want to commend their boldness in the face of global challenges and the socially unacceptable behaviour locally."

The President pointed out that it is an undeniable fact that political stability and good order are absolute requirements for national development, noting that while there have been some developments, it would be difficult for the society to make rapid progress and motivate its people if they are compelled to worry about security of their property and person.

He said this is perhaps why some countries have moved forward while others have not because while the complexity and sophistication of criminal activities have been on the rise in the Caribbean, it has recently blighted Guyana's landscape.

Anti-crime Bills passed in Parliament
By Chamanlall Naipaul
THE proposed anti-crime Bills which form part of the Government's overall strategy to deal with the current high level of criminality in the country were successfully piloted through Parliament last night following debate at the 31st sitting.

The main opposition party, the People's National Congress Reform (PNC/R) maintained its boycott and was absent from the sitting, but Leader of Rise Organise and Rebuild (ROAR), Mr. Ravi Dev and Working People's Alliance/Guyana Action Party (WPA/GAP) member Ms. Sheila Holder were present.

Parliament was convened at a special sitting last week to introduce the proposed Bills which were read for the first time by Home Affairs Minister, Mr. Ronald Gajraj and Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Mr. Doodnauth Singh.

The Bills introduced were:

* The Criminal Law (Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2002 - No. 9/2002

* Prevention of Crimes (Amendment) Bill 2002 - Bill No. 10/2002

* Racial Hostility (Amendment) Bill 2002 - Bill No.11/2002

* Evidence (Amendment) Bill 2002 - Bill No. 12/2002

The proposed legislation was innovative and new and seeks to update current laws to make them relevant to the present situation, Government spokesmen said.

Among the proposed amendments, the Government was seeking to increase penalties for criminal offences and to broaden the scope of evidence that could be presented in court, including video tapes and data embodied in various other types of equipment, and monitoring of deportees with criminal records.

Opening the deliberations on the proposed Bills, Minister Gajraj delivered a statement on the current crime situation and the two shooting incidents in Georgetown Wednesday night which resulted in the death of five persons.

Voicing his outrage at the incidents and the present crime wave, he declared: "I feel constrained to point out that such terror against Guyanese cannot be divorced from the climate created by constant attacks against our principal law enforcement agency, the Police Force. These attacks from several quarters, no doubt, often prompted by narrow self-interests are deliberately orchestrated and calculated to demoralise our law enforcement agencies so as to adversely affect their effectiveness and embolden the criminal."

He added: "In these trying times, the Government has not shirked its responsibility to meet the challenges in the security domain. In fact, a range of measures has been and is being put in place to face up to this menacing development in our society.

"They include substantial additional financial inputs, training and retraining projects, provision of more vehicles and equipment, addressing welfare aspects of the Police Force, strengthening of community policing groups, including a wide section of our population - church, business and political interests - country wide consultations with citizens on how to enhance policing, restructuring programmes of the Police Force, with the collaboration of friendly overseas agencies as well as involvement of the Guyana Defence Force."

The minister expressed gratitude to all those who have selflessly come out to assist in these efforts. He also expressed, on his behalf and the Government, condolences to those who have lost their loved ones as a result of Wednesday night's heinous criminal acts.

Justifying the need for the new pieces of legislation, he argued: "Today, this National Assembly will be considering Bills that are not only relevant, but germane to the critical criminal situation which confronts our citizens and nation and which are intended to be yet another step to contain crime and assure citizens that we will act responsibly, we will leave no stone unturned in our quest to contain, if not eliminate this scourge from our midst."

Dev supported the Bills in principle but expressed the need for greater comprehensiveness to include compensation for victims of crimes and inclusion of measures to ensure the enforcement of legislation.

Holder, while acknowledging the right of the Government to implement measures and legislation to protect citizens, opined that the legislation posed a threat of infringing upon the rights and freedom of individuals. She also expressed the view that there should have been greater consultations with the Parliamentary parties.

However, Gajraj countered that the legislation has always been part of Guyana's Constitution and what was being sought was updating the relevant acts to commensurate with the present times. He pointed out that laws cannot remain static, and must be updated to meet the challenges of the changing conditions.

The minister assured the House that the legislation will in no way infringe upon the rights of individuals. On the contrary, it seeks to protect and uphold their rights, he said.

Gajraj informed Parliament that the legislation is consistent with what exists in leading democracies like India, England and other parts of the Commonwealth and the Caribbean.

Attorney General Singh, debunking Holder's contention, dismissed her claims as mere rhetoric, stating that as one who has been involved in the legal field for more than four decades, he does not respond to rhetoric.

He dared anyone to challenge the legality and constitutionality of the legislation, contending that a universal model legislation was adopted in drafting the Bills.

"We do not invent the wheel, we follow its tradition," the Attorney General declared.

People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament and former Attorney General, Mr. Bernard Dos Santos, refuting Dev's contention of comprehensiveness and compensation for victims, said those matters are ancillary and can be subsequently addressed.

He added that the primary issues need to be dealt with immediately, declaring: "Now is not the time for fiddling, it is the time to act. Damage is being done now, thus we cannot be caught in side streams and rivulets."

Gunmen rob Melanie store
THREE unmasked gunmen calmly walked into `Best Buy Hardware Store' on the Melanie public road, East Coast Demerara around 11:00 hrs yesterday and emptied the cash register of reportedly hundreds of thousands of dollars, before running away.

The bandits reportedly ran along the public road and escaped down the Melanie Cinema road, shooting in the air, and persons in the area could do nothing else but stand and stare.

According to proprietor of the store, Mr. Lakeram, three men entered the business premises enquiring about items that were on sale.

He said the first man went into the store and asked a salesman for a tape deck.

As the salesman was looking after him, another man entered the store and asked for a window frame.

Lakeram said that by this time, and judging from the appearance and manner of the men, the salesman immediately became suspicious that "something was about to go wrong".

In the meantime, Lakeram said an accomplice of the two men entered the store at which point the unarmed guard turned on the store's alarm system.

He said the place immediately became noisy and two of the three men pulled out handguns.

One of them placed a gun to the forehead of a cashier demanding all the money from the cash register.

A bullet was discharged in the building, and after the men emptied the cash register, they fled the scene on foot discharging three more rounds in the process. No one was injured.

Lakeram, who was not at the store at the time of the incident but was briefed by his staff, told the Chronicle from his home in Enterprise, East Coast Demerara, that the criminals pulled out the guns from under the bottom part of their pants.

He noted that a Police car pulled up shortly afterwards but the men had already made good their escape.

Slow world economy, Sept 11 events make business climate challenging
-- GTM Chairman
RE-ELECTED Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Guyana & Trinidad Mutual Life Insurance Company Limited (GTM), Mr. Harold Davis, has said that the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 events in the United States and a stagnated world economy have made the business climate for his company incredibly challenging.

Davis was at the time moving a motion for the adoption of the Directors' Report for the financial year ending June 2002, during the 122nd Annual General Meeting of the company held at the National Cultural Centre, Georgetown on Tuesday.

The Chairman said the aftermath of September 11 changed the insurance industry in ways that one would have never imagined, while global economic stagnation severely tested the company's ability to maintain a satisfactory share of the insurance market.

The net assets of the company at the end of the financial year stood at $1,644,526,973 compared to $1,348,979,915 for the previous year, while cash flow was $700,079,600 compared to $540,036,993 in the previous year.

Fire premiums led the way among the various sources of income of the company accounting for 49.5 per cent. Motor insurance premiums were 24 per cent, other income accounted for 16.4 per cent and investment income totalled 10.1 per cent.

Noting the continuous road carnage, Davis said that the deterioration in the traffic situation seems to be on the "back burner" with greater attention being paid to other areas of law enforcement.

He expressed disappointment over the fact that while GTM had submitted several proposals to deal with the traffic situation only the one on compulsory seat belts was accepted. He pointed out that the company stands ready to assist national considerations aimed at curbing traffic lawlessness.

The Chairman also informed the gathering that while the company is pursuing its primary business objectives, as a good corporate citizen it is actively involved in discharging its responsibilities to the community. In this regard, it has been providing help to the improvement in the education of both the children of its staff and those of policy-holders under its Bursary and School Plus plan.

Under this plan, the eligible children are provided with accident insurance coverage for five years as well as an allowance to cover payment for five subjects at the GCE Ordinary Level and CXC examinations. Some $3M has been expended on this programme, Davis said.

On-the-job professional and academic training, including computer courses also form part of the company's education programme, the Chairman disclosed. (CHAMANLALL NAIPAUL)

Garbage bins handed over to Education Ministry
A QUANTITY of garbage bins was handed over to the Ministry of Education Wednesday under a joint environmental project between UNESCO and Sterling Products Limited.

This Mike Norville photo shows some of the bins being examined by officials of the Ministry of Education, UNESCO and Sterling Products Limited.

