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THE Trinidad and Tobago pairs failed to advance from the round-robin group stage of the second leg of the NORCECA (North, Central America and the Caribbean) 2015 Beach Volleyball Tour on Saturday in the Dominican Republic.

After winning one of their two matches when the tournament served off the day before, Fabian Whitfield and Daneil Williams turned in a respectable performance in their final Group C fixture before going down 21-17, 21-18 against unbeaten Canadians Garet May and Daniel Dearing.

The “Toco Boy” then began their quest for a ninth-place finish with an impressive 21-9, 21-9 victory over a pair from Bonaire.

Williams and Whitfield, who last month led T&T to the Caribbean men’s title and a place in the second round of regional qualifying for next year’s Olympic Games in Brazil, had beaten a pair from Jamaica in straight sets (21-9, 22-20) on Friday, but gone under 21-10, 21-14 against two players from United States Virgin Islands.

Playing in their first NORCECA tournament together, Ayana Dyette and Makila Davidson failed to win a set from their three matches against pairs from the United States, El Salvador and Cuba in a tough Group D.

The T&T women were then beaten 21-16, 21-10 against Nicaraguans in their opening match in the playoff for ninth place on Saturday.

Both T&T pairs will next compete in the Pan American Games in Canada in a couple of weeks.

There are ten legs in this year NORCECA Tour, which will conclude in Trinidad in mid-­November.

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England’s historic victory over Canada in the Women’s World Cup has been hailed as a game-changer for women’s football, as a wave of new fans tuned in to see an England team reach a World Cup semi-final for the first time since Italia 90.

Despite a 12.30am kick off for UK viewers, more than 1.6 million people watched England beat hosts Canada 2-1 in Vancouver, in front of a sell out 54,027, which mostly comprised fiercely partisan home fans, at the BC Stadium on Saturday.

“This feels like a really special moment in the history of the game,” said Kelly Simmons, director of the national game and women’s football at the FA. “I think this is the moment that the general public fell in love with the Lionesses. So many people back home are supporting us and are rightly proud – in terms of awareness this has been absolutely fantastic.”

In the deafening arena, which matched any male World Cup tie for passion and dedication, thousands of Canadians did their best to cheer the ball into England’s net. But after a superb strike from Jodie Taylor and a looping header from Lucy Bronze, England managed to resist pressure from Canada, which mounted even higher after Christine Sinclair pulled one back for the hosts just before half-time, and held on for a nail-biting victory that had fans on the edge of the seats until the final whistle.

The Duke of Cambridge, president of the FA, said he was thrilled to see the England women progress to the semis for the first time.

“This team is making history and I can’t wait to see them in action against Japan. I know a lot of people have been following the team’s progress, and I’m sure many more will now seize the chance to support this great moment for English football,” he said. “The Lionesses are doing their country proud.”

England manager Mark Sampson said his team had matched their male counterparts from 1966 and 1990 by reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup. “They are history-makers again, the third ever England team to get to a semi-final,” he said. “They have shown a desire I’ve never seen from an England team before to hang on in there and get us through to the next round.”

His team – a diverse, now largely professional, group of 23 women – have created an extraordinary bond and unity of purpose. From Chelsea’s Claire Rafferty, who works as an analyst for Deutsche Bank, to Katie Chapman, a mother of three, and Eniola Aluko, taking a sabbatical from her career as a lawyer to turn professional, they appear to peaking in perfect synchronicity.

England will face world champions Japan in a crunch match on Wednesday, which will now be shown on BBC1, rather than BBC3, after the tournament has proved a ratings hit – peaking at with more than 2 million viewers.

England fans have been swept along by the victory, with huge stars of the game adding their voices to the congratulations that swamped the England players.

“England women doing the country proud. Huge congratulations on reaching the semi finals,” wrote the captain of the men’s team, Wayne Rooney – who earns £300,000 a week, compared to the women’s captain Steph Houghton’s £35,000 a year. Gary Lineker added: “Great to see England reach the Women’s World Cup semi-finals. 25 years since one of our teams did that. What a massive boost to the sport in this country if they could go on to win it.”

