2006 Men’s World Championship – Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad & Tobago on the verge of second round (FIVB)
05/28/2005
Port of Spain, Trinidad, May 28, 2005 – Trinidad & Tobago have one foot in the second round of the 2006 Men’s World Championship after beating fellow unbeaten side St Lucia in four sets (25-22, 23-25, 25-7, 25-21) at the first round tournament - Norceca Pool B on Saturday.

The win, Trinidad & Tobago’s third in as many matches, means the home side only needs a victory over Dominica, who have one victory to their name, on Sunday to seal their spot in the next phase in Havana and a date with Cuba, Canada, Panama and Costa Rica, where two tickets will be on offer to the final round in Japan.

An exceptional display from the talented Nolan Tash saw him lead all scorers with an amazing 31 point haul while he received offensive support from Marc Honore and Sean Morrison who added 15 and 10 respectively. Jason Octave was the only in double digits for St. Lucia with 13 points.

With the match tied after two sets, Honore and Tash led Trinidad & Tobago to an overwhelming triumph in the third set. The hit, serve and blocking combination of the host team was a spectacle.

“It is a great feeling to know that we are on the road to the second round, but first we need to beat Dominica and sign the scoring sheet,” Trinidad & Tobago captain Tash said.

And coach Gideon Dickson added: “We are looking at the second round and once we are there to take one game at a time.”

Meanwhile, St. Kitts & Nevis obtained their first victory of the tournament defeating Dominica in four sets (25-21, 25-22, 23-25, 25-21).

Shawn Seabrookes was the offensive star for St. Kitts & Nevis scoring 34 points with some sensational spiking and Lancret Davis added 15. David Toussaint scored 25 for Dominica with Gregory Harry chipping in with 10.

St. Kitts & Nevis coach Glen Quinlan was happy with his team’s performance. “We played with more intensity right from the start and didn’t wait to see how the rival was reacting,” he said. “I think that was the key for us tonight.”

“It feels good to win,” St. Kitts & Nevis” top scorer Shawn Seabrookes said. “I am very proud of my performance, but it was the consequence of good passing. We kept the opponents off balance and that was the objective.”

The final day of the tournament on Sunday sees Anguilla take on St. Kitts & Nevis at 17:00 (local time) followed by Trinidad & Tobago’s match against Dominica at 19:00. St Lucia has the bye.
(Released by FIVB)