On Sunday August 2021 Caribbean Limers held its 40 year reunion with twenty seven former members attending and with their families for a total of fifty persons. Limers’ Reunion t’shirts were sponsored by Fiyad Ramjohn and distributed to all members and reserved for those who now resides overseas and who did not attend due to […]
Marcia Maharaj was the backbone of Caribbean Limers from the club’s inception in 1980. She was responsible for supplying support to many players and providing lunches at almost every game.
She was granted honourary status in 1984.
Dennis O’ Connor was one of the founding members of Caribbean Limers in 1980. He held the post of vice president and was in charge of soccer (football) as well as the resident dj at all Limers fund raising dances.
Frank was the second captain of Caribbean Limers taking over from Kelvin Budrie in 1983.
He was a right arm medium pace bowler and a left handed middle order batsman.
Kelvin was the first captain of Caribbean Limers in 1980. He was also responible for fund raising and was the secretary of Caribbean for in the early years.
He was a right arm off break bowler and a right handed opening batsman with an array of shots.
He was also the captain of the Limers all fours (card) team.
Papa Joe was the dedicated cricket scorer of Caribbean Limers from inception from 1980 to 1993.
He was granted honourary member status in Caribbean Limers in 1984 for his dedicated towards the club for scoring at all matches.
He was from Guyana and played cricket at a first class level and soccer (football) at a national lever.
He sadly passed away at the ripe old age of 92.
Told that the part-time mailroom clerk position he was interviewing for at CIBC was a ‘dead-end’ job, Anthony Whyte asked for an opportunity to use it as a stepping stone to work his way up the organization.
The request was granted and, six years later in 1994, the interviewers were reporting to him.
With a sharp eye for business openings, Whyte and a partner started Go Logistics Inc. 2005 that has been recognized as one of Canada’s fastest growing companies with a five-year revenue growth of 304 per cent.
Canadian Business and Maclean’s ranked the company #277 on the 30th annual Growth 500 list whose principals were invited to the 2020 Growth 500 Chief Executive Officers summit which is an exclusive event designed specifically for the leaders of Canada’s fastest growing companies.
Growth 500 Program Manager Beth Fraser said the rising organizations are truly remarkable.
“Demonstrating foresight, innovation and smart management, their stories serve as a primer for how to build a successful entrepreneurial business today,” she pointed out.
Making the esteemed list, said Whyte, is a huge honour.
“It reflects the confidence of our customers and our commitment to partnership and collaboration,” he noted. “This recognition is the result of three generations of Guyanese rice farmers who focussed on building businesses and opening opportunities for me and my five siblings. I watched my grandparents from Leguan turn over that land into crop verticals that sustained revenue and growth.
“As a child, it took me some time to fully understand the importance of reinvesting and diversifying the family business. My grandmother took the profit made from rice and bought cash crops to sell in the market. The fundamentals of business haven’t changed much since then. You have a product and you need to get it into the hands of your customer. We do that, providing the infrastructure and network to make it happen quickly and reliably.”
Most successful business leaders don’t get where they are without starting on the ground floor.
Migrating from Guyana in May 1982, Whyte’s first job was working in a factory that made speaker boxes.
Using two subways and a bus to commute, he earned $3.25 an hour.
“One of my tasks was to sand the boxes before they were sprayed,” said Whyte. “There were no masks back then, so I was inhaling most of the sediment I was removing.”
After six months, he changed jobs and his hourly rate increased by $1.25.
“I thought the raise was great, so I enrolled in night classes at DeVry University, studying electronics,” Whyte said. “My goal at the time was to work for Spar Aerospace that was developing an arm for the shuttle to go to the moon.”
With elderly parents and younger siblings to help support, he quickly found out he was over his head financially and had to quit the four-year program after six months because he couldn’t come up with the monthly $250 tuition fee.
Dabbling in auto body work after school in Guyana, Whyte wrote and passed the provincial Auto Body and Collision Damage Repairer test.
