Demarai Gray had a birthday to remember, as he got on the score sheet twice to lead Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz to a 4-1 win over Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago in their second Concacaf Gold Cup Group A fixture, at Citypark in St Louis, Missouri on Wednesday.
Gray, making his second appearance for the Reggae Boyz, celebrated his 27th birthday in style when he scored his first goal as a Jamaican international in the 14th minute and added a second in the 28th minute.
The Everton winger’s second came after Leon Bailey (17th) doubled the lead, while Chelsea-bound rising sensation Dujuan Richards, who was an 82nd-minute substitute, capped the victory with his first senior team goal in the 90+2 minute. With that, the 17-year-old became the youngest ever goalscorer in Gold Cup history.
Trinidad and Tobago got what turned out to be a consolation through Andre Rampersad in the 49th minute.
The win –which was also Heimir Hallgrimsson’s first since taking the reins as Jamaica’s Head coach late last year –provisionally saw the Boyz to the top of the standing on four points, one ahead of Trinidad and Tobago.
Group favourites United States, on a point, were leading newcomers St Kitts and Nevis, without a point, 4-0 at half-time in the late kickoff.
The much-anticipated clash between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago
Was the first international men’s game to be played at the 22,000-plus capacity stadium and though it wasn’t the most attractive or entertaining encounter, the spectators that turned out were well treated to five goals.
It was initially projected to be a close contest, especially as the Soca Warriors Head coach Angus Eve opted for a defensive 5-4-1 formation that was expected to prove difficult for the Reggae Boyz to break down.
But it became clear early that the objective of the formation would prove futile, as Michail Antonio dispossessed a defender a played a cheeky pass off to send Bobby Reid on his way. However, Reid took an unwanted touch and later hit the ball in the side netting.
The Soca Warriors briefly enjoyed a good passage of possession where they looked threatening in open play but couldn't create any meaningful opportunity and later found themselves behind.
In the 14th minute, a decent build up by the Reggae Boyz ended with Bailey finding an unmarked Gray, who buried his right-footed effort in the left corner beyond the slightly advanced, Frenderup in goal for Trinidad and Tobago.
Bailey doubled the lead three minutes later when he timed his run to perfection to latch on to a long pass from Joel Latibeaudiere and finished with aplomb in a one-one-one situation with Frenderup. The goal was initially flagged as offside, but that decision was later overturned on by VAR.
The Soca Warriors tried to play their game but were hardly allowed any room to cause any problems for Jamaica’s defence and, as such, only absorbed consistent pressure.
They found themselves 3-0 down before the half-hour mark after Kevon Lambert won possession and found Antonio. The West Ham man then slipped by a defender and placed a pass on a platter for the wide-opened Gray to complete one of the easiest finishes of his career.
As the score remained unchanged at the break, the half-time team talk by Angus, coupled with Jamaica's defensive frailties, saw Trinidad pulling one back four minutes into the resumption.
Captain Levi Garcia got away from Jamaica’s debutant Dishon Bernard and drove a pass in for Rampersad to apply a back heel finish beyond Andre Blake, while under pressure from two defenders.
Still, the Jamaicans continued to apply consistent pressure and created numerous opportunities to add to their tally, but those were squandered due to both faulty shooting and poor decision-making.
It wasn’t until close to the end that they got another when Richards’s shot from a distance took a wicked deflection and sailed past the flat-footed Frenderup, who had no chance.
Teams: Jamaica -Andre Blake, Damion Lowe, Kemar Lawrence (Dexter Lembikisa 46th), Bobby Reid (Shamar Nicholson 62nd), Joel Latibeaudiere, Kevon Lambert, Demarai Gray, Leon Bailey (Dujuan Richards 82nd), Michail Antonio (Corey Burke 77th), Dishon Bernard, Javain Brown (Daniel Johnson 62nd)
Subs not used: Coniah Boyce-Clarke, Jahmali Waite, Kaheem Parris, Jonathan Russell, Adrian Mariappa, Amari’i Bell,
Booked: Brown (9th), Lowe (75th)
Trinidad & Tobago: Nicklas Frenderup, Alvin Jones, Sheldon Bateau, Kareem Moses, Aubrey David, Shannon Gomez (Molik Khan 76th), Malcolm Shaw, Andre Rampersad (Kevin Molino 63rd), Ajani Fortune (Kaile Auvray 46th), Levi Garcia, Neveal Hackshaw
Subs not Used: Marvin Phillip, Denzil Smith, Leland Archer, Luke Singh, Triston Hodge, Ryan Telfer, Joevin Jones, Real Gill, Kadeem Corbin
Booked: Hackshaw (5th), Bateau (41st), Jones (73rd)
Referee: Fernando Guerrero (Mexico)
Assistant referees: Enrique Bustos (Mexico); Jorge Sanchez (Mexico)
Fourth Official: Reon Radix (Grenada)
Var: Benjamin Pineda (Costa Rica)
Avar1: Ricardo Montero (Costa Rica)
Trinidad and Tobago collected the first victory of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup group stage with a 3-0 triumph over Saint Kitts and Nevis in Group A action on Sunday at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
It was Trinidad and Tobago’s first Gold Cup group stage win since the 2015 edition. Despite the result, it was a historic day for Saint Kitts and Nevis, who were playing their first ever Gold Cup group stage match.
