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Digicel Horse Racing Classic: “King Maker” rules on race day!

From Right - Chris Jagdeo receives trophy and cheque from Digicel Representative

It was a day full of excitement at the Norman Singh Memorial Turf Club on Sunday July 24th as horse racing fans from across the country assembled to witness the first ever Digicel Horse Racing Classic.

Minister of Labour and avid horse racing fan Manzoor Nadir opened the day’s festivities by applauding Digicel for pulling off the most lucrative sponsorship by a corporate entity locally. In excess of $10M in stakes was made available by the company.

Hundreds of race fans turned out to witness the 10 race meet and excitement could be felt from the time one walked into the breezy venue on the bright sunny afternoon.

The feature race of the meet was undoubtedly the most electrifying of all for the packed turf club. The total purse was valued $2.2M with the winner galloping away with $1.2M in prize money.

The race was 1600 meters long and from the time the horses left the stall the crowd erupted in excitement. As they navigated the first turn Champtress’ considered a favorite in betting circles, broke free from the crowd and seemed to be the clear winner. But as the horses approached the 4th turn and into the straightaway King Maker made a move from the crowd to challenge the leader.

King Maker takes top honors ahead of Champtress (Adrian Narine Photo)

With just 50 meters to the finish line King Maker proved her worth and edged out Champtress just in front the grand stand to provide a perfect photo finish. Though many bettors were visibly upset by the result, Tribian Jagdeo; trainer and son of stable owner Chris Jagdeo, was jubilant at the victory. Jagdeo said “I’m very happy about everything. I was confident of a win this afternoon because he was running pretty good with the heavier horses earlier and today 15lbs made the difference.”
King Maker performed well in Trinidad & Tobago by winning 3 impressive races but Sunday’s win was the first on home soil, as such the trainer requested the song “Plane land” by Richie Spice as a fitting tribute.

According to one of the race officials the turnout at the turf club on Sunday was the largest seen in recent memory. If all goes well Digicel will be hoping to make the horse race meeting an annual event.

By – Andrew Ross

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Digicel launches “The Swift Challenge”

Grand Prizes - Suzuki Swift

Do you want to win a car this summer? Well Digicel is giving their valued customers the opportunity to win 3 spanking new supercharged Suzuki Swift sports cars over the next 9 weeks.

The promotion dubbed “The Swift Challenge” was launched on the Everest Tennis court on Friday evening. The three cars up for grabs were displayed by in a bright red dome flanked by several Digicel beauties.

In order to participate in the promotion customers have to top up 500 in credit in order to get a letter. Lucky persons who spell out the word “SWIFT” will be entered into a draw every 3 weeks for a chance to win one of the cars.

In addition to the cars customers also have the opportunity to win BlackBerry Torch cellphones or BlackBerry Playbooks.

The cell company is always seeking to give back to their valued customers in new and innovative ways and this promotion promises to be no different.

By – Andrew Ross

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Government Technical Institute (GTI) wins Digicel Schools Football Championships!

PM Samuel Hinds(center) with the Victorious GTI team. (Adrian Narine photo)

PM Samuel Hinds(center) with the Victorious GTI team. (Adrian Narine photo)

Decked out in bright red uniforms, Government Technical Institute (GTI) took to the field with an air of confidence in front of a supportive crowd at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground. It is that confidence combined with skilful play throughout the competition that saw GTI defeating Christianburg/Wismar Secondary to become the inaugural Digicel Schools Football Champions.
Top goal scorer of the championships and finals MVP Jermain Junior was the first to strike in the 20th minute after persistently attacking the Lindeners’ defensive line. Less than 2 minutes later Lawrence Higgings however equalized in spectacular fashion sending a message to the city side that they would have to work to life the title. In an apparent answer to the challenge Darren Peters displayed some fancy footwork before drilling GTI’s second goal into the back of the net.

Darrel Fraser continued the scoring in front of the large crowd by adding to the tally of GTI in the 51st. not to be outdone Trenton Lashley reduced the deficit to one goal when he struck in the 57th minute. Keifer Adonis and Darren Peters sealed the deal for GTI with their contributions despite a late goal by Lashley.

