Reports are emerging that Reggae Boyz Head Coach Paul Hall has resigned his position and the players have refused to move forward unless Jamaica Football Federation General Secretary Dalton Wint tenders his resignation.
It is a position with which JFF President Michael Ricketts appears to agree. Sportsmax.TV has obtained a Whatsapp voice note created Saturday night in which a player speaking on behalf of the team, is heard demanding Wint’s resignation and President Ricketts seemingly agreeing with the players.
“On behalf of the team, captain, vice captain, we are asking Mr Wint to resign. That’s the only way we move forward. Can we get your word on that?” said an unidentified player.
A voice sounding like the JFF president responded, “I am saying I agree.”
“You agree as the president. Okay,” the player said in reply.
This latest fallout stems from a situation that developed in Suriname on Saturday night where the Reggae Boyz played to a 1-1 draw with the home side in their opening match of the CONCACAF Nations League.
After the match, the players came to the realization that they did not have a return flight to Jamaica for the return match on June 7. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Jamaica was to have shared a charter flight with the Suriname national team back to Jamaica on Saturday night. However, Jamaica is alleged to have failed to come up with their share of the cost of the flight.
The players are reportedly still in Suriname.
Calls to both JFF President Ricketts and General Secretary Wint went unanswered up to the time of publication on Sunday.
It is unknown what arrangements are being made for the players to get back to Jamaica to prepare for their match against Suriname and their upcoming match against Mexico on June 14.
The Oakridge Farms’ unbeaten chestnut filly Atomica delivered one of the most smashing performances ever in Caymanas Park Classic racing history with a 20-length victory in Saturday’s Jamaica 1000 Guineas.
Ridden by Dane Dawkins for trainer Gary Subratie, Atomica crippled the eight-horse field with an acceleration in the final furlong that landed her a stakes record one minute 37.00 for the one-mile trip, erasing a 38-year-old mark by the brilliant 1984 horse of the year Thornbird.
“She got a really easy race today and she still broke the stakes record,” a completely satisfied Subratie said post-race.
The 30-1 outsider Our Angel was second and Silent Mission (14-1) third in the JA$3.75 million (US$24,500) event that opened Jamaica’s Triple Crown Series.
Dawkins, aboard his first ever Classic winner, cruised to the front aboard the big 1-9 favourite shortly after the start, with 8-1 second favourite Golden Whattle, last year’s champion two-year-old, in pursuit.
Heading down the backstretch to the far turn, Atomica was coasting on a two-length lead with Silent Mission, Golden Whattle and 30-1 bet Our Angel stalking the pace.
Atomica, who had won the Guineas “prep” races – the Thornbird Stakes and Portmore – in April and May, respectively, by a combined total of almost 20 lengths, quickened effortlessly into a three-length lead leaving the half-mile.
She was five lengths clear coming off the final bend and it was approaching the final furlong that Dawkins roused her for the first time in the race. He never used the whip once and hinted in the winners’ enclosure that we have not yet seen the best of the filly.
“From I left the starting gate I was very comfortable. She has a lot more (in the tank),” said the 28-year-old Dawkins, whose previous best finish in a Classic was second in the 2000 Guineas two years ago aboard Mahogany.
Atomica’s eight-furlong clocking shaved 2/5ths of a second off Thornbird’s 1984 mark of 1:37 and 2/5ths.
The win was Subratie’s third in the 1000 Guineas after Niphal in 2011 and Nuclear Affair in 2016 and he appeared to embrace the Triple Crown bid with the longer St Leger (10 furlongs) and Derby (12 furlongs) to come. “Every distance she goes she wins further away, so it is showing she will go the distance,” Subratie said, supported by owner Don Wehby.
“Based on what I saw today, I would love to go in the Derby,” Wehby said.
By Nuclear Wayne out of the Reparations mare Honkeytonkville, Atomica was winning her fifth race in a row and the champion filly’s breeder Karl Samuda, a current Government minister, believes they have hit the jackpot with her breeding.
“Her mother, the dam line is both speed and journey. Now we combine that with Nuclear Wayne, who also has speed and distance so it’s two great factors that collide in one animal and that’s why she is so great,” said Samuda, Jamaica’s Minister of Labour and Social Security.
