The Guyana Harpy Eagles will take a 10.2-point lead into their fifth and final round game of the 2022/23 West Indies Championship against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Providence.

The Harpy Eagles defeated the Jamaica Scorpions by 228 runs in round four for their third win to move to 68.2 points.

Second-placed Windward Islands Volcanoes kept pace with the Harpy Eagles at the top with a six-wicket win over the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Brian Lara Stadium to move to 58 points.

Their opponents in the final round will be third-placed Barbados Pride, who have 50 points after beating the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force by seven wickets at the Queen’s Park Oval. That game will take place at the same venue.

The points table is rounded out by the Hurricanes (41.4), the Red Force (28.6) and the Jamaica Scorpions (21.2). The Red Force will play the Scorpions at the Brian Lara Stadium in the final round.

All games start on Wednesday at 9:00am Jamaica Time (10:00 am ECT).

St Kitts and Nevis blanked visiting Aruba 2-0 to extend their lead in Group B of the Concacaf Nations Cup C League at Warner Park on Monday night.

Keithroy Freeman scored in each half for the home side that had Lois Maynard sent off late in the hard-fought encounter.

The win means St Kitts and Nevis’ Sugar Boyz sit atop the group with 10 points from four matches, six points clear of Aruba and St Martin who have four and two points, respectively.

The first real chance of the match came in the 21st minute for the hosts when Omari Sterling-James’ left-footed effort hit the post. His effort was one of 12 shots in the opening period but Aruba.

The Sugar Boyz were eventually rewarded in first-half stoppage time when Keithroy Freeman chipped Aruba goalkeeper and captain Eric Abdul in the 46th minute after chasing down a ball over the top.

Abdul was in fantastic form all night, his finest moment coming in the 74th minute when he parried a thunderbolt from Freeman over the bar.

And though his heroics kept Aruba in the game, his team was forced to open up as they chased an equalizer. This opened them up to a counterattack in the 80th minute that led to Freeman’s second goal.

The Sugar Boyz will return to League B for the next Nations League Cycle and will now play in the Gold Cup preliminary round as they try to qualify for their first ever appearance in the main draw of the competition.

Trinidad and Tobago Olympian Tyra Gittens has gone professional.

The 24-year-old Gittens announced on Instagram on Monday that has signed with Puma.

“Turning dreams into reality. I am proud to announce that I’m a new member of team Puma,” she said.

“The transition into my professional career was not smooth or easy but I have amazing people in my corner who rooted for me when I didn’t feel worthy of it. So excited to start this new chapter of my life.”

Gittens was an outstanding athlete while at Texas A&M University where she excelled at the heptathlon, high jump and long jump events.

In 2021 at SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, she jumped 6.96m to place her inside the top 10 for the year so far and set Trinidad and Tobago records in Heptathlon 6418 points, high jump 1.95 m  and long jump 6.96 m.

However, those 6418 points where just two points shy of the Olympic standard and caused her to miss 2020 Tokyo Olympics in that event.

However, she did qualify for the Olympics where she jumped 6.60m to finish 10^th overall.

She struggled for form in 2022, when she jumped 6.27m for 11^th place at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. She was also well below her best in the high jump clearing 1.76m for 14^th place in the high jump.

At the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon that year she only managed 6.44m for 19^th place in the long jump.

She was fourth at the NACAC Senior Championships with her best effort of 6.25m.

Later that year, Gittens transferred from Texas A&M to University of Texas citing a need to shift her focus from the heptathlon to the long and high jump events.

“I don’t feel like I outgrew it because I still have a lot of things that I wanted to do in the hep and accomplish in the hep. But at the same time, you kind of have to feel your body. It’s a lot to do the hep, I’m not going to lie, and so I wanted to challenge myself in other ways,” said Gittens in a media interview in 2022.

Now, armed with her Puma contract, Gittens can now turn her focus to the Paris Olympics in 2024.