Trinidad and Tobago enjoyed the bulk of possession in the first half and they were able to crown it with a goal toward the end of the half, as Alvin Jones struck in the 43’ to hand the Soca Warriors a 1-0 lead.
Neveal Hackshaw floated a pass into the area and Jones, with great class, brought the ball down with his chest and then volleyed into net.
Trinidad and Tobago kept their foot on the gas in the second half and were able to double their lead in style thanks to a superb strike from Ajani Fortune.
Fresh off the bench and into the match in the second stanza, Fortune received a ball outside the Saint Kitts and Nevis area, eluded a trio of defenders before firing into net to make it 2-0 in the 65’.
Trinidad and Tobago were keen to tack on more to not give Saint Kitts and Nevis any hope and they stretched the lead to 3-0 in the 73’ when some defensive pressure forced a turnover and Levi Garcia’s deep cross deflected off a Saint Kitts and Nevis defender and into goal.
From there, the Trinidad and Tobago defense took over to nail down the victory and secure a full three points.
In the next match, Trinidad and Tobago will face Jamaica on June 28th at City Park in St. Louis, white St. Kitts and Nevis will go up against the United States on the same day.
He may not fancy wearing the cycling gold-medal favourites tag, but Nicholas Paul's current vein of form certainly puts him in that position heading into the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in El Salvador.
Paul, who started his season with a series of unstoppable performances at the UCI Nation’s Cup in Milton Canada, as well as the ‘Speed Paradise’ and the Carnival of Speed events at the National Cycling Centre (NCC) in Balmain, Couva, all in April, followed that up with victory in the Men’s Elite Sprint at the International Cycling Union (UCI) Class One event in Germany recently.
The Trinidad and Tobago stalwart again placed his class on display at the PanAm Elite Track Cycling Championships in Argentina where he won the Sprints and Keirin, while clocking a new track record 9.349 seconds in the flying 200m.
Paul also joined forces with compatriots to place second in the Team Sprint and he rightly expressed delight at the accomplishments.
"Firstly, I would like to give God thanks because without him none of this would be possible. The Pan American Cycling champions in Argentina was a great experience, my races were well executed, and I am very happy with my performance," Paul told SportsMax.tv.
"It was also great to have my countrymen there with me and a great feeling to have won a team medal as well. Everyone on the team played their part, we performed accordingly and came out with a good result," he added.
While those performances represent a massive boost to his CAC Games charge and positions him to achieve other targets this year, the 24-year-old is by no means grandstanding against rivals in El Salvador.
"I am definitely pleased with another solid performance going into the CAC Games. It's all about trying to be consistent while working towards my ultimate goal which is Olympic Games qualification.
"But every event is different, and I am confident but not overconfident, so my plan presently is to just do my best for my country while taking things one competition at a time," he shared.
Though the mindset is always to improve on previous performances and that requires a holistic approach and a strategic vision of what he wants to achieve.
"Presently I don’t have any planned changes to my programme for CAC Games, however, I’m always focused on getting better at my craft every day, therefore changes can be made accordingly, but we will see how that goes as time goes by," Paul said.
The Sugar Boyz are preparing for their historic first match in the Concacaf Gold Cup against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.
At training on Thursday morning, Coach Austin Dico Huggins said the team celebrated their qualification to the Gold Cup, but are now focused on their match on Sunday.
“We already celebrated. We already had our fun. So now...we are at the training field getting ready for our game and Sunday," Huggins said from the training pitch of DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
"The players are very happy to be in this situation. So, we are now ready to work," he added.
