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 7^th wicket.  Later on, he paired with Nicholson Gordon to add 60 for the 9^th 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.

The Barbados Pride bowling duo of Roston Chase and Ramon Simmonds each claimed 3 wickets to restrict the Windward Islands on day 1 of the West Indies Championship, at the Diego Martin Sports Complex, on Wednesday.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat, the Windwards lost opener Devon Smith (11) with just 28 runs on the board and continued to lose wickets in clusters after that.  Denis Smith, Kavem Hodge (24), Alrick Athanaze (9) all got starts but did not carry on.

Teddy Bishop put up the most resistance with 44 from 61 balls and Larry Edwards added a useful 37 from 70 at the bottom of the innings.  Bishop’s innings came to an end when he was bowled by Miguel Cummins, while Chase accounted for Edwards.  Overall, Chase ended with figures of 3 for 44, while Simmonds had 3 for 27.

In response, Raymond Reifer put together an unbeaten 56, while Kraigg Brathwaite added 39 from 83 to close the day at 109 for 1, 94 runs behind the Windwards' first innings total.  Shane Mosely was the batsman that was out for 7.

Jamaica Reggae Boy striker Andre Gray is attracting attention from English Championship club Reading FC after recently parting ways with relegated Watford.

The forward has been a part of the Watford squad since 2017 but spent the last season on loan at Queens Park Rangers.  During his stint at Queens Park Rangers, Gray scored 10 goals as they narrowly missed out on the play-offs.

Gray has had a productive stint in Championship football since joining Burnley in 2015.  The forward notched 20 in 52 at Brentford and 33 in 78 at Burnley before making a reported £17m switch to Hertfordshire in 2017.

According to reports, the player has also drawn interest from Birmingham and Preston North End where another Jamaican Daniel Johnson is a part of the squad.

The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association has laid the blame squarely at the feet of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission for World Athletics' decision not to ratify the World U20 Women 4x100m relay record set on April 17, 2022, during the 49^th staging of the Carifta Games at the National Stadium in Kingston.

On that night, the quartet of Serena Cole, Tina Clayton, Brianna Lyston and Tia Clayton scorched the track in 42.58s eclipsing the time of 42.94 also set by Jamaica at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya in August 2021.

However, World Athletics rejected the time set in Kingston citing that not all four athletes were subjected to anti-doping control. JADCO, in a statement on Wednesday, said they only tested three athletes after the record was set because one of the athletes had been tested the day before after she had won her event. Hence, they took the decision not to test her again.

However, in a statement released later Wednesday, the JAAA, which had contracted JADCO for the three-day meet, made it clear that the Jamaican anti-doping agency did not adhere to their instructions.

“It is a fact that all four athletes were notified by the Jamaica Anti-doping Commission (JADCO) officials and presented themselves to the anti-doping station within the required time window to be tested. Unfortunately, JADCO took the decision, unknown to the JAAA and the NACAC’s Anti-Doping Delegate, not to test the athlete based on a JADCO standard. This was in direct contradiction to oral and written instructions by the JAAA,” the athletics governing body stated.

“It is to be noted that JADCO is the agency that performs anti-doping testing on our athletes both in and out of competition on behalf of the JAAA and was contracted to do so at the NACAC 2022 Carifta Games.”

The JAAA said it sent the performance along with the supporting documentation to World Athletics for ratification and it was only after they did so that it was pointed it that one of the athletes, Tina Clayton, who won the U20 Girls 100m, was not tested on the night of the relay world record.

Lorne Donaldson has been appointed head coach of Jamaica’s National Senior Women’s team ahead of the CONCACAF Women Qualifiers set to begin in Mexico on July 4. He replaces Vin Blaine who resigned from the post in mid-May after a falling out with the players.

 After more than two weeks of searching for a replacement, the Jamaica Football Federation has decided that Lorne Donaldson, a member of the coaching staff that took the Reggae Girlz to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019, is the best person to lead the team into the qualifiers.

“We looked at all the dynamics involved, including the short period to prepare, and agreed that Lorne brings specific advantages to the position including familiarity with the regional football culture and knowledge of the players and is well placed to navigate the team through what will be a difficult qualifying exercise,” said Michael Ricketts, President of the JFF.