“My goals are not something you necessarily can write down. It’s more of a feeling and how I carry myself and how I adapt and how I push through all of the things that has led me here. I think that’s what my goal is for this year  — to overcome a lot of things that the younger Tyra wouldn’t have been able to,” she said.

Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, Jaydon Hibbert and Serena Cole headline the squad selected to represent Jamaica at the 50^th edition of the CARIFTA Games scheduled for April 8-10 in Nassau, Bahamas.

Nkrumie will compete in the 100m after winning the event in 10.19 at Jamaica’s CARIFTA Trials held at the National Stadium earlier this month.

The 19-year-old ran a national junior record 10.02 for 100m silver at the World Under-20 Championships in Cali last year, a race won in a world junior record 9.91 by Botswanan sensation Letsile Tebogo.

Hibbert, an 18-year-old freshman at Arkansas University, won the NCAA Indoor triple jump title in Albuquerque in March with a magnificent 17.54m, a World Junior Record. He also won gold at the World U-20 Championships last year in a meet record 17.27m.

Cole will compete in both the long jump and the 100m in Nassau. She won the 100m at the CARIFTA Trials in an impressive 11.18 and was third in the long jump with 5.84m. She was also a silver medallist at the World U-20 Championships last year, running 11.14 to finish behind countrywoman Tina Clayton.

The full team is as follows:

Female U-17: Natrece East, Tiana Marshall, Shanoya Douglas, Rosalee Gallimore, Kevongaye Fowler, Kededra Coombs, Bryana Davidson, Camoy Binger, Rhianna Lewis, Sashana Johnson, Shanniqua Williams, Asia Mckay, Sabrina Atkinson, Dionjah Shaw, Shemonique Hazle, Breana Brown, Alikay Reynolds, Abigail Campbell.

Female U20: Serena Cole, Alana Reid, Carleta Bernard, Rickiann Russell, Kacian Powell, Kishay Rowe, Rickeisha Simms, Jody-Ann Mitchell, Kaydeen Johnson, Habiba Harris, Alexis James, Tonyan Beckford, Alliah Baker, Jade-Ann Dawkins, Deijanae Bruce, Cedricka Williams, Abigail Martin, Britannia Johnson, Britannie Johnson.

Male U-17: Tramaine Todd, Khamani Gordon, Donte Mendez, Dontae Watson, Kenrick Sharpe, Nickecoy Bramwell, Rasheed Pryce, Joel Morgan, Delano Todd, Tyrone Lawson, Kahiem Carby, Shakir Lewis, DeAndre Gayle, Demarco Bennett, Euan Young, Courtney Kinglock, Michael Neil, Joseph Salmon, Javontae Smith, Ronaldo Anderson.

Male U-20: Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, De Andre Daley, Malique Smith Band, Javorne Dunkley, Delano Kennedy, Jasauna Dennis, Kemarrio Bygrave, Ainsley Brown, Ainsley Campbell, Shaquane Gordon, Demario Prince, Roshawn Clarke, Antonio Forbes, Royan Walters, Brandon Pottinger, Chavez Penn, Jaydon Hibbert, Kobe Lawrence, Shaiquan Dunn, Tyreese Ebanks.

Management team: Chef De Mission: Maulton Campbell, Manager: Richard Thompson, Assistant Manager: Richard Thompson, Assistant Manager: Desrine Anderson, Technical Leader: David Riley, Doctor: Dr. Jason Dawson, Coach: Keilando Gobourn, Coach: Dave Anderson, Coach: Demar Gayle, Coach: Richard Smith, Coach: Kamille Ellis, Coach: Jeremy Deslliser, Massage Therapist: Orville Crawford.

South Africa and the West Indies played one of the most amazing games of cricket you will ever see at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday.

In the second of three T20Is, the two teams combined for a record 517 runs including 81 boundaries and 35 sixes as the hosts needed just 18.5 overs to chase down a mammoth 258 set by the West Indies.

The catalyst behind the West Indies’ massive total was an innings from top-order batsman Johnson Charles that can only be described as special.

