2020 Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper and 2022 World Indoor silver medallist Devynne Charlton both advanced to the final of the Women’s 100m hurdles at the NACAC Open Championships in Freeport, the Bahamas on Friday.
Jamaica’s Tapper qualified fastest with a 12.62 effort to win semi-final one while Charlton of the Bahamas finished second in the second semi-final in 12.76 to advance. Puerto Rico’s Paola Vazquez (13.34) and Cuba’s Acevedo Lopez (13.43) also advanced to the final.
Costa Rica’s Gerald Drummond (49.68), BVI’s Kyron McMaster (49.77), Jamaica’s Shawn Rowe (50.27), Cuba’s Lazaro Fernandez (50.37), The Bahamas’ Shakeem Smith (50.55) and Haiti’s Joshua Adhemar (52.21) all advanced to the final of the 400m hurdles.
In the 200m, Jamaica’s Natalliah Whyte (22.78) and Ashley Williams (23.67) both advanced to the Women’s final along with The Bahamas’ Tynia Gaither (22.82), Trinidad & Tobago’s Mauricia Prieto (23.48) and Reyare Thomas (24.00) and Grenada’s Amanda Crawford (24.32).
On the Men’s side, Jamaica’s Andrew Hudson was the fastest qualifier to the final with 20.25. He’ll be joined in the event by teammate Jazeel Murphy (20.80), Trinidad & Tobago’s Kyle Greaux (20.68), The Bahamas’ Ian Kerr (20.89), Antigua & Barbuda’s Darrion Skerritt (21.17) and Bermuda’s Suresh Black (21.42).
In the field, Jamaica’s O’Dayne Richards threw 20.05m for bronze in the men’s shot put behind Americans Roger Steen (20.78m) and Adrian Piperi (20.76m).
The region also got silver and bronze in the men’s triple jump thanks to Bermuda’s Jah Nhai Perinchief (15.89m) and Antigua & Barbuda’s Taeco O’Garro (15.70m). Gold went to the USA’s Chris Bernard with 16.40m.
Stubborn lower-order resistance from bowlers Yannic Cariah and Alzarri Joseph proved insufficient as devastating spells from Trent Boult and Tim Southee led New Zealand to a series-levelling 50-run (D/L) win over the West Indies on Friday.
In the rain-affected fixture at Kensington Oval, the West Indies, chasing New Zealand’s first innings total of 212, looked in real trouble at 27 for 6, and then 63 for 7 when the rain intervened.
On the resumption, Cariah and Joseph buckled down to steer the team into a much more competitive tally. Cariah scored his maiden half-century with 52 from 84, while Joseph added 49 from 31. The pair combined for 85, the highest partnership of the West Indies' innings.
Their brave resistance and the Windies' faint hope were ended when Joseph was bowled by Southee. Cariah was the last man to go after being caught by Finn Allen off the bowling of Mitchell Santner.
Earlier, Southee and Boult had ransacked the Windies batting line-up as the pair eventually combined for 7 wickets. Southee ended with 4 for 22 and Boult 3 for 18. The pair’s early assault left the Windies six wickets down by the 10th over.
In New Zealand’s turn at the crease, Allen only narrowly missed out on a maiden century, after leading the team out of trouble at 31 for 3. He was eventually dismissed on 96.
Despite Allen’s heroics, the West Indies had another strong outing with the ball, which was led by spinner Kevin Sinclair’s maiden four-wicket haul. Sinclair ended with 4 for 41 while all-rounder Jason Holder ended with 3 for 24.
Interim Jamaica Reggae Boyz coach Merron Gordon has hailed the upcoming Austria Mini Football Tournament as an excellent opportunity for players on the fringe of the national team to get a taste of international football.
The national team, who has already settled in Vienna, will play in fixtures against World Cup-bound teams Qatar and Morocco over the next few days. Originally, the team also had a match scheduled against Ghana but the fixture was cancelled after the African team failed to arrive at the tournament on time.
With matches falling outside of the FIFA international friendly window, the team will be without its first team players. As a result, Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has called up a majority squad based in Jamaica, with many of them playing in the island’s premier football league.
Gordon, who has taken charge of the team on a temporary basis, believes the inexperienced unit will benefit greatly from the competition.
