Clemson sprinter Kiara Grant started her 2023 collegiate season in ominous form with a personal best and world leading 7.09 seconds to win the 60m at the Red Raider Open at the Sports Performance Centre in Lubbock, Texas on Friday.
The 22-year-old former Alpha standout’s time was also a new ACC record, shattering Tonya Carter’s record of 7.15 seconds, which had stood for 23 years. She is also now the joint eighth-fastest Jamaican in the event.
American Marybeth Sant-Price, the World Indoor bronze medalist from last year, was second in 7.18 with Sedrickia Wynn of Texas State taking third place with a time of 7.35.
Elsewhere, Jamaican Texas Tech sprint hurdler Demisha Roswell produced a time of 7.98 seconds to finish second in the 60m hurdles.
The 25-year-old Vere Technical alum, who lowered her 100m hurdles personal best to 12.44 last season, was beaten by Kentucky’s Masai Russell who ran a collegiate record 7.75 for victory.
LSU’s Leah Phillips was third in 8.14.
New Zealand got the better of the West Indies Rising Stars, defeating them by 10 wickets in their final Group C match of the ICC Women’s U19 World Cup at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on Thursday.
Despite the loss, Head Coach Steve Liburd was pleased with the team’s performance in the group stage, “We came up short today, but we had two good victories against Ireland and Indonesia, which qualified us into the Super6s of the inaugural ICC Women’s U19 World Cup, so for us that in itself is a big achievement.”
Liburd added, “Our focus now is the two games we have in the Super6s to secure one of the semi-final spots. But to me, one of the biggest positives is to see the girls continue their growth and development in their cricket journey in this tournament and after we leave South Africa.”
Qualification for the Super Sixes is determined by log standings. Each team in the Super Sixes takes the points won against the other qualifiers in their group through to the Super Sixes stage.
Group A winners Bangladesh, England (Group B), New Zealand (Group C) and India (Group D) are all moving onto the next stage with maximum points (4). Runners up Australia (Group A), Pakistan (Group B), West Indies (Group C) and South Africa (Group D) each take two points with them into the Super Sixes, by virtue of beating the third-placed teams.
Teams will face opposition from groups they were not in but will not play against those who finished the group stage in the same log position. Therefore, Group winners Bangladesh (A) and India (D) will not play against each other, though they are in the same Super Sixes group.
The same applies for runners-up such as Pakistan (B) and West Indies (C), who are now in one group, but will not face each other.
Each team will play two fixtures in the Super Sixes, with the top two sides in both groups qualifying for the semi-finals on 27 January. The final is scheduled for 29 January.
Rising Stars Super6s match schedule
January 22- vs Rwanda- 7:45am Eastern Caribbean/6:45am Jamaica time, Potchefstroom
January 25- vs England- 7:45am Eastern Caribbean/6:45am Jamaica time, Potchefstroom
Following their comprehensive review of matters related to the performance of the West Indies Men’s team, and their early exit from at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia last year, the independent three-member group appointed by Cricket West Indies (CWI) has submitted their report to CWI President Ricky Skerritt.
The group was chaired by Justice Patrick Thompson Jr., a High Court Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, and included Brian Lara, the West Indies batting legend and current IPL T20 Head Coach, and South African international cricket coach, Mickey Arthur.
Commenting on the report, CWI President Ricky Skerritt said: “The quality of this report lends itself to becoming the foundation of the learning and planning culture that we have envisaged for the sustainable improvement of all our cricket teams. It brings great promise and direction after the grave disappointment of our T20 World Cup results. I am extremely grateful for the panel’s commitment to lend so much of their valuable time to this important review project, including carefully interviewing more than 30 players, coaches, administrators, directors, and other stakeholders who I am told spoke so willingly and frankly to the panel. The independent group’s report has been circulated to CWI’s Board of Directors and I look forward to the Board agreeing to implement the 34 recommendations as soon as possible.”
Charlotte FC have confirmed defender Anton Walkes died following an accident on Thursday.
The former Tottenham academy player was 25.
Walkes, who was born in London, had played in MLS since 2020, when he joined Atlanta United after leaving Portsmouth.
He moved to Charlotte for the 2022 season after being selected in the 2021 MLS expansion draft. He made 23 league appearances in his debut season.
Following his shock death, Charlotte paid tribute to the family man.
"Everyone at [the club] is devastated by the tragic passing of Anton Walkes," Owner David Tepper said in a statement. "He was a tremendous son, father, partner and teammate whose joyous approach to life touched everyone he met.
"Anton made those around him better people in all areas of life and represented Charlotte FC to the highest standard both on and off the pitch.
"He will be greatly missed by many and our thoughts and prayers are with Anton's family during this heart-breaking time. The club offers its full support to all those impacted during this period of mourning."