Realizing, however, that wasn’t a career he wanted to pursue, he hit the road in search of work in other fields.
It was while walking down Lawrence Ave. W. that Whyte saw the advertisement for the CIBC part-time mailroom position.
After 12 years with the bank, rising to the position of Senior Manager of Operations of the Credit Card Production Department, he was offered a package.
“They were restructuring and I was given an opportunity to be a manager at a call centre in Halifax, but I didn’t want to relocate with the family because my father-in-law was ill,” said the married father of three grown children.
While playing cricket for Caribbean Limers, a teammate introduced Whyte to a friend who owned a courier company.
“I had a good grasp of what was needed to facilitate the safe distribution of credit cards, so we did that for nine years before starting Go Logistics,” he said.
Philosophical differences resulted in Whyte using a shotgun clause to buy out his partner in 2014.
“I wanted to do things differently, including focussing on employee training, and take the business to the next level,” he said. “It is employees’ effectiveness that lay the foundation for growth and we want to give our people, who are our greatest asset, every chance to be happy and feel they are wanted.”
Two years ago, Go Logistics collaborated with Amazon to launch their first third party Canadian sortation centre that’s consistently rated among the top performers in North America.
Dedicated to the ‘Final Mile’ component of the supply chain, the company serves clients in the retail, e-commerce, third-party logistics and manufacturing sectors.
“We have built our business around the ‘Final Mile’ delivery which is a space that the big players in the industry are limited to because of the package dimensions they cater to,” said Whyte whose sons, Daniel and Anthony, represented Guyana in soccer.
The services offered include courier, sortation and e-commerce home delivery.
“With the growth of e-commerce and the burgeoning tourism, sport and oil & gas sectors, there are great opportunities for local entrepreneurs looking to distribute their products to meet consumer demand,” said Whyte who is a consistent charitable donor to organizations in Canada and the Caribbean. “Based on our track record when it comes to growth, Go Logistics is poised to partner with Caribbean industry leaders to expand their businesses.”
In 2018, Go Logistics sorted and distributed nearly 15 million packages in Canada.
Averaging $60 million in revenues annually, Whyte’s target is $100 million in the next five years which he’s confident will be achieved before 2024.
Trusted and qualified family members are making significant contributions to the company’s development.
Whyte’s daughter, Amanda Whyte, is the company’s Vice-President, older brother, Richard — who was the defunct MicroSkills Finance & Business Development Director for 17 years — is the President, and the youngest sibling, Dexter, is the Fleet & Facilities Director. Richard’s sons, Kent and Karl, are part of the Operations team.
My name is George Maharaj and I am selling or donating away a priceless collection of Trinidad and Tobago and Caribbean music to a foreign institution if I can find one.
The collection is about 6,000 records and the cost to collect, storage fees, insurance, transport comes close to Can$200,000.
I did not include sentimental value.
I have already parted with three loads of it, and have four more to do, just giving it away.
Because for over 40 years, I have been trying with every government institution and (numerous large) private companies and I can’t figure out how to get anybody from TT to take my collection.
All I want is for somebody, somewhere, to digitise all the music and share it with the world for everybody to enjoy.
And to build a calypso museum to honour our own artistes.
I’m trying a foreign institution now.
I come from a large family of six siblings, five still alive.
I was born in Chaguanas and moved to San Fernando at the age of two years old, but moved to New York in 1969 and Toronto in 1974.
I am married with two children and three granddaughters.
I went to San Fernando Boys’ Government, then ASJA College.
I grew up in a Hindu home and my parents were considered to be pundits. But I found my roots, which is calypso, while at school in New York.
I am known as the unofficial consul general and high commissioner of Trinidad and Tobago in Canada. I am depended on by everyone as to which Trini sports clubs to join, where to hire the music bands, how to organise parang fetes, join mas bands and everything else Trini.
I launched both of my calypso history books, The Roots of Calypso, in two volumes, each including a CD, in Trinidad, Tobago, Toronto, Montreal, Germany, the Cayman Islands.
