The Barbados Royals made it two wins from two with a comfortable DLS victory against Saint Lucia Kings in game six of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Sunday.
The Kings won the toss and opted to field first hoping to take advantage of the effects of the inclement weather. However, that decision backfired somewhat as Kyle Mayers and Rahkeem Cornwall once again got off to a flyer in the PowerPlay.
The Kings managed to slow the innings down in the middle and back end with wickets at regular intervals but that did not stop the Royals from posting a very challenging 162-7.
In reply, the Kings chase was almost over before it began with Mayers removing the top order with a two-over spell of four wickets for four runs.
Rain threatened to end the match with a no result but DLS reset the total to 103 to win from 9 overs. Faf Du Plessis and Alzarri Joseph took the game down to the last over but ultimately fell short with the asking rate proving too much.
The tone for the Royals' victory was set with the power of their opening partnership. They raced to 49 runs before Cornwall was dismissed for 32 off 17 balls.
When Mayers departed for 36 with the scorecard reading 76-2 the Royals looked set for a huge total, however, between the 13th and 17th over no boundaries were scored and regular wickets fell to seemingly hand the Kings the advantage.
However late order hitting from David Miller and Joshua Bishop ensured a competitive total was set all the same.
Kyle Mayers was yet to bowl in this year's Hero (CPL) but when he was handed the ball at the beginning of the Kings innings, he produced a devastating two-over spell that ended the game as a contest.
His clever in-dippers cleaned up Johnson Charles and Roston Chase’s middle stump before also dismissing Mark Deyal and Roshon Primus to leave the Kings tottering at 10/4.
The rain came to offer some respite but when the players returned the Kings needed a highly improbable 93 runs from 30 balls.
Some enterprising hitting from Alzarri Joseph and Faf Du Plessis nearly pulled off an unlikely heist, but the equation proved too steep to overcome.
(Barbados Royals 162/7 (Mayers 36, Cornwall 32; Deyal 2/15, Joseph 2/31) beat Saint Lucia Kings 91/4 (Du Plessis 47*, Joseph 29*; Mayers 4/4) by 11 runs (DLS))
Batting heroics from Qiana Joseph helped Barbados Royals book a spot in the Massy Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) final against Trinbago Knight Riders after beating the Guyana Amazon Warriors by 4 wickets in a thrilling winner-takes-all game on Saturday.
St. Mary defeated St Elizabeth by seven wickets (D/L) to get their hands on the Kingston Wharves U15 Cricket Competition for the first time on Thursday at Sabina Park in Kingston.
St. Elizabeth was bowled out for 113 all in 31.5 overs in the low-scoring affair. The weather then intervened and based on the Duckworth/Lewis method, St. Mary only had to make 75 in 33 overs to win the match and they duly obliged.
Five of St. Elizabeth's players got into double figures but failed to capitalize. Jayden Shaw, 14; Adrian Silvera, 12; Shaaairi Jadoo, 12; Dimitri Binns, 11; and Odane Binns, 10; were the principal scorers but they were all outdone by 36 extras conceded by St. Mary.
Jevaughny Brown took 5-33 while Tedain Noyan, 2-18 and Dijon Taylor 2-20 were decisive in support.
St Elizabeth conceded 11 extras before any of St. Mary's batsmen got a run on the board as the bowlers struggled in the damp conditions.
They would eventually concede 31, making life that much easier for St Mary’s batters.
Opener Tyreece Saunders, 12, and Jevaughny Shim, 13, led the scoring for the victors.
Jahliel Smith, Adiran Silvera and Demitri Binns each took a wicket for St Elizabeth.
St. Mary's Jevaughny Shim took home several awards; Most Wickets (23), MVP for St. Mary and final MVP for his five wickets for 33 and top score of 13.
“It’s been a very good competition, I have seen some good performances (and) I tell myself that I did well and I am looking forward to next year to start playing again," he said afterwards.