Only 27 players in the Women’s Super League (WSL) are on full professional contracts, but the professionalism in the game is growing rapidly, said Simmons. Participation in the women’s game is booming – in 1993 there were just 80 registered girls’ teams; today there are 5,143, with 1,437 registered adult sides. “There are still cultural barriers in the UK that you just don’t see in places like Canada and the US,” she said. “The Women’s Super League is definitely helping, but becoming fully professional is fundamental. We need to transfer this fantastic support to regular coverage and fans for the WSL.”

Lionesses fan Carrie Dunn, author of a book about the WSL and head of sports journalism at the University of East London, said the British media now had to commit to covering the women’s game – and not just at the World Cup.

The England’s women’s team has a budget of £10.8m, higher than any other European country. But attracting commercial sponsorship and a larger fanbase, so clubs can become self-supporting, remains crucial for the success of the game.

“This could be a game-changer, but it has to be built on,” said Dunn. “The argument has always been that people aren’t interested, but this clearly shows they are. This is a chance to get the whole nation behind them and that money invested.”

Speaking in a haze of joy after the victory in Vancouver, Rachel O’Sullivan, who spends most of their free time and money following England with pal Sophie Downey for their website Girls on the Ball, said she “still couldn’t quite believe” the Lionesses had done it. “We’re sure now, more than ever, that they can go all the way,” she said. “We’re so immensely proud of our pride.”

Asif Burhan, a dedicated England fan who travels around the world supporting both the men and women’s teams, said there was no difference between the atmosphere in Canada and the men’s World Cup in Brazil last year. “Results change perceptions,” he said. “As the players walked off the pitch last night I shouted to them that they had changed the country, and made us proud. I don’t think they knew what I was going on about – they won’t realise how much people care.”

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Tyson Gay won the 100m at the US trials as 19-year-old Trayvon Bromell became the first teenager to qualify for the American World Championships team.

Gay, 32, clocked 9.87 seconds and will return to the Worlds in Beijing in August for the first time since 2009. Bromell ran 9.84 in the heats, making him the tenth-fastest man in history, and was second in the final with 9.96.

Diamond League champion Justin Gatlin has a bye for the 100m in Beijing but will still race in the 200m trials. Gatlin, 33, has run 2015's fastest 100m and 200m - 9.75 and 19.68 seconds respectively - while double-Olympic champion Usain Bolt has posted 10.12 in the 100m so far in 2015 after coming back from injury.

Bromell, who ran a wind-assisted 9.76 seconds in his semi-final, had the advantage over Gay early in the trials final but the 2007 world champion powered through in the final 30m and won by almost a tenth of a second.

Meanwhile at the Jamaican trials in Kingston, former world-record holder Asafa Powell surged to the 100m title but 2011 world champion Yohan Blake failed to make the final.

Powell, 32, pulled away from the field in the last 20m to equal his season best of 9.84.

However Blake, 25, was sixth in Powell's semi-final in a time of 10.36. The 2012 Olympic 100 and 200m silver medallist won the world title in 2011 when Bolt was disqualified for a false start.

Bolt withdrew from the trials on Thursday.

Bridgetown, Barbados: The Barbados Tridents made it three wins in three as they brushed aside the Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel by eight wickets in the Hero Caribbean Premier League. The Red Steel never recovered from four early wickets inside the first six overs as they stumbled to 95-9 in the face of some superb bowling from a rampant Tridents side who have already set the early pace in pursuit of automatic qualification for the Hero CPL final.

The undefeated Tridents began brilliantly yet again as Jason Holder produced a fantastic spell of quick and aggressive bowling to leave the Red Steel in serious trouble inside their batting Powerplay. Holder dismissed three players - Cameron Delport, Darren Bravo and Kamran Akmal.

All three batsman struggled to cope with the extra bounce that Holder extracted from this Kensington Oval pitch. Ravi Rampaul also chipped in with a wicket inside the first six overs, dismissing South African legend Jacques Kallis who mistimed a hook shot to lose his wicket for just one run.

Things only got worse for the Red Steel when William Perkins took off for a single only for Jason Mohammed not to respond to his call. He scampered back to the bowlers end but not quick enough to prevent him being run out by a yard. At the end of the Powerplay the Red Steel were 26-5. In last year’s CPL the Tridents bowled the Red Steel out for just 52 in this same fixture and for a while it looked like they might make even fewer runs this time.