West Indies Women captain Hayley Matthews is relieved to have the additional firepower of players returning from injury, heading into the team’s upcoming T20 series against South Africa and India.
Ahead of its three-team series, the Windies Women will be bolstered by the return of former captain and star all-rounder Stafanie Taylor, bowler’s Shamilia Connell, Shakera Selman and Britney Cooper. Cooper was not injured, but the experienced middle order batsman will be playing in the team for the first time since 2021.
Taylor, in the meantime, has not featured for the team since the second ODI against New Zealand in September. It’s safe to say Matthews has noticed the absence of the team’s more experienced players.
The Windies have struggled to make an impact at the crease, recently, losing 3-0 last month in their ODI series against England, and 5-0 in the T20 format.
“It’s really good to have a lot of our players back. We had a couple of injuries over the past couple months which at the same time would have given some of the younger players really good opportunity,” Matthews told members of the media.
“But to have the senior core back, really gives us a strong team coming into a series like this. We’re thankful to have her (Taylor) back and know she’s been the gel of this team for quite some time now and has so much experience and knowledge on the game,” she added.
“Hopefully she gets an opportunity to go out there and get things rolling before the World Cup comes up.”
With the Women’s T20 World Cup set to begin next month, the team will play at least four matches in the upcoming series, playing two matches each against South Africa and India. The two top teams will then play each other in the Tri-Series final on February 2.
Dominican Triple Jumper Thea Lafond has been named by Dominican newspaper The Chronicle as their 2022 Person of the Year.
“Thank you to The Chronicle for this honor and for listening to my story,” said Lafond-Gadson in a post in Instagram.
“2022 was a truly blessed year! Let’s make 2023 even better,” she added.
The 28-year-old Lafond enjoyed a career-best season in the triple jump in 2022.
In addition to a gold medal at the NACAC Championships in August, she took home silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham later that month and enjoyed a fifth-place finish at the World Championships in Eugene in July and a fourth-place finish at the World Indoor Championships in Beograd in March.
Lafond also won the triple jump at the Rabat Diamond League in June.
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite believes his new opening partner Tagenarine Chanderpaul is well on the way to becoming a world class player, following an impressive debut last month.
The 26-year-old Chanderpaul, the son of legendary West Indies player Shivnarine Chanderpaul, earned plenty of plaudits after beginning his senior career against top Test team Australia last month.
On debut against the Aussies, Chanderpaul scored 160 runs, which was the second most behind the in-form Brathwaite, and had a top score of 51. In addition to his scoring, however, the player's relative comfort against top-class bowling on a good pitch was also of note.
“I think he’s world class, when you even look at a thing like the ‘leave alone’ that he has,” Brathwaite told member of the media, ahead of the team's tour of Southern Africa.
“...I think he will be a world class Test batsman, obviously he has the patience and you can see he has still the shots also. On some good Australian pitches his strike rate was higher than normal, so I really think he has a bright future,” he added.
“He is a very focussed player and very determined, so for sure he will make many West Indian’s proud.”
Brathwaite and Chanderpaul will look to lead from the front, as the team looks to bounce back from a poor showing in Australia last month.
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite expects major improvements from the team’s batsmen ahead of upcoming series against Zimbabwe and South Africa.
With the exception of productive cameos from Brathwaite and his opening partner Tagenarine Chanderpaul, the team’s last series against Australia proved to be a chastening experience, especially at the crease.
Over the course of two matches and four innings only Brathwaite, Chanderpaul and Roston Chase managed a half century. In addition, the Australians won the first Test by a massive 419 runs, where the Windies were embarrassingly bowled out for 77 in the second innings.
“We didn’t get the big scores, we didn’t get the big first innings scores that I would have liked. Going into Zimbabwe, especially at home, we know it won’t be a rollover,” Brathwaite told members of the media on Thursday.
“I really look forward to the batters spending time to get runs on the board. I think that will be crucial for us setting up the game to win it,” he added.
“We have to show our worth, I think the batters need to come and show more fight because Zimbabwe will not be easy at home. It’s not like we are going to show up and just get runs against Zimbabwe.”
Despite expecting a difficult task, the team can head into the encounter with some confidence having never lost to Zimbabwe in 10 encounters to date.
The West Indies Rising Stars defeated Indonesia U-19 Women by 77 runs at the North-West University Oval, to remain unbeaten at the ICC Women’s U19 World Cup.
The result saw the Caribbean team move into second spot behind leader New Zealand in Group C, with 4 points and a Net run Rate of +2.100. The team will next be in action when they play New Zealand on Thursday at the JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom – 7:45am Eastern Caribbean/6:45am Jamaica. The top three teams from each group will move on to the Super12s.
In assessing the team’s performance head coach Steve Liburd was pleased to see the team’s hard work and planning bearing fruition.