The 34-year-old right-hander, batting at number three, eclipsed Chris Gayle’s record for fastest T20I hundred for the West Indies, 47 balls against England at the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup, when he brought up his maiden T20I century off just 39 balls.

Charles eventually made 118 off 46 balls including 10 fours and 11 sixes. He said the key to his innings was understanding the conditions.

“You know as a batsman, with such a good pitch and such a small ground, that you don’t have to over-hit the ball. I think that was one of the key points that all the batsmen had in the back of their minds,” he said in a press conference after the game.

This continues a remarkable career resurgence for the St. Lucian, who was a member of the victorious West Indian sides at the 2012 and 2016 ICC T20 World Cups.

After representing the regional side in a three-match T20I series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in 2016, Charles was dropped, with many writing him off completely.

“I think being out of the T20 side for six years definitely allowed me to do some soul searching and see where I’ve been going wrong,” Charles said.

After six years on the outside looking in, Charles finally got a second chance to don the West Indian colors when he was, surprisingly to many, selected for the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup in Australia after an excellent 2022 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which saw him finish as the third-highest run-scorer with 345 runs in nine innings, including four fifties.

Charles played two games at the World Cup and recorded scores of 45 and 22 against Zimbabwe and Ireland, respectively.

Earlier this year, he played an integral role in leading the Comilla Victorians to their fourth Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) title, making 308 runs in nine innings, including a century and a fifty.

“I’ve gone back to the basics,” was Charles’ response to questions about how he has revived his batting.

“I made sure I have those down pat. Just coming back, it’s worked for me and, going forward, I’m just going to have to make sure that I keep focusing on the basics. If I continue doing that then I’ll keep on having great innings,” Charles added.

Hopefully, Charles can continue this form when the West indies take on the South Africans in the decisive third T20I at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

Jhanielle Fowler was perfect from the field and needed to be as the defending Suncorp Super League Netball Champions West Coast Fever held off GIANTS to win by a single goal 74-73 on Saturday at the Ken Rosewall Arena.

The Fever’s shooters missed just once with Sasha Glasgow scoring five goals from her six attempts and hit crucial super shots in the thrilling encounter that ended with the defending champions going 2-0 in their first two games of the season. They won both games by one goal.

Reigning MVP Fowler scored 59 goals from as many attempts and has now scored 167 straight goals without a miss in the league. Her last miss came during the first quarter of last season’s final.

The GIANTS welcomed back Maddie Hay and Jo Harten into their line-up and they proved to be exactly what their team needed. Still, the Fever led 21-20 at the end of the first quarter.

On the back of Fowler’s accurate shooting, the Fever opened up a lead, which extended to as wide as 10 goals but were eventually reeled in by the GIANTS, who were eventually outscored 19-17 in the second quarter to lead by three at the half.

Harten scored 22 goals from 23 attempts and Sophie Dwyer 21 from 24 as GIANTS looked to rally but were forced to depend heavily on super shots to keep them close to the champions who outscored them 23-15 in the third quarter.

However, the GIANTS did rally with Harten and Dwyer shooting the lights out to outscore The Fever 21-11 in the final quarter but the lead proved too much to overcome.

Over at the Nissan Arena, Kadie-Ann Dehaney’s Sunshine Coast Lightning defeated Queensland Firebirds 65-55. Meanwhile, a power outage at the SA Netball Stadium resulted in a 25-25 tie between the Adelaide Thunderbirds and the New South Wales Swifts.

Romelda Aiken-George had scored 15 goals from 19 attempts when the game was called off.

Mexico and Jamaica played to a 2-2 draw in the final encounter in Group A of League A in the 2022–23 Concacaf Nations League at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico.

The tie assures Mexico the top spot in the group and a place in the Concacaf Nations League  finals in June.

Jamaica goalkeeper Jahmali Waite started for the visitors and made a pivotal save early to deny Hector Moreno in the 6’, as the home side looked dangerous early on set pieces.

