The Saint Lucia Kings repeated their performance from 24 hours earlier and once again recorded a win over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in their 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) encounter.
The Patriots won the toss and stand-in captain Chris Gayle chose to bat first, yet it turned out to be a trial by spin as they faltered for 118 all out against the turn of Jeavor Royal and Samit Patel.
The Kings got off to the worst possible start in their chase, losing Andre Fletcher to a Fabian Allen delivery in the very first ball of the innings. They rebuilt via Roston Chase to comfortably reach their target of 119.
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots lost their two explosive batsmen in the PowerPlay overs, as Evin Lewis and Chris Gayle were dismissed early. Youngster Royal was the stand out bowler with three wickets while Patel was the most economical. A mix-up saw the dangerous Sherfane Rutherford run out and while Fabian Allen tried to give his side a big finish, he was dismissed in the 19th over.
Despite losing Fletcher in the first ball of the innings, Saint Lucia Kings still had the dangerous Faf du Plessis, who raced to 22 off 14 balls, before being caught out. The in-form Roston Chase ended up seeing his side home with a superb innings that saw him reach yet another half-century, this time in 36 six balls, his third in a row at this year’s Hero CPL.
The Kings chased their target in the 16th over as the powerful Tim David helped take them over the line with a rapid 18 runs off 7 balls.
Saint Lucia Kings now have their third consecutive win of the tournament and move closer to the top spot of the league standings.
Saint Lucia Kings 121-4 (Chase 51*, du Plessis 22; Allen 2-30, Naseem 1-11) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 118 all out (Allen 34, Thomas 28; Royal 3-20, Patel 2-15) by six wickets.
Team USA won a stunning Paralympics men's wheelchair basketball gold medal on the final day of Tokyo 2020, providing a sting in the tail to the tournament's "Cinderella story".
Steve Serio scored 28 points and added nine assists as the United States beat hosts Japan 64-60 at the Ariake Arena, overcoming a 56-51 deficit with a large surge.
It was an agonising end to a stunning run from Japan, who had beaten Australia and Great Britain on the way to the final, their first at Paralympics level.
For the Americans, it means they have won men's wheelchair basketball gold medals at seven editions of the Paralympics.
Serio said: "Japan was the Cinderella story of this tournament, but you couldn't ask for a more storybook ending for us. We didn't get the start we wanted, but we definitely got the finish we wanted."
Japan's silver was their first medal in men's wheelchair basketball, with Hiroaki Kozai leading them with 18 points and Renshi Chokai adding eight points and a remarkable 18 rebounds.
Matt Scott, part of that triumphant basketball team, then carried the US flag at the closing ceremony, as Tokyo's tenure as hosts of the Olympics and Paralympics came to an end.
Amid the strain of staging a global event during the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan pulled off the feat and handed the baton to Paris for the 2024 Games, signing off with a ceremony that was highlighted by nods to karaoke and video game culture and included a moving rendition of the Louis Armstrong classic What A Wonderful World.
China finished top of the medals table, with 96 golds in a total of 207 medals, with Great Britain second with 41 golds among 124 medals, and the USA third, landing 37 golds and 104 medals in all.
Hosts Japan ranked 11th, with 13 gold medals, 15 silver and 23 bronze, for a total of 51 medals.
Tivoli Gardens charged into the Jamaica Premier League playoffs on the back of a brilliant hat-trick by Horatio Morgan in their 4-3 win over Humble Lion in their match at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Morgan, who was scoring for the first time this season, opened the scoring with an overhead kick in the fifth minute and followed up with a thumping header in the 30th minute. Ten minutes later, he curled a beautiful right-footer for his third.
Lorenzo Lewin pulled one back on the stroke of half-time from a corner kick then teed up Andre Clennon for an easy tap home in minute 63. However, Devroy Grey restored Tivoli Gardens’ two-goal cushion after benefitting from a poor pass by Humble Lion’s goalkeeper Keneil Petri in the 85th minute.
It was Grey’s fourth goal of the season and he remained his club’s top scorer.
In time added on, Lewin popped up and slotted home for Humble Lion for his second goal of the match and ensured a nervous finish for Tivoli Gardens.
It was Tivoli Gardens’ fourth win from nine games which saw them jump from seventh to second spot with 16 points. They are level on points with leaders Waterhouse FC but second on goal difference.