Though a 5-3 victory Is to be considered a convincing victory GTI missed several uncontested shots to goal. The team performed exceptionally throughout the championships however and played hard to earn the championship.

In the third place playoff New Amsterdam Technical Institute edged out an impressive Region 7 side in Waramadong Secondary, 3-2, on penalties after both sides scored 4 goals apiece in regulation and extra time. Waramadong, who was also voted as the most disciplined team of the tournament, showed impressive skill and were singled out as a team to watch in next year’s competition by Digicel CEO Gregory Dean in remarks following the finals.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds presented the championship trophy to the victorious GTI team which sparked wild celebrations on the field.

117 school teams participated in the inaugural championships and in the words of Dean next year’s competition “will be bigger and better.”

By – Andrew Ross

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Digicel Caribbean Junior Squash Championships: Guyana is the best in the Caribbean!

Guyana cemented their dominance of Caribbean squash by winning the team title on July 14 in the Caribbean Areas Squash Association and Digicel sponsored Junior Squash Championships 2011. This is the seventh consecutive year the local side has won the competition. The impressive performance in the singles stage of the championships was carried over into the team segment and the result was Guyana being declared the overall winners in the weeklong competition.

In the male team finals it appeared that a competitive afternoon of squash was expected since heading into the third match of the afternoon the scoreline read 1-1. Alex Arjoon however shifted the balance in favour of the hosts and dispatched his Trinidadian counterpart in a hard fought 5 set match. After that there was no turning back and the remainder of the male team marched on to a convincing 4-1 victory over their island neighbours.

Earlier in the day the female side sealed the team title in similar style suffering only one match loss to Jamaica. The most exciting match in the female team finals was between Guyana’s Akeila Wiltshire and Jamaica’s Mary Jo Mahfood. Wiltshire was tested by a mixture of aggressive strokes and soft touches by the talented Jamaican. After dropping the second and fourth game the tenacious Wiltshire bounced back in impressive fashion to win 11/6 9/11 11/6 6/11 11/9.

The senior squad will be keen on taking some of the confidence drawn from their junior colleagues when they compete in the CASA senior tournament to be hosted by the Cayman Islands in August. Next year looks to be challenging since five players from the victorious side will be elevated to the senior platform. That development will mean that new players without regional exposure will have to take over. The coaching staff is nonetheless confident of going 8-straight in 2012. For now the team is relishing in their hard fought victory.

By – Andrew Ross

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Digicel Caribbean Junior Squash Championships: Guyana through to team finals!!!

The finals are set! Guyana’s defending girls team will take on Jamaica and the guys are poised to go up against Trinidad and Tobago on July 14 to decide the team championships.

Guyana have already secured the singles titles during the first leg of the Digicel Caribbean Junior Squash Championships 2011. The hosts are hoping to expand on those victories and secure the overall title thus cementing their place as the best squash team regionally.

In order to make it to the finals the local girls, led by no. 1 seeded Ashley Khalil, dispatched the strongest looking side Trinidad and Tobago in mall order. The Twin Island Republic was defeated 5-0 by the best female players in the Caribbean.

The male team were not to be outdone by their female compatriots and defeated their Jamaican counterparts in similar fashion winning all their games. Jamaica defeated the Cayman Islands females 4-1 to set up the matchup against the Guyanese. Meanwhile Trinidad and Tobago squeezed past Bermuda to advance to the finals against Nyron Joseph and company.

Given the level of play witnessed in the championships thus far an exciting day of squash is expected at the Georgetown club.

By – Andrew Ross

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Digicel Caribbean Junior Squash Championships: Guyana on track to win overall Junior Squash Title

Guyana continued displaying a dominant performance in the second day of team competition in the 2011 Caribbean Areas Squash Association’s Digicel Junior Squash Championships.