Coach Huggins made it clear that St. Kitts and Nevis is not just content with qualifying, but are prepared to compete with the other teams in the tournament.
“We are here to compete. We're small but as a local saying always goes, we're small but we tallawah. So we're gonna be there competing, working hard to ensure that we are successful and we get the job done,” Huggins said.
Meanwhile, for the St. Kitts Nevis fans in the diaspora who have been attending the games, Coach Huggins expressed appreciation and is looking forward to the continued support of fans at home and in the US.
The Sugar Boyz will play Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday at the DRV Pink Stadium in Fort Lauderdale at 3:30 pm, followed by the United States on Wednesday, June 28 at 9:30 pm at Citypark, St. Louis, and Jamaica on July 2nd at 7 pm at The Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara.
The PANAM Hockey 5's World Cup Qualifiers concluded on Sunday, June 11, 2023 with Jamaica sealing a World Cup spot after defeating Paraguay in the 3rd place game, while the USA clinched the title with a penalty shootout win over Trinidad and Tobago.
With blazing speed and clinical finishing, the Jamaican team dominated Paraguay, securing an impressive 5-2 victory.
Nickoy Stephenson turned in a Man of the Match performance, scoring a hat-trick, while Shemar Gordon added a brace to secure a well-deserved win. The Jamaicans flew out of the blocks as Nickoy Stephenson opened the scoring in the 2nd minute, then doubled the lead with a 6th minute strike. The Paraguayans were stunned by the intensity and fast attacking play when Shemar Gordon added a third in the 8th minute for a 3-0 lead. However, the Paraguayans thought they got a lifeline when Vera Elias scored in the 10th minute but those hopes were quickly dashed as Stephenson completed his hat trick a minute later.
Despite going down to three men after a quick succession of cards, the Jamaicans were able to hold off the Paraguayans, led by a valiant display of tactical discipline backed up by truly astute goalkeeping from Goalkeeper of the Tournament and captain, Ajani Burton.
The Jamaicans were able to seal victory and put the game beyond doubt with a 19th minute goal from Shemar Gordon for a final score of 5-2.
This momentous accomplishment is a testament to the talent, dedication, and resilience of the Jamaican players, as echoed by Head Coach Duvaughn Henlon.
"We are very elated and ecstatic that we made it to the World Cup, and I’m very proud of the players who have been playing some very good hockey over the week. We are happy that we delivered for Jamaica but will turn our attention to preparing for the Central America and Caribbean Games, which start in the next two weeks, to try and achieve those goals."
Henlon went on to thank the coaching staff, management team, sponsors, family, and friends and called for additional support from corporate Jamaica.
Meanwhile, the final between United States against Trinidad and Tobago ended in a 2-2 draw. In the nerve-wracking shootout, the United States of America showcased nerves of steel, emerging triumphant with a 3-2 score line.
Trinidad & Tobago took a very early lead when Pierce Mickell scored in the 1st minute before the USA equalized eight minutes later through Sundeen Tyler. Marcano Teague then gave the Trinidadians another lead in the 15th minute before the USA equalized, once again, through Michael Barminski Jr in the 17th minute.
An unbeaten half-century from captain Shemaine Campbelle lifted Guyana to a crucial eight-wicket win over defending champions Jamaica in their Cricket West Indies (CWI) Women’s T20 Blaze match on Thursday.
The stylish right-hander made 50* from 49 balls including five fours and shared an unbroken third wicket stand of exactly 100 with allrounder Shakibi Gajnabi, as the Guyanese successfully chased 110 in the opening match of the triple-header at Warner Park, St Kitts.
Gajnabi supported well with 37 not out from 46 balls and the result was achieved with 12 balls remaining, giving Guyana their third win of the tournament.
Earlier in the day, fast bowler Celina Whyte took 2-11 from her allotted four overs – removing Sheneta Grimmond for six and fellow opener Katana Mentore for two but Campbelle and Gajnabi combined to dominate.
When Jamaica batted captain Stafanie Taylor led the way again with 48 off 49 balls with five fours and one six, as the Jamaicans reached 109-6 from their 20 overs after they won the toss and chose to bat.
Taylor added 55 for the second wicket with Keneshia Ferron (20) and put on 32 for the third wicket with Natasha McLean (27), but their effort was never going to be enough to seriously challenge Guyana. Seam bowler Cherry-Ann Fraser was the pick of the bowlers with 3-18 from three overs.