“The most important thing is for the boys to go out there and do the best they can. I said to the Boyz, don’t just come here because you were called. Your talent brought you here, you need to prove to the world that you belong here,” Gordon told members of the media on Friday.
“In a competition like this where you have three teams that are going to the World Cup and we are going to play them with some boys that are just being exposed to international football, I think that’s a good thing.”
World championships gold medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Commonwealth champion Sada Williams have both advanced to the final of the 400m of the 2022 NACAC Open Championships that got underway in Freeport, the Bahamas on Friday.
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz will play one game less for the upcoming mini tournament in Austria following the cancelation of the team’s fixture against Ghana.
Originally, the 23-man squad, who arrived for the Austria Mini Football Tournament in Vienna on Wednesday, were expected to have fixtures against Ghana, Qatar, and Morocco on the 20th, 23rd, and 26th.
With the rest of the teams already settled in, however, the African nation Ghana is yet to arrive. As a result, Jamaica’s fixture that was scheduled to be played against Ghana on Saturday has been cancelled. Ghana is still expected to take part in the tournament as they are scheduled to arrive on the island on Saturday.
Jamaica's fixtures against Morocco on the 23rd and Qatar on the 26th are scheduled to go ahead. The tournament will kick off with Morocco vs Qatar on Saturday. The majority locally-based squad will be managed by newly appointed interim coach Merron Gordon.
The 12th Annual David “Wagga” Hunt Football Classic kicks off on Saturday, August 20, at 4:00 pm with a clash between defending Manning Cup and Olivier Shield Champions Kingston College and Calabar High School at Calabar High School on Red Hills Road in Kingston.
The goodwill game is the David “Wagga” Hunt Scholarship Foundation’s way of reintroducing the Classic following the two-year hiatus caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Classic was established in 2009 in honour of the late David “Wagga” Hunt, a KC alum, who was a football coach and is also credited with reviving the sport at Calabar.
In 2005, Hunt coached Calabar to their first ever Manning Cup title in 28 years. Calabar also won the coveted Olivier Shield title that year.
The Classic is seen as a unifying force, emblematic of the generosity of spirit and community that Hunt embodied.
Hunt’s dedication to working with youth is the driving force behind the preservation of his legacy since his death in 2007. His mantra for the long-running rivalry between the schools was, “We can be rivals, not enemies.”
Since his passing, the foundation created in his memory offers scholarships to deserving students of both schools.
“I am very proud of the work the DWH Foundation has done since inception and I am eagerly looking forward to our abbreviated Classic, which will be our 12th staging,” said Christopher Hunt, David’s younger, who is also co-chair of the Washington, DC, based foundation.
He disclosed that for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year, the foundation 24 will benefit from scholarships valued at USD$17,000 (J$2.4 million).
“I am very proud and appreciative that we are able to continue to keep David’s memory alive while impacting our boys from both schools,” Christopher said.
Since 2009 the scholarship initiative has disbursed approximately US$5,000 (J$700,000) per selected student, from grades 8 to 13, to defray costs of tuition, books, lunch, technology assistance, and other school-related expenses.
To date, 35 scholarships exceeding US$115,000 (J$16 million) have been awarded to recipients, who are selected based on academic performance and attitude, involvement in extracurricular activities and need.
Through the years, corporate donors based in Jamaica have supported the foundation’s work. They include VM Group, Supreme Ventures Limited, Proven Wealth and the Gibson McCook Relays.
Overseas sponsors GraceKennedy Foods (USA), Steuart Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, Spencer Financial, and McIntosh & Associates complete the complement of corporate donors.
All fund the scholarships on an ongoing basis.
“I wish to express heartfelt gratitude to our corporate and individual sponsors for sticking with us throughout the Covid-19 pandemic despite the constraints,” said Arnold “Dullo” McDonald, co-chair of the foundation’s Jamaica chapter.
“We thank our supporters and spectators of the annual football classic as well. The goodwill game is being presented as a show of appreciation. We hope they enjoy this in-person event.”
West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell insists he remains very interested in being part of the team’s ICC T20 Cricket World Cup plans but expects Cricket West Indies (CWI) to also respect his terms.
The 34-year-old has been one of the most controversial names when it comes to West Indies cricket team selection over the past few years. The player has not represented the team since last year’s ICC T20 World Cup, with the unit having played several series since. Despite taking part in several T20 leagues around the world, Russell has not been available to represent the West Indies.
