COURTNEY WALSH EAGER FOR THE LIMACOL CPL 2014 - Team mentor says the Tallawahs will retain the title of champions

Monday 16^th June 2014 – Kingston, Jamaica

Courtney shares the stage with his fellow mentors, Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Andy Roberts and Mr Roger Harper (L-R)

Reigning Limacol CPL champions, the Jamaica Tallawahs, this year welcome Jamaica and West Indies Cricket Legend, Mr Courtney “Cuddy” Walsh as team mentor. Mr Walsh spoke exclusively to www.cplt20.com about his inaugural year in the tournament and was upbeat about what he is expecting for CPL 2014.

“I am definitely looking forward to this experience! I may not have been around last year, but I am happy to be involved this year and I am eager to make an impact,” he comments.

The 6’ 6” former Jamaica and West Indies fast bowler has played in three Cricket World Cups and, in 1996, aided the Windies to the Semi-Finals. He has since won the Jamaica Sportsman of the Year three times in a row, and says he will be working closely with the fast bowlers among the Tallawahs for CPL 2014. “I expect to be playing a major role with the fast bowlers and I will be assisting them with their line and length so as to ensure they are a threat to the opposition.”

With the Tallawahs defending champions, the former world record holder for the highest number of wickets in a test knows it will be a challenge, saying; “We (the Tallawahs), will be under pressure from the start, as everyone wants to beat the champions, so we have to ensure our preparation is up to par and that we deliver on the day.”

Courtney will be teaming up with Mickey Arthur – former South African national team coach – who is the Jamaica Tallawahs new head coach for 2014. “I am in close dialogue with Mickey Arthur and his assistant, Junior Bennett, and we are all clear in our goals for this season, so things are falling into place for us,” he said.

Among the Tallawahs 15-man squad, there are 11 Jamaican-born players, something Courtney is very happy about, saying; “This will only assist in gelling the team even further – particularly as a number of the guys played with each other for the Windies U-19s, the Windies A Team and the Windies Senior Team, so I am happy about this and I am backing our local talent to deliver.”

Speaking about the tournament overall, Courtney, (who took 519 wickets in test cricket) is very positive about the T20 event. He said; “The CPL is a very exciting experience and will only bring rewards to the Caribbean. I admire how, on every team, there are a handful of young players, so it brings great development to Caribbean players and long term it is beneficial, we just have to be patient to receive the fruits of our labour.”

The former Windies Test and ODI Captain (who took 23, five-wicket hauls in his career), also had a message to the local Jamaican fans to, “come out to Sabina Park and support our local team, we are defending Champions for a reason and we vow to give 100% in each of our games!”

The Jamaica Tallawahs opening game is on Saturday 12^th July when they take on the St. Lucia Zouks in Grenada.

Courtney Walsh shares a joke with Curtly Ambrose during the Limacol CPL 2014 Draft

About the Caribbean Premier League:

Caribbean Premier League is a franchise-based T20 format cricket tournament that combines two of the most compelling aspects of Caribbean life – dramatic cricket and a vibrant Carnival atmosphere.  The inaugural Limacol CPL, billed as “the Biggest Party in Sport”, featured six teams competing throughout the region in August 2013 – Jamaica Tallawahs, The Red Steel, Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St. Lucia Zouks and Antigua Hawksbills.  The Jamaica Tallawahs, captained by Chris Gayle, emerged as champions.

The Limacol CPL II will take place from 11^th July to 16^th August of 2014.

 

GRACEKENNEDY AWARDS JAMAICA’S FIRST HOUSEHOLD WORKER OF THE YEAR

KINGSTON, JAMAICA, June 2, 2014 

To thunderous applause from those gathered, Elaine Duncan on Friday, May 30 walked away the first winner of the GraceKennedy/Heather Little-White Household Worker of the Year Award.  Mervelyn Brown won second place, while third place went to Edward McGowan. GraceKennedy Group CEO Don Wehby stated that over 100 nominations had been sent to GraceKennedy, surpassing even the company’s expectations as to how Jamaica would have responded to the initiative. “It showed that we care, but that Jamaica cares as well,” he said.

The event, held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, brought together GraceKennedy team members, representatives from the Jamaica Household Workers Union, family members of Dr Little-White, the Judges of the Award, and the top eleven nominees for the Household Worker of the Year Award.  The Most Honourable Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller was the keynote speaker, and she lauded the nominees and household workers in general.  In a recorded speech, Shirley Pryce, President of the Jamaica Household Workers Union said, “This award today reminds me of the Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers song, that small people, one day must get big.” Ms Pryce is currently is in Mexico at a Gender Equality Conference.