Volume one was published in 2005 and volume two in 2008. Collectively they sold over 8,000 copies and can be found in the school and public libraries in both Toronto and TT.
I did Kaisofest in Toronto, the annual Kaiso@High Noon lime in San Fernando, and Trinifest in Toronto. All calypso-related.
I have been celebrating October calypso history month for the last three years in Toronto as a request by TUCO (Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation)
The monthly Kaiso Breakfast Lime I formed ran for seven years in Toronto at a Trinidadian restaurant called Sylvan’s.
I was the MC and controlled the free open-mic event. Many T&T stars performed, including Baron, Rikki Jai, Rhoma Spencer. As well as Double D, Elsworth James, Richard Luces and many other Canadian artistes.
We also had tassa, steelpan, iron rhythm, love songs etc.
For the past 30 years, and at my own expense, I have travelled to and conducted lectures at schools, institutions and social clubs in TT. Such as Naparima, Presentation, UTT, UWI, teachers’ training colleges, Point Fortin, Siparia, Mayaro, Diego Martin, Pleasantville, NALIS libraries all over the country, just to name a few.
Friends and family are very supportive of my hobby and even fund the purchase of my records and my air fare to T&T whenever I need the help.
I must state that my collection was amassed in Canada and is housed there. It is definitely not the world’s largest collection, but it is the most comprehensive since it contains calypsos from all over the world. Including the Bahamas, Bermuda, Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica, Panama, Antigua, Grenada, Costa Rica, Canada, Europe, Sri Lanka and Canada and of course from the Land of Calypso, Trinidad and Tobago.
The collection comprises 6,000 original vinyl records dating from the 1930s to 1989 with calypso, combo, big band, rapso, steelpan, parang/Christmas, Caribbean R&B, traditional local Indian and limbo, with a few soca and chutney.
The formats include records – LPs, 45s, 78s – as well as cassettes, DVDs, printed materials (most calypso books and magazines), picture-sleeve records and ten-inchrecords. There are also over 1,000 CDs.
My favourite artistes are Lord Melody, Black Stalin, Mighty Duke, Lord Kitchener, Sparrow.
From the older records, Lord Cristo, Nap Hepburn, Young Killer, Sniper, and King Fighter.
The collection’s highlights include: 115 different Sparrow LPs, the complete works of Lord Kitchener, Lord Melody and every other calypsonian.
There is also most calypsoes recorded by North American stars such as Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Maya Angelou, Robert Mitchum and many, many others.
I have approached TUCO, NCC, NALIS, UWI, UTT, THA, all (the different) governments, NAR, PNM, UNC, COP. British Gas, Carib, Maritime Life, and many others.
They appeared to be interested but never care to proceed further.
For instance, one university said that they will accept the collection – but I had to pay the shipping since the collection is in Canada.
Another university told me “Where will we put it?”
I must say that the following persons honestly tried to persuade the authorities to acquire the collection: Dianne Seukeran, Marlene Coudray, Pat Bishop, Pat Garcia, Joy Caesar, Yvonne Bobb-Smith and Karen Bart Alexander.
Needless to say they all failed.
It will definitely hurt me to know that (this soundtrack of my life will not be in Trinidad) but I know that, where it is going, it will benefit the calypsonians and our musical culture.
What I miss most of Trinidad is the food. Especially doubles, black pudding and cow heel soup.
And going to calypso shows.
And the weather.
To me, a Trini is one who was born in TT. However, a
real Trini is one who wears the colours, plays the music of TT and follow the sports teams of TT. I am a real Trini.
Trinidad and Tobago means everything to me, and I mean everything.
Everything I wear is either red, white and black.
My cat’s name is Soca, my car licence plate is SOCA*GM, my Canadian team is called Kaisoca Cricket Club, my calypso band is called Crab & Calaloo. And my parang band is called Los Ketchos Assos.
GEORGE D. MAHARAJ was born in Chaguanas but grew up in San Fernando, Trinidad.
He migrated to New York to study in 1969 and move with his family to Toronto in 1973.
