标签： Trinidad and Tobago

In a dramatic reversal of fortunes, St Anthony’s College claimed the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Coca-Cola boys’ north zone intercol championship with a breathtaking 4-2 victory over defending champions Fatima College. The electrifying final, staged at Hasely Crawford Stadium on December 3, saw both teams reduced to ten men in a match that delivered non-stop excitement from opening whistle to final moment.

The contest took an immediate shocking turn when Fatima’s star attacker Phillip Nelson received a straight red card for an off-the-ball incident merely two minutes into play. This early dismissal visibly rattled the defending champions, who found themselves trailing 2-0 by the 27th minute. Kanye Glasgow, later named Man of the Match, opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a clever near-post finish after deftly maneuvering past a defender. Kymani Thomas doubled the advantage when goalkeeper Jadon Pollard failed to properly clear Jaeden Bobb’s attempt, allowing Thomas to capitalize from close range.

Fatima emerged from halftime transformed, staging a remarkable comeback that leveled the score at 2-2 within just four minutes of the second half. Dynamic midfielder Seth Hadeed became the catalyst for the resurgence, scoring his first goal 22 seconds after restart following a fortunate deflection from Necose Moore’s save. Hadeed completed his brace from the penalty spot three minutes later after Malique Marshall’s reckless challenge on substitute Jeremai Nanton earned both a penalty and a straight red card for the St Anthony’s defender.

The Tigers responded to this adversity with renewed determination, reclaiming the lead in the 66th minute through a beautifully crafted team goal. Adriel Faure initiated the play with a penetrating run down the left flank before delivering a precise switch to captain Mordecai Ford on the opposite side. Rather than shooting, Ford drilled a low cross across the penalty area for Faure to sweep home at the far post.

Despite several opportunities from Nanton and Hadeed to equalize again—including a spectacular long-range effort that Moore tipped wide in the 74th minute—Fatima couldn’t find another breakthrough. Glasgow sealed the victory in the 87th minute with a exquisite curling finish from the edge of the area after being set up by Ford, completing his brace and cementing the Tigers’ championship claim.

St Anthony’s now advances to the national intercol semifinals where they will face Tobago champions Signal Hill Secondary, who themselves staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Speyside High School 4-3 in their zonal final despite playing most of their match with ten men.

Trinidad and Tobago’s bobsleigh program achieved a significant milestone on December 1 as the two-man team of Axel Brown and De Aundre John captured silver at the North American Cup’s Park City leg in Utah. The Caribbean athletes demonstrated exceptional consistency across both heats, posting times of 48.89 and 48.99 seconds respectively, culminating in a combined finish of 1:37.88 minutes.

In a remarkable development for Caribbean bobsleigh, Jamaica’s pairing of Shane Pitter and Joel Fearon claimed gold with a time of 1:37.74, marking the first time two Caribbean nations secured the top two positions in a major international bobsleigh competition. The Canadian team of Jay Dearborn and Shane Ohrt recorded an identical time to Trinidad and Tobago, resulting in an unprecedented tie for second place.

This silver medal performance represents Trinidad and Tobago’s first podium finish of the current season, building upon their recent fourth and fifth place finishes in the four-man bobsleigh event at Whistler, Canada in late November. Those performances had earned the team extended podium recognition, demonstrating their growing consistency in international competition.

The Soca Sliders’ four-man squad, featuring Brown, Xaverri Williams, Shakeel John, and Micah Moore, remained in competition preparation at Utah Olympic Park as of December 3, with two additional events scheduled. This continued presence at elite-level competition signals Trinidad and Tobago’s emerging status as a serious contender in international bobsleigh, traditionally dominated by colder climate nations.

New Zealand firmly grasped control of the first Test against the West Indies at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, capitalizing on a dramatic batting collapse by the visitors on Day 2. The Black Caps concluded the day with a commanding 96-run lead, finishing at 32 without loss in their second innings after bowling out the West Indies for a meager 167.

The day’s play witnessed a flurry of 11 wickets, beginning with the early dismissal of New Zealand’s Zakary Foulkes by West Indies pacer Jayden Seales (2/44), which ended the hosts’ first innings at 231. The Caribbean response began disastrously as opener John Campbell fell for just one run in the second over, followed quickly by Alick Athanaze (4), leaving the visitors reeling at 10/2.