Both the male and female teams recorded comprehensive victories without losing a single game on Tuesday. The boys took on the Bahamas and under 15 singles champion Nyron Joseph had the most challenging match of the day against Donovan Mc Donald. Joseph dropped one set but bounced back to win the match 11/5 11/5 7/11/11/6. Deje Dias, Jean-Claude Jeffrey, Jason-Ray Khalil and Patrick Fraser also recorded straight set victories to finish the day 5-0 ahead of the Bahamians.

The local boys also took on the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States at the Georgetown Club and recorded a 3-2 victory maintaining their winning composure. Jason Ray Khalil defeated Stephan Joseph, Nyron joseph beat Jason Doyle and Ben Mekdeci beat Samson Viville in straight sets.
Mary Fung-a-Fat, Kayla Jeffrey, Victoria Arjoon, Akeila Wiltshire and Lydia Alphonso all recorded victories when they competed against the Cayman Islands. The 5-0 victories firmly places Guyana in a dominant position to defend the overall title in this year’s competition.

Trinidad and Tobago also continued a good showing in the team category defeating the Cayman Islands and Barbados in the boys and girls categories respectively. The Twin Island republic however lost to Jamaica.

By – Andrew Ross

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Digicel Schools Football Championships 2011

New Amsterdam Technical Institute(NATI) dominate Stewartville Secondary to secure semifinal spot

Left to right; Devon James, Whitney Larose, Leroy James and Alaska Burnett
Left to right; Devon James, Whitney Larose, Leroy James and Alaska Burnett

With the respective regional champions crowned in all ten administrative regions the time has come for the top schools to find out who will lift the national championship trophy in the Digicel Schools Football Championships 2011.

The quarterfinals to determine the national champs kicked off at various venues across the country on Wednesday July 13 and from the results it was clear that young talented players are emerging. The most exciting and electrifying match of the day was however played at the Den Amstel ground which saw Region 6 champions New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI) coming up against their Region 3 counterparts Stewartville Secondary School. Stewartville had the advantage of a large supportive home crowd but that did not stop the Berbicians from inflicting a 8-2 thrashing on them. Devon James was the most efficient striker for NATI after striking first in the 16th minute. He finished the game with a hat-trick, his other goals being scored in the 25th and 76th minutes respectively. Whitney La Rose and Leroy James scored two goals apiece and Alaska Burnett also contributed one goal to the final tally.

Action in the Bygeval vs. GTI clash. GTI scored 3 Bygeval 2
Action in the Bygeval vs. GTI clash. GTI scored 3 Bygeval 2

Stewartville was a physically smaller side and played a more cautious and defensive game. Those gathered did not expect their team to be beaten so severely but they were nonetheless appreciative for the plethora of goals scored and cheered when the ball hit the net for either side. The two goals for Stewartville were scored by Steffon Griffith in the 64th off a penalty and Alonzo Bowman in the 69th. The game was not short of drama either. In the 85th minute the goalie for Stewartville, Richard Croft was sent off for attempting to elbow a NATI striker after he had already secured the ball. This caused an uproar in the crowd and officials had to calm down players and spectators in order to restore order. The game however ended without further incident.

In the other results of the day Linden edged Port Kaituma 1-0, Government Technical Institute beat Bigeval Secondary 3-2 and Wamaradong Secondary overcame Charity Secondary 5-1.

By – Andrew Ross

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Digicel Caribbean Junior Squash Championships: Team Guyana continues impressive form

The Digicel Caribbean Junior Squash Championships Team Competition served off on Monday, July 9th with the singles and team matches being played at the National Racquet Centre and the Georgetown Club respectively. After dominant performances in the singles stage, Guyana seemed to transfer the gained momentum and confidence to the team matches when they played against Bermuda.

Newly crowned Under – 15 singles champion, Nyron Joseph, demonstrated that he deserves that title when defeated Kion Knights in straight sets  – 12/10 ,11/6 and 11/4. Jason Ray Khalil also won his match against D’Vario Thompson,  but had to dig deep since his competitor did not make the encounter a walkover. Khalil had a gruelling 5 sets to defeat Thompson but endured to win – 16/18, 11/6,  5/11,  11/9 and  11/5. Ben Mekdeci also overcame Dylan Pratt to give the boys a 3-2 victory in the first round of the team championships. Ashley Khalil dominated Alyssa Brewer in the first match of the female category. Victoria Arjune and Larissa Wiltshire also recorded victories, while Mary Fung-a-Fat completed the 4-I first stage win after her competitor failed to turn up giving her a walkover.