Here is a list of sporting and cultural achievements of the George D. Maharaj.
| 1974 | Formed and was President of the Arawaks Sports Club in Toronto. |
| 1976 – 2007 | Member of “De Blue Boys Jouvert Band“ of San Fernando, Trinidad. |
| 1980 | Formed and was President of Caribbean Limers Sports Club in Toronto. |
| 1991-1994 | Was a Caribana band leader and mas producer in Toronto capturing the prize for Best Decorated Truck in 1992. |
| 1993-2004 | Founded the Kaisoca Under 15 cricket club, Kaisoca Colts cricket club, Kaisoca Touring Cricket team, and Kaisoca senior cricket team. |
| 1995 | Member of the Panatics Steel Orchestra in Toronto. |
| 2000-2005 | Founder of the Kaiso Breakfast Lime in Toronto. |
| 2001-2007 | Member of parang band, Los Ketchos Assos in Trinidad. |
| 2002-2006 | Co-Founder of “Trinifest“, a T&T independence cricket event in Toronto. |
| 2002 | Awarded by Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital. |
| 2003 | Co-ordinated the “Taste of Trinbago“ at Woodbine Track in Toronto. |
| 2004 | Published his first book called “The Roots of Calypso“ Volume 1. |
| 2004 | Founded The Calypso College Group in Toronto. |
| 2005 | Awarded by the Rotary Club of Trinidad and Tobago for calypso research. |
| 2006 | Presented “The Black Heritage Award“ in Toronto. |
| 2007 | Founded the parang band Los Ketchos Assos-Toronto in Canada. |
| 2007 | Published his second book called “The Roots of Calypso“ Volume 2. |
| 2008 | Organised “Kaisofest“, an annual calypso related session in Toronto. |
| 2009 – 2017 | Organised the annual The Kaiso @ High Noon calypso event in Trinidad. |
| 2010 | Formed The Kaisoca Ladies Cricket Club in Toronto. |
| 2012 | Was recognized as one of the top Trini Canadians in a commemorative book Published by the Trinidad and Tobago high commissioner’s office in Canada. |
| 2017 | Formed the “Crab and Callaloo Kaiso Band“ in Toronto. |
| 2018 | Organised the annual Calypso History Month event in Toronto. |
George is a past member of the Trinidad and Tobago Fifty Plus and Seniors group in Toronto and is involved in many events concerning Trinidad and Tobago.
He possesses one of the world’s largest collection vinyl records of the music of Trinidad and Tobago.
He is a regular judge in the annual calypso and chutneysoca competitions in T&T.
He has conducted numerous calypso presentations at various schools and institutions in Trinidad and Tobago at his own expense under the title of “ Calypso : An Art Form Worth Preserving “.
George’s goal in life is to see a Museum of Calypso as well as a Calypso Research center in Trinidad and Tobago .
Errol Toenshend hails from Jamaica but resided in Toronto where is a retired legal advisor or lawyer.
Errol was also the captain of Caribbean Limers Cricket Club at one time and was a crafty cricketer who studied the game.
Michael Legerton was a member of Caribbean Limers in 1983 in the fields of cricket and soccer. He was an opening batsman.
Michael was a calypsonian and won the Canadian Calypso Monarch Competition on a few occasions. He is also a recording artist with several albums and cds.
He now resided and performs in his homeland of Trinidad.
Utam Maharaj was a founding member of Caribbean Limers and served as the secretary. He was a wicketkeeper and open batsman as well as a soccer player and also versed in table tennis.
He achieved his PHD in Photo Chemistry at the University of Toronto and moved back to Trinidad.
LOCAL author and journalist Nasser Khan will release a comprehensive book ideally for history buffs and sports trivia lovers – 61 Test Matches Played at the Queen’s Park Oval 1930-2020, on Wednesday.
A preview of its 205 pages shows all scorecards from and statistics from all the Test matches, along with loads of images from newspaper clippings, framed photos and unpublished photos.
