Category: BusinessDayTest

Trinidad and Tobago Red Force have secured a spot in Saturday’s CG United Super50 Cup final after thrashing the Leeward Islands Hurricanes by eight wickets in their final preliminary game here on Thursday.

With the win at the Queen’s Park Oval, T and T overtook Barbados Pride to go top of the table after the Pride’s match against the Guyana Harpy Eagles was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

While the Red Force are assured of a top two spot, the Pride, who ended the preliminary rounds on 29 points, will have to wait on the outcome of the day/night match between third-placed Windward Islands Volcanoes and Jamaica Scorpions.

Amir Jangoo scored an unbeaten half century to help the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force qualify for the final of the CG United Super50 Cup.

The Volcanoes entered the final round of competition on 17 points, five less than the Red Force.

However, with a maximum of 16 bonus points up for grabs, the Volcanoes need to secure at least 13 points if they too are to leapfrog the Pride and qualify for the final.

T and T cruised to victory on the back of half centuries by Tion Webster and Amir Jangoo, which propeled them to 214 for two in 43.1 overs after they bowled out the Hurricanes for 213 in 49 overs.

Webster and Cephas Cooper added 84 runs for the first wicket to give the home side a solid start, before the latter was bowled by off spinner Rahkeem Cornwall for 28.

Jangoo joined Cooper at the crease and helped to maintain T and T’s grip on the game in a partnership of 88 runs.

Just when it looked as though Webster would see his team to victory, he edged a delivery from left-arm pacer Nathan Edward behind to be caught for 83 off 117 balls, inclusive of 10 fours and one six.

From a position of 172 for two, Jangoo, who recently returned to the squad after touring New Zealand with the West Indies, shared an unbroken partnership of 42 with Jyd Goolie, who scored an unbeaten, run-a-ball 23.

Jangoo finished on 72 not out from 85 balls and struck eight boundaries.

Earlier, pacers Ricky Jaipaul and Terrence Hinds snared three wickets apiece to knock the wind out of the Hurricanes.

Hinds had Kofi James caught behind for eight, dismissed Carlon Bowen-Tuckett for five and bowled Mikyle Louis for 13 to leave the Hurricanes 31 for three.

Captain Karima Gore led a fightback with a stubborn knock of 39, Jahmar Hamilton made 71 batting at number six, while Rahkeem Cornwall scored 20 to get their side up to a respectable total.

However, Jaipaul accounted for the wickets of Hamilton, Jewel Andrew and Cornwall, to ensure there would be no late fireworks.

Jaipaul was the pick of T and T’s bowlers with 3-32 and Hinds claimed 3-50.

BML Properties Ltd. (BMLP) says it has reached a ‘comprehensive agreement’ with a number of stakeholders, including China Construction America (CCA),a subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering Corp. Ltd. (CSCEC), to resolve their legal dispute over the construction of the Baha Mar resort.

In a statement, the parties said that the agreement is subject to United States Bankruptcy Court approval and that in accordance with the agreement, BMLP is dropping all claims in the United States and The Bahamas against CCA, CCA Bahamas Ltd (Bahamas) Ltd and CSCECB and their respective affiliates without any admission of liability on their part.

‘The agreement is subject to approval by the US Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey, which CCA hopes to obtain in the coming days. CCAB will retain its ownership interest in the British Colonial and Margaritaville Beach Resort hotels, which the company believes will benefit the entire Bahamian community well into the future.’

The statement said that the resolution follows CCA, CCAB and CSCECB’s motion to appeal the New York State Supreme Court’s prior decision and CCA’s filing for chapter 11, which had been pursued in parallel to protect the interests of the co-defendants’ stakeholders.

‘We are pleased to have successfully resolved this matter and to move forward with clarity and certainty for our employees, customers and partners,’ said Yan Wei, chairman and chief executive officer of CCA.

‘While we remain convinced by the strength of our legal arguments, bringing this matter to a close is in the best interests of our stakeholders and will allow us to focus fully on our strategy for delivering world-class construction projects and hospitality operations to our customers. We thank our team and partners for their continued support and look forward to many opportunities together.

‘We also want to extend our appreciation to the people and businesses of The Bahamas for their continued friendship and trust as we look to deepen our relationships in the country,’ Wei added.

The settlement comes months after the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court upheld a ruling that awarded BMLP US$1.6 billion in damages after finding that CCA breached its contract and committed fraudulent acts, ultimately forcing BML out of its Baha Mar investment.

‘We are pleased to have put this matter behind us and reached a resolution that meets our expectations. The economic impact of Baha Mar will be felt for decades to come, and we remain proud to have been the visionaries behind this landmark development,’ said BMLP’s Sarkis Izmirlian.

‘I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the people of The Bahamas for their unwavering support and the many letters of encouragement throughout the past decade,’ Izmirlian added.

The litigation stemmed from disputes that arose during the final stages of developing the Baha Mar resort.

The two-day warmup match between a New Zealand XI and West Indies ended in a draw here at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval on Thursday.

Scores

WEST INDIES 346-5 dec’d in 96 overs (Tagenarine Chanderpaul 85 retired out, Brandon King 79, John Campbell 68, Kavem Hodge 55 not out, Tevin Imlach 25, Alick Athanaze 23).

NEW ZEALAND XI 264 in 73.4 overs (Cam Paul 91, Muhammad Abbas 61, Thomas O’Connor 35, Sam Cassidy 28, Raunaq Kapur 19; Johann Layne 3-33, Kavem Hodge 2-32, Jomel Warrican 2-45).