REO gives update on Region Six spending
REGIONAL Executive Officer (REO) Diyaljee Persaud has said work is in progress to upgrade facilities and improve conditions in Region Six ((East Berbice/Corentyne) during fiscal year 2002.

According to him, $23M has been allocated under the capital budget to finance several projects, including construction of an accident and emergency unit and a self-contained labour room at Skeldon Hospital, the design for which has been done.

Meanwhile, repairs and renovation are ongoing at Mibicuri Cottage Hospital in Black Bush Polder and several other health centres and outposts in the region, Mr. Persaud said.

He disclosed that Bara Cara Health Centre in Canje Creek and the New Amsterdam Hospital incinerator will be rehabilitated shortly and living quarters for medical practitioners and other senior staff addressed.

Persaud said $36.5M is being expended through Ministry of Health to provide adequate medical supplies to the regional health clinics.

Roads, water for Golden Grove housing scheme, EBD
A NEWS item titled “New roadways, water supply for housing scheme at Golden Grove”, and published on Page three of yesterday’s Chronicle, inadvertently situated the scheme on the East Coast of Demerara. It was brought to our attention that the housing development site in question is at Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara.

The Chronicle regrets the error.

The Wednesday night shooting at the popular `Nathoo' bar at Pike and Lamaha Streets, Kitty, Georgetown, that left four persons dead and at least 10 wounded, has further shocked and outraged the nation.

In response, there have been calls for the Government to declare a state of emergency, a limited state of emergency or forms of a curfew to go after the criminal gangs.

These and other calls would have to be carefully weighed by the authorities who would have to consider all the implications of such options.

What is clear though is that the majority of Guyanese want tough and sustained action against the bands that have wrought such deep grief and pain among so many in only about seven months.

The killing and wounding spree, the robberies, the terror attacks have got to be stopped and there is need for a concerted campaign that is backed by the majority of the population.

As Wednesday night's murderous onslaught clearly demonstrated, no one is safe from the terror attacks - not even people having a few drinks in a comfortable bar in the capital city.

This was a brazen and brutal assault against all that decent and law-abiding citizens stand for and has left no one in any doubt about the extent to which the gangs will go and where they will strike.

Parliament late yesterday passed new anti-crime laws the Government says are not only relevant but germane to the criminal situation which confronts the citizens of the nation.

Home Affairs Minister, Mr. Ronald Gajraj told the National Assembly that the Bills are intended to be yet another step "to contain crime and assure citizens that we will act responsibly and will leave no stone unturned in our quest to contain, if not eliminate this scourge from our midst."

He noted that the Wednesday incidents "were particularly callous, daring in their commitment and represent utter disregard for the human rights and lives of our citizens going about their normal business and social activities."

All people of goodwill want an end to this situation and are looking to the authorities to produce the kind of results they so deeply yearn for.

Citizens want the criminals to be caught so that they can get on with their lives in peace, safety and security.

It is long past time for all groups, organisations and parties to put aside petty differences and come together for the common good of the nation.

Too many people have been killed; too many have been wounded and too many are deeply grieving for the harm already done.

Mark Angoy, of Three-Quarters Mile, Bartica, who is accused of the capital offence, will remain incarcerated until October 8.

Particulars of the charge against him said he murdered Sarran Boodhoo also known as Kenneth, at Oko Backdam, another part of Bartica, on September 19.

The other man refused bail is Orin Babb (no address given), who is alleged to have wounded Lloyd Kissoon on September 22, causing him grievous bodily harm with intent to kill.

Babb’s next Court appearance is scheduled for September 30 while Police monitor the condition of the victim, who is still in a serious condition at a city hospital.

A third man, Kevin Messiah, 31, who appeared before Magistrate Sullivan yesterday, as well, was put on $10,000 bail after he pleaded not guilty to attempted robbery.

Police said Messiah (no address given either) was armed with a knife when he tried to relieve Terrison Ragabir of a $2,000 haversack but was thwarted on September 24.

Messiah will be back in Court on October 2.

I screamed when I heard his name casually mentioned on television as one of the three persons confirmed dead.

As I write this I am still shocked and wondering if I'm living in an insane country where all have gone mad.

For months I have wondered what would it take for there to be some action on the unchecked crime spree in the country of my birth. A country I returned to in 1994 of my own free will and one in which I stayed because it is my home and I want to live here.

It is not that I didn't care about crime before this, as I have not written much about it. It is that I was like most other persons, fed up of the excuses as who was at fault, tired of the political hogwash being tossed around when questions arose about crime and what should be done.

I think, however, that I must say something at this time as I really feel that all good citizens need to now speak up and insist on change in this country.

Living in Guyana at this time is hell on earth and I am sick of everything. It seems as if life has no value.

We Guyanese need to stand up and speak out once and for all. All of us who say that we love this country need to have our voices heard.

We should not be silent any longer.

I don't have all the answers but something has got to give. Life as I knew it years past is a dim memory.

We live in a country where dying is now the biggest business there is. I am wondering when will it all end. What will it take for there to be action and less talk?

How many more will have to die before something gets done?

Gavin Narine was one of the sweetest persons I knew. He always had a smile on his face. He loved motor racing and the sport was good for him.

I got to know him, as I am a member of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club and a timekeeper, and for most of us in time keeping, Gavin was a favourite.

We took great pleasure in teasing him as he walked by after his races sporting some tired looking shorts. He would often visit us - never to complain, just to check his times.

We will miss him. I can't even begin to imagine what race day will be without him.

To Gavin's family, I would like to extend condolences on behalf of my husband Paul and I. I pray that God will ease the pain you are feeling as He holds you in His arms.

May his soul rest in peace.
ANDREA ROHLEHR McADAM

President should authorise state of emergency
ON READING the Chronicle yesterday morning I felt very sorry for those killed and injured and their families.

The Government does not need consensus on crime.

In the private sector one is accountable and challenged to perform or he/she loses the job.

The President should authorise a state of emergency and the law enforcement agencies must hunt down and kill the criminals.

Law and order must be the first commandment of any country which wants peace and progress.

The Government has to equip the law abiding citizens with the same tools being used against them.

One has the constitutional right to protect himself and his family and the Government is held by the same law to equip the law abiding citizen to do the same.
RONALD

State of emergency needed
PERMIT me to ask the Honourable President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, what really has to happen in Guyana and Guyanese, after Wednesday night's unprovoked slaughter in a bar, before his government effects a state of emergency, even if limited to Georgetown and its environs, from dusk to dawn?

How many more lives have to be snuffed out before the Government feels the limit has been reached and it then has a moral and legal responsibility to wisely end this madness before it spreads?
EMILE MERVIN

Most citizens will support enactment of amendments
THOSE who keep threatening violence to close the country down and make it ungovernable and to engage in extra-parliamentary actions, who also express sympathy and support to violent criminals, will no doubt - as they have done - try to delay or frustrate the enactment of urgent and necessary legislation to strengthen the forces of law and order to protect the safety of citizens severely under threat especially since February 23, 2002.

The Criminal Law {Offences}{Amendment} Bill, 2002 seeks to introduce a new section to create the specific offence of the commission of a terrorist act in view of the mounting violence in the country, and is hoped to also act as a deterrent to those so inclined.

The Prevention of Crimes {Amendment} Bill 2002 seeks to introduce legislation that allows for Guyanese convicted of certain offences in a foreign state and who are deported to Guyana to be effectively monitored by the Police.

As the law now stands only Guyanese who are convicted of offences within the country may be subjected to Police supervision.

The Racial Hostility {Amendment} Bill 2002 increases the penalties for offences committed under the Act; it also widens the definition of "record" to include any film, negative, tape or other device and provides for a person who suffers damage of the type contemplated by the Act to enforce his right in the civil jurisdiction in any Court.

The Evidence {Amendment} Bill 2002 seeks among other things to allow a notary public in any place outside the Commonwealth to attest under his hand and seal, any procuration, power or letter of attorney, contract or agreement, or other instrument in writing where such instrument is made or executed without being certified under the hand and seal of a diplomatic agent or consular officer of the Government of Guyana.

Many of these and the other provisions are necessary and have been for some time to upgrade these laws and which are similar to the laws and provisions in other democratic countries.

There can be no doubt that the majority of the citizens will support the enactment of these amendments and provisions to strengthen the enforcement of law and order and to provide greater security for the citizens of this country.
JOHN DA SILVA

Fundamental principle
MR. BASIL Williams has told viewers of `Evening News' in criticism of the laws and amendments being introduced by the Government that they are telling people: " if you have the intention or if they think you have the intention, suspect terrorism in a section of the people of this country or to disrupt supplies, damage property and generally terrorise people, if they decided you have an intention, you don't have to have a gun in your hand and explosives for you to have completed the offence."

Surely, he well remembers that his party leader is very fond of using the term `agents provocateurs'.

Whenever violence results from incitement, encouragement or actions by leaders and executives of the PNC/R, he is quick to claim that the PNC/R is not responsible but that it is the result of PPP/Civic agents provocateurs.