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz kicked off play in the Concacaf Nation’s League League A with a 1-1 draw away to Suriname on Saturday.
After a first that saw more clear chances being created by the hosts, it was the Jamaicans who took the lead through Toulouse FC forward Junior Flemming. Flemming put the Jamaicans into the lead after swiveling onto a low cross played into the area and firing past Suriname goalkeeper Hahn Warner in the 39th minute.
Ironically, it was the Jamaicans who looked more likely to add to their lead in the second half but after missing a few early chances, found themselves pegged back late on. Jamaica goalkeeper Amal Knight was credited with an own goal, after badly misjudging an 84th-minute corner that he punched into his own goal.
The Barbados Pride were crowned champions of the West Indies Championship after topping the six-team table at the end of the fifth and final round of play at the Diego Martin Complex on Saturday.
Coming into the final day’s play of their match against Windward Islands Volcanoes, the Bajans led the Leewards Islands Hurricanes on points. Resuming the day on 109-1 the Pride batted out the final day without much event. Barbados captain Kraigg Brathwaite scored 109 off 219 balls and ended the season as the leading runscorer in the tournament. Brathwaite shared in a 95-run partnership with Roston Chase, who made 59 as the team ended on 285-6.
Elsewhere, Guyana Harpy Eagles opener Tevin Imlach put together a resolute half-century, in a predictable draw, as the heavily rain-affected West Indies Championship fixture against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force came to an end at Port of Spain.
Having lost the last two days due to the inclement weather, the Red Force resumed the day at 203 and only added another 10 before the last wicket pair were dismissed.
In their turn at the crease, the Harpy Eagles chased the score with conviction, and Imlach’s 76 from 172 formed the base of the innings. The team, which ended with a score of 331 all out, also got valuable contributions from Kevin Sinclair, who had 58, and Veerasammy Permaul who scored 47.
For the Red Force, Bryan Charles and Terrance Hinds took three wickets each. Batting again, Trinidad and Tobago were 25 for 1 at the close of play. The day’s other match between the Leeward Island Hurricanes and Jamaica Scorpions was called off in the hour after the lunch break, because of persistent rainfall.
West Indies batsmen Kyle Mayers and Sharmarh Brooks each scored a century to secure a 20-run win over The Netherlands and complete a 3-0 series whitewash in Amstelveen on Saturday.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, for the first time all series, the Caribbean team posted 308 for 5 in their 50 overs at the crease. The Windies had lost opener Shai Hope with 58 runs on the board after he was caught by Vivian Kingma off the bowling of Ryan Klein.
Mayers and Brooks, however, came together for a damaging 184-run partnership that powered the regional team to a comfortable 242 before Mayers was dismissed by Ryan Klein. From there the team would suffer a mini-collapse of sorts with captain Nicholas Pooran (7), and Brandon King (10) both going cheaply.
In response, Vikramjit Singh and Max O'Dowd each put on a half-century to open the innings as the team got to 97 with loss before Mayers struck to remove Singh. O'Dowd went on to put 89 on the board, forming the backbone of the innings but The Netherlands continued to lose wickets at regular intervals and ended all-out at 288.
Shermon Lewis was the pick of the Windies bowlers after taking 3 for 36, while Akeal Hosein and Hayden Walsh each took two wickets.
Reigning Olympic champions Elaine Thompson-Herah will be back in action on Sunday at the Rabat Diamond League, in Morocco, where she faces a quality field in the women’s 100m.
Lining up alongside Thompson-Herah will be experienced Ivory Coast sprinter Marie Jose Talou, Trinidad and Tobago star Michelle Lee Ahye, and compatriot Natasha Morrison.
Thompson-Herah heads into the event off the back of a dominant performance at the Prefontaine Classic last weekend where she got the better of United States sprinter Sha’arri Richardson, compatriot Shericka Jackson, and Great Britain athlete Dina Asher-Smith. The Jamaican won the event in 10.79.
Elsewhere, another Jamaican Stephenie Ann Mcpherson will compete in the women’s 400m, while Shanieka Ricketts will compete in the women’s triple jump.