The issue has been a source of frustration for fans as well as Windies coach Phil Simmons who recently expressed his discontent with the issue. While insisting that he remains eager to represent the team, Russell pointed out that there is also the interest of both himself and his family to consider.
"I always want to play and give back. But at the end of the day, if we are not agreeing on certain terms...they (CWI) have to respect my terms as well. At the end of the day, it is what it is,” Russell told Sky Sports.
"We have families and we have to make sure that we give our best opportunity while we have one career. It's not like I can start over again. I'm 34 and I want to win another World Cup -- or two more -- for West Indies because at the end of the day, I'm here now, and I'm just taking it day by day," he added.
"Of course, of course. The maroon is all over. Honestly, I have two franchise hundreds and I wish those hundreds were actually playing for West Indies. I don't regret saying this just now. I really enjoyed playing for Jamaica Tallawahs but those two hundreds, it would be more special coming in international cricket.”
Russell is expected to return to the Caribbean to take part in the upcoming edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). It remains to be seen whether the player will then be included as a part of the T20 World Cup squad for the tournament in Australia later this year.
West Indies batsman Shamarh Brooks has credited the team’s determination to put in the hard yards early on as crucial to earning a 5-wicket win over New Zealand in the opening One Day International (ODI) on Wednesday.
Brooks was deservedly named man-of-the-match, in large part due to compiling a steady 79 from 91, which underpinned much of the West Indies' success in responding to the New Zealand total.
The player's efforts were all the more impressive after the Kiwis struggled to come to grips with a difficult surface, where Kane Williamson had the highest score with 34.
Brooks, however, had plenty of support, particularly from Windies skipper Nicholas Pooran who was uncharacteristically restrained in a knock of 28 from 47.
“It was just getting the start, that was ideal. As I said before the wicket wasn’t the easiest to bat on but the longer we spent out there is the easier it got,” Brooks said in assessing the situation.
“I told him (Pooran) that we had never had a partnership in this form of cricket and that I was looking forward to it. So, we just put our heads together, as I said it was tough going at the start but Nicky put down his head. It was a bit out of character because he is normally very fluid and plays a lot of shots but it was very good in the end.”
The West Indies will commence the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the period 2023-27 with a full home series against India in July and August 2023 followed by a white ball tour by England in December 2023. These form part of over 150 international matches that West Indies will play home and away within the new FTP.
Fans can now start to look forward to planning for home fixtures and away tours over the next five years, starting with India’s all-format tour in 2023 which will feature two Test matches as West Indies’ first home fixture in the new 2025 World Test Championship (WTC). India will also play three One-Day Internationals (ODIS) and five T20 Internationals (T20Is).
England will return to the West Indies in late 2023 for an eight-match white-ball series with three ODIs and five T20Is with a second white-ball tour of the Caribbean in 2024.
The new FTP features an ICC World tournament every year including the ICC T20 World Cup for the West Indies and USA in 2024 and two World Test Championships. West Indies will be playing India, South Africa and Bangladesh at home, and Australia, England and Pakistan away as part of the 2023-2025 World Test Championship. The full West Indies FTP can be found here https://bit.ly/3QSaIXi
The ICC FTP is a result of a collective effort of Full Members with ICC’s coordination and support. The FTP ensures a level of certainty of bilateral cricket fixtures across the three cricket formats. The exact dates and venues for each Series will be announced in due course by Cricket West Indies (CWI) following consultation with each ICC Member nation.
The West Indies have home fixtures against India, England (twice), South Africa, Bangladesh, Australia, Pakistan before the end of 2025 with an enticing schedule away fixtures around the world including defending the Richards-Botham Trophy in England in the summer of 2024.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) President, Ricky Skerritt, and CEO Johnny Grave welcomed the announcement of the new FTP.
“Cricket West Indies (CWI) is pleased that the new Men’s (2023-2027) and Women’s (2023-2025) FTP have been finally agreed. They provide some operational and financial certainty of our medium-term bilateral tours and matches across all formats, against all other Full Member nations. I want to thank our CEO Johnny Grave, and those several other Executives and Chairmen representing the various other Boards, who put many valuable hours into these negotiations,” Skerritt said.