"It's very pleasing to see us continuing to build on what we've learnt on the previous tours to the USA and India. The girls stuck to the processes and it's pleasing to see them reaping the rewards. Zaida (James) is reaping the rewards of the hardworking she's done at camps and over the holidays, it's good to seeing her put her hand up and taking charge of leading the innings."
James scored another half-century 55 from 37 balls and an unbeaten knock of 35 (14 balls) from Bajan batter Trishan Holder led the West Indies U-19s to 176 for 3 after 20 overs.
James also added a wicket in scores of 1 for 21, but it was TT’s Djenaba Joseph who was the standout performer with the ball. Joseph took 3 for 14 in four overs and effected one of three run-outs as Indonesia closed out their 20 overs on 99 for 9, still 77 runs short of the target.
"Each player understands their roles, that's why we've been having the contributions from the likes of Naijanni, Tristan, Shunelle and Zaida with the bat, Kudos to them. We have Jannillea Glasgow with her experience on the West Indies Women's Senior team, is taking the lead with the fast-bowling attack, so the bowlers are holding their own. Our captain is very inquisitive and intelligent, she commands the respects of her teammates and we have really good leadership discussions, which for is very comforting for us as coaches."
Josef Martinez has left Atlanta United for Inter Miami, replacing the retired Gonzalo Higuain.
Miami announced the deal on Wednesday after Atlanta confirmed they had agreed a contract buyout with the player.
Martinez had been with Atlanta since their debut MLS season in 2018 and is the club's record scorer with 111 goals.
In the 2018 season, he teamed up with Miguel Almiron to lead the Five Stripes to MLS Cup glory.
Martinez was the MLS MVP, MLS All-Star MVP and MLS Cup MVP in that campaign, as well as winning the Golden Boot and scoring the opening goal in the title match.
Atlanta went on to win the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup the following year but have increasingly struggled since Almiron's record-breaking move to Newcastle United in the Premier League.
They missed out on the playoffs in two of the past three years, and Martinez has now moved on to join Eastern Conference rivals Miami.
Under Phil Neville, Miami enjoyed their best season in 2022, finishing sixth in the East, but Higuain's retirement had left a gaping hole in their attack.
"Josef is a champion and adding him to our group is exciting for us as we head into the 2023 season," said sporting director Chris Henderson.
"He's been one of the best players in the league since he first arrived and we believe he'll make a difference here at Inter Miami.
"We're adding a proven goalscorer with a track record of success in MLS. We're thrilled to have a player like Josef in our attack."
Martinez added: "I'm excited for the opportunity to represent Inter Miami and give the best of myself.
"This is a club with high aspirations and that aims to be amongst the best in the league. I hope to help the team achieve its objectives and leave my mark at the club."
Atlanta technical director Carlos Bocanegra said: "Josef has played a pivotal role in Atlanta United's history, scoring memorable goals and hoisting multiple trophies for moments that will forever live with our supporters.
"He was a foundational piece who was responsible for helping build our brand into what it is today.
"We cannot thank him enough for his contributions to the club and the community over the last six years. He will always be part of Atlanta United and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours."
West Indies batting legend Gordon Greenidge has revealed that he no longer feels the pain of watching the regional team struggle. His secret, turn off the television.
As one half one of a devastating batting duo, the other being Desmond Haynes, for a Windies team that rarely found itself on the losing end, it is completely understandable how the Caribbean team’s recent failures would be a cause of discomfort.
The Windies' struggles now date back decades but recently things have seemed particularly grim. At the last two World Cups, the team failed to progress from the preliminary rounds, while in the Test arena, a recent demolition at the hands of Australia will hardly have inspired feelings of all-conquering nostalgia.
“It used to hurt me but it doesn’t hurt me anymore because I don’t watch cricket anymore. Only if it is Test cricket and only if it is about a young player, who I have heard about, I will try my best to go and watch that kid play and make my own judgment about what I feel about that player," Greenidge told SportStar.
The former batsman’s recent grievances, however, run deeper than just the poor performance of the West Indies team. Greenidge has also expressed concern for the longest format of the sport, where he scored 7558 runs, and its continued relevance and longevity in the face of the blossoming of several T20 leagues around the globe
“On a personal note, I would not like to see 50-over withdrawn and just T20 being played. I believe T20 is a spectator’s sport, and it is no anymore a cricketer’s sport. Yes, cricketers play, but T20, for me, is like fast food. Test cricket is real cricket. From Test cricket, we came to 50-over, then T20, and now we are going to 10-over, where will we go from here maybe one-over or two-over per side? Keep the cricket alive but don’t banish Test cricket, that is the real cricket we all are here for, we all grew up with.”
The Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) Men’s Selection Panel on Tuesday announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test Series in Zimbabwe, starting on 4 February. The Selection Panel recalled experienced fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, as well as left-arm spinners Gudakesh Motie and Jomel Warrican.
