President of the Melbourne Cricket Club in Kingston Mark Neita believes their hosting of the induction of USA Ambassador Noah Nickolas Perry into the Cricket Hall of Fame could be an important moment for the development of Jamaica’s cricket.
Born in Jamaica, Ambassador Perry, an alum of Kingston College, helped promote the growth of the sport in the United States during his tenure as a New York State Assemblyman and earned him the right to be inducted.
“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 said in his acceptance speech during the induction ceremony at the Melbourne Cricket Club on Friday.
Neita is hopeful that as the US Ambassador to Jamaica, he will do the same in the country of his birth.
“I think it’s very significant. The fact is the United States of America is going to be the next big cricket market and when you have somebody like the ambassador, who is passionate about the game of cricket and is prepared to help, I think it bodes well for the future of a lot of our youngsters,” Neita told Sportsmax. TV.
“I certainly hope that now that he is an inductee in the Cricket Hall of Fame it will open up the channels for us to have a very robust discussion about cricket, how we can develop the game, how the connection between the United States and Jamaica can be strengthened, how we can get gears here at discounted prices because we all know that the duty on cricket gear is prohibitive sometimes for our youngsters to get fully clothed for a game.”
His last point about the cost of cricket gear was an issue brought up at the induction ceremony by Executive Chairman of the Hall of Fame Mike Chambers.
Chambers mentioned that gear costing US$400 (approximately JMD$61,000) that was donated in Jamaica attracted duties amounting to more than JMD$100,000.
Neita expounded, explaining that the exorbitant duty has put a damper on the sport in Jamaica.
“The fact of the matter is that the high cost of the gear has a very negative impact on our young cricketers,” he said.
“It is almost up to the club for us to help to support the cricketers with all their gear because the reality is this; for a young player, say 12 or 13 years old, to be fully suited with a cricket bat, pair of pads, helmet, thigh pads, boots you’re talking about 60 to 70 thousand Jamaican dollars, and most of that is duty.
I just had an experience recently where I brought in a pair of cricket boots for one of my young cricketers because it was unavailable here, it cost me 35,000 Jamaican dollars just for duty alone and the shoes cost 120 Pounds; I mean that to me is just ridiculous.
“Look around, you have fewer people playing cricket, fewer schools playing cricket and so we need to start about how to do something for the sport.”
He hopes that Ambassador Perry will be able to help with matters such as this.
“And this is why this is so important. I am sorry there weren’t members of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) here but this is a significant moment for us and I think this ambassador is passionate about the sport and I am almost certain that he is going to be a big asset to turn back some of that negativity when it comes to pricing the gear and the connection between Jamaica and the United States, so this is very positive,” Neita said.
“We are excited about this. I think it’s a significant event and I think the future is very bright for this collaboration between the US and Jamaica in terms of cricket.”
Los Angeles Galaxy wasted a golden opportunity to bridge the gap between themselves and the Western Conference playoff spots when they were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against Sporting Kansas City on Sunday.
In front of their home fans, Galaxy got off to flying start when Chicharito got on the end of a terrific ball from Victor Vazquez to put him through one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and he made no mistake with his finish hard and low across the goal.
It was Chicharito's 200th club goal of his career, and his 33rd for Galaxy after arriving at the club in 2020.
That would be the only goal of the first half, but a penalty to Sporting in the 67th minute changed the complexion of the contest, with Johnny Russell equalising.
The visiting Kansas City side would have liked their chances of escaping with all three points after Felipe Hernandez gave them the lead in the 76th minute, but there would be another twist in the tale as Galaxy were awarded a penalty in the dying minutes.
Chicharito stepped up to the spot and tucked away his penalty high into the top-left corner of the goal, giving him 14 in 26 games this campaign, and he had a chance to make it 15 when there was another penalty given in stoppage time.
Trying to secure his hattrick and the match, Chicharito opted for the audacious panenka penalty, but was left red-faced as John Pulskamp in the Sporting goals did not flinch, catching it easily.
Elsewhere in California, Los Angeles FC had a much easier time in their 2-0 victory against Real Salt Lake to strengthen their position atop the Western Conference standings.
After a scoreless first half, LAFC were dominant after the break, with Ryan Hollingshead finding the back of the net in the 49th minute and Cristian Arango doubling the advantage in the 68th.