Trinidadian 2018 Commonwealth Games 100m gold medalist Michelle Lee-Ahye ran a new meet record 11.17 for victory the Women’s 100m at the Irena Szewinska Memorial, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event, at the Zdzislaw Krzyszkowiak Stadium in Bygosczcz, Poland on Friday.
The 2016 Olympic 100m and 200m finalist, who has a season’s best of 10.94 done at the Orange County Classic in California on May 7, won ahead of Vitoria Rosa of Brazil (11.32) and Gina Bass of Gambia (11.33). She had previously run 11.20 in the heats.
Barbadian two-time World Championship finalist Shane Brathwaite followed up a 13.68 performance to win his heat with a run of 13.65 for fifth in the Men’s 100m hurdles won by the USA’s Jamal Britt in 13.35. Poland’s Damian Czykier ran 13.36 for second while Antonio Alkana of South Africa was third in 13.63.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Friday confirmed that Rovman Powell and Romario Shepherd are unable to take part in the ongoing One-Day International Series (ODI) against the Netherlands due to visa delays.
They travelled to London immediately following their participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL), as their visa interviews could not have taken place in India due to the IPL bio-secure protocols. Despite having the interviews the day after their arrival, they are both still in London awaiting the appropriate visas to be able to travel to the Netherlands.
With the final match to be played at the VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen on Saturday, Shepherd and Powell will now fly directly to Pakistan to join the ODI squad for the three-match series.
West Indies have an unassailable 2-0 lead following wins by seven wickets on Tuesday and by five wickets on Thursday. The West Indies had 13 players available for the first two matches and will have the same squad now for the final contest.
The West Indies Squad will travel from Amsterdam to Pakistan on Sunday for matches at the Multan Cricket Stadium on June 8, 10 and 12.
West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran has praised the team for doing a lot of the right things on the current tour of The Netherlands after securing an unassailable 2-0 series lead on Thursday.
On the back of another strong performance from Brandon King, who scored an unbeaten 91, led the Windies to a 5 wicket win at Amstelveen. For the second game in a row the regional team chased down a figure just above 200, but the pursuit was not without its difficulties.
Also, for the second game in a row, the top order suffered somewhat of a collapse as the team lost its first three wickets for 48 runs.
“We came to Amsterdam to get victories and to be successful and I feel like we are doing a lot of the right things,” Pooran said following the match.
“Obviously, it’s a game of cricket and you can’t have the perfect game all the time…I saw with the batting that we had a bit of a collapse but then a wonderful partnership at the end and that is what we want as a team.”
The third and final match between the teams takes place on Saturday.
Ackera Nugent will miss the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships set for June 8-11 in Eugene, Oregon and Jamaica’s National Championships in Kingston from June 23-26, because of an ongoing ankle injury.
Nugent, the reigning World U20 champion, is the second fastest Jamaican woman in the world this year after running a personal best of 12.45 at the Big 12 Championships at Lubbock, Texas on May 15. Only fellow Jamaican, Demisha Roswell of Texas Tech, who ran 12.44 to beat Nugent at the Big 12 Conference Championships, has run faster this season.
The 20-year-old Nugent, a sophomore at Baylor University revealed on social media Thursday that the severity of the injury makes it impossible for her to carry on this season.
“With my ankle, this year has been a roller coaster but that has never stopped me from going out there and giving it my all,” she posted on Instagram.
“As a fighter, you have to know when to stop fighting and let go and I just wanted to let you know my season is over. I will not be competing in the NCAA Championship not will I be competing in the national senior trials this year.
“However, God has helped me along the way to have accomplished my main goal this year and I am at peace.”
Nugent’s absence will take away from the much-anticipated clashes at the NCAA Championships against the likes of the LSU pair of Alia Armstrong and Tonea Marshall as well as Roswell.
At the Jamaica National Senior Championships, she would have faced Roswell as well as 2015 World Champion Danielle Williams and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Megan Tapper.
West Indies batsman Brandon King insists he is simply looking to cash in on his recent purple patch after scoring another half-century against New Zealand on Thursday.
After entering the batting line-up at six, with the team struggling at 4 for 60, King made a valuable 91 not out to guide the Windies to a 5 wicket win at Amstelveen.
The half-century was King’s second of the series, having scored 58 in the first match. Overall, in the last nine matches, King has averaged 41.57 and hopes to keep accumulating high scores.