So when you talk about agents provocateurs, they don't have to have guns or bombs but they can incite crowds or mobs and arrange for the provision of the guns or bombs.

PNC/R agents provocateurs will never be found with guns or bombs - they are far too smart for this.

They are always very quick to claim that it wasn't them or that they were not responsible although they had set the events in motion.

Although not a lawyer, I believe it is a fundamental principle that a person intends the consequences of his acts, so if he encourages or incites certain actions which are likely to result in violence and destruction, he should not be allowed to escape the punishment for the consequences of his actions.
KERRI SMITH

Watch the hinterland connection!
A TRULY historic occasion occurred last weekend, September 21-22.
As part of Amerindian Heritage Month celebrations, the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs organised a weekend of sporting activities in Georgetown. The main aim of this activity was to highlight the quality of sports that exist in the hinterland, showcase it to the Georgetown public, and to enable interaction between the Georgetown and hinterland officials so as to create an integrated approach towards national sporting events where teams from the hinterland can be given equal opportunities to express their talents in all sporting disciplines.

Five teams from varying hinterland areas participated in the sporting activities. They included a male and female football team from Rupununi, Region #9, a male football team from North West, Region #1 and female cricket teams from Moraikobai Village, Region #5 and Kamuni Village, Region #3.

The teams from Rupununi had to make a gruelling two-day trip through the Georgetown-Lethem trail, the condition of which is now nationally known, while the North West team had to travel for two days on the Atlantic Ocean to make it to Georgetown to participate in their activities. The female cricketers left their villages in the wee hours of Sunday morning to make it in time for their match.

On this premise alone, the significance of these sporting activities could not be overemphasised.

That all the teams arrived in Georgetown on time and were always on schedule for their matches is testament to the seriousness that sports is accorded in the hinterland. It also points to a high degree of discipline that these teams possess and this point should not be underscored by the hierarchy of sports in Guyana.

That the hinterland football teams completely dominated their Georgetown counterparts, some of whom come from the elite of sports in Georgetown, is just factual representation of what has always been recognised by the hinterland fans - that football in the interior is on par, if not better, with the coastland.

That memorable match between Rupununi and North West will remain for a long time in the memories of those who witnessed it, not only for the level of skills exhibited but also for its intensity and true competitive nature. True, there can only be one winner, which in this case was Rupununi, but for the promotion of football the entire hinterland are winners.

No small amount of praise can be heaped on the female participants.

The cricket match was also a revelation with both teams displaying a "no holds barred" attitude and a fair amount of talent identified, especially in fielding. It was indeed disappointing that this talent had to be observed after the regional cricket competition was concluded. Hopefully, when there is another national event the supremos of cricket will see it fit to scour the hinterland locations as completely as they do the coastland areas.

The female football team from the Rupununi came with a reputation, since they have eight members on the national team, and they did not disappoint. Their performance only enhanced their reputation.

What is little known is that all of these players are under the age of 18, some as young as 15 years and yet they displayed a maturity and enthusiasm that belied their youth. There was even a member who is a recognised referee.

The coverage by the press of this event was disappointing. It was generally anticipated that an event of this magnitude would have garnered much more coverage than was received. After informing all the media houses of this event it was thought that the sportswriters and photographers would have been clamouring to do releases on the teams, especially taking into consideration that two areas of national importance were part of the package, promotion of Amerindians and participation of women.

Yet from the inception the reception towards the event was lukewarm. (It is indeed frustrating when an event of less national importance, such as the forced landing of a foreign airliner, makes front page story in our leading newspapers and television stations and gets extensive daily coverage, while local events with much more national significance such as this, are deemed not important enough to get more than a few lines.)

At the same time, a special acknowledgement must be given to GBC which did the bulk of coverage of the event, Kaieteur News, and the Guyana Chronicle.

Where do we go from here? This is the question that is on the participants' mind.

Will we only be able to advertise our talents in September?

As organisers of this event, we sincerely hope that the success of our athletes would have opened the eyes of the sporting hierarchy of this country to start taking hinterland sports seriously. (Do you also know that the hinterland teams have dominated middle and long distance running as well as swimming at the national schools athletic championships for the past three years?).

Imagine that at present there is little or no support system from the governing sports bodies for the hinterland bodies, yet they were able to achieve what the governing bodies sometimes find very difficult to achieve; success, discipline and commitment.

If we are given the necessary support, on a continual basis, we are certain that we can make a major impact at the national level which can only do our country the world of good. However, this has to start with the infrastructure, then our participation in competitions and ultimately national selection.

The only way that our infrastructure can be developed is if major sporting activities start coming to hinterland locations rather than being centralised on the coastland. This would then force the regional authorities to ensure that their facilities are upgraded to a nationally acceptable level, which at present most aren't.

Why is it impossible for an event such as the national schools athletic championships to come to a location in the hinterland, say Rupununi? Since the inception of such national events, it is always the hinterland teams that have to travel for days, accept substandard accommodation and still be expected to perform on par with the other athletes.

This would be a deterrent to most individuals, yet the hinterland athletes still participate, still perform beyond expectations but ultimately forgotten due to their geographical locations. It would indeed be interesting to put our coastland athletes and officials through some of the rigours that have become commonplace for their hinterland counterparts and test their longevity and success rate.

To ensure a continued participation of hinterland teams in national sporting activities, a method has to be devised to procure finances. The regional authorities have to do their part to ensure that money is made available to support sports, and that it is actually used for the said purposes.

For the main part however, sponsorship would have to be the way forward. A special appeal is therefore being made to the corporate sector, and to all interested persons, to assist us as we try to incorporate the hinterland sports into the mainstream of national sports. For our part, we are in the process of developing a website to promote our sporting culture among the individual communities and what are the areas that we would need assistance in.

To those athletes that participated in our sports, your performance may have caught Georgetown by surprise but you didn't surprise your hometown since they were always aware of your abilities.

To the sporting public, your support did take us by surprise. To see some of the athletes almost moved to tears by the support they received is testament to the popularity that hinterland teams have in Georgetown. A special thanks to all of you!

In concluding, we would like to reiterate a statement that was heard reverberating around the sports grounds over the weekend. The hinterland connection is definitely taking Georgetown by storm! The calypso king, leading female referee, female heavyweight champion, leading female national footballers, etc., all have hinterland connections.

Please give us the opportunity to continue to make a national contribution.
MICHAEL ABRAHAM & GRAHAM ATKINSON
HINTERLAND SPORTS COORDINATORS

Admirable, brave comments
RORY Westmaas' brilliant treatise on the upcoming war for oil in Iraq was a welcome anomaly in the Stabroek News' letters column, an area which has degenerated into being mostly a message board for local opposition politicians.

Sometimes though the editors litter the page with writing that supports their own bourgeoisie agenda. The column, when not downright boring is mostly pathetic and sad.

I agree wholeheartedly with all of Mr. Westmaas' points, except his first.

The "lies, tendentious arguments and sheer hypocrisy" of those making the case against Iraq have not gone totally unanswered.

German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, won a fiercely competed national election because he chose to speak out against the Bush Administration's tendency towards unilateralism. In fact, it was consternation both at home and abroad that forced George Bush to seek a UN resolution on the Iraqi issue.

World statesman Nelson Mandela (referring to Iraq's acceptance of weapons inspections) recently told reporters, "what right has (George Bush) to come and say that that offer is not genuine? We must condemn that very strongly. That is why I criticise most leaders, all over the world, for keeping quiet when one country wants to bully the whole world."

Mandela has referred to the Bush administration as "a threat to world peace."

Former U.S. Vice President and the man who many still believe should be in the Oval Office, Al Gore, says the administration, rather than beating the drums for war with Iraq, should focus its efforts on winning the battle against terrorism and finding and punishing those behind last year's attack on America.

"I do not believe we should allow ourselves to be distracted from this urgent task simply because it is proving to be more difficult and lengthy than predicted," Gore said.

Gore added that he believed that Saddam Hussein is a menace to global peace but asked if Saddam "does not present an imminent threat, then is it justifiable for the administration to be seeking by every means to precipitate a confrontation, to find a cause for war and to attack?"

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was also "quite concerned" with the erosion of American values. "I think it is just a radical departure from the traditions that have shaped our nation's policies under Democratic and Republican presidents for the last 50 or more years in dealing with the Middle East, in dealing with the United Nations, in honoring our international agreements that we ourselves have helped to forge and supporting a common commitment through the United Nations and marshaling allies before we take military action," Carter said.

There is growing American criticism of the seemingly "out of control" hawks, or warlords, in the administration.

The New York Newsday newspaper recently carried a commentary by a New Jersey professor, Dr. Edward Rhodes. Titled, "U.S. Sees Evil at Risk of Going Blind," the piece shows that many Americans are reasserting their view of moral ethics.