Bobby De Cordova-Reid placed the Reggae Boyz in the lead with a right-footed laser from outside the box in the 8’, marking his third international goal and first in a League A match.

The hosts responded shortly after as Orbelín Pineda pounced on a rebound inside the box in the 17’, tying the encounter at one apiece.

Jamaica regained the lead off a corner kick in the 33’ when the service from De Cordova-Reid bounced off the left thigh of Edson Álvarez for an own goal.

The match was temporarily suspended due to lightning in the 34’ and restarted as soon as conditions were deemed safe to resume.

After the restart, Hirving Lozano was denied by the top post in the 43’ as Mexico was inching closer to the tying goal.

Henry Martin was brought down inside the box by defender Ravel Morrison as Mexico earned a penalty in the first minute into injury time. Hirving Lozano converted in the 45'+2 to tie 2-2.

Luis Chavez attempted to test Waite from long range in the 54’ but the shot went just wide.

Guillermo Ochoa came up with a quick-witted save in the 57’ on a Jamaica corner headed by Shamar Nicholson.

Second half substitute Diego Laínez saw his own attempt denied by the woodwork in the 75’ as the home side continued to search for the victory.

Lozano nearly had his second of the night, and the potential game-winner, in second half injury time but the attempt was just inches from the far post.

Haiti, Canada, Costa Rica and Honduras all qualified for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup following the results of their matches on Saturday in the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League.

Haiti defeated Montserrat 4-0 to claim the top spot in Group B of League B to clinch their Gold Cup place.

 Canada topped Curacao 2-0 to secure at least a second-place finish in Group C of League A, thus qualifying them for the Gold Cup. Even though they were not in action, the Canada win also assured Honduras a berth in this summer’s Gold Cup as well.

 Costa Rica will also play in the Gold Cup again after rallying late from a 1-0 deficit to claim a 2-1 win in Martinique in Group B of League A.

 Haiti, Canada, Costa Rica and Honduras join the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Panama and Jamaica as teams that have punched their ticket to this summer’s tournament.

 The winners and second-place finishers from the League A groups and the winners of each group in League B group will directly for the Gold Cup.

 The second-place teams from the League B groups and the third-place teams from League A will join the winners of each League C group in the Gold Cup Prelims.

Shericka Jackson and Sada Williams produced standout performances at the Velocity Fest meeting at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday when rising star Tina Clayton took the scalp of Briana Williams in their first encounter as professionals over 200m.

Jackson was the toast of the meet with a stirring run down the home stretch to clock a meet record and season best 50.92, her fastest time ever in March. The reigning world 200m champion has her eyes set on going faster than the 21.45 she ran to win her first ever global title in Eugene, Oregon last summer and on the evidence of what she has accomplished so far this season building on her endurance, she is well on track.

Coming off the final turn, Jackson running in lane six, found herself trailing Elite Performance’s Stacey-Ann Williams, the Olympic 4x400m bronze medallist and simply shifted gears to surge past the 24-year-old quarter-miler towards the finish line.

Williams ran a creditable 51.59 for second place while Commonwealth Games 400m hurdles champion Janieve Russell finished third in 52.77.

The men’s race was equally thrilling with 2022 Carifta Games champion Roshawn Clarke, who is now at Swept Track Club, holding off the field to win in a personal best 45.85.

Titan’s International runner Assinie Wilson clocked 45.95 for second place. Malik Kymani James King ran a season-best 46.39 for third.

The 200m races were run in an ‘A’ and a ‘B’ and both were interesting for different reasons.

The ‘A’ final featured World Championship bronze medalist Sada Williams of Barbados, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion and she looked every bit the part as she ran down Toyko 4x100m relay gold medallist Natasha Morrison to win in a season-best 22.98.

Morrison held on for second place in 23.24 while Tovea Jenkins was third in 23.91.

The ‘B’ final had two of Jamaica’s rising sprint stars, Briana Williams, who celebrated her 21^st birthday on Tuesday, March 21 and 18-year-old Tina Clayton, the World U20 100m champion.