In the introduction, Khan wrote, “The purpose of compiling this commemorative book is to preserve the memories of the 61 Test matches that have been played at the Queen’s Park Oval over the period of 90 years, from 1930-2020.
“The Queen’s Park Oval is one of the most picturesque and famous cricketing grounds in the world currently ranked 11th out of 121 in the ‘most Test matches played at’ category since the first Test match was played in March 1877 at Melbourne, Australia, between Australia and England. It is number-one in this category in the West Indies.
“The book’s intent, hopefully, will invoke memories while informing its younger readers about a different period of time when the Test format of cricket was king, before the advent and increased popularity of the One Day and currently the T20 and T10 formats.”
Khan said the idea of the book struck him last October when he was doing research on national cricketer and QPCC member Marcus Minshall, a multi-talented athlete, who died in 1970. He was the older brother of masman Peter Minshall.
He told Newsday, “While I was going through photos of Marcus Minshall, which I found, he, having played for Queen’s Park, and of course TT, it struck me: my God, look at this repository. Why don’t I try to compile Test matches at the Queen’s Park Oval? So when I proposed it to senior management, before I finished my sentence, they agreed, more so because I had gotten it sponsored, so the cost was covered.”
In the foreword, former West Indies wicket-keeper and vice-captain, and former TT Cricket Board and QPCC president Deryck Murray wrote about his boyhood dream to play a Test match on the “hallowed turf of this most idyllic venue,” which evolved into a distinguished career in the sport.
“Ours is an enduring journey which deserves to be widely heralded and this publication is a timely intervention,” Murray said. “The tales told by the pictures and scorecards will bring pleasure to and no doubt invoke pleasant memories for many of us, especially in these challenging covid19 times.
“Above all, however, a publication like this will be of untold value in passing on the exploits of the former greats especially, and serve to inspire our youths as they explore their dreams and new horizons.”
Non-members can purchase copies by calling 387-2731. Members can purchase at the QPCC office or purchase electronically and have it posted locally.
They cost $200.
It is Khan’s 21st sponsored publication, with many of his other works crossing non-fiction sub-genres, from sports to milestone anniversary publications for major companies including Shell and organisations like the TT Red Cross. He has also created several charts on topics like agriculture which feature prominently in schools across the country.
His 22nd project, which is under way, he said, involves a cricket-themed publication with forewords by former West Indies cricketers Clive Lloyd and Daren Ganga, and the ministers of sport and education (also sponsors). About 500 copies will be distributed throughout the school districts by about August or September.
Lance Moore, our star centre footballer in the later 1950s, passed away on Sunday, January 26. He was 79. Lance captained the First XI and lifted all our hearts whenever he surged forward on the field with his blue-and-white collar flowing. He was an all-round sportsman, a notable cricketer and table tennis player. He is also remembered for his humour and general bonhomie. Husband of Carole, he was a father of three, grand-dad of two. R.I.P.
Kelvin Shah: “Very sorry to hear the sad news about Lance (The Engine). We were classmates for 5 years at Naps, and were seatmates for a long time. My sincere sympathy goes out to his family.”
Fred Thornhill: “Lance was a teammate in 1954, a friend and in later years gave me physio to relieve the pain of old sport injury. My sympathy to his family.” [At the end of Fred’s History of Intercol (above), Fred lists Lance as his choice for centre-forward in an imaginary best-of-the-years NC football team].
Harold Hosein: “I remember competing against him on sports day 1954 when I had him beaten for 110 yds of a 220 yd race – until I heard a snorting on my right at about 30yd from the finish, and he just blew me away. Great guy. Respect, love and peace, bro.”
Fayad W. Ali: “Lance had a small gym. I used to go there and do a little workout. He had a steam room as well and many were the back massages he gave me. Did you know Lance wrote a health book? He gave one to the Naparima library.”