"The road charted by the administration leads only to tragedy, both for the world and for America," Dr. Rhodes writes. "As a practical matter, the administration's vision woefully misunderstands the power that would be required to do what it proclaims it is America's mission to do. Ridding the world of tyrants and terrorists is not simply a matter of surgical air strikes and guided munitions. It is a matter of transforming lives and societies around the world.

"This is truly a millennial task, one that exceeds even America's enormous power. A world free from tyranny and terror may - and hopefully will - come. It will not, however, come soon. Nor will it come as an act of American will. Governance based on consent rather than on force, amity between peoples, and the rule of reason and law cannot be imposed at the point of a gun.

"In the violent, imperfect world that exists today, America may need to act - indeed, even to use violence - to protect from harm its people and others who depend on our nation. This regrettable need to employ power for self-defense should not, though, be confused with a divine calling to do with power what cannot be done with power. Stripped to its essentials, what the Bush administration envisions is an informal global American empire, imposing on delinquent societies America's liberal Western democratic values and institutions. Without question, these are indeed more conducive to human happiness and well-being than any alternative. Values and institutions, however, need to develop organically within cultures - not be imposed by imperial diktat.

"The pursuit of empire is already bringing us into conflict with our friends around the world - with those who share the very values that we seek to advance and spread. Even more tragically, this pursuit of empire fundamentally conflicts with our own basic values.

"A liberal democratic republic may pursue imperial dominance, but in gaining the whole world it loses its own soul.

"Finally, as a moral matter, the neat distinctions between good and evil that Bush draws so facilely are, in the real world, impossible to make. We cannot evade the need for careful moral judgment by declaring that tyrants and terrorism are, per se, bad: however true, this does not mean that all policies to rid the world of tyrants and terrorism are morally acceptable.

"Nor does it mean that the absence of democratic institutions and threats of indiscriminate violence are in every case morally intolerable. The United States, after all, based its security policy on precisely such a threat - nuclear retaliation against innocent civilians - for roughly half a century.

"Life (like foreign policy) is all about living with moral tensions and making troubling moral tradeoffs. It compels us, at times, to compromise with evil. Indeed, in our opposition to terrorists and tyrants we must bear in mind the danger that in this struggle against evil we become, in some small measure, precisely what we abhor. This truth may be neither emotionally nor rhetorically satisfying. It does not provoke the same chest-swelling reactions that President Bush's West Point speech or his new National Security Strategy triggers.

"But even in pursuit of a righteous cause such as human liberty, there is danger that the harm done will exceed the good produced."

Dr. Rhodes is the director of the Center for Global Security and Democracy at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.

His comments are admirable and brave in this time when the policy is "you're either with us or against us."
LUTCHMAN GOSSAI

Naraine’s death plunges racing fraternity into shock
By Isaiah Chappelle
THE colours of the chequered flag of motor racing champion, Gavin Naraine, was transformed from that of victory to mourning, the victim of a shooting spree at Nathoo’s Bar, Wednesday evening.

In a hail of bullets an illustrious racing career was snuffed out, plunging the motor racing fraternity, indeed the sporting community, into shock.

“It is an extreme tragedy,” former president of the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club, Keith Evelyn, told Chronicle Sport.

“This is a great loss to the nation, a great loss to sports and a great lost to motor racing,” Evelyn said.

The racer said superlatives could not adequately describe the kind of man Gavin Naraine was.

“I’m one of his greatest competitors, yet he brought in tyres for me,” Evelyn related.

“He was an excellent friend, an excellent competitor, an excellent committee member and an excellent club member,” Evelyn emphasised.

Naraine was the reigning National motor racing champion, whose performance attracted sponsors. He started defending the title this year with new sponsorship for the first leg of the National series in April

The Universal Airlines logo was the latest to adorn the racer’s Mazda RX7, joining Esso and Mobil 1 that renewed sponsorship, Wieting & Richter and NuSwift, ICI Autocolor, Laparkan, Amin’s Esso, Ganesh Parts, Maraj Travel Agency and Ramroop Furniture Store.

“I personally have seen Gavin Naraine drive and he is a winner,” Universal’s vice-president Mark De Freitas said at the official ceremony.

Naraine was so good that he clinched the national championship title last year, without finding a gear in the fourth and final outing in the November International meet. He had electrical problems, but had already amassed an unassailable tally of 82 points from seven wins in the first three legs.

From the first meet last year, Naraine sent a strong signal that he was back to reclaim his top position in Group 2, though his Mazda RX machine was still recovering from a severe accident in 1999 in a Trinidad & Tobago meet.

The machine is a first generation Mazda RX7, which he bought in 1995, from whence he dominated Group 2A.

Naraine won nine Champion Driver titles, including being twice crowned National Champion, in 1997 and last year.

After winning the National Champion title in 1997, Gavin was nominated for the National Sportsman of Year award.

And in the first meet this year, Naraine again won all Group 2A races and went up to Group 3, grabbing a second and a third, to be named Overall Champion, along with his Group 2A crown.

Naraine should have gone to Trinidad & Tobago for the May meet but was ill and was just recovering. He was looking forward to the upcoming meet at the South Dakota Circuit.

Chronicle Sport extends condolences to his wife, daughter, relatives, friends and the motor racing community.

Australia have no special plans for Murali - Ponting
By Brian Murgatroyd
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - Australia have no team plans to deal with Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in their Champions Trophy semifinal, Australian captain Ricky Ponting said yesterday.

Ponting told reporters it was down to each individual batsman to decide how to combat Sri Lanka's leading Test and one-day wicket-taker today on a pitch expected to help the spinners.

``Murali's a world-class bowler and he's probably not only the hardest to score runs off but also their wicket-taker through the middle period of an innings,'' Ponting said.

``But it will be down to individuals to work out a game plan to play him and that will vary from player to player.

``We've not made too much fuss and we'll prepare as we always prepare with a meeting today and I'm sure some stuff will come up then.''

Ponting had some success against Muralitharan on Australia's tour of Sri Lanka in 1999, scoring 253 Test runs at 84.33, including 105 not out at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

SPINNERS CRUCIAL
But he said he was not the only player in the world champions' team to have seen a fair amount of the off-spinner.

``A lot of the guys in the squad now were on that tour and we've spoken a lot about how to play Murali in the past,'' he said.

``We've all watched a lot on TV and how England have handled him in Tests and one-dayers but everyone will have their individual plans.

``Some guys will have differing plans and styles of play and I'm sure you'll see those different styles tomorrow,'' he added.

Ponting said the battle between Australia's batsmen and the Sri Lankan spinners could be crucial.

``How we play their slower bowlers will probably determine the outcome of the game,'' he said.

Despite the key role spin is likely to play, Ponting said Australia would be unlikely to pick off-spinner Nathan Hauritz as a third slow bowler alongside leg-spinner Shane Warne and the part-time left-arm spin of Darren Lehmann.

``The idea of three spinners has been thrown up but it's probably unlikely,'' he conceded. ``It will be hard to change the side as it's performed so well over the past few weeks.

Ponting confirmed batsman Damien Martyn would be fit for selection after missing the nine-wicket win over Bangladesh with a hip injury. He is likely to return in place of Jimmy Maher.

Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore said Sri Lanka's recent up-turn in form after a poor tour of England, which included just one win in six one-day internationals, was down to an improvement in all areas of the game.

``It's a realisation that we are better than what we showed there, plus a couple of different personnel and different conditions,'' he said.

``It's also about getting a bit of pride back and playing to a level of cricket we know we can play and the public know we can play.''

The match at the R.Premadasa Stadium is a sell-out with Sri Lanka bidding to continue a run of 14 wins from their last 17 matches there.

Whatmore said Sri Lanka would pick their side last night but not name it until the toss. They have no reported injury problems, although captain Sanath Jayasuriya said the shoulder he dislocated three weeks before the tournament was still not 100 per cent.

The winners of today's match will play India in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday after Sourav Ganguly's men beat South Africa on Wednesday.

Teams (from):
Australia - Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Bevan, Andrew Bichel, Jason Gillespie, Adam Gilchrist, Nathan Hauritz, Matthew Hayden, Brett Lee, Darren Lehmann, Jimmy Maher, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Shane Watson.

Sri Lanka - Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Russel Arnold, Marvan Atapattu, Upul Chandana, Aravinda de Silva, Kumar Dharmasena, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Dilhara Fernando, Hasantha Fernando, Pulasthi Gunaratne, Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara, Chaminda Vaas.

Umpires: Steve Bucknor and David Orchard. Third umpire Rudi Koertzen, fourth umpire Srinivas Venkataraghavan. Match referee: Wasim Raja.

Suriname’s Yellow Birds open Linden visit tonight
By Joe Chapman
BASKETBALL fans in Linden are in for a treat tonight as one of Suriname's top basketball club will visit the mining town for engagements against local selections.

The Linden junior and senior selections will face the challenge of the touring Yellow Birds basketball club side that arrived here Wednesday for a series of matches against local opposition including hosts Courts Pacesetters.