In truth, it was expected to be a close contest, but it wasn’t.

Clayton running inside Williams’ surged past her elder rival midway the curve and extended her lead once she hit the straight before going on to win in 23.69. Williams, who got a poor start and ran a poor curve, tightened up down the stretch and was passed by Indian sprinter Srabandi Wada, who finished second in 23.98, forcing the Jamaican to settle for fourth in a disappointing 24.03.

The Men’s 100m final proved to be anti-climactic as the three main protagonists Zharnel Hughes, Julian Forte and Nigel Ellis, all of whom looked sharp in their preliminary heats, were disqualified after false starts.

Without them, Canada’s Brendon Rodney stormed to victory in a personal best 10.17, just ahead of Wolmer’s Boys Jehlani Gordon who ran a personal best 10.22 and the ‘msyterious’ Sachin Dennis, who was third in a season-best 10.23.

Tyler Mason came up trumps in the 110m hurdles winning in 13.68, well clear of Odario Phillips 13.83 and LaFranz Campbell 13.85.

Elvis Graham of GC Foster established a meet record 74.58m to win the javelin over Oraine Thomas (68.97m) and Devon Spencer 68.32m.

Fedrick Dacres threw 64.29m to win the men’s discus ahead of clubmate Traves Smikle (63.77), and Kai Chang of the University of the West Indies (60.69m

Quinton de Kock's sensational century propelled South Africa to a remarkable six-wicket victory over West Indies in a thrilling T20I after a record-breaking knock from Johnson Charles at Centurion.

Charles' astonishing 118 from 46 balls and an excellent 51 from Kyle Mayers got the Windies to what looked to be a series-winning total of 258-5 on Sunday.

Yet De Kock (100 off 44) had other ideas, with South Africa's former captain leading the Proteas to a sensational triumph and the highest successful run chase in T20Is.

By the end of the third over the hosts had scored 62 without loss, and they added an additional 20 runs from the next 18 deliveries. South Africa's total of 102-0 from the first six overs is the highest powerplay score in a T20I involving Test-playing nations, and the fastest first hundred runs scored in a T20I involving a full ICC member.

In the process, De Kock struck South Africa's quickest 50, from just 15 balls – the fifth-fastest half-century in the shortest format.

De Kock should have been caught in the deep shortly after, but did not let up as he cruised to his maiden T20I century, taking just 42 deliveries to get there, before falling to Raymon Reifer soon after.

Reeza Hendricks (68 from 28 balls) picked up the slack, though he followed Rilee Rossouw (16) in heading back to the pavilion when the Windies claimed wickets in swift succession in the 12th and 13th overs.

Romario Shepherd caught David Miller to hand West Indies a further flash of hope, yet three big hits from new captain Aiden Markram (38) put the Proteas back in control as they cantered to victory and levelled the series.

Charles' record ton overshadowed

If it was not for De Kock's sparkling knock, Charles would have been the story.

His century, which came from 39 deliveries and included 11 sixes and 10 fours, was the fastest T20I hundred by a West Indies player, surpassing a record set by Chris Gayle in 2016 (47 balls). Unfortunately for the tourists, it was not enough.

Bad day for the bowlers

It was certainly a day for the batters at SuperSport Park. South Africa's bowlers set the tone for what was to come as they struggled to keep the Windies under wraps, despite Wayne Parnell (2-42) dismissing Brandon King in the first over.

The Windies attack then suffered as De Kock, Hendricks and then Markram put them to the sword in a stunning display.

As of this year, the annual run and walk event, known as Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K, will no longer offer a marathon segment.

In making the announcement Saturday, race director Alfred ‘Frano’ Francis said it had become necessary to restructure the event as “we have been constantly challenged to provide the same level of runner care to our marathoners as those participating in the half marathon and 10K events. “

Francis said the change had been on the table for some time but the board of directors of the world-renowned sporting event took the decision to eliminate the marathon during the 2023 staging. However, the half marathon and 10K will remain as part of the brand’s offerings.