“The JFF will give all the necessary support to him and the team, and we are confident that they will make Jamaica proud in Mexico.”

Donaldson’s backroom staff will be named soon.

Donaldson resigned from the Reggae Girlz coaching staff in January 2020, citing a lack of integrity and professionalism at the JFF, and came mere weeks after head coach Hue Menzies resigned in December 2019.

The Concacaf W Championship will take place in Monterrey, Mexico, from July 4 to 18.

Jamaica is drawn into a tough Group A with hosts Mexico, FIFA’s number one ranked the United States and neighbours Haiti. Jamaica will meet hosts Mexico on July 4, the USA on July 7 and Haiti on July 11 in the preliminary round.

The teams in Group B are Canada, Costa Rica, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago.

The top two teams from the two groups will qualify directly for the World Cup, while the third-placed teams will qualify for the intercontinental playoffs.

In addition, the group winners will qualify for the 2024 Olympics and the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup while the second and third-placed teams will advance to the Concacaf Olympic playoff.

The United States are the two-time defending champions, having won the 2014 and 2018 tournaments.

The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) has admitted that it had only tested three of the four members of Jamaica’s Women U20 4x100m relay team on April 17, 2022, after they had established the now rejected world record set at the 2022 Carifta Games held at the National Stadium in Kingston

Meantime, Garth Gayle, President of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), in describing the development as saddening, has indicated that his administration is planning to appeal the World Athletics decision to not ratify the record.

“We are saddened by the situation that four young ladies would be denied the record. The matter is still at a sensitive stage and we would have done the necessary appeals. We are still hopeful that the record will be ratified at a later stage,” he said.

World Athletics has rejected the ratification of the world record because not all members of the team were subjected to doping control. In a lengthy statement Wednesday, (JADCO) sought to explain the circumstances under which they failed to test all four members of the relay team.

“The event was won by the Jamaican team which was comprised of four female athletes. They completed the race with a world record of 42.58. Doping Control was conducted immediately on three of the female athletes,” the JADCO statement said.

“Since one of the athletes was already tested on the 16th of April 2022, a urine sample was not collected from this athlete on the 17th of April 2022. It is customary and in JADCO’s Best Practice in-competition, that if an athlete is tested today in-competition, the said athlete would not be tested the following day in-competition.”

JADCO claims it was instructed to carry out a specific number of tests for each day of the three-day championships that were being held in Jamaica for the first time since 2011.

“The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) was contracted by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) to 18 urine samples throughout the period of the 49th staging of the CARIFTA Games. The Commission was advised to carry 6 urine tests per day with testing being done on any athlete who achieved a national/world record.

On April 16, 2022, six athletes were tested – three Jamaican female athletes, two male Jamaican athletes and one male athlete from the Bahamas.

On April 17, the day the world record was broken, JADCO tested nine athletes – six Jamaican female athletes, one Jamaican male athlete, one female athlete from the US Virgin Islands and one male athlete from the Bahamas.

Six more athletes were tested on April 18, 2022 – three Jamaican male athletes, one Jamaican female athlete, one male athlete from Curacao and one female athlete from the Bahamas.

Going forward, JADCO said they will ensure that all athletes breaking records would be tested.

“The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission has recognized that World Athletics has declined to accept the result of the record-breaking performance of Jamaica’s Women’s U20 4x100m relay team on April 17, 2022, since one of the athletes previously tested by JADCO on April 16, 2022, was not tested on the day the record was broken,” the JADCO statement said.

“Whilst our testing conforms with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) protocols, going forward JADCO will ensure the testing of record-breaking athletes despite the frequency of testing.”

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Famed schoolboy footballer Dennis ‘Den Den’ Hutchinson has died after a prolonged battle with an undisclosed illness at the age of 63, his family confirmed to Sportsmax.TV Wednesday.

Jamaica’s Women’s U20 4x100m relay team has been denied the ratification of the world record set at the 2022 Carifta Games at the National Stadium in Kingston in April.

The record of 42.58 set by Serena Cole, Brianna Lyston, Tia and Tina Clayton while winning gold on April 17, 2022, will not be ratified, World Athletics said, because ‘not all team members were subjected to doping control’ at the completion of the race.