This evening the venue for the Linden matches is the Christianburg Hard Court.

The L:inden men's team will be led by national guards Steve Neils (jnr) and Bruce Davis, Julius Gardner, forwards Alwyn Wilson, Collis Hall, and Terrence James, along with temperamental former junior national centre Dwayne Roberts among others to choose from.

Whatever the make-up of this Linden men's team is, it will pose a severe test for the relatively unknown visitors who are here on a goodwill tour.

But the Surinamese club will field a few players with national experience and that in itself should create much interest as Suriname over the years have always provided Guyanese basketball clubs and national teams with stern tests. And tonight should be no different.

The Linden junior team will have among their lot Jason Alonzo and a large crowd is certain to converge on the west bank basketball venue.

In the first game tonight at 18:00 hrs, the Suriname junior club team will oppose their Linden counterparts while at 20.00 hrs they will face the powerful Linden Selection with several players, who are peaking for the finals of the 2001/2 Western Union/COURTS/Banks DIH-sponsored Super league basketball championship.

In fact the finals begin tomorrow night with game one of the best-of-three series between Sparta Global Kings and Victory Valley Royals.

Matthews bids farewell to DCC
THE Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) on Wednesday held a farewell reception in honour of long-serving member and first division captain Donovan Matthews. Matthews, a member of the club since 1987, is leaving to take up residence overseas.

A member of the first division team since 1989, wicketkeeper Matthews was vice-captain of the team for a number of seasons before being appointed captain in 2001.

Decision to switch to Canada not easy
… says de Groot
By Ezra Stuart
BRIDGETOWN - Former Guyana captain and opening batsman Nicholas de Groot says his decision to switch his cricket commitments to Canada where he was born was not an easy one for him.

de Groot, who is now playing Division One club cricket in Barbados with the west coast team, Maple, revealed that he was contacted by the Canadian selectors in January 2001, about his availability to represent Canada.

“It was a tough decision to make. I thought about it for two or three weeks,” admitted the 26-year-old de Groot, who represented Canada in Zone ‘B’ of the Red Stripe Bowl limited overs championship in St Lucia in August.

The diminutive right-handed batsman said at the time, he asked himself: “Should I stay and play for Guyana and try and make the West Indies team or should I go off to Canada and try to help them qualify for the World Cup?

“Helping Canada qualify for the World Cup and the opportunity to take part in the World Cup was probably the biggest factor,” added de Groot, who was a guest on the popular “Best and Mason” cricket discussion radio programme on Tuesday night.

Just a moderate performer in a 33-match first-class career with a batting average of 21.41 after amassing 1 178 runs with a highest score of 78, de Groot also conceded that losing his place in the Guyana team was another factor in his decision to play for Canada.

“When I got dropped last year after the third game (in the Busta Cup), that shattered my confidence. I was batting well and I knew that it was a matter of time before I got a good score,” de Groot said.

“At the time, I wasn’t batting badly. I was getting starts but I wasn’t capitalising. I was getting into the 20s, 30s, 40s and getting out,” added de Groot.

Despite that setback, de Groot said when he returned to Guyana last year after his first stint with Canada, he was still keen on representing Guyana in the 2001 Red Stripe Bowl and the 2002 Busta Cup.

“They (Guyana officials) said they would seriously consider me but I wasn’t included in the squad and that’s when I said they don’t want anything to do with me anymore,” de Groot contended.

With Canada securing a berth in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa after finishing third in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Trophy qualifying tournament, de Groot said he is now trying to play as much cricket as possible prior to next year’s February-March competition.

He will remain in Barbados until the domestic season ends in November and then travel to New Zealand to play club cricket and have a trial with first-class team, Otago.

de Groot, one of the stars of Canada’s 2-1 One-Day series triumph over the West Indies ‘A’ team in Toronto during the summer, revealed the New Zealand stint had been set up by his Canadian team-mate, Ian Billcliff.

XM-Xtra 50-over semifinals set for tomorrow
THE 2002 XM-Xtra first division 50-over cricket competition, sponsored by Banks DIH Limited and run by the Berbice Cricket Board of Control, gets into a higher gear this weekend with the playing off of the two semifinals tomorrow.

The first one scheduled for the Albion Community Centre ground between 2001 XM 5-Year Old 50-over knockout champions Albion Community Centre and 2001 COURTS 50-over round-robin champion Youth Warriors is expected to be the match of the day.

Albion have a score to settle with Young Warriors who have knocked them out from both of last year's COURTS and Banks Beer competitions. Even though they will be without Andrew Gonsalves who is in the USA, they will have Sewnarine Chattergoon, Narsingh Deonarine, Azib Ali Hanif, Hemnarine Harrinarine, Suraj Sahadeo and Michael Chinsammy.

Young Warriors have a formidable batting line-up in Damodar Dasrat, Looknauth Ramsuchit, Balram Samaroo, Hubern Evans and the hard-hitting Anil Beharry, while the bowling will be in the hands of Imran Jafferally, Kawal Mangal, Munilall Shivdyal, Dasrat, Evans, and Beharry. Cricket fans will be in for a treat here. The umpires for this match are Rafik Latif and Dhierandranauth Somwaru.

In the other semifinal, fixed for the Blairmont ground, Rose Hall Town COURTS with their impressive batting line-up will certainly start as favourites against Blairmont Community Centre when they have the likes of Andre Percival who has just returned from England, Assad Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Neil Williams, Renwick Batson and the hard-hitting Delbert Hicks. Their bowling will be spearheaded by Esaun Crandon and his brother Royston, Abdel Fudadin, Percival and Williams.

Blairmont will depend on their bowlers, Naresh Roopnarine, Nigel ‘Train’ Wilson, Gamie Lalsa, Karandat Bissoondial and Riaz Imam to restrict the Rose Hall Town batsmen to a score that their average batting line-up which includes Horace McDonald, Nedesh Basdeo, Vejai Heeralall and others can handle.

The umpires are Clement Brusch and Keith Sultan.

Both matches start at 09:30 hrs. The final is tentatively fixed for Sunday, October 13, at a venue to be named.

Banks Malta 40-over cricket starts tomorrow
THE Banks DIH ground, Thirst Park, will sparkle with colours tomorrow when the East Bank Cricket Group Banks Malta 40-over knockout cricket competition bowls off.

For the first time on the East Bank, teams will be decked out in coloured clothing, compliments of Universal Airlines and King’s Jewellery World. White balls will also be used.

Tomorrow’s opening match, which starts at 11:00 hrs, pits Diamond against Farm while Sandpipers and Herstelling ‘B’ clash at the same venue on Sunday.

The umpires on both days are Andrew Alleyne and Reginald Grant.

Some 10 teams are participating in the competition with matches scheduled for each weekend at Thirst Park.

The matches were originally to be played under floodlights.

W.I. face Pakistan in three-day match
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, (CMC) - The West Indies face Pakistan in an unofficial three-day practice match starting today as both teams prepare for important Test assignments.

Team manager Ricky Skerritt told CMC yesterday the game, arranged to facilitate much needed practice for both teams, will not have first-class status and will not follow normal cricket rules.

“All the batsmen will bat and all the bowlers will bowl, it’s not really a proper game, just an opportunity for all 16 players here to get some play,” Skerritt said.

The West Indies, remaining in Sri Lanka after their Champions Trophy elimination, have completed a training camp ahead of their trip to India, while the Pakistanis are preparing for Test assignments against the world’s number ranked Australia.

Opening batsmen Daren Ganga, who has replaced ailing Brian Lara for the India tour, joined the squad yesterday afternoon and became the sixth player arriving from the Caribbean for the India tour.

Batting off-spinners Marlon Samuels and Gareth Breese, and fast bowlers Cameron Cuffy, Darren Powell and Jermaine Lawson, who were not part of the Champions Trophy squad, arrived earlier this week.

Lara has left Sri Lanka after being hospitalised last week with what hospital sources said was a case of hepatitis.

The West Indies travel next Wednesday to India where they will play three Tests and seven one-day internationals. The first Test starts October 9 in Mumbai.

Nehra injury worry for India ahead of final
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra is nursing a hand injury, causing his side some concern ahead of their Champions Trophy final on Sunday.

The left-armer hurt himself while attempting a run-out during India's thrilling 10-run win over South Africa in the first semifinal on Wednesday.

``He needed five stitches in the webbing between the middle and index fingers,'' team physio Andrew Leipus said yesterday.

``There is a question mark over whether he will recover for the final, but we have three more days,'' he said.

Nehra was forced off the field because of the injury but returned to bowl three more overs as India rallied in the late stages to clinch victory.

All-rounder Ajit Agarkar, the third seam bowler in the side, could team up with Zaheer Khan for his first game of the 12-team event if Nehra does not play.

India will meet the winners of today's second semifinal between world champions Australia and hosts Sri Lanka.