Holder bowled all four of his overs in that one opening spell picking up outstanding figures of 3-11. His standing as an all-round talent continues to grow.

The rain arrived in Barbados and the umpires did their best to keep the players on the park but when a steady drizzle became a more consistent downpour they called a halt to proceedings with the Red Steel needing to regroup to get a total that they could hope to defend. Thankfully the delay was a brief one and when the game got underway the Red Steel managed a small rebuilding job as Dwayne Bravo and Mohammed put on 46 runs at a run a ball.

The stand was broken when Dwayne Bravo drilled the ball into the hands of Navin Stewart in the covers having made 30 off 28 balls. Mohammed didn’t last much longer, dismissed in the very next over. He had made 20 off 27 balls when he hooked Kieron Pollard to the waiting hands of Dwayne Smith.

Johan Botha looked to get the side up over 100 while attempting to bat out the overs. He made it to 14 off 22 balls before he was run out. He should have been dismissed for 13, caught on the boundary, but the catch was dropped by Holder. A decent throw from Holder saw the South African spinner run out off that very same ball.

The Red Steel finished on 95-9 off their 20 overs. It always looked a long way from enough to beat a Tridents team that are riding high in this year’s Hero CPL.

The Tridents made an absolute mockery of this target as Smith and Dilshan Munaweera found the boundary with ease in an opening stand of 72 off just 56 balls. The Red Steel’s lack of pace options was exposed early on as none of their seamers could find the bounce that had so troubled their top order in the first innings.

The Red Steel opened the bowling with Samuel Badree’s legspin and Munaweera was brutally dismissive as he drove them down the ground for two fours and a six in one over. While Munaweera was playing lovely drives Smith was pulling and hooking anything that was dropped short.

The Red Steel had a chance to end this opening stand when Kallis dropped Munaweera when the Sri Lankan was on 25. Even if that had been taken the Tridents were already halfway to their victory target with 14 overs to go.

Munaweera finished on 39 and Smith made 33 to demolish their opponents.

Although the Tridents lost both openers in successive deliveries to the bowling of Sulieman Benn they still progressed towards victory serenely as they made this chase look incredibly straightforward.

Barbados now have one more game at their home ground before they move on to St Kitts. If they win that they will be brilliantly placed to go a long way in this event.

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Trinidad and Tobago's Kael Yorke smashed a national record on his way to claiming the Boys 13-14 100m fly title on Wednesday night, at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships (CCCAN) at the Aquatic Centre in Wildey, Christ Church, Barbados.

Yorke splashed to a 57.40 second clocking for the two-lap sprint.

It was a ding dong battle with silver medallist from Suriname Yael Toun Ngie Tjouw (57.98) with Jamaicans Jesse Marsh third in 59.75.

Yorke's time also broke the 2007 mark of Cadell Lyons of 57.69. It was one of six gold medals and one silver team that T&T, being led by 1984 Olympian Paul Newallo, achieved on the night.

Yorke returned with Jeron Thompson, Graham Chatoor and Luke Gillette to spring a surprise victory in the Boys 13-14 4x100 freestyle relay, their time of 3:47.22 edging out favourites Barbados (3:47.98) and Puerto Rico (3:48.11).

Chatoor had registered a personal best (PB) on the opening night to claim silver in the Boys 13-14 1500m freestyle (17:08.70).

USA based Racine Ross splashed to gold in 1:05.11 in the Girls 13-14 100m fly. Meanwhile, Ariel Cape posted a personal best in claiming the Girls 15-17 100m backstroke in 1:08. 93, while Aqeel Joseph won the Boys 11-12 200m butterfly in 2:29.71. And another USA based swimmer, Gabriela Donahue splashed to the final gold medal with 1:17.31 to win in the Girls 11-12 100m breaststroke.

Youth Olympian David Mc Leod swam to 58.50 for silver in the Boys 15-17 100m backstroke.

T&T's medal count for two days is ten gold and three silver.

The five-day meet concludes today.

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Usain Bolt’s lack of form combined with his late withdrawal from the Jamaican 100 metres national trials yesterday have raised more doubts about the future of the world’s fastest man.