St. Elizabeth's Kevaun Brown, who scored 330 runs during the competition including a top score of 129, won the award for most runs scored. He was also named the MVP for St. Elizabeth with 16 wickets along with his 330 runs.
David Dewar, the captain of Kensington Cricket Club was the best wicketkeeper in the competition with nine dismissals that included four stumpings.
Cricket Operations Manager at the Jamaica Cricket Association Oneil Cruickshank was pleased with the running of the tournament.
"It went much better than we expected,” he said.
“The performances that we saw coming out of this competition were very heart-warming. We thought it may have been less but we saw a youngster scoring over 300 runs, one youngster taking over 23 wickets, and one young lady making a century. When we put it all together it was a fantastic tournament.”
Simone Murdock, Corporate Services and Client Experience Manager at Kingston Wharves was also pleased.
"Today's winner St. Mary is proof that we are moving the needle because it's St. Mary's first time with the trophy and we are so glad for them. We are also celebrating with St. Elizabeth who is a consistent performer," she said.
Dru Yearwood was red carded for booting a ball out of frustration into fans in the stands as New York Red Bulls were humbled 2-0 at home by Philadelphia Union in the MLS on Saturday.
The bizarre incident occurred in stoppage time with the Red Bulls trailing 2-0 after Yearwood conceded a foul near the sideline, with the Englishman kicking away the ball in frustration.
Yearwood's errant kick cannoned into two young fans in the front few rows at Red Bull Arena, with a boy seen crying afterwards while a young woman seemed dazed. Yearwood immediately realised his error and attempted to apologise to the fans, by climbing into the stands but that effort was not accepted by those close to the shaken-up supporters.
The Red Bulls crowd could be overheard chanting against Yearwood before referee Timothy Ford gave him his marching orders.
The incident capped a poor night for the home side, with goals from Mikael Uhre and Daniel Gazdag clinching the win for Union, who sit top of the Eastern Conference.
Gazdag's goal, which came after Julian Carranza dispossessed Aaron Long, was his 18th of the campaign.
Dallas scored three goals in three minutes as Dallas firmed up their grip on a playoffs spot with a 3-0 road win over Minnesota United.
Michael Boxall netted a 55th-minute own goal before Alan Velasco curled in a right-foot strike less than a minute later.
Two minutes later, Velasco cannoned an effort into the crossbar with Jesus Ferreira glancing home their third after Sebastian Lletget collected the rebound and whipped in a cross.
Franco Fragapane was sent off for Minnesota, who also lost Emanuel Reynoso to a worrying ankle concern.
Cincinnati extended their unbeaten run to seven games and moved into the playoffs spots in the Eastern Conference with a 2-0 home win over Charlotte after goals from Nick Hagglund and Luciano Acosta.
Hany Mukhtar scored a double as Nashville claimed their fourth straight win and moved up to fourth in the west with an impressive 4-0 victory over Austin.
Columbus Crew missed a golden opportunity for three points with a 0-0 draw against struggling Chicago Fire.
Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz suffered a 1-0 defeat to South Korea in a friendly international at the Hwaseong Stadium on Saturday.
In the first meeting between the teams, the fixture was settled by an early goal from Choe Yu-ri who found the back of the net in the 13th minute. The Reggae Girlz made a few changes to the starting line-up ahead of the match, including the return of Sydney Schneider who was the team’s custodian at the last FIFA World Cup, and a debut for Siobhan Marie Wilson.
Head coach of the unit Lorne Donaldson believes that barring a bit of inefficiency the team put in a creditable performance.
“Playing with this style that we are not accustomed to, I think the first half we were very tentative and we actually gave up a goal we shouldn’t have,” Lorne said after the match.
“In the second half, it was much better. We might have scored but that’s football. We’ll make some adjustments the players who didn’t play in this game will play in the next game because we still have to evaluate,” he added.
“Winning is good but sometimes you just have to evaluate, look and see what you have and that’s what we are here for.”