The GraceKennedy/Heather Little-White Household Worker Award was launched in April of this year, with the aim to honour some of Jamaica’s finest, thought by the company to have gone unrecognised for too long. The public was asked to help change that, by nominating household workers for the award. A panel of six judges then went over the entries, selecting a top 11, from which the top three were then selected. Gender Consultant and Judge Dr Glenda Simms who spoke on behalf of the judges, said the process of selecting the finalists was very difficult, and said that there were moments when there were no dry eyes in the Judging room.  Nevertheless, she said, she thought that they had made the right choices in their final decision.

An elated and overwhelmed Ms Duncan received a trophy, $250,000, an account opened in her name at First Global Bank with $10,000 and a gift certificate from Hi-Lo Food Stores, valued at $50,000. She also will choose a secondary school student whose education will be financed by GraceKennedy for a year. Second place winner Mervelyn Brown received a trophy, $150,000, an account from First Global Bank with $10,000 in cash and a $25,000 gift certificate from Hi-Lo Food Stores. Edward McGowan received $100,000, an account from First Global bank with $10,000 and a $10,000 gift certificate from Hi-Lo Food Stores. Those who did not make it to the top three did not go unrewarded. To their pleasant surprise, GraceKennedy presented them with certificates of recognition, as well as cheques for $20,000. They are: Etta Butler; Pamela Gordon; Jacqueline Griffiths; Hazelyn Smith; Elizabeth Watson-Warren; Lorraine ‘Nordia’ Whittick; Beverly Wilson and Ilrett Wilson.

Mr Wehby said that the company was looking forward to staging the event on an annual basis. He also announced that GraceKennedy stood ready and willing to assist Shirley Pryce in making a reality of the vision shared by herself and Dr Little White, of starting a training school for Household Workers.

                                                                    

CHRIS GAYLE “EXCITED” FOR CPL 2014

Friday 6 June 2014 – Kingston, Jamaica

 With just five weeks before the start of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League 2014, Jamaica Tallawahs Captain, Christopher Henry Gayle, had a chat with the Limacol CPL team yesterday about his thoughts going into The Biggest Party in Sport.

The 6 feet 4 inch hard-hitting opening Batsman was speaking at the Lucas Cricket Club Ground in Kingston, Jamaica where he launched his Chris Gayle Academy. The Academy in Jamaica is aimed to “transform the lives of disadvantaged children in Jamaica by improving access to good quality education, training and employment”. 

“Cramps” - as he is more affectionately called - is known for his gratitude to Lucas Cricket Club as he said; “Lucas saved me” and continued by saying; “Without Lucas, I don't know where I would be today…maybe on the streets."

Looking ahead to this year’s Limacol CPL which is just five weeks away, the only batsman to hit a six off the first ball of a test match, has upbeat comments ahead of the second staging of the tournament.

Chris Gayle

“I feel very excited and honoured to play in the Limacol CPL once again. As defending Champions, a lot of pressure will be on us, but I feel that we have the strength to do very well this season”.  Gayle who has the fastest 100 in T20 History commented; “ With 11 Jamaicans in our 15 man squad chemistry, cohesion won’t be an issue and, as Jamaicans, we are warm people, so our four overseas players will feel right at home”.

Chris Gayle is still suffering from a back strain that he picked up a few months ago prior to the ICC World T20 in Bangladesh but he says he will be fine heading into his 100th test match against New Zealand on Sunday. “Put percentages of how fit I am aside, no matter what, I will be fit, ready and raring to go, I would like to make the fans at Sabina Park happy and that will be my aim for this landmark occasion”.

The Jamaica Tallawahs are the defending Champions of the Limacol  CPL as they won seven of their nine games in the inaugural season. Interestingly, the Jamaica Tallawahs are the only team to beat all five other franchises in the 2013 edition. Chris Gayle, alongside his 14 Tallawahs will be hoping for glory come July; “I would just like to say to the Tallawah Fans to come out in your numbers at Sabina Park, we promise to give a good account of ourselves and expect nothing less than the best - Wi Likkle But Wi Tallawah”.

