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• World of possibilities: Lynch sees big spin-offs from Kensington Oval hosting T20 World Cup games

  Noel Lynch says members of the National Organising Committee (NOC), of which he is the chairman, are equally upbeat about the positive spin-offs that will come as a result of Barbados hosting games from the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

  According to Lynch, hosting matches from the June 1-29 showpiece has not only served to transform Kensington Oval into a multi-purpose stadium, but it will also create opportunities for Barbados’ young proficient cricketers.

  This, as he explained that the venue will be used to foster new cricketing talent, which in turn will bring more skilled local players to a number of franchise tournaments.

  “This is the real basis for the cricket factory that we want to produce for the future. I can’t think of anything that a boy or girl could do in Barbados that can earn you more money now than playing franchise cricket,” Lynch said as he addressed members of the media during Thursday’s Open Day for citizens at the newly renovated Kensington Oval.

  “Being able to play franchise cricket, and T20 cricket which is what this World Cup is about, is for all young Barbadians to ensure that they feel a part of the movement and this historic thing that we are doing,” he added.

  

  Aside from the possibility that it will boost the economy, Lynch stressed that the tournament in which Kensington Oval will host nine games including the final, provides an opportunity to introduce social and sports development programmes.

  “Fundamentally, this is an important step for Barbados, an important social and economic step going forward. The people who talk about hosting global events, say that the holy trinity of hosting global events are economic impact, infrastructural legacy, and promotional value. I think that Kensington Oval is the centerpiece of this tournament and fits right into the center of that,” Lynch said.

  “This is not just going to be a cricket facility; the intention here is to have an all-purpose entertainment facility. Apart from what you see here and how the $37 million has been spent on the bathrooms, bleachers, new scoreboard etc – there is a new field covering that is coming. The reason that the new field cover is coming, is that you can play cricket here one day, cover the field, have an entertainment event here, come back the next day and play cricket all over again,” he explained.

  Finally, Lynch revealed that there is another component of drop in pitches – which the Prime Minister insisted on – that will also assist in making the Oval a full-fledged entertainment facility.

  “What we are talking about is that we could put down in here a track and field track, maybe a cycle track if you wanted to, you can hold tennis, we can shoot a movie, hold a concert, all of those things are important for the iconic Kensington Oval,” he noted.

• McCalla claims Men’s Physique title at Roger Boyce Classic in Barbados

  Wayne McCalla is Jamaica’s newest IFBB Pro after capturing the men’s short class physique title at the Roger Boyce Classic in Barbados on May 11.

  McCalla, who was named Jamaica’s male bodybuilder of the year at the RJR/Gleaner Sports Foundation’s National Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year awards in January, beat out competition from Barbados’s Kevon Carter and Suriname’s Raphael Kromokarijo for the crown.

  Haiti’s Jean Jahnsen took the title in the medium category ahead of Jamaica’s Rayon Henry and Barbados’ Julian Belgrave.

  Haiti also took top spot in the tall class through Marc Louis who won ahead of Barbados’ Bukkiah Providence and Jamaica’s Jevaughn Rosewell.

  In men’s lightweight bodybuilding, Suriname’s Rudolph Getrow took top spot ahead of Barbados’ Curtis Kirby and Timon Howard.

  At middleweight, the Dominican Republic’s Jeifry Richardson won gold ahead of Barbados’ Sanaj Lewis and Mexico’s Juan Galvan.

  Guyana’s Nicholas Albert tool gold in the light heavyweight division ahead of Grenada’s Andrew Hyacinth and Suriname’s Anthony Nekrui while Barbados’ Nicholas Harris won the heavyweight crown ahead of Guyana’s Julio Sinclaire and Aruba’s Albert Kelly.

  Antigua & Barbuda’s Shaquelle Thomas won both the men’s open classic bodybuilding and classic physique titles.

  Jamaica’s Aldaine Taylor and Thomas’ countryman Jameel Knight were second and third in the bodybuilding section while Barbados’ Jurad Mason and Taylor rounded out the top three in the physique division.

  Barbados’ Rashida Belgrave beat out Venezuela’s Lisset Campos for the short women’s body fitness category while Venezuela’s Anyer Camacho won the medium category ahead of Jamaica’s Ashane Gordon-Morrison and Barbados’ Allison Gotip.

  Trinidad & Tobago’s Angela Campbell was the only competitor in the women’s open physique competition.

  The women’s fit model open title was won by Barbados’ Shanequa Allamby ahead of Slovakia’s Ester Viznerova.

  St. Kitts & Nevis’ Toni Nisbett won the women’s short bikini title ahead of Italy’s Eva Leone and Jamaica’s Jolene Miller while Barbados’ Shanequa Allamby won the medium category ahead of countrywoman Danielle Gill and Mexico’s Angelina Aleksandrovych.

  The short women’s wellness title went to Guyana’s Hannah Rampersaud ahead of Antigua & Barbuda’s Jeredith John-Jules while the medium section went to Venezuela’s Gil Delgado ahead of the UK’s Shanda Carr and Suriname’s Vanessa Henry-Forster.

  The overall titles were distributed as follows: Men’s Physique-Jean Jahnsen, Wellness-Gil Delgado, Body Fitness-Rashida Belgrave, Bikini Fitness-Toni Nisbett, Bodybuilding-Nicholas Albert.

   

   

   

   

   

   

• Barbados to welcome Oman early for preparation camp ahead of T20 World Cup

  As the much-anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup draws closer, Barbados will welcome West Asian team Oman to the island for their pre-tournament camp ahead of the global showpiece to be hosted jointly in the Caribbean and United States.

  While in Barbados, Oman’s camp, scheduled for May 14-24, will also include three T20 matches – two against a Barbados Select XI, and one match against University of the West Indies –as they fine tune preparations for the June 1-29 World Cup.

  The camp is being organised by former England batsman and West Indies Senior Men’s Selector Roland Butcher, who saw it fit to assist Oman in getting acclimatised to the Eastern Caribbean Island, which will host a number of games throughout the tournament, including the final.

  “It is great that the Oman team will be coming out to Barbados early for their pre-tournament camp. They will use the period to get acclimatised to the conditions, as quick as possible. We are delighted to have them in Barbados – this country is the ideal place to start their preparations,” Butcher said.

  “We believe the time spent here will be hugely beneficial towards them putting on a good showing in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024,” he added.

  

  Duleep Mendis, the former Sri Lanka captain and Oman’s Head Coach expressed his team’s delight and anticipation ahead of their arrival in Barbados.

  “It is one of the cricket locations which we all dream of visiting and we want to make the most of our time as we prepare. We have high ambitions in this tournament, and we want to focus on our plans from the moment we touch down in a country which is known for its cricket culture and heroes,” Mendis shared.

  Oman recently named their World Cup squad, which will be led by all-rounder Aqib Ilyas, who takes the reins from Zeeshan Maqsood. This year’s World Cup will mark Oman’s third appearance in the last four editions of the tournament, which underlines their success and consistency in performing at the global level.

  Oman enjoyed a dazzling 2023 campaign, as they copped the Gulf Cricket Cup, followed by an unbeaten run in the ICC T20 World Cup Asia qualifiers, which secured their spot in the upcoming tournament. They were also runners-up in this year’s ACC Premier Cup.

  The West Asian team, drawn in Group B alongside Australia, England, Scotland, and Namibia, will open their T20 World Cup campaign against the latter, in Barbados, on June 2.