In the day’s second encounter, Trinidad & Tobago secured a six-wicket win over the Leeward Islands.
Divya Saxena (37) and Jahzara Claxton (36) led the way for the Leewards as they made 120-5 off their 20 overs batting first.
Off-spinner Anisa Mohammed took a pair of wickets in her four overs while conceding only 21 runs while Kirbyina Alexander took 2-15 from three.
Trinidad & Tobago then reached 121-4 with 14 balls to spare thanks to a solid all-round batting effort including contributions from Shunelle Sawh (26), Britney Cooper (21*), Shalini Samaroo (20) and Anisa Mohammed (19*).
The day’s third game saw Super 50 champions Barbados score a dramatic four-wicket win over the Windward Islands off the last ball of the match.
Qiana Joseph led the way with a run-a-ball 50 while Malika Edward contributed 20 as the Windwards posted 128-8 off their 20 overs.
Pacers Shamilia Connell and Allison Gordon led the way with the ball for Barbados with 3-16 and 2-20 from their respective four over spells.
The successful Barbados chase was then led by the Knight sisters with Kycia getting 49 at the top of the innings and Kyshona getting 19* including the winning runs. Naijanni Cumberbatch also contributed a crucial 22 as Barbados ended up 121-6 off their 20 overs.
Zaida James took 2-27 from her four overs for the Windwards.
With one round of matches left, Guyana and Barbados are currently level on 12 points with Barbados at the top via head-to-head record. They are followed by the Windwards (8), Trinidad & Tobago (8), Jamaica (8) and the Leewards (0).
On Saturday, Jamaica will take on the Windward Islands, Barbados will face the Leewards and Guyana will face Trinidad & Tobago.
Defending champions Jamaica got their second win in a row in the CWI Women’s T20 Blaze with a six-run win over Trinidad & Tobago while Barbados and the Windward Islands each got their first wins of the tournament over Guyana and the Leeward Islands, respectively, in a triple-header at Warner Park on Sunday.
Stand-in captain Rashada Williams (32) and Chedean Nation (32) both led Jamaica to 115-9 off their 20 overs against the Trinidadians, for whom veteran off-spinner Anisa Mohammed took 3-19 off her four overs.
The chasing effort saw only Britney Cooper provide any real resistance with 29 as Neisha-Ann Wasome’s 3-16 from four overs helped restrict T&T to 109-9 off their 20 overs.
Barbados secured a narrow three-wicket win over Guyana in the day’s second encounter.
Guyana, while losing only three wickets in their 20 overs batting first against Barbados, managed only 91 thanks to a 46-ball 32* from Katana Mentore and a 51-ball 35* from Cherry-Ann Fraser.
Barbados, who were at one point reeling at 63-6 in the 17th over, managed to creep across the line thanks to a match-winning 17* from captain Shakera Selman. Openers Trishan Holder (19) and Kycia Knight (16) made crucial early contributions.
The valiant Guyanese bowling effort was led by Kaysia Schultz’s 3-13 from four overs.
The day’s opener saw the Windward Islands get a comfortable 45-run win over the Leeward Islands.
The Windwards made 127-4 off their 20 overs thanks to 37 from Jannillea Glasgow, 24 from Pearl Etienne and 21* from both Kimone Homer and Qiana Joseph.
The Leewards were then restricted to 82-6 in their 20 overs thanks to 2-21 off four overs from Zaida James and a miserly four over spell from Afy Fletcher which saw her pick up a wicket while conceding only 13 runs.
Defending champions, Jamaica, kicked off the defence of their CWI Women’s T20 Blaze title with an eight wicket win over the Leeward Islands at Warner Park in the second game of a triple-header on Saturday.
Vanessa Watts, Celina Whyte and Neisha-Ann Wasome all took two wickets, each, as the Leewards were restricted to 68-7 off their 20 overs.
Jamaica’s successful chase was then led by a 29-ball 36* from Rashada Williams that included five fours.
Trinidad & Tobago got a comfortable five-wicket win over Super 50 champions Barbados in the day’s final game.
Shakera Selman top-scored with 29* off 41 balls as Barbados were reduced to just 80-6 from their 20 overs as Lee-Ann Kirby did most of the damage with 3-10 from her four overs for the Trinidadians.
Kirby also led the way with the bat with 25* while Britney Cooper got 23 as T&T successfully reached 82-5 off 12.3 overs.