“Of course, we are disappointed that we have had to discontinue the marathon segment of the popular run/walk, but we have come to the realization that the challenges are greater than our ability to provide the best experience for our marathoners. With this change, we can now focus comfortably on providing the best experience for the participants in our Half Marathon & 10k events, as well as to our supporters and partners", Mr. Francis said.

The annual Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon &10K was launched in 2000 and is organized by the Jamdammers Running Club of Kingston

Over the past 23 years, the event has had runners from over 35 countries participating, with the inclusion of virtual races in the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic. The brand’s reach also expanded exponentially across the world with the use of the various digital platforms.

The 23rd staging of the event takes place in Negril on Sunday, December 3, 2023 with the usual 5:15 a.m. start time.

Dr Kishore Shallow was elected unopposed as the new president of Cricket West Indies at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting in Antigua on Saturday. He will have Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board President Asim Bassarath as his vice president.

Dr. Shallow succeeds Ricky Skerritt, who decided not to seek a third term. Skerritt became president in 2019 after defeating three-term president Dave Cameron in Kingston.

The new president, who also leads the Windward Islands Cricket Board, has promised significant changes to the way the CWI operates going forward. Those changes will manifest atop four key pillars that include cricket development; human capital, commercial and marketing as well as governance.

In a recent interview, Dr Shallow said he intends to invest in the development of young cricketers from the grassroots to the senior level while establishing a culture of pride and passion for West Indies cricket.

The new president also plans to incorporate modern-day best practices that align with Caribbean culture as well as implementing a viable and lucrative commercial model to enhance revenue streams for Cricket West Indies.

Atlanta United lost their position atop the MLS' Eastern Conference standings after a surprise 6-1 hammering at the hands of the Columbus Crew on Saturday.

Atlanta boasted three wins and a draw from their first four matches of the season – and had won their past two by a combined margin of 8-1 – but they were no match for an inspired Columbus outfit in front of their home fans.

Crew forward Christian Ramirez bagged a brace in the second half, while Alexandru Matan was credited with three assists in Columbus' second win of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Seattle Sounders striker Jordan Morris raced out into the Golden Boot lead with a four-goal haul in his side's 4-1 away win against Sporting Kansas City.

The 28-year-old American more than doubled his three goals from the opening four matches, opening up a two-goal lead on rest of the competition.

With Atlanta going down, it was the New England Revolution capitalising and taking over as the Eastern Conference leaders, overcoming a first-half strike from Christian Benteke to defeat D.C. United 2-1.

The loss left D.C. near the bottom of the standings with four points from five matches, where they are joined by Charlotte after their 1-1 home draw against New York Red Bulls.

Cincinnati are the only undefeated team in the East through five matches, securing their third win with a 1-0 triumph over Nashville, to go with two draws as they sit one point behind New England.

A 92nd-minute winner gave the Chicago Fire a 3-2 victory away from home against Inter Miami – their first win of the season – while two goals in the first 10 minutes were enough for Orlando City to prevail 2-1 against the Philadelphia Union.

LA Galaxy remain winless after battling out a 0-0 draw against the Portland Timbers, while it was more dramatic for the Vancouver Whitecaps as they needed a 98th minute equaliser to snatch a point in their 1-1 tie with Minnesota.

Austin FC let a golden opportunity to climb the Western Conference slip away as they dropped points in a 1-1 home draw against the cellar-dwelling Colorado Rapids, who doubled their points tally for the season with the result.

A 55th-minute penalty from Amine Bassi was enough to give the Houston Dynamo a 1-0 win against New York City, while expansion side St. Louis City continued their perfect start to their first season with a convincing 4-0 drubbing of Real Salt Lake, leaving them the only side with the maximum 15 points from five matches.

In the late window, Los Angeles FC benefitted from a first-half red card to defeat FC Dallas 2-1, while Toronto FC battled out a scoreless draw with the San Jose Earthquakes.