The team from Trinidad and Tobago has two male teams in this year’s championships, and judging from their impressive performances – winning straight sets against Jamaica, Barbados and The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States – seems to be the one which Guyana will need to pay keen attention to.

Finally, it should be noted that the conditions and courts favour the locals since their counterparts are accustomed to playing on air conditioned courts. The heat has been a major factor in the championships thus far, but being the best junior team in the Caribbean for a number of years in addition to the early victories attained in the singles category will serve as a confidence booster to the Guyanese representatives.Play resumes on Tuesday July 11 through Thursday July 14.

By – Andrew Ross

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Digicel School Football: Government Technical Institute (GTI) are Region 4 Champs!

Region 4 School Football Champions

Head of Digicel Guyana Gregory Dean believes that the Schools Football Championships sponsored by his company augers well for the sport locally and in effect will only lead to a higher level of football at the national level.

Dean was present at the Region 4 finals at the Carifesta Sports Club ground between Charlestown Secondary and Government Technical Institute (GTI) on Saturday.

The CEO added that because of the exposure given to players at the school level “in one way it may make the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) job a bit harder in terms of picking available players but in the end it will benefit the country as a whole in terms of quality representation”.

He however said such development would not happen over night but views the competition as a step in the right direction in addition to other developmental programmes.
Meanwhile in the day’s action an aggressive and confident GTI overcame a resilliant Charlestown Secondary.

Darren Fraser scored the first goal of the encounter in the 13th minute in favour of GTI. After the early breakthrough a relentless attack was launched on Charlestown’s goal.

The attack took its toll on the defense and could be seen clearly in the 39th minute when Dennis Fung scored an own goal to seal the victory for GTI.

The winners now await the rest of the regional finals to conclude to find out who they will be up against when vying for the national title.

From all indications officials believe the city side will have a tough battle ahead since several regional teams have shown significant skill.

By – Andrew Ross

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Digicel sponsors “Full Hundred” in Jamaica

– To perform with cast of “ova mi dead body”
Full Hundred, a group of  dramatists who performed at the National Drama Festival Finals from May 30- June 3 at the National Cultural Centre, will be sponsored by Digicel to perform in Jamaica and learn from Stages Production. Stages Production is the company who put on the play “ova mi dead body” at the NCC on June 5.

The announcement was made following the staging of the play and the members of Full Hundred were called on stage and warmly received by the audience. The group includes comedian and actor Michael Ignacious and reigning Miss Guyana Universe Tamika Henry. The performing arts locally has seen some resurgence after years of hardship and the investment of the region’s largest cellular service provider top class actors writers and producers will undoubtedly benefit from the opportunity.

The play “ova mi dead body” though Jamaican in origin touched on issues Caribbean people experience and relate to on a daily basis and as such it did not take long for the crowd to become fully engrossed into the storyline of the production. The main character Melcita Senoirs has an incarcerated boyfriend and leaves him to go to the United States of America in search of a better life. She leaves her daughter Delcits to stay with some senior citizens who physically abuse her.

As the story unfolds issues such as domestic violence, child abuse and women’s empowerment among others are explored in a vivid yet comical manner. Though written for a Jamaican audience the cast skillfully integrated Guyanese activities into the production to add spice for the local audience. References were made to rice fields in Guyana and the One Laptop Per Family project much to the surprise and amazement of the audience.

Members of the cast had an opportunity to witness the final day of the Drama Festival and revealed that the talent of Guyanese in theatrical productions is on par with other countries in the Caribbean with more resources.  The opportunity Digicel has afforded the Full Hundred will therefore serve to build on a solid foundation in theatre and assist in the forward movement of the arts locally.

-By  Andrew Ross