The hapless and ageing Humble Lion remained firmly at the bottom of the 11-team league on six points following their eighth defeat from 10 games.
Tivoli Gardens will play Molynes United in their final preliminary round match next week and are fancied to secure a victory that would see them book a top-two spot and direct entry into the semi-finals.
Dunbeholden FC was held to a 1-1 draw by a struggling Arnett Gardens and missed a glorious
chance of staking a claim in the top-six championship playoffs on Saturday.
St Catherine-based Dunbeholden knew a win against Arnett Gardens would have secured them a spot in the playoffs but they now will have to anxiously wait until their final preliminary round game to book a spot.
The Harold Thomas-coached side with the single point inched up to 15 points but more importantly, they jumped two places to fifth and provisionally into a playoff spot.
Dwayne Smith had given them the lead in the 51st minute firing home from a Rondee Smith pass. However, Arnett Gardens rallied when Shandane Lopez slotted home in the 73rd minute with an assist from Steve Clarke.
The Alex Thomas-coached side that was already out of a playoff spot now has eight points and remained in ninth position. The former champions are yet to beat a Dunbeholden team playing in just their second season of top-flight football.
Dunbeholden will end their preliminary round with a tough match against a Mount Pleasant team also looking to secure their playoff position.
Arnett Gardens will definitely be in the bottom playoff amongst teams ranked 7-11 for final positioning.
Next week, Arnett Gardens will play a Harbour View team sitting in eighth spot on 12 points and still harbouring hopes of making the playoff.
A career-best bowling performance from Karishma Ramharack led West Indies Women to a magnificent victory over South Africa Women on Saturday.
The 26-year-old off-spinner came into the attack in the 15th over in her first match of the series. She took a wicket with her third ball and returned the superb figures of 3-0-8-3 to receive the CG Insurance Player-of-the-Match award.
This limited the Proteas to a mere 80-9 off their 20 overs and West Indies then strolled to 81-5 off 11.5 overs to level the series 1-1.
Ramharack was supported by some excellent fielding when Chadean Nation ran around to her right at long-on, dived full length and held onto a catch to dismiss Chole Tyron. Two overs later Kyshona Knight snapped up a sharp chance to remove Trisha Chetty and Ramharack got her third when she clean-bowled Ayabonga Khaka in the 19th over.
Earlier in the innings, Britney Cooper again demonstrated her immense skills in the outfield with a stunning running and diving catch at mid-on to pick up the key wicket Lizelle Lee for nine off Aliyah Alleyne, who ended with 2-16.
It proved to be a very important wicket moment in the match as Lee fell for single digits for the first time in the series. In the previous knocks, Lee made a run-a-ball 30 and 75 off 52 balls to be named CG Insurance Player-of-the-Series.
In reply, West Indies easily reached the target closing out the match at 81-5 off 11.5 overs to win with 49 balls to spare. Deandra Dottin again led the charge with a purposeful knock of 31off 21 balls.
She hit three fours through the on-side and a massive straight six from a flighted delivery from left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba. Left-hander Kycia Knight also played well – with 26 off 27 balls – which included four flowing boundaries, as she added 53 for the second wicket with Dottin.
The two teams will now switch to the CG Insurance One-Day International Series. The opening match will be at the Coolidge Cricket Ground on Tuesday. First ball in the day/night match is 2:45pm (1:45pm Jamaica Time).
Junior Urso scored a late winner after Orlando City had blown a two-goal lead to claim second spot in the Eastern Conference with a 3-2 triumph over Columbus Crew.
Former Manchester United winger Nani had set up Daryl Dike for a 26th-minute opener with a tackle-cum-pass before Silvester van der Water doubled Orlando's lead three minutes later with a cross which eluded everyone.
But the visitors rallied after the break with a double strike inside three minutes, firstly with Antonio Carlos' 52nd-minute own goal.
Minutes later Lucas Zelarayan picked out Derrick Etienne Jr who cushioned a pass into the box for Miguel Berry to equalize.
Orlando grabbed all three points with Dike laying back a pass for Junior Urso to lash home a 69th-minute winner from the edge of the box.
The result moves Orlando above Nashville into second spot in the east with 38 points from 22 games, having gone six games unbeaten in the MLS.
Inter Miami continued their excellent recent form after Brek Shea's 90th-minute winner earned them a 1-0 victory away to Cincinnati.