ENDS

About the Caribbean Premier League:

Caribbean Premier League is a franchise-based T20 format cricket tournament that combines two of the most compelling aspects of Caribbean life – dramatic cricket and a vibrant Carnival atmosphere.  The inaugural Limacol CPL, billed as “the Biggest Party in Sport”, featured six teams competing throughout the region in August  2013 – Jamaica Tallawahs, The Red Steel, Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St. Lucia Zouks, Antigua Hawksbills.  The Jamaica Tallawahs, captained by Chris Gayle, emerged as champions.

The Limacol CPL II will take place from 11^th July to 16^th August of 2014.

KEVIN O’BRIEN EXCITED FOR CPL 2014 (Hard-hitting Irishman returns to the Red Steel with high hopes)

Kingston, Jamaica - Tuesday 3rd June 2014

Kevin O’Brien is back for the Limacol Caribbean Premier League 2014 and he is coming with high expectations. After helping the Red Steel to reach the semi-finals in the inaugural season in 2013, he is aiming to go all the way this year.

The 2014 edition of the Caribbean Premier League will be back in just under six weeks when the Caribbean will once again light up for this thrilling party atmosphere across 30 exciting matches. 

“I am very excited to be back in the Caribbean and happy that the Red Steel re-signed me,” the Dublin-born cricketer said, “As well as looking forward to linking up with the Red Steel team again, I’m also looking forward to meeting the new players.” 

The CPL will add two new locations to this season’s event with the Spice Isle, Grenada hosting the opening games and St. Kitts and Nevis the closing round. Kevin (who also runs his own cricket academy based in Dublin) says; “CPL is going from strength to strength and the addition of new venues will definitely add to the brand image, so I am really excited to be a part of it, and I’m especially looking forward to the opening set of games in Grenada.”

Kevin O’Brien

Other changes this year include each team playing two more league games which the 2013 Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year thinks is great news; “It gives us (Red Steel) an opportunity to gel more and develop our team chemistry. I am familiar with some of the new players in the squad, like Jamshed who I faced when we (Ireland) played Pakistan and also Kennar Lewis of Jamaica who I came across in the Nagico Super50 a few months ago.”

On this year’s competition, O’Brien (who scored the fastest century in Cricket World Cup history) says; “The Tallawahs and Amazon Warriors remain the favourites but each team in this season’s CPL has at least two to three match winners, so it is going to be interesting. Gayle, Russell, Narine, Santokie – these are just a few of the players who can make a huge impact this season, they’re all quality cricketers.”

Having always had a desire to play cricket professionally, playing in the 2004 U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh was a “great learning curve”, helping him to develop the fundamentals of the game. During that tournament, he helped the Ireland U-19 team by scoring 241 runs seeing Ireland through to the Plate Semi-Finals before being defeated by Australia. “That tournament was great exposure for me and it gave me good momentum to improve in the game.” 

Growing up learning about cricket, the 30 year-old hard–hitting, all-rounder looked to Shaun Pollock of South Africa and Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff of England.  He explains; “Shaun Pollock and Freddie Flintoff were players I always admired, they played with composure and skill and I have always wanted to emulate those qualities.” 

Kevin has played in two Cricket World Cups and three World T20 Championships for Ireland so undoubtedly he carries a wealth of experience, knowledge and technical ability. “The 2007 Cricket World Cup for me holds special memories of course. It was fantastic, especially when we were in Jamaica and we qualified for the Super 8’s.” Kevin O’Brien also bowled a maiden wicket over in the penultimate over of the game against Zimbabwe showing nerves of steel. Laughing about the moment, he said; “Trent Johnston had a word with me and I just remained focused and executed my best effort”.

Kevin O’Brien will come to the Caribbean in early July to meet up with the team and begin preparation for CPL 2014. “I am with Surrey now in England, but on July 5^th, I will head out to the Caribbean and join up with Red Steel. I can’t wait.” 

So it’s all eyes on the Irishman this year as the tournament gets underway in mid-July.

ENDS

About the Caribbean Premier League:

Caribbean Premier League is a franchise-based T20 format cricket tournament that combines two of the most compelling aspects of Caribbean life – dramatic cricket and a vibrant Carnival atmosphere.  The inaugural CPL, billed as “the Biggest Party in Sport”, featured six teams competing throughout the region in August 2013 – Jamaica Tallawahs, The Red Steel, Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St. Lucia Zouks, Antigua Hawksbills.  The Jamaica Tallawahs, captained by Chris Gayle, emerged as champions.

