West Indies were in a world of trouble at the end of day two of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle on Monday. Chasing a target of 386, the West Indies slumped to 113-6 at stumps still 273 runs behind on a day that promised much but instead descended into disaster.
MLS Golden Boot winner Valentin Castellanos scored as New York City clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference semi-finals with a 2-0 home win over Atlanta United on Sunday.
Castellanos, who netted 17 regular-season goals, opened the scoring in 49th minute with a miscued volley which bounced in fortunately over Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
Alexander Callens doubled New York City's lead four minutes later, heading in unmarked from close range after Guzan tipped Maxi Moralez's effort on to the frame of the post.
Atlanta defender Alan Franco was sent off late for dissent to rub salt into the wounds, as New York City secured a fifth semi-final berth in the past six seasons.
New York City will next play Eastern Conference top seed and Supporter's Shield winners New England Revolution.
Sebastian Blanco netted a second-half double as Portland Timbers came from behind to beat Minnesota United 3-1, clinching four consecutive wins and a Western Conference semi-final date with Colorado Rapids.
Franco Fragapane gave Minnesota an 11th-minute lead, but Portland rallied with Larrys Mabiala heading in the equaliser before half-time.
Blanco rifled in a low drive early in the second half before opening a two-goal lead with a spectacular 66th-minute long-range strike.
When City Commissioner Alexandra Davis received a request for the city to host an auction and fundraiser for Jamaican Olympian Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in October, she jumped at the opportunity.
An unbeaten century by Dimuth Karunaratne and half-centuries from Pathum Nissanka and Dhananjaya de Silva put Sri Lanka in a position of strength at 267-3 at stumps of the opening day of the first Test against the West Indies in Galle on Sunday.
President of the Jamaica Football Federation Michael Ricketts was on Saturday elected a Vice President of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) during a virtual Annual Congress of the regional body.
"I feel honoured that my regional colleagues have seen it fit to place their faith in my abilities to support the leadership of this important organisation. I will do everything within my power working with my colleagues to ensure that the mandate and expectations of this body are fulfilled," said Ricketts, who became the second Jamaican to occupy the post.
The late Captain Horace Burrell was also a vice president of the CFU.
West Indies debutant Jeremy Solozano was taken to the hospital after receiving a blow on the helmet while fielding during the opening day of the Test series against Sri Lanka.
The 26-year-old had to be stretchered off the field after being struck by a pull shot from Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne. The incident happened during the fourth delivery off spinner Roston Chase’s over that had seen the player deployed at the short-leg position.
Shai Hope was brought in as the replacement after the injured player left the pitch. Solozano was reportedly responsive while being taken to the hospital and is currently undergoing scans. Cricket West Indies has promised to give further news on the player’s condition as soon as it becomes available.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat first Sri Lanka were 163 for 1 at the end of the second session. Pace bowler Shannon Gabriel claimed the team’s only wicket so far after dismissing Pathum Nissanka.
Sporting Kansas City won through to the Western Conference semi-finals after accounting for Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the MLS Cup play-offs.
Khiry Shelton, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin and Graham Zusi scored as Sporting KC earned a showdown with either Seattle Sounders or Real Salt Lake.
Sporting KC entered Saturday's play-off with three straight defeats. The three previous times they lost their last regular-season match before the post-season, the club were eliminated in their first play-off tie (1997, 2014, 2017).
But Sporting KC defied that record thanks to their performance at Children's Mercy Park, where Shelton opened the scoring in the 17th minute.
The Whitecaps – who had won just one of their nine games away to Sporting KC, dating back to September 2017 – equalised via Cristian Dajome's 39th-minute penalty.
Sporting KC, however, restored their advantage when Isimat-Mirin struck in the third minute of first-half stoppage time and Zusi sealed the victory 13 minutes into the second period.
In the Eastern Conference, Philadelphia Union booked their spot in the semi-finals thanks to a last-gasp 1-0 win against New York Red Bulls after extra time.
Jakob Glesnes' thunderous and dramatic volley in the 123rd minute sent the Union through to the next round of the play-offs.
The Red Bulls had lost only one of their last 12 matches (W7 D4) en route to qualifying for their 12th straight postseason – the second-longest streak in MLS history (Sounders 13 in a row, 2009-present). The 25 points the Red Bulls also collected since September 17 were the most in MLS in that span.
Next up for the Union is a meeting with either Orlando City or Nashville.
In the first game of a zone C doubleheader at STETHS, B.B. Coke secured a 2-1 victory over Lacovia.
Danyea Whitely scored both goals for B.B. Coke, the first coming off a brilliant team move just before halftime, in the 46th minute, and the second coming from a close range left-footed strike in the 76th minute.
B.B. Coke have now scored 22 goals in three games while conceding just one and lead zone C with seven points.
B.B. Coke head coach Kirk Ricketts is looking for consistency from the team after getting to the top of the zone.
“To remain consistent, we are not leading by ten points so we must be consistent and take it one game at a time,” he says.