Waugh impressed by English standards
By Brian Murgatroyd
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - Australia Test captain Steve Waugh says his spell with county side Kent has left him impressed with the standard of the English game and the young players it is producing.

``There are plenty of good youngsters there and English cricket is definitely on the way up,'' he told reporters in Colombo as he prepared for Australia's three-match Test series against Pakistan that begins in the city on October 3.

``There was one fast bowler at Kent, Martin Saggers, who I thought deserved a closer look, I saw (James) Anderson of Lancashire and we played against a 17-year-old (Nick Thornicroft) for Yorkshire in the last match.

``Things are definitely going in the right direction.''

Waugh played for Kent for just over a month from mid-August as he warmed up for the Pakistan series, replacing fellow Australian Andrew Symonds who was on duty with Australia A in South Africa and Australia's one-day side in Kenya.

The 37-year-old scored 224 runs in four first-class matches with a top-score of 146 in his last match against Yorkshire, as well as 159 runs from five one-day games.

Waugh, who played for Somerset in the late 1980s, enjoyed the experience of returning to county cricket and has received offers to return in 2003.

But he said: ``There are always approaches but I'm not sure what I'll do next year and whether I want another five months of county cricket.''

Waugh was quick to play down the claim his primary reason for going to England was to spy on players ahead of the Ashes series against England that begins in early November.

But he did say he saw several of the tour party in action, including young fast bowlers Steve Harmison of Durham and Glamorgan's Simon Jones.

He said: ``They've both played a Test match, done well and both of them are quick so people will think they are suited to Australian wickets.

``It's a lot different getting out there and bowling and getting the right lengths and being pressurised by Australia, but it's a big opportunity for those guys.''

Ronaldo slams ex-coach Cuper
ROME, Italy (Reuters) - Twice World Footballer-of-the-Year Ronaldo has launched a fierce attack on Inter Milan coach Hector Cuper, accusing him of endangering his career.

``With Cuper, I risked my career,'' Ronaldo said in an interview in La Gazzetta dello Sport yesterday.

``He didn't play me when I was fit, and he made me train or kept me on the pitch when I wasn't. At times he didn't even follow the advice of the doctors,'' he added.

The Brazilian star had previously refused to reveal the reasons behind his transfer from Inter to Real Madrid, but said he had changed his mind after personal attacks by Italian fans.

No-one was immediately available for comment at Inter.

Ronaldo spent most of last season injured or on the bench and was substituted by Cuper in Inter's final match of the season, when his side agonisingly let the Serie A title slip through their fingers, losing 4-2 to Lazio in Rome.

He compared his stop-start season in Italy with his explosive - and injury-free - performances at the World Cup, where he scored eight goals.

``I injured muscles four or five times (at Inter),'' he told La Gazzetta. ``They were serious problems, not little ones. While at the World Cup you saw that if I'm working well I don't have problems.''

His former club have made a good start this season, winning both Serie A games and beating classy Dutch side Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday.

According to Ronaldo their success masks deep divisions between players and coach.

His own relationship with Cuper was strained, he said, and he identified former strike partner Christian Vieri as one of the players who frequently came into conflict with the Argentinian coach.

Though he still had great respect for Inter's president Massimo Moratti, Ronaldo said he was ``disappointed'' by the decision to keep Cuper.

Asked whether he believed the current Inter squad was capable of winning the Serie A title, he said: ``It's a team that will go all the way to the wire in the race for the title. But to win, you have to know how to win.''

South Africa board calls up fast bowler Ngam
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, (Reuters) - Fast bowler Mfuneko Ngam was named yesterday in South Africa's 14-man squad to play Bangladesh in the first two of three one-day internationals next month.

Ngam has suffered a series of career-threatening injuries since last appearing for South Africa against Sri Lanka in January 2001. His inclusion in the squad is subject to his fitness after a domestic match against Eastern Province this weekend.

Although he has played three Tests, Ngam has yet to play in a limited-overs international.

``We are managing Ngam,'' convenor of selectors Omar Henry told Reuters. ``We are monitoring each outing and making sure he does not burn himself out considering all his injury problems. If he comes through the domestic game then we will give him a chance against Bangladesh.''

Henry also said South Africa's most capped one-day player Jonty Rhodes was being rested to allow him to recover fully from a hand injury and to spend time with his family.

``Jonty has been struggling with a bruised hand since Morocco so we have rested him. We're happy with him and he's a family man so rest for him means we get back a good cricketer and a sound mind. He'll be happy and we'll be happy,'' Henry said.

There was a first-time inclusion in the full South African squad for Northerns batsman Martin van Jaarsveld.

Wicketkeeper/batsman Errol Stewart of Kwazulu-Natal, who played the last of his five one-day internationals against Australia in 1994, was also included in the 14.

Alan Dawson and Nicky Boje, who both played for South Africa in this month's Champions Trophy, were not considered because of injury.

South Africa play Bangladesh in Potchefstrom on October 3 and in Benoni on October 6. The third and final one-day international is in Kimberley on October 9.

South African squad: Shaun Pollock (captain), Mark Boucher (vice captain), Dale Benkenstein, Boeta Dippenaar, Allan Donald, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener, Mfuneko Ngam, Makhaya Ntini, Justin Ontong, Graeme Smith, Errol Stewart, Martin van Jaarsveld.

South Africa are not chokers
…says Ponting
By Brian Murgatroyd
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - Australian captain Ricky Ponting has refused to brand South Africa as ``chokers'' despite their disappointing 10-run defeat by India in the Champions Trophy semifinal on Wednesday.

Shaun Pollock's side reached 192 for one in the 37th over chasing 262 for victory before opener Herschelle Gibbs was forced to retire with cramp after scoring 116.

When he departed South Africa lost their way completely to finish at 251 for six. Following on from losses to Australia in the 1999 World Cup and India in the 2000 Champions Trophy, the defeat again raised questions about their big-match temperament.

But Ponting refused to subscribe to that view when he spoke to reporters yesterday before Australia's semifinal against Sri Lanka today.

``It's not justified to call them chokers,'' he said. ``It was an unfortunate thing last night with Herschelle Gibbs going so well and then the cramps in his arms and hands set in and he couldn't hang onto the bat.

``It was the turning-point of the game, but as we all know in one-day cricket if the momentum is going your way, as it was for South Africa last night, then you lose wickets, it's hard to get it back.

``We always speak of that, that if you lose a wicket you don't want to lose another on top of it especially if you are chasing because it becomes hard.

``South Africa aren't the first side to do what happened. It has happened to every side in the world a number of times so you couldn't label them as chokers on that performance last night,'' he added.

SLOWER BOWLERS
Ponting did admit the way South Africa struggled to chase their target as the ball lost its hardness and the slower bowlers were introduced confirmed his thoughts about what to do if he won the toss today.

``I've said right through the tournament that I would prefer to bat first and I think all the sides are probably in the same boat,'' he said.

``South Africa did get themselves into a good position but they lacked momentum through the middle part of the innings and dug themselves into a hole they couldn't get out of.''

However, Ponting played down the significance of the toss in today's match.

``It doesn't bother us too much whether we bat or bowl first.

``Our target is always to set a big total if we bat first or chase down a total if we bowl first and we'll just go out looking to perform well on the day.

``If that means scratching around to get 220 and then defending it then we'll try to do that. We're still confident either way,'' he added.

The winners of today's semifinal will play India in the final on Sunday.

None of the remaining three sides in the competition have ever won the event, with previous winners South Africa (1998) and New Zealand (2000) both eliminated.

Pakistan recall manager Nasir
KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - The Pakistan Cricket Board have recalled Khawaja Nasir to act as senior team manager in succession to Yawar Saeed. Nasir, a retired brigadier, served as manager in 1999 and 2000.

PCB spokesman Khalid Butt said yesterday Yawar could not continue until the 2003 World Cup due to ``professional commitments'' and had asked to be relieved of the job.

The news came the week after the board sacked coach Mudassar Nazar following a dismal spell in which Pakistan lost six out of 10 one-dayers.

Nazar has been replaced by South African-based Richard Pybus, who will be coaching Pakistan for the fourth time.

Butt said Yawar had told PCB chairman Lt. General Tauqir Zia he believed that injuries to key players like Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousaf Youhana and the physical condition of other players were the main factors for the team's recent poor performances.

Ul-Haq and Youhana have been ruled out of next month's Test series with Australia, although Youhana, undergoing treatment for a shoulder injury, is likely to be fit in two weeks.

Butt said: ``Khawaja Nasir will now leave for Colombo shortly with team analyst Sikander Bakht to join the team for the Test series.''

Pakistan open the three-match Test series against Australia in Colombo on October 3. It was to have been held in Pakistan, but was moved to Sri Lanka over security concerns.

East Bank Hand-in-Hand, Ovaltine matches continue
THE East Bank zone of the Demerara Cricket Board's Hand-in-Hand second-division 50-over knockout competition continues this weekend with two matches.