The CPL launched last year to sell-out crowds, with over 250,000 spectators attending matches across Antigua, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and St Lucia, whilst a global TV audience of 36 million were entertained by the skills of international stars including Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Ricky Ponting and Muttiah Muralitharan.

 CPL II will take place from 11^th July to 16^th August of 2014. Visit http://cplt20.com for more info.

THE DIGICEL KICK START CLINICS HELPING TO DEVELOP REGIONAL FOOTBALL - David Monk speaks on the growth of the programme thus far

Tuesday 27^th May 2014 – Kingston, Jamaica
 

Senior International Development Officer for the Chelsea FC Foundation, David Monk, is impressed by the growth of the Kick Start Clinics program

The Digicel Kick Start programme has helped to identify and develop a number of talented young footballers who have gone on to become notable players at the national, regional and international level. Senior International Football Development Officer for the Chelsea FC Foundation, David Monk, spoke exclusively with www.digicelfootball.com to discuss how Digicel’s partnership with Chelsea FC has resulted in the growth and development of the programme over the years.

Monk described his first interaction with the Digicel Kick Start programme when he said; “Working with the players at the Digicel Academy in Barbados really showed me the personal way in which the programme is impacting young people in the region. While I was massively inspired by Digicel’s work to improve the quality of football in the region through its grassroots programme, I also realised that there was so much scope and room for growth.”

He went to explain further how the programme between Chelsea FC and Digicel has grown saying; “We at Chelsea FC definitely share the same ideology as Digicel, which is all about developing a group of football players, but also developing the coaches and the community. After the Academy last year, we evaluated the programme and created clear objectives as to what we wanted to achieve as a football club in the Caribbean and Central American region. Fortunately for us, our objectives were similar to Digicel’s and that has made our job much easier and the programme has grown from a grassroots football programme to a region-wide all-inclusive community programme. This sees us leaving a long-lasting legacy in the region as we now work with both male and female players, grassroots coaches, the community and Special Olympics athletes – which is a massive bonus for us.”

After hosting the Academy in 2012, Monk and his team were given the responsibility of selecting the boys who will attend the 2013 Academy by hosting the Kick Start Clinics for the first time, which proved to be beneficial as they were able to select a balanced group of players, representing all positions. He explains; “It was important for us to ensure that equality was shown to all positions on the football field when selecting players for the Academy. This freedom allowed us to pick players who had positional versatility and enabled us to run the Digicel Academy as we do with the Chelsea FC football programmes. Our efforts bore fruit as our players won the final match against the Barbados National football team – a match lost by the previous year’s team.”

The Digicel Kick Start Clinics – now in their eighth year – see thousands of aspiring young footballers from across 15 countries in the Caribbean and Central America try out for their chance to travel to the Digicel Academy in Barbados and train under top coaches from Barclays Premier League side, Chelsea FC.

During the week-long Digicel Academy, the top 42 boys from across the region get the chance of a lifetime to receive intensive training under coaches from Barclays Premier League side, Chelsea Football Club.

For more information please visit www.digicelfootball.com

ENDS

ABOUT DIGICEL GROUP 

Digicel Group Limited is a leading global communications provider with operations in 32 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and Asia Pacific. After 13 years of operation, total investment to date stands at over US$5 billion worldwide. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best service and best network.

Digicel runs a host of community-based initiatives across its markets and has set up Digicel Foundations in Jamaica, Haiti, Papua New Guinea and Trinidad and Tobago which focus on educational, cultural and social development programmes.

Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean, Central American and Pacific sports teams and individuals including the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt and Special Olympics teams throughout these regions. Digicel also sponsors the West Indies cricket team. 

Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and its markets comprise: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Myanmar Nauru, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and Vanuatu. Digicel also has coverage in St. Martin and St. Barts in the Caribbean.

Visit www.digicelgroup.com for more information.

CARIBBEAN PREMIER LEAGUE TO HOST BEEFY’S BASH - Star studded charity game to be a highlight of final week celebrations in St. Kitts

Thursday 22^nd May 2014 – Kingston, Jamaica

(L-R) Brian Lara and Sir Ian 'Beefy' Botham

Today, cricketing legends, Sir Ian “Beefy” Botham and Brian Lara, together with media personality, Piers Morgan, have teamed up with the Limacol Caribbean Premier League to announce ‘Beefy’s Bash’, an all-star charity T20 game to take place at Warner Park, St.Kitts, on Tuesday 12^th August.