The second half of the doubleheader saw Munro College defeat STETHS 2-1 with goals from Ceon Falconer in the 54th minute and Xavier Bruce in the 74th minute.
Donte Campbell scored a penalty for STETHS in the 83rd minute.
The win moves Munro up to third in the zone behind B.B Coke and Lacovia with six points while STETHS now sit fourth on four points.
Zone B leaders, Mannings, were held to a 2-2 draw by Rusea’s at Green Pond and now have seven points from three matches.
Frome Technical moved to third in the zone behind Mannings, and Petersfield, with six points, after a 3-1 win over Godfrey Stewart in their 3:30 game at Llandilo.
At Wespow Park, Green Island beat Green Pond 2-1 to get their first points of the season.
In Zone D action, leaders Christiana were held to a 1-1 draw by Bellefield at Kirkvine in their 3:30 encounter.
Elsewhere, Belair secured a 2-1 over Alston in the first match of a doubleheader at Manchester High to move into fourth in the zone.
Manchester moved to second in the zone by securing the biggest win of the day in the competition, a 7-0 demolition of DeCarteret College in the second game.
Christiana leads zone D with seven points followed by Manchester, Holmwood, and Belair with four points each.
In a zone F doubleheader at Foga Road, Vere Technical and Foga Road both secured 1-0 victories over Old Harbour and Central High respectively.
Garvey Maceo secured a 3-0 win over Kemps Hill at home in the other zone F game on the day.
Garvey Maceo leads zone F with nine points from three matches, followed by Foga Road on six and Central High on four.
Dinthill Technical defeated McGrath 4-0 at home to move to seven points and remain at the top of zone H.
Ocho Rios moved to second in the zone on five points after a 6-0 win over St. Mary High in the second match of a doubleheader at Drax Hall. Charlemont beat Brown’s Town 1-0 in the first match and moved to third in the zone, also on five points.
Manning Cup
Moving over to Manning Cup action, the first match of the group A doubleheader at Jamaica College saw Kingston Technical, who beat JC 1-0 in their last game in a shock result, produce another solid display to brush aside Kingston High 5-0 and move to the top of the group with six points from three games.
Jamaica College used goals from Giovanni Mitto and Duncan McKenzie to beat Charlie Smith 2-0 for their first win of the season in the second match of the doubleheader.
JC remain fifth in the group with four points from three games.
Elsewhere in group A, St. Georges College got their second win is as many games with a 1-0 win over Bridgeport at the Spanish Town Prison Oval to move to second.
Charlie Smith sits third on six points and Calabar are fourth on four points.
West Indies middle-order batsman Jermaine Blackwood will be looking to score heavily during the team’s upcoming series against Sri Lanka and believes the rest of the team is in a similar mindset.
The last time the batsman was in Sri Lanka for a Test series was in 2015 where he fell just short of a century with 92 in Galle. His performance was not good when the teams met earlier in the Caribbean this year but believes he can set things right on a ground where he will have good memories.
“To be honest, I try to stick to my strengths. Now, I’m starting to understand my game a lot better than I did in the past. I really know my game inside out now,” Blackwood told members of the media.
“The last time I played there I played more attacking to be honest because I was batting at a proper level. This time around if I get a chance I can bat longer for the team and score more runs. I not looking to just score a century or a half-century, I’ll be looking to push it beyond that. So, hopefully, if I get in on this track, I can score a lot of runs for the team.”
In four series to date, the West Indies are yet to win a match in Sri Lanka.
West Indies newcomer Jeremy Solozano insists the focus will be on ensuring he contributes to the team rather than worry about cementing a spot in the squad, with a potential debut against Sri Lanka on the cards.
The 26-year-old is tipped to make his debut as an opener against Sri Lanka when the series gets underway on Saturday. The position at the top of the order has been a problematic one for the Caribbean team in recent years. The struggle has been to find a consistent partner for captain Kraigg Brathwaite.
The likes of John Campbell, Kieran Powell, Devon Smith, and briefly Shai Hope have all played in the position but failed to deliver the required performances.
With neither Powell nor Campbell in the squad and Hope unlikely to be tried in the slot again it appears to be a golden opportunity for the young opener to stake his claim. For the moment, however, it isn’t a primary focus.
“I’m feeling confident. Once given the opportunity I will do my best for the West Indies,” Solozano told members of the media on Friday.
“There’s not really any pressure with the environment I’m in, it’s about going out there to enjoy the game. I believe once you enjoy your game and training and everything, everything will fall into place,” he added.
A debut against Sri Lanka could be a steep step up for Solozano who has managed just 40 first-class matches with an average of 23.41.
“Once given the opportunity I’ll contribute to the team as much as possible, doing what the team requires in the given situation.”
Camperdown High strengthened their position atop Group B by moving to a perfect nine points from three matches after securing a 2-1 win over STATHS in their 12:00 game at Stadium East.
Elsewhere, Dunoon Technical came back from two goals down to earn their first point of the season against Jonathan Grant in the 12:00 game at the Spanish Town Prison Oval. Jonathan Grant remains second in Group B with seven points from three games.