Gabriel has taken 161 wickets in 56 Tests, placing him joint 12th in the West Indies all-time wicket-takers list and more recently was the joint-leading wicket taker in the CG United Super50 Cup for the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in November last year.
Gabriel’s last Test Match was against Sri Lanka in November 2021. Warrican’s last international appearance was also in Sri Lanka in December 2021 when he played in both matches in the Test Series. Motie made his Test debut for West Indies in Antigua in June 2022 in the first Test of the two-match Series victory against Bangladesh.
Jayden Seales is unavailable for selection following a knee injury and subsequent surgery; while Anderson Phillip is also unavailable due to injury.
Lead Selector, The Most Hon Dr Desmond Haynes said: “This is the start of the international calendar for 2023 and we will hope to start with a win. We appreciate it won’t be as easy assignment as Zimbabwe, like most other teams in world cricket, play very well on their home soil on pitches that will support their style of play.”
Haynes added: “We looked at the conditions we anticipate playing in, and have included two left-arm spinners who didn’t go to Australia in Motie and Warrican. With our fast bowlers, Seales has done extremely well for us since he started back in 2021, but with him unavailable we have decided that Gabriel would be best able to fill that role. He (Gabriel) is an experienced bowler who has been at the international level for over 10 years and has knowledge of the conditions in Zimbabwe when we won there in 2017.”
West Indies will play both Test matches at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, with the first Test running from 4 to 8 February, and the second match from 12 to 16 February. Ahead of the two-Test Series, West Indies will have a three-day warm-up match against a local side set for 28 to 30 January at Bulawayo Athletic Club. All matches start at 10am local time (4am Eastern Caribbean/3am Jamaica).
The last Test Series between Zimbabwe and the West Indies was also played at Queens Sports Club in October 2017. West Indies won the two-match Series 1-0, winning the first contest by 117 runs with the second Test ending in a draw.
FULL SQUAD
Kraigg Brathwaite (captain)
Jermaine Blackwood (vice-captain)
Nkrumah Bonner
Tagnarine Chanderpaul
Roston Chase
Joshua Da Silva
Shannon Gabriel
Jason Holder
Alzarri Joseph
Kyle Mayers
Gudakesh Motie
Raymon Reifer
Kemar Roach
Devon Thomas
Jomel Warrican
MATCH SCHEDULE
28-30 January: three-day warm-up match at Bulawayo Athletic Club
4-8 February: 1st Test at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo
12-16 February: 2nd Test at Queens Sports Club
Kingston College standout Dujuan ‘Whisper’ Richards is among 32 players invited to training sessions with Reggae Boyz Head Coach Heimir Hallgrinsson at the Jamaica Football Federation headquarters at the University of the West Indies on January 17 and 18.
The 17-year-old Richards recorded 29 goals and 19 assists in the Manning Cup and led Kingston College to the semi-finals.
The full list of players is as follows:
Kemar Foster (Waterhouse FC), Ramone Howell (Waterhouse FC), Ricardo Thomas (Dunbeholden FC), Peter McGregor (Dunbeholden FC), Trivante Stewart (Mount Pleasant FC), Ky-Mani Campbell (Mount Pleasant FC), Demario Phillips (Mount Pleasant FC), Devonte Campbell (Mount Pleasant FC), Jamoi Topey (Mount Pleasant FC), Tafari Chambers (Mount Pleasant FC), Sue-Lae McCalla (Mount Pleasant FC), Alwayne Henry (Mount Pleasant FC), Odane Murray (Mount Pleasant FC), Eric Edwards (Arnett Gardens), Kimani Arbouine (Arnett Gardens), Earl Simpson (Arnett Gardens), Ajuma Johnson (Arnett Gardens), Richard King (Cavaluer SC), Dwayne Atkinson (cavalier SC), Collin Anderson (Cavalier SC), Kyle Ming (Cavalier SC), Jeadine White (Cavalier SC), Gawaine Austin (Portmore United), Oshane Staple (Harbour View FC), Colorado Murray (Harbour View FC), Jahshaun Anglin (Harbour View FC), Nicholas Hamilton (Harbour View FC), Okeemo Jones (Chapleton Maroons), Malachi Douglas (Chapleton Maroons), Dujuan Richards (Phoenix Academy), Jason Wright (Molynes United).
The sessions will commence at 3:00pm.
Brendaline Descartes is the new President of the Saint Lucia Athletics Association, following an elective congress on Saturday.
She was formerly second vice president and takes office as the second woman to be installed as president of the SLAA.
The rest of the executive is as follows: Samie D Henry (1st vice president), Andy Behl (2nd vice president), Wayne Burton (Secretary), Lisa Joseph (Assistant Secretary), Cornelius Breen (Treasurer), Makeba Alcide (Public Relations Officer), Kenvin McPhee (Floor Rep) and Laurisia Laurent (Floor Rep).
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