Stredwick

Have you ever traveled on a mini-bus. I invite my overseas readers if they ever visit Jamaica to take a minibus ride. It could be from Constant Spring to Downtown, Kingston. On it could be from Half Way Tree to Papine or Portmore. You can stop off in Half Way Tree or Cross Roads and enjoy delightful patties. Or it could be at one of the other locations mentioned.

So Jamaica didn't win as many medals as the most conservative of pundits would have predicted. It was the first time in over twenty years that we were winning so few medals at a major sporting championship. One of the ways we can bounce back is to not let our athletes boycott meets like the Commonwealth Games which can give them valuable experience.

I have just republished my novel 'Undercover Soldier' on Amazon Kindle.I am asking all my readers to support me. I have taken out most of the killings. My late sister in law, Margaret Haughton, advised me to do that. So please have a go at reading Undercover Soldier. You won't regret it.

So Jamaica hasn't started the 2017 World Champs all that well. People are already saying that they told us so. They said that when these Big Athletes left the scene there will be a drought. One of Jamaica's problems is that we are a small nation with a very small population compared to some countries.There is also a tendency for us to believe that sporting talents only reside in certain areas and in certain schools. As a results many areas and schools get neglected. It would be a shame for us to fall flat on our faces where we are not getting medals at these championships. I am going to recommend that all schools in the island have qualified coaches. We don't want what happened to West Indies cricket to happen to Jamaican athletics. The talent is there but is anybody searching for it.

As a person who loves writing and who has delved in it somewhat I am disappointed that so little attention is paid to creating writing in whatever form in this country.  I don't know of any Jamaicans making a living from creative writing in Jamaica. I don't grudge the musicians, thye have certainly put Jamaica and Jamaican music on the map. I only wish that a little more attention could be paid to the literary arts. Have we ignored the literary arts to our peril?

Based on how England are performing against South Africa, I am afraid that the West Indies are in for a 3-0 whitewash. They may do better in the One Days and Twenty-Twenty. As I see it they stand no chance in the Tests, England are simply too strong. I believe that the Senior Cup in Jamaica would be far more interesting if it was a two tier system. Teams would play better cricket to escape relegation, to stay in the top league and to gain promotion.