Tomorrow Diamond take on Herstelling ‘B’ at Providence while on Sunday, Herstelling ‘A’ meet North Soesdyke at Providence. The umpires on both days are Alleyne and Roberts.

Also on this weekend in the area is the Ovaltine third division two-day competition. Matches start tomorrow and conclude Sunday, and would see Farm taking on Providence at Diamond where Grant and Gomes are the umpires; and Patretwa Sawmill meeting Sandpipers at Kuru Kururu with Garnett and McDonald umpiring.

All matches start at 11:30 hrs.

Meanwhile, in results from last weekend’s Hand-in-Hand matches, Herstelling ‘B’ defeated Patrewta Sawmills by 76 runs, North Soesdyke edged Eccles by one run and Ruimveldt won from Farm by 56 runs.

Herstelling ‘B’ batted first and made 205 in 35 overs with T. Balwant hitting a top score of 66. Patrewta Sawmills responded with 129 all out.

Eccles took first strike against North Soesdyke and reached 166 off 42 overs with Michael Singh hitting 75. Ronald Jaisingh took five for 27 and Roy Persaud two for nine.

North Soesdyke replied with 167 off 33 overs.

Ruimvedt made 126 all out with 26 coming from H. Rajkumar and 22 each from S. Latchman and K. Seunarine. A. Gittens grabbed five for 44, A. Debidial two for 24 and C. Hoyte two for 35.

Farm were bowled out for 70 with K. Debidial hitting 28. S. Latchman returned to claim four for seven and H. Rajkumar four for 12.

Guyana to host first C&W Test between W.I. and Australia
ST JOHN'S, Antigua, (WICB) - Guyana will host the first Cable & Wireless Test between the West Indies and the touring Australians when the team from Down Under visit the Caribbean next year.

The Test is scheduled for Bourda April 10-14. It will be preceded by a three-day encounter, from April 5-7, between a Guyana Cricket Board President’s XI and the tourists.

Meanwhile, St Lucia's Beausejour Stadium will become the Caribbean's eighth Test match centre when it hosts the first of two 2003 Cable & Wireless Tests between West Indies and Sri Lanka from June 20 to 24.

The Beausejour Stadium will also host the third 2003 Cable & Wireless Trophy limited-overs international between West Indies and Australia on May 24 as the West Indies Cricket Board will again host two teams during the Caribbean's international season like they did this year.

Beausejour was inaugurated as an international venue, when it hosted two matches in the 2002 Cable & Wireless Trophy limited-overs series between West Indies and New Zealand after a Busta XI had faced India in a first-class match in April.

West Indies will host Australia for a series of four Tests and seven limited overs internationals from April 2 to June 2, then Sri Lanka will arrive from June 2 for a series of two Tests and three limited overs internationals that ends on July 2.

APRIL

2: Australia arrives

5-7: GCB President’s XI v Australia, Georgetown

10-14: First Test, West Indies v Australia, Georgetown

18-22: Second Test, West Indies v Australia, Port-of-Spain

25-27: UWI Vice Chancellor’s XI v Australia, Cave Hill, Barbados

MAY

1-5: Third Test, West Indies v Australia, Bridgetown

9-13: Fourth Test, West Indies v Australia, St John’s

17: First limited-overs international, West Indies v Australia, Kingston

18: Second limited-overs international, West Indies v Australia, Kingston

21: Third limited-overs international, West Indies v Australia, Castries

24: Fourth limited-overs international, West Indies v Australia, Port-of-Spain

25: Fifth limited-overs international, West Indies v Australia, Port-of-Spain

30: Sixth limited-overs international, West Indies v Australia, St George’s

JUNE

1: Seventh limited-overs international, West Indies v Australia, St George’s

2: Sri Lanka arrives

4: Limited-overs practice match, St George’s

7: First limited-overs international, West Indies v Sri Lanka, Bridgetown

8: Second limited-overs international, West Indies v Sri Lanka, Bridgetown

11: Third limited-overs international, West Indies v Sri Lanka, Kingstown

14-16: First-class practice match, Kingston

20-24: First Test, West Indies v Sri Lanka, Castries

27-JULY 1: Second Test, West Indies v Sri Lanka, Kingston.

Madhoo/Chin win ‘Draw Doubles’
THE national pair of Norman Madhoo and Stacy Chin stopped all opposition to emerge winners of the Draw Doubles competition held at the Salt Air Sports Club, Le Meridien Pegasus last Friday.

Madhoo and Chin dropped the first game in the best of three to Ronald Amyan and his partner Andrew Singh.

Sudesh Fitzgerald and Sean Drennon took care of Bryan James and Roy Amyan to reach the final against Madhoo and Chin who won 2-0.

The Guyana Darts Association will sponsor a cash tournament today at the same venue, starting at 19:00 hrs.

Voeller against Germany playing in Confederation Cup
BERLIN, (Reuters) - Germany coach Rudi Voeller is not in favour of the World Cup finalists taking part in next year's Confederations Cup in France.

``I could not imagine that the Confederations Cup would fit into our calendar,'' the former international striker said yesterday.

German Football Association (DFB) president Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder suggested that Germany playing in the event was a possibility.

The DFB chief said it would be a good way of persuading the top teams to enter the next edition in 2005 in Germany, which will serve as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup finals on German soil the following year.

But Voeller disagreed.

``I am also against the prospect of sending a reserve team who would fare poorly, like it happened in 1999,'' Voeller told yesterday's German daily Bild, referring to Germany's elimination from the tournament that year after defeats to Brazil and the United States.

The event from June 18 to 29 will involve world champions Brazil, the champions of the six confederations -- France, Colombia, Cameroon, The United States, Japan and New Zealand -- plus one other invited team.

One spot remains available because France, the European champions, automatically qualify as hosts.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the president of the Bayern Munich limited company and a former Germany striker like Voeller, said the Bayern players would probably not go if that happened.

``I cannot imagine that the Bayern players would take part,'' he said. ``They need holidays.''

The Confederations Cup faces an uncertain future after UEFA president Lennart Johansson said last July that European football's ruling body would withdraw from the tournament after 2005.

Decorum regained for 34th Ryder Cup match
By Jon Bramley
SUTTON COLDFIELD, England, (Reuters) - If you like your opening ceremonies big, glitzy and brash, then the Ryder Cup curtain-raiser yesterday will have been a serious letdown.

There were no dancing girls, Kylie Minogue didn't strut her stuff as she did at the last summer Olympics in Sydney and Diana Ross didn't fluff a penalty kick like she did at the 1994 World Cup in the States.

Instead, the PGAs of the United States and Europe kept it simple and heartfelt after postponing the match for a year following the September 11 attacks.

It worked perfectly.

It wasn't a thriller -- there were no fisticuffs between the rival captains and Tiger Woods didn't blow a raspberry when Colin Montgomerie was introduced to the crowd -- but it did the job.

BIGGEST MYSTERY
Even the biggest mystery of the opening ceremony at The Belfry -- not the opening morning pairings, but what the American players' wives would be wearing -- was an anti-climax.

They didn't turn up sporting mini-skirts and thigh-high black leather boots as we had been led to believe, but did their own thing with beautifully tailored but decidedly modest outfits.

In past Ryder Cups, the wives have worn stars and stripes uniforms so, if ever there was a signal that both teams are doing their best to play down the jingoism for the 34th match, this was it.

Most followers of golf as a game of dignity and decorum will raise three hearty cheers for that.

Last time out in Brookline, Boston in 1999, the U.S. team did a fair impression of a herd of stampeding elephants over the 17th green when Justin Leonard holed a rather important 45-foot putt against Jose Maria Olazabal.

Only when the cheering had died down did they remember the Spaniard had a putt of his own to attempt on a line that the world's most powerful golfing nation and his wife had just been trampling on.

Unsurprisingly, Olazabal missed and the current European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance described the whole episode as the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen on a golf course.

'PLAY HARD'
This week, both Torrance and Strange have been attempting to relegate the incident to a footnote in the long, noble history of the Cup and yesterday's opening ceremony followed a similar line.

``We'll play hard, we'll play with civility,'' Strange said in a short speech that he struggled several times to deliver, through emotion or nerves. It was hard to discern.

``We'll show the world why this is the greatest game. Let's make Samuel Ryder proud.''

Torrance, a man who seems devoid of nerves whether it's holing out to win Ryder Cups -- as he did in 1985 -- or speaking to thousands, struck a similarly sober note.

``The proudest moment of my golfing career was when I was made the 2001 European Ryder Cup captain,'' he said.

``I pledge that I and the team will maintain all the ideals and traditions of the Ryder Cup and the game which we all serve.

``It's only nationalities which divide us.''

He then turned to the U.S. team, dressed sombrely in blue blazers and dark grey trousers, and told them: ``Good luck boys -- and let the best team win.''