“The major highlight during the period will be our joint hosting of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June 2024, where we will partner with the USA to deliver an event of the highest quality on and off the field. The hosting of the Men’s T20 World Cup should help to inspire the next generation of young West Indians and re-ignite the cricketing passion of our fans in the Caribbean and around the world. Hopefully it will also provide a legacy and catalyst for growth of the sport within the USA. We are also pleased that we have once again been able to secure full windows for the Indian Premier League and Caribbean Premier League for our players as we try to find a balance between our international commitments and the significant earning opportunities for our players from Domestic Leagues,” Grave said.
West Indies spinner, Yannic Cariah, revelled in a successful debut after doing his part in an impressive team bowling performance that helped secure a crucial One Day International (ODI) win over New Zealand on Wednesday.
After receiving his debut cap at the Kensington Oval, ahead of the first ODI in the series, Cariah finished with figures of 1 for 49 in 9 overs. The spinner accounted for the wicket of Michael Bracewell who was dismissed lbw.
The 30-year-old player, a regular in the region’s A-Team, was added to the squad after Gudakesh Motie failed to fully recover from a fractured thumb, which he sustained during the ODI series against India last month.
“It was a great feeling, I worked very hard to reach here. It took longer than I expected but I’m grateful to finally have the opportunity and I’ve enjoyed it so far,” Cariah said of his debut.
Another debutant Kevin Sinclair also reaped success after taking 1 for 37 in the bowling unit's overall strong performance. The charge was led by Akeal Hosein’s 3 for 28 and Alzarri Joseph’s 3 for 36. All-rounder Jason Holder also chipped in with 2 for 39.
“I think we utilized the wicket well. I think Akeal bowled, Sinclair bowled well and all the bowlers, in particular, bowled well. We set up a good chase.”
A classy half-century from West Indies batsman Sharmarh Brooks anchored the team to a five-wicket win over New Zealand and a 1-0 series lead at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Wednesday.
Chasing 190 to win, Brooks put together a responsible 79 from 91 deliveries and formed part of a crucial partnership with Windies captain Nicholas Pooran. The pair put on 75 for the fourth wicket, with Pooran getting 28 from 47.
In pursuit of the total, New Zealand struck an early blow after removing Kyle Mayers for 6. Shai Hope blasted an aggressive looking 26 off 24 but was eventually caught by Tom Latham off the bowling of Tim Southee. Kacey Carty then struggled to 11 from 22 before being mopped up lbw by Mitchell Santner.
Pooran then combined with Brooks to push the score to 149 for 4. After several rain interruptions, Brooks was dismissed shortly after the third time the teams re-took the pitch. The batsman was finally out after edging to Latham off the bowling of Trent Boult. Pooran perished a few overs later but with the damage done Jermaine Blackwood (12) then combined with Jason Holder (13) to see the Windies easy over the line at 193 for 5, with 66 balls remaining.
Boult and Southee took two wickets each for New Zealand.
Earlier after winning the toss and choosing to field Akeal Hosein led a stifling spell by the Windies bowlers, who took wickets at crucial points to ensure New Zealand never got momentum. Hosein picked up figures of 3 for 28, with Windies pace bowler Alzarri Josephs also claiming 3 for 36.
Reigning MLS Cup winners New York City continued their recent slump after suffering a third straight loss, going down 3-1 at home to playoff hopefuls Charlotte FC.
Charlotte's win moves them up to 10th in the Eastern Conference, with the visitors scoring twice in the final quarter of an hour to claim victory.
The defeat means City have only managed one point from their past four games and sit third in the east with 42 points from 25 games.
Karol Swiderski had put Charlotte ahead in the fourth minute despite goalkeeper Sean Johnson's best efforts on the line, but City levelled before the half hour mark via Maxime Chanot's 30-yard strike into the top corner.
City's Anton Tinnerholm struck the crossbar from range before Charlotte found an avenue to victory with Swiderski's clever back-heel for Brandt Bronico to restore their lead in the 77th minute.
The visitors won an injury time penalty after video review which ex-Leicester City defender Christian Fuchs coolly converted to seal all three points.
Domenico Criscito lashed in a spectacular 75th-minute equaliser to earn Toronto a 2-2 draw with New England Revolution.
Filippo Bernadeschi had put Toronto ahead with a 31st-minute spotkick, but the Revs replied with goals either side of half-time from Tom McNamara and Justin Rennicks.