The match will bring together a host of celebrity personalities, cricketing legends and current stars, and will form part of an exhilarating week in St.Kitts, building up to the final of the Limacol CPL 2014 on Saturday 16^th August.

Cricketing royalty, Sir Ian Botham and Brian Lara, have been designated as captains for the two teams, and have issued a call to arms to cricketing superstars, personalities and fans across the world to take part. In spite of his chastening experience against Australian fast bowler, Brett Lee, over Christmas, Piers Morgan was the first to volunteer, and has been snapped up by fellow Englishman, Botham.

Sir Ian Botham said: “I know how important cricket is to everyone in the Caribbean, and CPL has done a lot to reignite the region’s love for the game. St Kitts is an amazing island of rare beauty, full of wonderful people, and I’m excited to give something back to the country through this charity match, as well as getting the chance to watch the closing stages of the CPL.”

Piers Morgan commented; “As soon as I got the call from Beefy, I knew this was something I wanted to be involved in. I¹m a huge fan of cricket and I love the Caribbean, so a chance to play in this special game and get involved with the Biggest Party in Sport was too good an opportunity to miss. I’ve already asked Brett Lee to join in, but this time playing WITH me - not breaking my ribs!”

Brian Lara added; "I’ve seen first-hand the impact CPL has had on the region. Players and fans love it, it’s great for our up and coming talent, and it provides an economic boost as well. I’ve always believed in the importance of giving back to the Caribbean, and this match will be a great way to do that. It’s going to be fun to play with and against some old friends and reignite some old rivalries, and I’ve already been contacted by plenty of fast bowlers keen to have a bowl at Piers!”

Damien O’Donohoe, CEO of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League said; “It was no surprise when Beefy got in touch about the game. The CPL is the Biggest Party in Sport and as a result, we’re naturally attracting some of the leading names in sport and entertainment. Beefy’s Bash is set to be a remarkable highlight of finals week in St. Kitts and expect some more big names to be announced in the coming weeks.”

The game will add spice to what promises to be a thrilling finals week in St. Kitts, ensuring that the CPL lives up to its reputation as the Biggest Party in Sport. As well as the two semi-final showdowns during the week, fans will be treated to a concert on Friday 15^th August featuring international and local stars, before the main event, the final of the Limacol CPL 2014, on Saturday 16^th August.

For more information, please visit www.cplt20.com

Fortinet Reporting Significant 2014 First Quarter Financial Results

Christ Church, Barbados: May 22, 2014

Fortinet Inc., a U.S. based global leader in high performance network security, has announced impressive financial results for the first quarter of the year ending March 31.

“The first quarter marked a strong start to the year, highlighted by billing revenue and operating profitability, each of which exceeded expectations,” said Ken Xie, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

The Fortinet CEO added that business momentum is being driven by the company’s focused execution and the strength, applicability and breadth of its technology, as evidenced by the demand for recently introduced products such as Fortigate – 3700D and 1500D high speed, low battery next generation enterprise data centre security appliances.

“Given the leverage we have seen from the recent growth initiatives, we remain committed to investing for growth and delivering security innovation to further extend our market share and leadership position globally,” the CEO said.

During the first quarter of the year, total billings were US$187.6 million, representing an increase of 26% compared with US$148.5 million for the similar quarter in 2013.  Total revenue was US$168.9 million for the first quarter of 2014, an increase of 24% compared with US$135.8 million in the similar quarter for 2013.

Within total revenue, product revenue was US$76.8 million, an increase of 32%, compared with the similar quarter for 2013. Services and other revenue accounted for US$92.2 million, an increase of 18% compared with the similar period for 2013.   

Building on its success across Latin America, Fortinet last year sought to increase its market share in the Caribbean by growing its high-end customer base in the eastern countries of the region, targeting key segments such as telecommunications carriers, large enterprises and financial organizations.

About Fortinet (www.fortinet.com)

Fortinet is a worldwide provider of network security appliances and a market leader in unified threat management (UTM). The company’s products and subscription services provide broad, integrated and high-performance protection against dynamic security threats while simplifying the IT security infrastructure. I’ts customers include enterprises, service providers and government entities worldwide, including the majority of the 2012 Fortune Global 100. Fortinet's flagship FortiGate product delivers ASIC-accelerated performance and integrates multiple layers of security designed to help protect against application and network threats. Fortinet's broad product line goes beyond UTM to help secure the extended enterprise - from endpoints, to the perimeter and the core, including databases and applications. Fortinet is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices around the world.