The result extends Phil Neville's side's unbeaten run to four games and means they have lost only once in their past nine, climbing up to 10th spot in the east.
Dominique Badji also netted a late winner, scoring in the 89th minute to lift the Colorado Rapids into second in the west with a 1-0 victory at San Jose Earthquakes.
Real Salt Lake came from a goal down early to win 3-2 over Dallas, while Vancouver Whitecaps scored twice in the final 20 minutes to beat struggling Austin 2-1.
Guyana Amazon Warriors sealed a comprehensive win over Barbados Royals in their 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) encounter thanks to a phenomenal 105* from Chandrapaul Hemraj.
Barbados Royals won the toss and captain Jason Holder chose to bat first, but his side was undone firstly by spin, as Imran Tahir took three early wickets, before a series of runouts and late wickets from Romario Shepherd restricted them to 130 all out.
The Warriors started off briskly, Hemraj dominating with the bat, putting on an opening partnership of 103 runs alongside Brandon King, before King fell to Nyeem Young. Shoaib Malik then came in to consolidate while Hemraj went in search of his century, reaching it with his fifth maximum of the day and sparking wild celebrations.
Barbados Royals had begun slowly as Shai Hope and Johnson Charles tried to build a platform, but veteran spinner Tahir sent the side into disarray with three quick wickets. Gudakesh Motie supported with some economical bowling, while Shepherd used pace to get the crucial wickets of Azam Khan and Holder. There were also three run-outs in the innings.
Amazon Warriors had a comfortable chase in the end, winning with over five overs to spare as Hemraj took the onus to pile on the runs, his partner King only facing six balls in the Powerplay. Barbados Royal’s bowling attack had no answers for Hemraj; it was a quickfire innings; his maiden T20 century coming off 56 balls.
The win will no doubt be a confidence booster for the Amazon Warriors, who now have six points in the Hero CPL league standings. Barbados Royals remain bottom of the standings after this defeat.
Faf du Plessis struck his highest ever T20 score (120*) and first century of the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) as the Saint Lucia Kings recorded a commanding 100 run win over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots to end their unbeaten run in this year’s tournament.
The Patriots won the toss and opted to put Saint Lucia Kings into bat, with the superb du Plessis batting through the whole innings as he recorded 120* off just 60 balls, supported by Roston Chase, who once again excelled with both the bat and ball.
The Patriots succumbed in their chase, bowled out for 124 despite some fireworks from Evin Lewis, but ultimately a disciplined bowling performance from the Kings won them the game.
Saint Lucia Kings got off to a flying start as openers Andre Fletcher and Faf du Plessis ensured they batted through the Powerplay to reach 71-0. Despite losing the wickets of Fletcher and Keron Cottoy, the Kings built a mammoth total as du Plessis and Chase hit boundaries at will, contributing eight sixes between them.
The Patriots had a more restrained start as they began the chase; Devon Thomas fell to the bowling of Alzarri Joseph, with Chris Gayle following in the third over. Chase added pressure by bowling a maiden in the fourth over before Evin Lewis started to deliver some destructive shots, reaching his half century in just 25 balls. However, his 73 was in vain, as wickets tumbled, with Keemo Paul taking three wickets in the 16th over.
Saint Lucia Kings now have six points and are firmly in contention for a play-off spot, while the Patriots remain top of the league.
Bowler Isai Thorne claimed a three-for on debut, while Andel Gordon and McKenny Clarke took two each but the Windies U-19s found few answers to their English counterparts in a 166 runs loss in the first match of the Rising Stars U19 ODI tour of England.
After winning the toss and choosing to field, England posted 289-9 in their allotted 50 overs. The total was built around half-centuries by captain Jacob Bethell (69), James Rew (59) and wicket-keeper Alex Horton (53).
Bethell and Rew added 87 for the third wicket before the partnership was broken by the 16-year-old Thomas, who bowled with good pace throughout his 10-over spell. He later returned to get the wicket of Horton, who played a late cameo which included four fours and a six, as England scored 85 runs in the last 10 overs.
In reply, the West Indies total of 123 had its main contributions from openers Anderson Amurdan (33) and Matthew Nandu (21) who gave the West Indies a 46 run opening stand in the initial 10 over power play. Amurdan faced 47 balls and hit five boundaries, while left-hander Nandu faced 28 balls and hit two fours. But led by a five-wicket haul from off-spinner Tom Prest (6-2-18-5), who was well supported by the leg-spin of Rehan Ahmed (3-22) and left-arm orthodox Fateh Singh (1-28), they combined effectively to bowl out the visitors in the 30th over.