If the weather is as flawless as it stayed for yesterday's opening ceremony then there's every chance Torrance will have his hope fulfilled.

BULLET-PROOF
Barely a cloud blemished a bright, blue sky and one could only feel sympathy for a lone police marksman who marched throughout the programme in front of the grandstand in a bulky bullet-proof vest and weighed down by a hefty-looking rifle.

Security, though, has been so tight here that there seemed little prospect of any of his paraphernalia actually being used as the crowd settled to enjoy a video history of the Ryder Cup on a huge screen.

Throughout, past GB and European Ryder Cup heroes were introduced to the crowd with the glaring omission of Seve Ballesteros, who had decided to stay home in Spain and practise rather than take a favoured spot among the dignitaries.

At last, a brass band and some pipers made a long, slow march from the clubhouse, the latter accompanied by the two teams, walking side by side.

It took a good six or seven minutes from them to make the 3-400-yard trip to the ceremony arena and the bagpipes could barely be heard as the crowd began to chatter and laugh among themselves.

``It's rather a long march for the band, actually,'' said the master of ceremonies, television commentator Renton Laidlaw.

No matter. They performed the U.S. and the six national anthems represented in the European teams and all were respected.

Once the real action commences -- a year late -- today, the mob may once more take hold of the Ryder Cup as tensions begin to run high.

But for an afternoon at least, dignity was restored to a competition dreamt up in 1927 by a millionaire seed salesman called Sam Ryderz, to promote friendship between two great golf-playing nations.

GRA releases Classification for September
THE Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GRA) has released its Classification for September 2002.

Following are the classifications:

A Class - A3 Prospector's Pan.

B Class - B2 River Dance.

C Class - C1 Timbuck Two (-1).

D Class - D2 Simply Royal.

E Class - E1 Regal Prospect Wind Rush, Sunday Haven, E3 Honoured Guest, Going Bold, Show Time

F Class - F1 Temptation Ecstasy, Prince of Peace, Ransome Baby, Maria’s Pleasure; F2 Hong Kong Magic, Talk of the Town; F3 Point Given, Bounty Killer, Dancing Groom, Bound to Win, Bright Tricks, What a Pleasure, Trickster, Dancing Jewel.

G Class - G1 Hiawatha, Tairona, Cheap Trick, Play the Game, Star Attraction, My Arrival, What Now, Royal Account, Renewed Faith, Millennium Wind, Lucky Coin; G2 Brown Boy Windy Edge; G3 Boddery Boy, Gilford (two years), Great Escape (two years)..

H Class - H1 Red Octob1er, Sabina (two years); H2 Hustling Time Holy Bull, Science Gold, Track Star, General Star, Rubber Man; H3 Star Dance 11 (2 years (-1), Care Free (two years) (-1), Anjalie, No Contest, Jungle Prince, Mr Slammer (two years) (-1), De General (two years) (-1), Royal Oak, Hzena, Commendable, Princess Natahalma (two years).

I Class - I1 Melisha (2 years), Flex Up (3 years - failed 2-year test), Fire Maker, Golden Girl (2 years), Yoglee, Snoopy, Jolly Star, Fairwind, Kevin, Flying Free, Otty (2 years), Play Boy (2 years) (-1) Fair Quest, Jubilee, Clinton, I2 Top Shotter, Devid, Lover Boy, Secret Rocket, Stereo Sonic, Flying Hope, Confucius, Little Munie, Music Star, Dollar View, Sanko Boy, Senorita, Desmond, Slow Fire, Secret Weapon, On the Go, Swaney River, Skipaway, Thumbelina (Fancy Gallop).

J Class - Girl In Love, Blades, Back Street Boy, River Girl, Lucky Dream (-1), Lucy Day, Angel Counsel, Rosana, Party Set, Miss Tourist, Rainbow.

K Class - Corruption, Ganja Girl, President, Lucky Win, Walker, Dharmendra, Dance Smartly, Dice Dancer, Personal Ensign, Devon Star, Volcano

L. Class - Shaggy, Black Beauty, Sunset Lady, Santa Claus, Mr. Mike, Rock Star, Black Wire, jet Port, Andrew Boy Express, Quick Silver, General, Tight Line, Kimberley, Queennie, Royal Static, Grundy Boy, Unique, Lady Opera, Royal Priest, Sheba, Own Opinion, Copperwood, Bright and Early, Natasha, Irish Girl.

Any owner/trainer or other person who wishes to query the classification must do so prior to any race meeting. No revision of the Classification list would be done on the day of any race meeting.

Mike’s Pharmacy, Mutt’s Express clash Sunday
THE Guyana Softball and Windball Cricket Association (GS&WCA) ground, Carifesta Avenue, is the venue for Sunday’s feature softball match between Mutt’s Express and Mike’s Pharmacy.

The match starts at 08:30 hrs and the teams will be competing for a sheep.

Mutt’s Express will come from: Mutt Singh (captain), Mukesh Mattai, Gordial Mattai, Sudesh Persaud, Rickey ‘Bimbley’ Persaud, Mahendra Arjune, Anil Chargo, Anil Beharry, Amernauth Bodhoo, Anand and Mahendranauth Parasnath.

Mike’s Pharmacy from: Lakeram Singh (captain), Sahadeo Hardaiow, Khalid Haslim, Raymond Harper, Ravendra Madholall, Sammy Kingston, Lance Adams, Eerie Sharma, Richie Persaud and Bernard Kartick.

The umpires are Patrick Edwards and Kenneth Kingston.

Meanwhile, the GS&WCA World Cup players, who are scheduled to leave for New York early next month, will engage Sussex XI in a warm-up encounter from 12:30 hrs at the same venue.

The team, which is being led by Rickey ‘Babulal’ Deonarine, will oppose USA and Canada in a round-robin tournament from October 9 to 13.

Great expectations for new Wembley stadium
By Trevor Huggins
LONDON, England (Reuters) - A new national stadium at Wembley that will make England either the envy of the world or an international laughing stock was finally given the go-ahead yesterday.

For its supporters, the dazzling 90 000-seater stadium with a soaring 133-metre arch will be a springboard for both the national soccer team and the country's hopes of hosting the World Cup or even an Olympic Games.

For critics of the project, and there are many in Britain, the costs estimated at around 750 million pounds ($1.2 billion) are guaranteed to make Wembley the first 'white elephant' to wear football boots.

The price tag, worryingly similar to the cost of London's ill-fated Millennium Dome, does not compare well to the $1.6 billion spent by South Korea on building and re-furbishing all 10 stadiums it provided for co-hosting this year's World Cup with Japan.

It also comes at a bad time for the game's finances.

When the original Wembley project was hatched, English football was being engulfed by a tidal wave of money from television rights, sponsorship and merchandising.

That wave is now very much on the ebb.

Premier league transfer activity in the close season was down 40 per cent on last year, while many clubs in the lower divisions are slashing wages and terminating contracts in a desperate bid to stay afloat.

The FA, backed by German bank Westdeutsche Landesbank, has, however, decided to plough on with a project that will put a soulless suburb of northwest London back on the world's sporting map.

DISCUSSING PLANS
Many will be grateful that a decision has been made at last -- seven years after the FA, Sport England and other officials first sat round a table to discuss a new stadium.

Progress was slow, but by 1999 plans were unveiled for a Wembley extravaganza that would include a football stadium with an athletics track, a 240-room luxury hotel, a 2,000-capacity glass-fronted banqueting suite, three restaurants, a visitors’ centre, 100 000 square feet of office space, and a museum.

It proved to be fantasy football. The FA officials were forced back to the drawing board in late 2000, ditching everything but the soccer venue.

Now empty, Wembley Stadium had already hosted its final game, a 1-0 defeat in a World Cup qualifier by Germany -- the nation England defeated beneath the Twin Towers in the 1966 World Cup final but which, ironically, would finance its rebirth more than a quarter of a century later.

Wembley's woes continued to grow, however, along with the spiralling costs. In May 2001, the FA ran up the white flag -- saying they could not proceed with the project due to a funding gap of between 100 million and 150 million pounds.

England had, meanwhile, taken its World Cup qualifying campaign on the road -- playing to packed houses in Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle -- while the domestic cup finals were hosted with equal success at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Suddenly, the very need for a new Wembley stadium was being openly questioned, while Birmingham and Coventry tabled bids as cheaper, more accessible venues.

But the FA stuck by the original idea, securing in May this year the financing to build a new arena that could double as an athletics track.

Now the project has finally been given the go-ahead, there can be no doubt that the final chapter of the Wembley saga is about to be written. Whether it will have a happy ending, though, is far more open to question.

Singh wins Dobson’s King Dominoes
RAMNARINE Singh emerged winner of the King Dominoes competition, organised by the Providence Sports Club and held at the club’s East Bank venue recently.

The competition was sponsored by popular dominoes player Charles Dopson.

Here, Dopson (left) hands over the winning trophy to Singh.