Junior Yamin Ali: “We played Cricket for the Ist XI and his skill in all aspects of the game was exceptional. However he was never one to brag or show off and he always encouraged his team mates.It was obvious to all that he was well brought up by his adoring parents. My brother, Dick, broke his leg playing against him in a keenly contested House Football game and Lance used to visit us occasionally with his Dad, a giant of a man, to see how Dick was getting along. His sense of humour used to have my mother in stitches…. in Donaldson street I would call in to his metal fabrication shop, just off Cipero St. He would often see my father, his Sports Master for many years, and always had time for an old talk. I envied his talent and virtuosity which came so naturally easy to him.”
Arnim Cozier: “I came to Naps only in 58 from Iere where I was on their football team, which was fairly good at the time although not invited to Intercol. Several of that Iere team went on to play first class football later. We had played Naps a friendly on Lewis St ground in 57 and gave them a lot of trouble. When I arrived at Naps, Lance came to me and told me I had to play for the side. He was the best player I had ever played with, most unselfish, and he went on to play for Trinidad after college. He was a so-so calypsonian too.”
Milton Moonah: The San Fernando Government School Boys: Bing Dymally, Ashton Chambers, Mark Popplewell, Kelvin Shah, Junior Yamin Ali, and I, Milton Moonah started at Naps in 1953, the same year as Lance. Over the years we had Sports Days, Cricket matches, Soccer games, House League matches and Calypso singing contests and many other extra curricula activities. We salute Lance and pay tribute to his many accomplishments over his time at Naps. Lance was always great to hang out with.
In 1970, I met up again with Lance in Toronto at Thorncliff Park on the Leaside grounds, with fellow Trinis at a practice session of the Iere Soccer club organized by Anthony Skerrit. Lance was most encouraging… By that time Lance had had knee operations and wasn’t playing competitively any more. We stayed in touch over the years through the Lanternites Soccer Club, and the Naparima Alumni Association Canada NAAC (Toronto), where he won all the table tennis championships whenever he competed.
My favourite memory goes back to 1958 Naps Sportsday at Skinner Park. We had an invitational 100yd dash in front of the grandstand. Lance Moore, Wendell Motley, myself and some younger runners were in the lineup. As the starters pistol sounded we were even over the first 10-15yds. Then Mottley went into gear and beat us all by about 25yds. Lance was second and I remember his smiles and hugs for Wendell at the end of the race, with picong saying next year we will be better prepared for the run, so come back for licks. Such was the likes of a fierce competitor, a gentle and quiet leader, and a great friend. RIP our friend.
Stanley Algoo: “Lance entered Naps in 1B and I in 1A in the same year so it was easy to follow his starring sportsman role for Naps, during our collateral years. Seems there was no sport at which he did not excel, table tennis, cricket, soccer… The last one he heroically gave us hope that we could “win next year.” I believe he made the senior inter col football team as early as form 2, toiling against giant sized opposition, and when he grew up to dominate the team, allowed us the consolation that against Pres: Lance Moore was dey fadder! We never won inter col in my days at Naps, but Lance always gave us hope that we might, a heavy burden for anyone to bear once, let alone for your whole college career. Arnim I do remember that pass he threaded to you when you buried it in the back of the net past a futile dive by Durity, the Pres goal-keeper.”
Rabindranath Maharaj: “He is a wonderful vignette from the past and contributed to our experience growing up. When I entered Naps he was the biggest known footballer there and also vied for the title of the biggest comic. We have fond memories and when I lived at St. Clement’s I had to take the bus at Harris Promenade, by the Gandhi statue, to get home. Lance took the same bus as a horde of us did, at the same place, since he traveled to Princes Town. We sat on the statue pedestal or leaned on the chains. Man, Lance provided fun and relief with his jokes and sponge ball in hand, entertaining us while we waited. Zainool Mohammed from Jordan Hill was his partner in crime. Met Lance once in the late 80’s in Sando but he did not know me as a Nap’s student of his day, only as de wedderman. I praised him then, and do so now. Who, from our time, can forget Lance, the Naparima hero? RIP Lance.”