The towering sprinter had intended to run in the trials as a sharpener, but the Jamaican Athletics Administrative Association confirmed he had pulled out two months before the world championships in Beijing, China.

Six-times Olympic gold medallist Bolt, who qualifies for world championships as defending champion in both events, has struggled this year with moderate best times of 10.12 seconds for the 100 and 20.13 in the 200.

The 28-year-old expressed uncharacteristic concerns after a sluggish 20.29 to win the 200 at the recent New York Diamond League meeting in the US.

“I’m not happy about my performance. My turn was horrible, I don’t know what happened,” Bolt said. “My worst turn ever.

“After I came off the turn, I knew it wasn’t going to be fast... so I pretty much just wanted to get home.”

Bolt’s 2014 season was limited by injuries, but he was the star attraction at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, winning gold in the 4x100 relay.

With 2015 continuing in a similar vein, Bolt, the only man to win the 100 and 200 in back-to-back Olympics, would surely have wanted to lay down a marker at the Jamaican trials following the resurgence of Justin Gatlin.

Controversial United States sprinter Gatlin, who has served two doping bans, has become the man to beat after setting or equalling lifetime bests in both the 100 and 200 this year.

Gatlin has not raced Bolt since 2013, but the 33-year-old 2004 Olympic gold medallist is hoping his rival returns to his best at the world championships so he can dethrone the Jamaican in Beijing.

“What is it really going to amount to if I go out there and run against Usain when he is not at his best,” Gatlin told Reuters.

“That is not a great storyline. It is not a race I would like to go out and win. I want Usain at his best, and I think he wants me at my best. That’s what people want to see.”

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TRINIDAD and Tobago’s top two pairs will be in action from today when the 2015 NORCECA (North, Central America and the Caribbean) Beach Volleyball Tour resumes with the second leg in the Dominican Republic.

Fabian Whitfield and Daneil Williams also contested the opening leg in Cayman Islands two months ago, but Ayana Dyette and Makila Davidson will be making their seasonal bow at the level.

The three-day tournament takes on additional significance for the quartet. It will be their final competitive preparation for next month’s Pan American Games in Canada. The two pairs competed in a tournament on the world tour a couple weeks ago in Florida, USA, but failed to make it to the main draw.

Early last month, Williams and Whitfield led T&T to the gold medal in the CAZOVA (Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association) Beach Championships and a place in the second round of regional qualifying for next year’s Olympic Games in Brazil.

Dyette and Davidson only started playing together in March and are unbeaten from five tournaments at home.

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Some of the best quartermilers in the world will be on show at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain this evening, in the qualifying round of the NGC-Sagicor NAAA (National Association of Athletics Administrations) Open Track and Field Championship men's 400 metres event.

Reigning world junior champion Machel Cedenio, the third fastest man in the world this year at 44.36 seconds, heads the cast. More than 40 men will bid for lanes in tomorrow's “A” and “B” finals.

Nineteen-year-old Cedenio should have no problems advancing, and is likely to be joined in the “A” final by double Olympic bronze medallist Lalonde Gordon, reigning champion Renny Quow, and Jarrin Solomon.

Missing from the men's one-lap start list are Deon Lendore and Jereem Richards. Lendore is injured, and will not compete at the Championships.

National record holder Janeil Bellille opens the defence of her women's 400m title this evening.

Bellille dominated her rivals last year, completing her lap of the track in 51.83 seconds to erase a 16-year-old Trinidad and Tobago standard from the books. Though her fastest time this season, 52.95, is more than a second slower, Bellille is the class of the field and would fancy her chances of producing another golden run in tomorrow's final.

Romona Modeste, Magnolia Howell, Alena Brooks and Jessica James are expected to be the main contenders for Bellille's title. Only Modeste in that quartet has dived under 54 seconds this season, the veteran quartermiler having clocked 53.98 to strike gold at the Falcon Games on March 29.

Once she is anywhere close to her best, gold looks guaranteed for Bellille.

Wayne Davis II and Mikel Thomas are also expected to be on show at the Crawford Stadium today.

Davis is the defending men's 110m hurdles champion, but Thomas is the favourite. On April 18, Thomas produced a 13.32 seconds run at the Mt SAC Relays in California, USA, and has also clocked 13.39, 13.44 and 13.47 this season. Davis, on the other hand, has struggled for form. His best 2015 clocking is 13.59 seconds.

