The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

With none of the Bahamas' relay teams officially qualified to compete and a few athletes still on the bubble for the International Amateur Athletic Federation's World Championships, Demaris Cash has once again decided to stage a Last Chance Meet.

Organised by Cash's Blue Marlin Group, the meet will be held on Saturday, August 31 at the original Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium, starting promptly at 5pm.

It comes just before the IAAF closes its deadline on September 6 for athletes and relay teams to make the list to participate in the World Championships, scheduled for September 27 to October 6 in Doha, Qatar.

Cash, who has hosted such a meet for the past four years in his bid to help the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations to provide an avenue for athletes who can't get into the major international meets around the world, said the meet is shaping up to be an exciting one.

"This is just to give the athletes an opportunity to qualify," said Cash, a former quarter-miler who competed for St Augustine's College.

"We just want to put a good atmosphere together for the athletes to qualify.

"I know we will have Trinidad & Tobago here with their women's 4 x 100m team. They want to give them a test run before they go to the World Championships. So we're looking at trying to get a team in from Jamaica to help our women's 4 x 100m relay team qualify."

As for the men's 4 x 400m relay, Cash said they are sitting on the outside looking in and so they are trying to get a team in from possibly the United States and Jamaica to give the Bahamas men's team their shot at qualifying.

Additionally, there will be a full-fledged meet with a number of athletes trying to qualify for the World Championships, including Bahamian sprinters and hurdlers.

"We have a guy coming in from Jamaica, who has ran 9.9. So we hope he can help our sprinters and we have a quarter-miler from Grenada, who will try to help our quarter milers."

So far on the women's side, Cash said Kendell Williams from the United States is expected to compete in both the 100m hurdles and the long jump to provide some competition for those attempting to qualify.

"We have more response from the men than the women," Cash said.

"But we're hoping that there will be sufficient competition assembled so that those athletes who are on the border can make it."

Additionally, Cash said there is also going to be a 4 x 100m relay for the Greek groups, including the Ques, Alphas, Sigmas and Kappas, as well as a match-up between the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.

"We feel with this kind of environment, we should be able to put our athletes who haven't qualified, the opportunity to try and make it," Cash said.

"We know that there are a number of other athletes who will be coming in next week at the last minute to compete," Cash explained.

The deadline for entries is set for Thursday, August 29.

Between the hours of 2-4 pm, the BAAA also intends to present Back To School packages to those youngsters in attendance.

Among the sponsors for this year's meet are Runnahs App, Global Sun Integration, NSCG, Make Up Frenzi and Seagrape Inc.