While in Toronto last October for an International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) youth tournament in Markham, Trinidad & Tobago Association president, Reeza Burke, hooked up with good friends and former Guyana players Bruce Edwards and Andy Anderson and long-time Canadian resident, David Mahabir for a few drinks.
A five-time T & T champion, Burke had accompanied Arun Roopnarine and Aaron Wilson – two of the twin-island republic’s top young players – as the manager/coach.
When Mahabir expressed an interest in playing in this year’s T & T national championship during friendly chatter, Edwards – the 1974 Central American & Caribbean champion – immediately predicted he would win the tournament.
Edwards was bang on target.
At age 62, Mahabir became T & T’s oldest singles champion, brushing aside the competition that included a nine-year-old racquet wielder who cried after winning one point in three matches in the round-robin stage and 14-year-old Wilson – the 2012 Tobago Open champion – who he defeated in straight sets in the final.
Two-time regional champion, Lionel Darceuil, won the singles competition five years ago at age 55.
Now back at his Scarborough residence, Mahabir – who also captured the T & T national veterans’ crown – is preparing to represent the twin-island republic at the Central American & Caribbean tournament in St. Lucia from August 27-31. The preparation includes practicing with Edwards and Anderson, jogging and swimming.
“I will put in the work necessary to compete at that level and I will be ready,” pledged Mahabir, who has been playing the sport since age four and is ranked 16th in Canada.
The married father of an 18-year-old son said this was his first opportunity to return to the twin-island republic to play in the national championship. His son graduated from Bill Crothers Secondary School last month and is expected to travel to England in August to train with Manchester United’s reserve team.
“Because of family commitments that included taking our son to soccer practices and matches, I didn’t have the time to leave here and play in Trinidad,” he said. “Now our boy has finished high school, I had the chance to be away from home for an extended period.”
On his way to the final, the unseeded Mahabir clinched seven round-robin matches, disposed of Terrence Corbin 11-6, 11-5, 11-3, 11-8 in the quarter-finals and defeated defending champion and top seed Curtis Humphreys in a thrilling best of seven semi-final.
After dropping just 12 points in the first three games, Humphreys stormed back to win the next two matches 11-8 and 11-5 and was leading 7-3 in the sixth game when Mahabir regrouped and won the final eight points.
“I hit the deck after making a shot in the fourth game and I don’t know if that had anything to do with me slipping up,” said Mahabir. “But I was able to pull myself together at a critical stage in the sixth game and finish off what was by far my toughest challenge in the tournament.”
While impressed with the competitiveness of the young players in the competition, Mahabir said they need international exposure to improve.
“They have to play against better competition to get better and the only way they could do that is by travelling to tournaments and clinics outside of the country,” he said. “This summer, there are four Canadian juniors who are heading to China. Trinidad and Tobago has to consider doing the same thing for its junior players to improve.”
Born in England while his parents were in their final year of medical school, Mahabir returned to T & T after they graduated and attended Lodge School in Barbados for four years before migrating to the Greater Toronto Area in 1969.
His father, Dr. Winston Mahabir, who practiced psychiatry in the Greater Toronto Area, passed away at his winter home in Mexico eight years ago. His mother, Claudia Soodeen, who is a trained radiologist that never practiced, resides in T & T. Mahabir’s great-grandfather – Timothy Roodal – was a business magnate, labour leader and mayor of San Fernando.
While pursuing microbiology studies at the University of Guelph, Mahabir played cricket and went on to represent Limers in the Toronto & District Cricket Association (TDCA) league and Ontario as an all-rounder.
However, tennis – table and lawn – were his first love.
Courted to play semi-professional table tennis in Germany, Mahabir was also invited to represent Canada at an Over-40 lawn tennis tournament in Peru. He missed both opportunities.
“My mother wanted me to continue schooling instead of playing table tennis for money and I did not make the trip to Peru because I was being asked to come up with nearly $4,500 to play in that competition and I think that was not fair since the Canadians were only contributing $500 for me to compete,” he said.