Carlos Vela also missed a penalty for the home side in stoppage time, but his side were good value for their win, producing 3.16 expected goals compared to just 0.29 for Salt Lake.
The win moves LAFC nine points clear of the chasing pack in the West, while at the other end of the standings, Houston Dynamo were bumped down to the bottom after a 2-1 loss away against the Seattle Sounders.
It was Houston striking first, with Daniel Steres breaking the deadlock in the 26th minute, and that score would hold until Nouhou Tolo's equaliser in the 59th.
A missed penalty from Nicolas Lodeiro in the 75th minute appeared to be Seattle's wasted chance to secure all three points in front of their home fans, but less than a minute later a terrific cross from Tolo found Fredy Montero at the back post the head in the winner.
With Houston losing again, the San Jose Earthquakes took the opportunity to shed the last-placed tag with a 2-0 win against the Vancouver Whitecaps, thanks to first half goals from Jeremy Ebobisse and Jamiro Monteiro.
Despite only owning 35 per cent of the possession and finishing with 0.36 expected goals, New England Revolution treated their fans to an emphatic 3-0 home win against New York City, with Jon Bell, 17-year-old Noel Buck and Thomas McNamara providing the scores.
In the highest scoring game of the day, CF Montreal came away with a 4-3 win despite two goals from Toronto's Lorenzo Insigne.
The Portland Timbers took advantage of two penalties to defeat Atlanta United 2-1, and DC United fought out the only 0-0 draw of the day against the Colorado Rapids, with Christian Benteke missing a penalty for DC.
A captain’s knock from Deandra Dottin and bowling brilliance from Anisa Mohammed steered the Trinbago Knight Riders to a 10-run victory over Barbados Royals to see them crowned champions of the inaugural Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL).
With her team put into bat, it was the Knight Riders’ captain Dottin who shone, scoring the maiden half-century in WCPL history and helping her team to a defendable first innings score of 100-7.
Hayley Matthews was the pick of the Royals’ bowlers taking three wickets in the 19th over to finish with 3/22 including the key wicket of Dottin.
In response, Aaliyah Alleyne and Britney Cooper went early in the chase, while Matthews dug in and looked to be the key to leading her team home. But wickets fell around her and, when she went for 46, the run-chase was all but done.
With just the tail to clean up, Knight Riders had the momentum and it was only fitting that Anisa Mohammed should take the final wicket and finish the game with 3-16 as her side cleaned up the Royals for 90.
With their male counterparts watching on and the eyes of the world on the game, it was a massive moment for the Trinbago Knight Riders and for women’s cricket after a ground-breaking tournament.
When the Knight Riders were put into bat, it wasn’t the explosive start they might have hoped and just as the boundaries began to flow, Kirby was dismissed cheaply.
Dottin and Sune Luus began to accelerate before Luus’ South African team-mate Chloe Tryon, who hadn’t yet bowled in the tournament, dismissed her national captain to put the Royals in the driver’s seat with the Knight Riders 43-2.
In true Deandra Dottin style, the World Boss was the lynchpin of the innings, playing shots to all parts and bringing up her half-century from just 54 balls.
Bragging rights went to her counterpart, Matthews who removed her for 59 off 62 in an over that also claimed the wickets of Kyshona Knight and Jannillea Glasgow.
The Royals’ openers came out of the traps flying, reaching 14 from the first two overs but when Alleyne fell for 7 and Cooper soon after without scoring and the chase looked more tricky.
When Tryon was stumped just as the rebuild was on, the game was in the balance and all hopes rode on Matthews with the Royals 36-3.
Wickets continued to tumble and the key moment came with 13 needed off 12 as Matthews couldn’t clear Glasgow at mid-wicket. She went for 46 leaving her team needing 12 from 10.
It was too much for the tail-enders facing the bowling of Anisa Mohammed, who cleaned up the tail sending Mandy Mangru’s bails flying.
The Knight Riders, who lost the final of the inaugural SKYEXCH 6IXTY against the Barbados Royals, now have their payback. It was a phenomenal team performance led brilliantly by the power-hitting and elite display of batting from Deandra Dottin and a fitting finale for an incredible inaugural Massy Women’s CPL.
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.
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