“As cricketers when times are good you have to try and cash in and score as many runs as possible,” King said following the match.
“I feel good out there so I’m trying to capitalize on that good form,” he added.
Over the past several series, King has shifted places in the team’s batting line-up, batting at 5 against The Neverlands, 2 in the previous series against India, and 4 against Ireland. Despite having success down the order in the ongoing series, King believes that versatility is one of his strengths.”
“A part of my strength is adapting and doing what is needed for the team. I can bat anywhere in the top 6. This was a new role given to me but it’s not unfamiliar I am a middle-order batsman first and foremost.”
Brandon King and Akeal Hosein were the standouts as the West Indies defeated the Netherlands by five wickets and with it take an unassailable 2-0 lead in their three-match series at Amstelveen on Thursday.
The hosts were restricted to 214 all out off 42.4 overs after winning the toss and batting first.
Scott Edwards (68), Max O’Dowd (51) and Vikramjit Singh (46) were the main run getters as Hosein ripped through the Dutch batting line-up with 4-39 off his 10 overs. Alzarri Joseph provided good support with 2-30 from eight overs.
In their chase, the West Indies found themselves in trouble at 99-5 after 23.2 overs before a match-winning and unbroken 118-run partnership between Brandon King and Keacy Carty steered the visitors to a comfortable victory.
The tourists ended up 217-5 with King getting a classy 90-ball 91 that included nine fours and three sixes. Carty was unbeaten on 43 not out off 66 balls. He hit two fours and a massive six that brought an end to the match.
Bas De Leede was the best Dutch bowler on the day with 2-46 from eight overs.
The third and final ODI will be played on Saturday.
A staunch unbeaten century from middle-order batsman Paul Palmer Jr anchored the Jamaica Scorpions against the Leeward Island Hurricanes on day one of the West Indies Championship at Tarouba.
At the close of play, the Scorpions were 302 all-out, after being put in to bat by the Leewards who won the toss. Initially, the decision to field first had looked to be a wise one, as Kirk Mckenzie (3), Jermaine Blackwood (3), and John Campbell (2) were all back in the Pavillion with just 10 runs on the board.
Palmer would, however, stand firm at the crease, and ensure that the Scorpions did not collapse, courtesy of a string of partnerships carefully constructed throughout the innings. The batsman first put on, 44 with Alwyn Williams for the fourth wicket to stop the rot, before featuring in an innings changing 102 with Jamie Merchant for the 7th wicket. Later on, he paired with Nicholson Gordon to add 60 for the 9th wicket and push the Scorpions closer to 300 runs. Paul ended unbeaten with 144 from 233 balls, while Merchant added 55 from 60.
For the Hurricanes, Colin Archibald, Rahkeem Cornwall, Sheeno Berridge took two wickets each.
A five-for from pace bowler Keemo Paul pushed the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force to a late evening collapse and handed the momentum to the Guyana Harpy Eagles, on day one of the West Indies Championship, at Port of Spain.
At the close of play, the Red Force were left on 203 for 9, after winning the toss and choosing to bat first. Midway through the innings, things had, however, looked far more promising for the Trinidad and Tobago franchise.
The batting pair of Jason Mohammed and Jeremy Solozano had come together to put a 116-run partnership on the board for the third wicket, largely repairing the damage the team suffered from the early losses of Keagan Simmons (3) and Isaiah Rajah (26).
With the team coasting at 178 for 3, however, things took a turn for the worse when Mohammed went for 68. The batsman was caught at slip after edging to Leon Johnson, off the bowling of Demetri Cameron. Solozano, who was on 72, did not last long after that as he was out caught and bowled by Gudakesh Motie five overs later.
Yannic Cariah (3), Joshua Da Silva (2), Imran Khan (2), Bryan Charles (0), and Uthman Muhammad (0) all failed to reach five runs in subsequent stints at the crease, with the combination of Motie and Paul causing a devastating collapse. In total, the team lost its last five wickets for just seven runs.
Paul ended with figures of 5 for 41, while Motie took 2 for 35. At the close of play, Terrance Hinds (9) and Shannon Gabriel (4) were the not-out batsmen at the crease for the Red Force.
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