In table tennis, Mahabir represented Canada in the 1980 Rothman’s International Open tournament and against the United States four years later. The 1992 Over-40 national champion also played for the province for a decade up until 1994.
An ITTF certified coach, Mahabir was the Bermuda junior and senior teams’ head coach from 1989 to 1992, the Canadian coach at the 2005 Maccabi series and the province’s assistant junior coach from 1985-1989.
DURING what was considered the “good old days,” when hundreds came out in their numbers to witness the Case, Northcote and White Cup cricket matches in and around Georgetown in the 1970s, one female stood out among the men. That female was a fragile 14 year old whose father thought she was good enough to don whites in the male- dominated environment. Almost three decades after, the name Ave Mogan is synonymous with women’s cricket in Canada, becoming the first woman to be inducted into Canada’s Cricket Hall of Fame, an achievement she describes as being “fantastic,” not only for Canadian cricket, but for Guyana,The West Indies and internationally.”
“I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked to be among the other inductees, but it was truly an honour to be rewarded for the efforts throughout the years,” said the unassuming Morgan.
It all started at the South Georgetown Secondary School in 1975, when Ave was the lone female student in her school’s team for three consecutive years in the Secondary Schools Under-16 tournament. She was also a member of the Everest Cricket Club, but after failing to make the club’s team, her father took her to Sproston’s, where she turned out for the club’s Northcote Cup side.
By 1977, she was already in the Guyana National women’s team and subsequently was a member of the West Indies women’s side between 1977 and 1979.
Still living and breathing cricket, Mogan migrated to Canada shortly after, but the left-handed opener, who also bowls off-spin, never quit playing the game. In fact, she served in several administrative capacities, including that of coach. And she has no intention of quitting any time soon, once she remains healthy.
Mogan is credited with establishing and being the co-founder of organised women’s cricket in Toronto, Canada, the first female at the age of 17, to participate in the Toronto & District Association (TDCA) men’s league in various divisions. She also skippered Canada’s first-ever national women’s squad in 1996. She also had the honour of leading the team in 2005 and 2007 and was vice-captain of the North American women’s cricket team in 2003.
The versatile Mogan also served on the selection committee for Canada women’s cricket squad, co-founded and established Canada’s first organised women’s cricket club and successfully revived and rebuilt the women’s cricket programme in Canada, starting in 2003.
In 2004, she was decorated Best Women’s Cricket Coordinator in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Americas Region and led the Canadian Women’s cricket squad to their first Americas Women’s Cricket title in 2007.
In the interim, Mogan also secured coaching certificates, the first in 1995, the Level One Technical from the Canadian Cricket Association (CCA) and in 2010, the ICC Level One accreditation.
Over the years, Mogan has been associated with among others, Kaisoca Women’s Cricket Club, T&D Women’s Cricket League, Ontario Cricket Association (OCA), women’s cricket coordinator, Ontario, Canadian Women’s Cricket Association, vice-president and CCA Liaison. Women’s cricket, acting treasurer of Caribbean Limers Association and currently a prominent member of Qasra Women’s Cricket club.
Mogan’s latest association was with the Kaisoca Cricket Club as an associate player, while lending her expertise with the boys’ Under-13 team in a few of the matches in the Scarborough Cricket Association (SCA) Women’s Division inaugural tournament in the 2015 season.
While admitting she’s in the twilight of her illustrious career and “has taken a back seat,” Mogan is hoping that her club, Qasra, will be part of the tournament in the 2016 season and even if she’s not playing, will be around to encourage other women to participate.
Mogan also lamented the fact that since the cessation of the ICC Americas Cup, which featured teams from the USA, Brazil, Argentina and Canada, there hasn’t been an international competition for women in these countries. She deemed this as “very unfortunate.” She’s however pleased with the continued growth of women’s cricket in Guyana and the West Indies.
Mogan paid respects to the late Eileen Cox, whom she described as the person mainly responsible for the development of women’s cricket in her homeland during the 1970s – 1980s, describing her as a true advocate of the game.