Captain Rovman Powell played a gem of an innings to help his Jamaica Tallawahs secure their second win in the 2022 Caribbean Premier League with a four-wicket triumph over the Guyana Amazon Warriors at Warner Park in St. Kitts on Saturday.
The Tallawahs won the toss and decided to bowl first, restricting the Amazon Warriors to 142-6 from their 20 overs.
On a difficult pitch for batting, the Warriors endured a slow start to their innings, only mustering 71-3 by time the 15th over was ready to be bowled.
They overcame that slow start thanks to crucial middle-order knocks from Shai Hope (25), captain Shimron Hetmyer (39), Romario Shepherd (36) and Heinrich Klaasen (22). Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir took 3-22 from his four overs while South African Migael Pretorious took 2-35 from his four for the Tallawahs.
Captain Rovman Powell then played a masterful knock to help the Tallawahs achieve their target and get their second win of the season.
At one point, Powell had faced 12 balls for just three runs but ended up scoring 44 not out off 38 including just one four and four sixes, three of which came within the last two overs.
Brandon King also contributed 32 as the Tallawahs finished 143-6 off 19.2 overs.
Former West Indies captain Sir Richie Richardson admits he was surprised but honoured to receive recognition from the University of the West, which is poised to issue the retired cricketer with an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) award for his contribution to the sport of cricket.
Richardson, a former opening batsman, led the West Indies from 1991-1996 and scored 5,949 runs in 86 Tests and scored 6,248 runs in 224 One Day International (ODI) matches. One of a handful of West Indies players that have been knighted, Richardson remains involved with the sport as he is now also an ICC match referee.
“The University of the West Indies is a very important institution to us as a Caribbean people and it’s ranked as one of the best universities in the region so for them to see the need to bestow such an honour on me, then I am deeply touched, honoured and I am very grateful,” Richardson told the Good Morning Jojo Radio Show.
“I was surprised to be honest because I never really expected it but when I realised that it was going to happen I was very excited and deeply honoured.”
US Ambassador to Jamaica Noah Nickolas Perry was inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame during a brief ceremony at the Melbourne Cricket Club in Kingston on Friday.
Established in the United States in 1981, the Cricket Hall of Fame was set up to honour individuals who have contributed to the sustained growth and development of cricket in the United States and Canada and for individuals who have played at the international level who have had distinguished careers in the sport.
Ambassador Perry, who was born in Jamaica and attended Kingston College, through his work as a New York State Assemblyman, helped promote and sustain the growth of cricket in the USA during his illustrious career in that capacity.
The ambassador was gracious in acceptance of the recognition.
“I want to thank Ruby Harris-Singh, a neighbour and supporter in New York in my previous life as a politician and as a member of the New York State Assembly where I served for 30 years and honed a lot of public skills to support and work for the people, passing laws that impacted lives and with the intent to improve the quality of life but not forgetting that a part of the quality of life is the pleasure of being able to play sports you like,” he said, “and the game of cricket; I did everything I could to make sure that New York’s government recognized the importance of cricket to the Caribbean-American Diaspora and that we are given rights and privileges to use the public parks and public sites to play the game we love.”
He also thanked the Mayor of Kingston Delroy Williams and Melbourne Cricket Club President Mark Neita and Mike Chambers Executive Director of the Cricket Hall of Fame, and others who made the occasion possible.
“I am really honoured to be here and I want to thank the Cricket Hall of Fame for this recognition.”
Xavi Tamarit, UEFA Pro License Coach from Valencia, Spain, will be in Jamaica for the next two weeks, during which time he, along with Andre Virtue, the founder and director of Ballaz Academy, will evaluate and strengthen the academy’s overall philosophy, technical, tactical, and coaching capabilities. They will also finalize an eight-year development plan that the academy is about to embark on.
Tamarit boasts an enviable record in football development and philosophy with over 15 years of coaching experience.
He has coached at the professional level in the English Premier League with Southampton FC, in La Liga with Valencia CF, Deportivo Alavés and CD Leganés and in Greece with Aris FC and Levadiakos FC.