A semblance of recovery emerged through a 90-run partnership between Shai Hope, who played aggressively for his 56 off 107 balls, and the patient Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who ground out 52 from 169 deliveries. However, the match turned decisively just before tea when Hope was dismissed via review after gloving a Jacob Duffy delivery to wicketkeeper Tom Latham. The collapse accelerated as captain Roston Chase and Justin Greaves both fell for ducks to Matt Henry (3/43) in a single over.

The post-tea session belonged to Jacob Duffy, who scripted a memorable performance by claiming the final four West Indies wickets—including Tevin Imlach, Jayden Seales, Johann Layne, and Ojay Shields—to complete his maiden five-wicket haul (5/34) in just his second Test match. Chanderpaul’s resilient knock ended with a spectacular one-handed catch by Devon Conway at square leg.

With a substantial 64-run first-innings lead, New Zealand’s openers Conway (15*) and Latham (14*) navigated the final overs without loss, positioning their team favorably heading into Day 3.

Two prominent Trinidad and Tobago cycling clubs have initiated urgent legal proceedings against the national cycling federation regarding athlete selection protocols for the upcoming 2026 Pan American Track Cycling Championships. The JLD Cycling Academy and Heatwave Cycling Club, represented by sports attorney Dr. Emir Crowne, filed a comprehensive 198-page legal submission to the High Court on December 1 seeking immediate intervention.

The core dispute centers on the Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation’s (TTCF) decision to conduct mandatory selection trials on January 17, 2026—just four weeks before the February championships in Chile. The clubs contend this scheduling directly violates the federation’s established selection policy, which explicitly requires trials to be held at least twelve weeks prior to international competitions.

According to the legal filing, the clubs allege multiple procedural violations by the TTCF leadership. The federation executive reportedly ratified the January trial date during an emergency council meeting without following proper governance procedures, which the plaintiffs characterize as an abuse of power. The clubs further argue that the TTCF had been aware since June 2025 of the Pan Am Championships’ rescheduling to February yet failed to adjust the domestic racing calendar accordingly.

The controversial trial timing poses particular concern for internationally ranked athletes like world number 23 Alexi Costa-Ramirez, who formally expressed concerns to the TTCF that the schedule disruption could jeopardize preparation cycles and competitive performance. Costa-Ramirez and other elite riders advocate for discretionary selection based on objective criteria including world rankings and recent competitive results rather than what they term ‘impromptu trials.’

The TTCF has mounted a robust defense against these allegations. The federation maintains that the January trial date received unanimous approval during a September 2025 planning meeting attended by all member clubs, including the claimants. This decision was subsequently confirmed during a November emergency meeting where all clubs exercised voting rights. The federation’s legal representative, attorney Zelica Haynes-Soo Hon, emphasizes that trials remain mandatory unless a National Championship has occurred within three months of the international event, with discretionary selection only permissible when no rider qualifies through formal trials.

With both parties at an impasse, the High Court now faces the task of determining whether the federation violated its own regulations and the legitimate expectations of its member clubs and athletes.

The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) Patriots men’s football team has achieved a spectacular double victory, culminating their outstanding Tertiary Sport Association of TT (TSATT) season with both league and knockout titles. On November 24, the Clayton Morris-coached squad delivered a commanding 5-1 performance against USC Hummers at the UTT O’Meara Campus to claim the TSATT knockout championship.

This decisive victory secured the team’s qualification for the prestigious International University Sports Federation (FISU) America Football World Cup qualifiers, scheduled for July 2026 in Peru. The Patriots will join their female counterparts, who also earned qualification, representing UTT on the international stage.

The path to the final showcased the team’s resilience when they overcame UWI in a dramatic penalty shootout on November 20. After battling to a 1-1 draw in regulation time, UTT emerged victorious with a 4-2 penalty triumph. The final match saw the team operating at peak performance, with Andre Alfred delivering an exceptional hat-trick and Tyrone Rago contributing a brace to secure the comprehensive victory.

This marks the second appearance for the UTT men’s team in the FISU America qualifiers, following their participation in the 2022 edition hosted in Mexico. Meanwhile, the women’s team prepares for their third qualification campaign, having previously competed in both the 2022 and 2024 tournaments.

In an official statement, UTT expressed pride in their athletes’ accomplishments: “UTT is proud to celebrate the achievements of its men’s football team and wishes them continued success in upcoming endeavours.” The university community now looks forward to supporting both teams as they prepare to represent Trinidad and Tobago in international competition.