The Executive Director of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) did not respond to calls from Sportsmax.TV. JADCO was responsible for anti-doping controls during the championships/

 Chairman of the JADCO Board Alexander Williams was unable to comment on the matter when he spoke with Sportsmax.TV Wednesday morning. However, he promised to respond to questions once he received the relevant information pertaining to the matter.

Calls to Garth Gayle, President of the Jamaica Athletic Administrative Association (JAAA) went unanswered.

Despite the setback, Jamaica still holds the U20 world record. At the World U20 Championships in Kenya in August 2021, Serena Cole, Tina and Tia Clayton as well as Kerrica Hill established a time of 42.94, which was the time surpassed at the National Stadium in Kingston last month.

Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo’s U20 record of 9.96 set in Gaborone on April 22, was also not ratified because no zero gun test was performed for the timing equipment.”

West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran has expressed delight with the team’s development of strong batting partnerships in a 7 wicket win over the Netherlands, in Amstelveen, on Tuesday.

In the end, the West Indies got to the line with quite a few deliveries to spare, in large part due to a steady 119 by opening batsman Shai Hope.  Hope, however, also received plenty of support at the top of the order, including a 120-run partnership with Sharmarh Brooks for the first wicket.

Nkrumah Bonner didn’t add much to the total in the way o partnerships, after being dismissed without scoring and Pooran might also have done better after adding just 7.  However, another strong partnership between Hope and Brandon King, who added 116 for the fourth wicket, saw the team well over the line.  King added 58 for a maiden half-century.

“The way the batsmen went about it, the opening partnership of 100 plus, that was fantastic.  That’s something we have been working on as a team, just trying to build partnerships,” Pooran said, following the match.

“Hope was excellent, as usual, Sharmarh Brooks got the opportunity to bat and grabbed it with both hands.  Brandon King came and also did well in the end there, he didn’t leave it for anyone.  Kudos to King and Hope for bringing the game home for us,” he added.

West Indies batsman Shai Hope joined some illustrious company after scoring his 11^th One Day International century, against The Netherlands, on Tuesday.

The batsman looked in imperious form as he put together an unbeaten 119 from 130 balls, at the top of the order, to anchor the Caribbean team in a 7-wicket, in Amstelveen.

The immortal innings not only gave the West Indies a 1-0 series lead but also saw Hope join legends Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Viv Richards, and Gordon Greenidge on 11 100s for the men in maroon.  The total is the 4^th highest behind Chris Gayle (25), Brian Lara (19), and Desmond Haynes (17).

“I just like batting, so any opportunity I get I am going to stay out there as long as I can,” Hope said after the match.

“The main priority here is to get the team over the line and I open the batting so that’s just how it works,” he added.

The West Indies and The Netherlands are currently locked in a three-match ODI series.

A magnificent 119 not out from vice-captain Shai Hope ensured the West Indies got their three-match One-Day International tour of the Netherlands off to a winning start with a seven-wicket win via the Duckworth Lewis method in the first game in Amstelveen on Tuesday.

The match was reduced to 45-overs per team after a rain delay during the Netherlands’ innings, an innings that saw them accumulate a competitive 240-7 off their 45 overs, leaving the tourists needing a Duckworth Lewis adjusted 247 for victory.

Debutant Teja Nidamanuru (58 not out), Vikramjit Singh (47) and Max O’Dowd (39) were the main contributors for the hosts against 2-29 off nine overs from Akeal Hosein and 2-50 from nine overs from Kyle Mayers.

West Indies openers Shai Hope and Shamarh Brooks then got the reply off to the perfect start, putting on 120 before Brooks was dismissed in the 24^th over for a well-made 60 off 67 balls, including three fours and two sixes.  That wicket brought Nkrumah Bonner to the crease who lasted for just one delivery, dismissed by Logan Van Beek for a duck.

Captain Nicholas Pooran then made his way to the crease and got to seven before falling to Aryan Dutt to leave the Windies 133-3 off 26.3 overs.

Brandon King then joined Hope at the crease and the pair combined to compile a match-winning 116-run partnership which saw Hope bring up his 11^th ODI hundred and King bring up his maiden ODI half-century.

Hope ended up 119 not out off 130 balls, including 12 fours and two sixes, while King ended 58 not out off 51 balls, including five fours and two sixes.

Logan Van Beek took 2-49 from eight overs for the Dutch.

The second ODI will take place on Thursday.