He has also coached in Argentina with Estudiantes de La Plata, CA Independiente and Vélez Sarsfield.
He has also written two internationally recognized books on the methodology of training called Tactical Periodization and has spoken at conferences around the world at the invitation of federations and universities.
As a player, Tamarit competed in the Champions League, UEFA Cup, Libertadores Cup and South American Cup.
Xavi’s visit, the result of an invitation from Virtue, is part of the strengthening of the relationship between Ballaz Academy and The Next Generation Sports (TNGS), Valencia Spain.
The two organizations have in place an MOU which includes Coaching Development & Education, player and coach exchanges, tours, camps, clinics and workshops.
“As we celebrate 20 years, we have much to give thanks for. We have achieved much and impacted the lives of many of Jamaica’s most talented football players at the primary, secondary and club level,” said Virtue.
“As we look ahead, however, we are committed to pioneering even more pathways for our players and coaches and we are being more intentional about connecting with global stakeholders and partners.
“Xavi’s presence here is a part of that intentionality. First and foremost, he is a friend, then a coaching colleague with an amazing football mind and we share a passion for youth football development and the opportunities that football can provide.
“It is an honour to have Xavi here sharing his love for football, Jamaica, and his experiences as a pro coach. As we continue to build our relationship with TNGS, we build pathways of opportunity for our players and by extension other Jamaican coaches and players.”
Xavi, who has had previous visits to Jamaica in 2011 and 2012 shared that, “Being in Jamaica is a wonderful experience. Andre’ and the Ballaz family came to Spain in July and we were able to see the high level of play as well as the character demonstrated by the players.
The coaching philosophy of Ballaz is also one that is impressive because it focuses not only on developing world-class footballers but great people. I know that this relationship started many years ago with Ivan Salazar, Director of TNGS and it is good to see that it is now at a place where Ballaz can benefit even more from what we have to offer.”
Since, 2002 Ballaz International has been coaching the lives of their football players with the goals of not just top-class football, but building the character of its participants in an atmosphere of love, family and professional excellence. “Our vision is to transform individuals, families, communities, the nation and the world through love and football,” Virtue said.
Defending Caribbean Premier League champions St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots have now lost their first two games of the 2022 edition after suffering a 7-wicket defeat at the hands of the Barbados Royals at Warner Park on Thursday.
The Royals won the toss and elected to field first in the rain-shortened 17 overs-per-side fixture and restricted the Patriots to a respectable 149-8.
Opener Andre Fletcher was the star of the show for the hosts with a well-compiled 81 off 55 balls including 11 fours and a six. Jason Holder (2-21 from three overs) and Ramon Simmonds (2-28 from four overs) led with the ball for the Royals. Corbin Bosch was spectacular in the field with five catches, a CPL record.
The Royals then capitalized on a spectacular start from openers Rakheem Cornwall and Kyle Mayers to complete a relatively simple chase, reaching 150-3 off just 15.1 overs.
Cornwall compiled a brutal 25-ball 39 including three fours and three sixes while Mayers continued his scintillating form over the last few months with 73 from 46 balls including six fours and four sixes. Captain Dwayne Bravo took 2-33 from his four overs.
CPL action continues on Saturday with the Guyana Amazon Warriors playing the Jamaica Tallawahs before the Patriots tackle the Trinbago Knight Riders.
West Indies Women’s vice-captain Anisa Mohammed has decided to take a leave of absence from International Cricket for a period of six months.
Mohammed requested to take a break from the game with immediate effect, after a hectic year of cricket both home and away.
The 33-year old’s decision to take time away from cricket comes with the full support of Cricket West Indies (CWI).
“Anisa has been a true stalwart of West Indies Women’s cricket for over a decade. We at CWI wish her well and will provide any support she may require during this period away from international cricket and look forward to welcoming her back in March,” said CWI’s Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams.