But Criscito intervened when Toronto took a corner short to Michael Bradley who lobbed to the edge of the box towards the former Italy international, who rifled in a left-foot volley.
Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union were beaten 1-0 by FC Dallas with US international Jesus Ferreira scoring the only goal in the 34th minute.
Paul Arriolo broke down the right flank and passed centrally for Ferreira, who showed good skill to create space inside the box and fire a low strike past Union goalkeeper Andre Blake.
New York Red Bulls reinforced their status as playoffs contenders with a 2-1 win at struggling Atlanta United while Vancouver Whitecaps defeated Colorado Rapids 2-1.
West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood admits he is over the moon to be back in the One Day International (ODI) set-up for the first time in almost 8 years.
The stylish 30-year-old batsman has evolved as a red ball specialist over the last few years but was called into the team after recently returning Shimron Hetmyer pulled out of the squad due to personal reasons and allrounder Keemo Paul was ruled out with an injury.
The aggressive batsman has only ever played two ODIs and has a high score of 11 but has long been proposed as an option for the format because of his aggressive scoring instincts. In Test cricket, he averages 31.29 and has three half centuries.
Blackwood is ever to prove that he has improved much as a batsman since his previous two appearances.
“I was over the moon. I’ve always been telling myself that I wanted to come back into the team and make a difference, so right now I have the opportunity to do just that,” Blackwood said.
“My game has developed a lot. I haven’t played regional 50 over cricket in three years because of West Indies duties but in-between that I’ve played a bit and I’ve scored some 100s batting at the top of the order and at number three. So, I have the experience batting the new ball and the old ball.”
West Indies Women return to action on home soil when they host New Zealand Women in an eight-match white-ball tour from September 16 to October 6 in Antigua.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed that the three CG United One-Day Internationals (ODI) and five T20 Internationals (T20I) will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
The CG United ODI Series is scheduled for September 16, 19 and 22 and matches will start at 9.30 am local time, and 8.30 am Jamaica time. The T20Is are scheduled for September 26 to October 6.
All of the T20Is will start at 1.00 pm local time, midday Jamaica time, other than the 4th T20I on Tuesday, October 4 which will start at 10.00 am local time, 9.00 am Jamaica time.
For the CG United ODI Series, West Indies will be looking to build on the progress after reaching the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year.
The team will then look to the five T20I matches as part of their preparations for the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa in January.
Courtney Walsh, West Indies Women’s Head Coach, welcomed the tour and said they will have a keen eye on the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
“I am very happy that we will be hosting New Zealand in the West Indies. They are a very competitive team, and this will make for a great series for our team. As it comes just after we’ve had the Women’s regional tournaments and the Women’s CPL, it will be a great fillip for our players,” Walsh said.
“We are currently holding another specialist camp including some new players, and after the Women’s CPL we will have a second camp in Antigua.
“In addition, the lead selector was with the West Indies U19 Women’s team for their series in Florida and has identified some exciting prospects to consider. So, we should have enough cricket before the New Zealand Series starts. Every series that we play we want to win, and we will be playing a positive brand of cricket. We will also have an eye on the T20 World Cup around the corner. So, this will give the squad a chance to showcase all their skills, and also give us, the coaching staff, a chance to look at what depth we have.”
All eight matches will be streamed live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel. Live ball-by-ball scoring will also be available on the www.windiescricket.com Match Centre.
FULL MATCH SCHEDULE
CG United ODI Series
Friday 16 September: 1st CG United ODI, 9:30 am Eastern Caribbean/8:30 am Jamaica Time
Monday 19 September: 2nd CG United ODI, 9:30 am Eastern Caribbean/8:30 am Jamaica Time
Thursday, 22 September: 3rd United ODI, 9:30 am Eastern Caribbean/8:30 am Jamaica Time
T20I Series
Monday 26 September: 1st T20I, 1:30 pm Eastern Caribbean/12:30 pm Jamaica time
Wednesday 28 September: 2nd T20I, 1:30 pm Eastern Caribbean/12:30 pm Jamaica time
Saturday 1 October: 3rd T20I, 1:30 pm Eastern Caribbean/12:00 pm Jamaica time
Tuesday 4 October: 4th T20I, 10:00 am Eastern Caribbean/9:00 am Jamaica Time
Thursday 6 October: 5th T20I, 1:30 pm Eastern Caribbean/12:00 pm Jamaica time
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