In other Group B results, Tivoli High scored a 2-0 win over Jose Marti at the Spanish Town Prison Oval and Excelsior beat St. Jago 2-1 at Stadium East.
Meanwhile, in the Dacosta Cup, a clash between the top two teams in Zone A saw William Knibb beat Herbert Morrison 4-1 in their 1:15 encounter at Irwin High thanks to a hat trick from Mark Lewis. William Knibb is now in sole possession of first place in the zone with a perfect nine points from three games, while Herbert Morrison remains second with six.
Cornwall College and St. James High played out a 0-0 draw in the second game of the day at Irwin. Elsewhere in Zone A, a double header at William Knibb saw Irwin beat Holland 3-2 and Spot Valley defeat Maldon 2-0.
On the other hand, in a battle of the bottom two teams in Zone C, Maggotty High secured a 4-0 win over Mount St. Joseph in a 3:30 fixture at STETHS to secure their first points of the season. Maggotty captain Rohan Palmer opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a right-footed shot from just outside the 18-yard box. Their lead was doubled in the 48th minute by Andre Ennevor. Raheem Williams came off the bench to get goal number three in the 82nd minute and the scoring was completed two minutes later by another substitute, Robinho Barrett.
Maggoty High head coach, Xavier Hendricks, was happy with the result.
“The aim today was to get the three points and I’m happy with the three points, just to get some points on the table for the upcoming games that we have.”
In Zone E, Clarendon College were awarded a 3-0 win over Claude McKay as the latter failed to show up to their clash scheduled for 1:15 at Turners Field.
Lennon High secured a 3-2 win over Glenmuir in the 3:30 game at Turner's Field to move to the top of the zone. Lennon and Clarendon College now both have seven points with Lennon ahead on goal difference. Those two are closely followed by Glenmuir and Edwin Allen who are both on six after Edwin Allen got by Denbigh 2-1 at Glenmuir for their second win of the season.
The Zone G double header at York Oval in St. Thomas ended without any goals. In the first game, Paul Bogle was held to a goalless draw by Happy Grove and the game between Seaforth and St. Thomas Technical followed the trend.
The Jamaica Administrative Athletics Association (JAAA) has confirmed that Jamaica will host the 49th Junior Carifta Track and Field Games in Kingston from April 16 – 18, 2022 at a cost of just under US$1 million.
West Indies Women head into the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier on a winning note after defeating Thailand women by 151 runs in their warm-up match at the Sunrisers Sports Club ground in Harare.
West Indies Women posted 230-6 from their 50 overs, with Thailand Women replying with 79 all out in 36.3 overs.
The West Indies Women owed their score to Deandra Dottin, who scored 101 and Hayley Matthews, who contributed with 57.
Onnicha Kamchomphu took 2-26 while Suleeporn Laomi returned figures of 2-37.
Thailand was never in the hunt, despite Chanida Sutthiruang’s 37. Sornnarin Tippoch was the next best scorer with nine as Shakera Selman took 2-1 and Aaliyah Alleyne 2-9 proved too much for the opposing batters.
Naturally, Head Coach Courtney Walsh was pleased with the outcome ahead of the first match on November 23 against Ireland.
“It was good to get in a practice match in Zimbabwe to get accustomed to the conditions. The ladies went out and did what was required,” he said.
“Deandra and Hayley had good knocks, so it’s good to see the runs continuing from over from Pakistan. We gave all the bowlers a chance to get a feel of the pitch here in Zimbabwe. It was important to get match practice as Papua New Guinea pulled out so we are short one game.”
Walsh believes winning the series against Pakistan 3-0 and overwhelming Thailand will boost the confidence of his players.
“Once you keep winning you’re going to keep having confidence. We left Pakistan pretty confidently and it’s important to keep that momentum and not taking anything for granted,” he said.
“Obviously, this was just a practice game but the win is important for team morale and then we have a few days before we start the competition, so it’s good to get that win under our belts.”
The West Indies Women will continue their training schedule for the next three days before they bow into World Cup qualifying action.
St. Catherine High got their second win in as many games to move to the top of Group C as action continued in the Manning Cup competition on Thursday with a 26-0 hammering of St Mary's College at Stadium East in Kingston.
It was the largest margin of victory in the competition in decades.
Joel Palmer and Nickel Ellis each scored six goals for St. Catherine who led 19-0 at halftime.
However, despite the massive margin of victory, St. Catherine High's assistant coach Andre Daley was still not satisfied with the team's performance.
“The most important thing is that we got the three points but we didn’t play to our full potential today,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kingston College smashed Clan Carthy 7-0 in the early game at Stadium East to move to second in the group and join St. Catherine with six points from two games, trailing only on goal difference.
Elsewhere in the group, Mona High rebounded from their opening-day loss to KC by beating Papine 10-0 at Jamaica College to move to fourth place in the group with three points from their two games behind St. Catherine, KC and Wolmer’s, whose next match is against KC on November 24, at Stadium East.
Wolmer's and Mona both have three points but Wolmer's are third thanks to their 13-0 thumping of St. Mary's College in their first game.
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