“Cricket has given me all that I have, and I still love it as much as the first day I started playing, therefore this decision was not an easy one for me, especially with the T20 World Cup five months away. However, I must listen to my body and my mind that I need to take time away from the game at this time. This is not a permanent goodbye but rather a see you soon. I wish the team all the best in all their forthcoming series, and I know Hayley will fulfil her role as captain, as I’ve seen her mature and grow as a person and cricketer,” said Mohammed.
Mohammed made her debut for the West Indies at the age of 13 at the Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in Holland in 2003. She established herself as the premier spin bowler for the West Indies Women, going on to become the first cricketer, male or female, to take 100 T20I wickets and ultimately the leading wicket-taker in the format with 125 scalps.
Akeal Hosein and Tion Webster both played big roles to help the Trinbago Knight Riders secure a three-wicket win over the St. Lucia Kings to kick off their 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League campaign at Warner Park on Thursday.
The Kings batted first after the Knight Riders won the toss and chose to field first.
Batsmen found it difficult to cope with some good bowling from the Knight Riders and St. Lucia found themselves 76-3 in the 13th over at the fall of captain Roston Chase’s wicket for 19.
Quickly, 76-3 became 77-5 in the same over after Scott Kuggelijn (0) and Mark Deyal (35) were dismissed things looked very bleak.
Thankfully for the Kings, all-rounder Roshon Primus managed to score a crucial 25-ball 38 to help bring the score to a respectable 143-9 off their 20 overs.
The bulk of the damage with the ball was done by Akeal Hosein who took an excellent 4-13 from his four overs. Sunil Narine was also excellent with 1-21 from his four overs.
With the bat, the Knight Riders made it look easy in the end, reaching 148-7 off 19.2 overs for the win.
Tion Webster then set the foundation with a well-played 58 off 45 balls including six fours and three sixes. Tim Seifert also played a good hand with 34 against an excellent fighting spell of 4-17 off four overs from Alzarri Joseph.
A new champion will be crowned on Thursday in the 31st edition of the Kingston Wharves U15 Cricket Competition as unbeaten St. Mary will take on St. Elizabeth in the final at Sabina Park after contrasting semi-final matches on Tuesday.
St. Mary only dropped points in the last match of their preliminary round against St. Catherine Cricket Association, which was rained out while St. Elizabeth lost only one of its preliminary round matches against Westmoreland.
St. Elizabeth defeated Kingston by 104 runs at Sabina Park.
After taking first strike, St Elizabeth made 214-8 from their allotment of 50 overs. Wicketkeeper/batsman Odane Binns was the top scorer with 49 while Davian Mason scored 40 and Adrian Silvera, an unbeaten 35.
Jhaliel Smith was also among the runs with 30.
There were two wickets apiece for Kingston’s bowlers Goevanni Grey, Captain Kajeev Bathyka and McKanell Palmer.
In reply, Kingston was bundled out for just 90 from 26.5 overs as the St Elizabeth bowling attack wreaked havoc. Only opener Nicoli McKenzie (13) got into double figures and there were 42 extras.
Davian Mason 3-1, Jhaleil Smith bagged 3-19 while Eckoney Robinson took 2-16.
The other semi-final at Kensington Cricket Ground was reduced to 38 overs a side because of bad weather.
In the low-scoring affair, St. Mary won the toss and invited home team Kensington to bat. They were bowled out for 93, despite a valiant 54 from Captain David Dewar.
Rushawn Bell took 4-22 and Dijon Taylor 2-14 while scything through the Kensington line-up.
In reply, St. Mary laboured to 94 for seven in 23.2 overs to win by three wickets.
Tyson Gordon, who was unbeaten on 38 and Devonte Miller 10 were the only players to get into double figures and there were 26 extras.
Geovanni Golding was the most successful bowler, getting 4-20 in six overs.
A new look Jamaica Tallawahs got their 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign off to a winning start with a 47-run victory over the defending champions, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
