CARIBBEAN TODAY V veteran Jamaica inter- national player Andy Williams ended a roller coaster season on a high note last month by helping his team Real Salt Lake capture the Major League Soccer (MLS) title. RSL defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy on penalty kicks to win the MLS Cup, symbol of North American champions, to bring a major professional sports title for the state of Utah. Williams, who completed the 2009 season under the cloud of his wife Marcia's ill- ness she suffered from can- cer, but is reportedly recover- ing and attended the game - played the full 90 minutes of regulation and additional 30 minutes of extra time which ended with both teams locked at 1-1. And despite Williams's own miss in the penalty shootout, RSL eventually pre- vailed 5-4. Fellow Jamaica interna- tional Donovan Ricketts, the starting goalkeeper for the Galaxy, was forced to leave the game in the second half Williams - File photograph with an injured right hand suf- fered in a collision. While most of the atten- tion in the final appeared to focus on the Galaxy, with MLS regular season Most Valuable Player Landon Donovan and England inter- national David Beckham, it was RSL which appeared the better team on Nov. 22. The Galaxy scored first, when Mike Magee finished off a good build-up involving Beckham and Donovan. RSL equalized in the 64th through Robbie Findley and eventually took charge of the game. Still, the score remained tied at the end of 120 minutes before the Galaxy missed three penalties to RSL's two. A clearly exhausted Williams broke into tears as his team celebrated the win and embraced several RSL and Galaxy team members and coaches. 0 Jamaican leads team to first MLS title GORDON WILLIAMS HARTFORD, Connecticut - Some of the greatest names in Caribbean cricket history are being immortalized in this northeastern United States city. Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Vivian Richards, Michael Holding, Clive Lloyd and George Headley are among more than a dozen legends from the region who have earned induction into the Cricket Hall of Fame (CHF). The CHF, which was estab- lished nearly three decades ago by the Sportsmen's Athletic Club (SAC) here, is designed to pay tribute to the game's best, especially those who have represented the region with dis- tinction. "It has dawned on us that everybody has recorded their own history except us West Indians," said CHF's Director Michael Chambers. "What convinced us that we needed a hall of fame was when we met (Alf) Valentine and (Lance) Gibbs at the first induction ceremony, when they expressed their apprecia- tion that nothing like this had happened to them; you know that you had to do it." The two great spinners were inducted in 1981. Since then some 28 more "interna- tional" inductees have been selected. Among them are cricketers from non-West Indian countries, like Australia's Greg Chappell, England's Tony Greig, Sunil Gavaskar of India and Pakistan's Mushtaq Mohammed. Jamaican cricket writer Tony Becca and the late A photograph of West Indies legends Sir Garfield Sobers, left, and George Headley is part of the CHF. Australian businessman Kerry Packer are also in the interna- tional wing of the CHE The "local" inductees are honored for their contribution to cricket in the U.S. and Canada. The original idea for the CHF came from Jamaican- born Ken Wallace, who had a plan to set up a cricket muse- um. Trinidad native Errol Housain then took that con- cept a step further to include the hall of fame, which was established in 1980, with the first induction held the follow- ing year. Chambers explained that most of the international inductees earn their spots for "accomplishments playing the game." For the local group, the CHF looks "more to what they've done to move the game forward." In the future, he said, when there is better recordkeeping for competi- tions in the U.S. and Canada, players from those leagues could also be inducted. "As of yet we can't really base it on a player's ability," said the director. The CHF, located on Main Street, next door the SAC, features a variety of memorabilia, including signed A sweater with shirt tucked inside, worn by Alf Valentine during his playing days, is on display at the CHF. playing gear, books, printed articles, photographs, trophies and statues. Most of the inductees, including some of the bi---l names in cricket, have journeyed here to attend the ceremony. The most recent was held early October, (CONTINUED ON PAGE 19) Bolt, Richards win world athlete-of-the-year awards Swo Caribbean-born ath- letes were named world athletes of the year last month. Sprint megastar Usain Bolt of Jamaica and Jamaican- born American quarter-miler ~ , Sanya Richards both won the award for a second time. The 23-year-old Bolt collected the award for another sensa- MIAMI FREIGHT & SHIPPING CO. LTD. (305) 885-0558 Fax: (305) 887-6684 7790 NW 46th Street Unit 18 Miami, Florida 33166 email: xjohnston@miamifreight.net - Photograph by Getty Images tional season of sprinting, which included world record times in the 100 and 200 meters at the World Championships in Athletics in Berlin last August, as well as a gold medal for Jamaica in the 4x100 relay. The 24-year-old Richards, who was born in Trelawny before moving to the U.S. with her parents while a teenager, captured an elusive maiden, global gold medal in her pet event in Berlin, and earned a second gold as part of the American team in the women's 4x400 relay. Photograph shows Prince Albert II of Monaco, left, and IAAF President Lamine Diack, right, with Richards and Bolt at the IAAF World Athletics Gala in Monaco last month. 0 S P 0 R T Cricket Hall of Fame brings back memories of Caribbean legends December 2009