Jamaica Reggae Boyz defender Damion Lowe has taken solace in the fight and effort shown by the team, despite a late loss away to Mexico in the opening round of World Cup qualifiers, and is confident it augurs well for the team going forward.
The Jamaica national team seemed well on its way to securing an unlikely point at the renowned Azteca stadium, after a 65th minute Shamar Nicholson strike brought them on level terms. It was, however, not to be as Mexico’s Henry Martin restored the home team’s advantage in the 89th minute.
The result left the disappointed Jamaican’s without a point, but having headed into the game without some of its first-team players being available the battling display at a venue where not many come away with anything could serve as a sign of encouragement.
“We are disappointed with the result but with the performance, the guys put out there, yes there is always room for more, but the guys showed lots of character,” Lowe said.
“The guys fought hard and that’s going to separate team getting points and qualifying for the World Cup, rather than just losing a game or buckling and being afraid,” he added.
The team’s best result at the venue was a 0-0 draw in the 2013 qualifying campaign, Jamaica will look to bounce back against Panama in their first home game of the qualifiers, at the country’s National Stadium.
Mamadou Fall scored a brace as Los Angeles FC ended their eight-game winless streak with a confidence-boosting 4-0 rout of 10-man Sporting Kansas City in MLS.
LAFC entered Friday's contest having snapped a club-record four-match losing run with a 3-3 draw against LA Galaxy, though it extended the club-record winless streak (D3 L5) – the Los Angeles franchise had previously never gone more than five straight games without a win.
But Fall's double and goals from Cristian Arango and Eduard Atuesta ensured LAFC returned to winning ways at the expense of Sporting KC, who had lost just one of their last 12 MLS matches (W6 D5).
Rookie centre-back Fall opened the scoring in the 18th minute before doubling the lead just past the hour mark at Banc of California Stadium, where Sporting KC midfielder Roger Espinoza was sent off in the 58th minute.
Arango finished with authority to make it 3-0 with 19 minutes remaining and after Sporting KC's Ilie Sanchez had a goal ruled out for offside, Atuesta converted a penalty three minutes from the end.
LAFC are eighth in the Western Conference, just outside the play-off positions and 15 points behind leaders Seattle Sounders, while they are 13 points adrift of second-placed Sporting KC.
Elsewhere, Eastern Conference pacesetters and Supporters' Shield leaders New England Revolution edged Philadelphia Union 1-0.
Despite Arnor Traustason's red card in the second half, the Revolution stayed 14 points clear atop the standings after Nashville defeated New York City 3-1.
Portland Timbers were 2-0 winners over Houston Dynamo.
Waterhouse FC thrashed Molynes United 4-1 to secure a place in the Jamaica Premier League playoffs in the first match of a triple-header at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence on Friday.
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots maintained their unbeaten start to the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with a remarkable final ball win over Barbados Royals, who suffered their fourth defeat of the tournament.
Legendary West Indies wicketkeeper Jeffrey Dujon believes the Test team will be forced to continue its search for an opening batsman as the current selections have not produced a great many positive results to date.
Since the team's successful tour of Bangladesh in February three players, John Campbell, Shai Hope, and Kieran Powell have been paired at the top of the innings with West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite.
To date, the pairing with the Brathwaite has not bred much success. Campbell has averaged 18.5 in eight innings, Powell 14.57 in seven innings, and Hope 15 in the one match played so far. The results have often left the team well short of a solid start that has not been a feature of its play in recent times.
“I still think we need to find another opener, we are still looking for an opener and one more top-class batsman in the middle,” Dujon told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“Right now we are not getting the results, we need good open partnerships and we have not been getting that,” he added.
Dujon believes that so far, the openers paired with Brathwaite have been plagued by shortcomings with playing the new ball.
“I just don’t get the feeling that he is playing down the right line, as an opening batsman playing a moving ball, I don’t think he gets down the wicket far enough,” he said of Powell.
Having only recently returned to the team, Hope has also been tried in the position. While he certainly believes that Hope should have a spot in the team, Dujon is convinced it is not at the top of the innings.
“He’s a very good player but he is not an opener. His style of play to open the batting in limited over cricket is fine. He should be in this batting line-up but somewhere around four or so.”
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