My friends have been asking me why I haven't commented on the games in Jamaica. Well I haven't because I really have mixed feeling about the tournament and although this is my blog and my views, I still try not to be overly biased (even if I appear to be).Since you forced me here are my thought. I consider myself a CARICOM national. Maybe this is because I was fortunate to go to university in Jamaica and live with some of the best minds in the Caribbean on the Mona Campus. So I get really pissed off when I see Caribbean people not using their collective wisdom, not collaborating and being played (literally and figuratively) for fools.
Here are some of the questions that I have. Before Barbados took the excursion in South Africa did they think of playing Trinidad and Jamaica beforehand to prepare? Did they consider that their ranking would be at stake?
I read that Trinidad was optimistic about their performance in Jamaica. From where did this optimism come? What has Trinidad done in the line of preparing for competition since the Caribbean Tournament?
Did they consider that their own ranking would be at stake? Did they stop over in Barbados on their way to Jamaica to get some practice matches? Well everyone knows by now the outcome of the tournament.
I read that the spectator turn out was poor. What level of promotion did Jamaica do?
In my estimation the only team benefiting from the tri-series was South Africa. Even Jamaica although they appear to be the victors, were losers -the spectator turn out was poor and in the final match South Africa matched them up to the third quarter and then faded.
Of course Jamaica has been tooting that they are playing a number of under 21s in preparation for next year's world championships but you can bet your bottom dollar that South Africa must be as well.
As a matter of fact the South African coach is reported to have said that the tri-series was "mission accomplished" they had intended to reach the final and to move up in the world ranking and they did both.
Congrats South Africa. However there is no pleasure in this tournament for me as a CARICOM national.
The only positive thing coming out of the tournament for us in the Caribbean is that we have two new IUAs.
Joel and Dave love you guys and I am very happy for you. You both deserve it!
(Pictures above are of Joel Young-Strong (Trinidad) and Dave Brown (Jamaica), the Caribbean's newest international umpires).
Log Edited for Clarification( For persons reading the original version of this post. Testing (IUA) can be done at different time frames. This was not my prior understanding. )
Log Edited for Clarification( For persons reading the original version of this post. Testing (IUA) can be done at different time frames. This was not my prior understanding. )
3 comments:
Hi;
i share your sentiments re the recently held tri series and am yet to understand the reasoning behing Barbados going to South Africa to lower its ranking by one and allow South AFrica to move up two places.
With respect to IUA's ..the umpires who could have been tested..were they not from Jamaica and Trinidad. Is not the policy still that the standard should be equivalent to that of the top ten countries in the world or between the top 10 countries in the world. The only two countries at the CNA tournament in the top ten were Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. Is that not the answer?
Madam President, I totally agree with you, this would only be understandable for the two umpires in question. What about the other umpires from the other countries? Why were they not given an opportunity on the Jamaica and T & T games, even if they failed? Or were they the only two umpires who were to be tested. If that was the case, then the other umpires needed to have been told so. Do not tell me that it was only one game as the IUA's in Jamaica could have only been tested on one game, the game in which their respective country did not play in. Don't you have to be tested on two back to back games? Where did the other game come from?
Why is it that it takes a Jamaican umpire only one outing at the under 16 and cna tournament to get an IUA badge?
A Jamaican, some years ago, got his IUA badge at a CNA tournament (Antigua) Barbados was not even at that tournament. Can someone tell me how many teams in the top ten, excluding Jamaica were present at that time?
Respect must be shown to umpires, hence the reason why some of us would never take up a whistle.
Madam President, I totally agree with you, this would only be understandable for the two umpires in question. What about the other umpires from the other countries? Why were they not given an opportunity on the Jamaica and T & T games, even if they failed? Or were they the only two umpires who were to be tested. If that was the case, then the other umpires needed to have been told so. Do not tell me that it was only one game as the IUA's in Jamaica could have only been tested on one game, the game in which their respective country did not play in. Don't you have to be tested on two back to back games? Where did the other game come from?
Why is it that it takes a Jamaican umpire only one outing at the under 16 and cna tournament to get an IUA badge?
A Jamaican, some years ago, got his IUA badge at a CNA tournament (Antigua) Barbados was not even at that tournament. Can someone tell me how many teams in the top ten, excluding Jamaica were present at that time?
Respect must be shown to umpires, hence the reason why some of us would never take up a whistle.
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