The opening round of the men's 100m event will be contested today. But with the top five sprinters earning byes into the semis, reigning champion Richard “Torpedo” Thompson, Keston Bledman, Rondel Sorrillo, Emmanuel Callender and Marcus Duncan will not face the starter until tomorrow.

Darrel Brown, the 2003 IAAF World Championship silver medallist, and top junior Jonathan Farinha, however, will compete this evening.

Veteran sprinter Marc Burns is injured, and will not see action at the Championships. And 22-year-old Jamol James was not entered.

In the women's 100m, last year's winner Michelle-Lee Ahye, Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Reyare Thomas, Kamaria Durant and Semoy Hackett have received byes into the semis, and will not run in today's preliminary round.

The hammer throw titles will be decided this evening. The men's field is likely to include national record holder Emmanuel Stewart.

Action at the Crawford Stadium today is scheduled to start at 5.30pm with the men's 10,000m event, featuring Kenyan Kenneth Rotich.

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Michelle-Lee Ahye and Kelly-Ann Baptiste will square off for Ahye's women's 100 metres title, at this weekend's NGC-Sagicor NAAA (National Association of Athletics Administrations) Open Track and Field Championships.

Though she was not the first sprinter to cross the finish line at the 2013 edition of the meet, Ahye is actually chasing a hat-trick of national 100m titles.

Two years ago, it was Baptiste who got home first. However, she subsequently received a doping ban, and many of her 2013 performances were scratched from the books, including the 10.83 seconds national record run that earned her gold at the Trinidad and Tobago Championships.

Ahye finished second to Baptiste in that race in 11.06, and was promoted to the top spot following her rival's disqualification.

Last year, Ahye enjoyed a conventional triumph, striking gold in 10.88 seconds. On Saturday, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, she will bid for her third century title on the trot.

Based on her early-season form, Ahye will go into the Championships as the favourite. On March 28, the Texas-based sprinter won the Texas Relays women's invitational 100m dash in a wind-assisted 10.87 seconds.

But the performance that signalled a warning to the world's sprint elite came five days later, at the Florida Relays, where Ahye won in 10.97, in spite of a 2.5 metres per second headwind. There's a question mark, however, over her fitness. On May 30, at the Prefontaine Classic IAAF Diamond League meet, in Oregon, USA, the 23-year-old athlete was injured during the 100m event, and finished eighth in 11.90 seconds. She has not competed since. Baptiste was sixth in that race in 11.08.

If there is anyone who can capitalise on a chink in Ahye's armour, it is Baptiste. This weekend, the 2011 World Championship 100m bronze medallist will compete on home soil for the first time since completing her 21-month drug ban on January 23. All eyes at the Crawford Stadium will be on Baptiste, who clocked an impressive 10.98 seconds in her 100m season-opener on April 24. In mid-May, she produced an 11-flat run. And 12 days ago, the 28-year-old track star finished third at the adidas Grand Prix IAAF Diamond League meet in New York, USA in 11.19.

The T&T Championship women's century will feature another athlete on the comeback trail following a doping ban. Semoy Hackett's 28-month suspension ended on April 30. Based on her 22.81 seconds 200m run in Florida on June 6, Hackett will challenge for honours this weekend.

Like Baptiste, a drug ban cost Hackett a national 100m title. Back in 2011, she grabbed gold in a wind-aided 11 seconds flat. However, Hackett tested positive for Methylhexaneamine at the T&T Championships, and was handed a six-month ban. Methylhexaneamine was also the illegal stimulant that led to Hackett's more recent suspension.

Kai Selvon, the 2011 women's 100m runner-up, was upgraded to gold. Selvon is not expected to make a bid for the title in 2015. She is recovering from an injury, and has requested an exemption from the NAAA. Selvon has to prove her fitness before being considered for selection on the national teams for the July 10-26 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada and the August 22-30 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.

In addition to Ahye, Baptiste and Hackett, Saturday's NGC-Sagicor NAAA Open Track and Field Championship women's 100m final is likely to feature Kamaria Durant and Reyare Thomas.

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