The day’s second game saw Guyana secure a narrow four-run win over the Windward Islands. Batting first, the Guyanese scored just 88-7 off their 20 overs thanks to 32 from Katana Mentore and 19 from Sheneta Grimmond.
Afy Fletcher led the way with the ball for the Windwards with an excellent 4-10 from her four overs.
Guyana then used tight bowling and timely wickets throughout the Windwards reply to restrict them to 84-8 off their 20 overs.
Ashmini Munisar took one wicket and was most economical, with her four overs costing just seven runs. Nyia Latchman also took one wicket, with her four overs going for just 10.
A superb all-round performance from captain by Hayley Matthews led Barbados to a big victory over Windward Islands at St. Paul’s Grounds in the CG United Women’s Super50 Cup.
The world-rated all-rounder took a six-wicket haul, including a hattrick, and made a half-century as the Bajans secured a 73-run victory on Monday. The victory has put the defending champions on course for a third successive title.
Sent into bat first, Barbados posted 228-6 from their 50 overs. Matthews notched her second half century of the tournament to top-score with 64 off 74 balls, which included five fours and a six, while Kyshona Knight continued her good form with 55 from 82 balls and Aaliyah Alleyne added 47.
Matthews and Knight shared in an 89-run partnership for the second wicket. Zaida James was the pick of the Windwards bowlers, finishing with figures of 10-1-38-2.
Afy Fletcher led the Windwards run-chase with a captain’s knock of 43 from 36 deliveries. She shared a 44-run second wicket partnership with Zaida James but it was the 37-run ninth wicket partnership between Pearl Etienne and Nerissa Crafton that gave Windwards hope.
Matthews took her best List A figures of 10-2-28-6, as she ran through the Windwards batting order.
Windwards were all out for 155 in 32.2 overs. Fast bowler Shamilia Connell had the next best bowling figures of 3.2-0-18-2.
At Warner Park, Guyana lost seven wickets in their chase of 67 runs in 28 overs to defeat Jamaica by three wickets via the Duckworth/Stern/Lewis method in a rain-affected match.
Jamaica batted first and made 94 in 40.3 overs. Natasha McLean was the top scorer with 31 and Stafanie Taylor scored 15. Plaffiana Millington was the best Guyanese bowler with figures of 10-5-21-3 followed by Ashmini Munisar with 6-0-15-2.
The rains came with Guyana on 7-0 after four overs and kept falling for almost three hours, forcing the implementation of the DLS method.
Guyana looked set to cruise to victory but the Jamaica bowlers struck at consistent intervals to cause a spot of panic in the Guyanese camp. But West Indies Under 19 captain Ashmini Munisar showed nerves of steel as she guided her team to victory before the clouds burst again for light rain. Munisar scored 11 not out from 13 deliveries. Celina Whyte was the best Jamaica bowler, with figures of 6-0-14-3 followed by Kate Wilmott with 3-0-15-2.
At Conaree Sports Ground, the day’s third contest between Trinidad and Tobago Red Force Divas and the Leeward Islands had to be abandoned due to rain.
This was not before Djenaba Joseph was able to strike her highest List A score of 90, sharing in an 81-run partnership with skipper Anisa Mohammed to was not out on 45, to take the Red Force Divas to their highest total of the competition, 253-6 from their 50 overs. The rains came during the innings break and never subsided for play to resume, forcing match officials to abandon the match.
Barbados lead the table with 16 points followed by Trinidad & Tobago (10), Windwards (8), Guyana (8), Jamaica (4) and Leewards (2).
The fifth and final round of matches will be played on Wednesday. Jamaica face the Windwards at Conaree; Barbados face hosts Leewards at Warner Park; while Trinidad & Tobago Red Force Divas meet Guyana at St Paul’s.
Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana all secured wins as action continued in the third round of the CWI Women’s Super50 on Friday in St. Kitts.
Kyshona Knight was the star of the day at Conaree Sports Club as Barbados hammered Jamaica by 205 runs.
The Bajans posted an imposing 318-8 from their 50 overs batting first, with Knight making a spectacular 144 off just 119 balls including 19 fours and a six.
She was well supported by West Indies Under-19 representative Trishan Holder (36) and captain Hayley Matthews (31) while Neisha-Ann Wasome led the way with the ball for Jamaica with 3-65 from her 10 overs.
Jamaica was forced to bat with 10 as captain Stafanie Taylor suffered an injury in the field.
Their reply never really got out of first gear, eventually folding at 113-9 in the 29th over.
West Indies representative Chedean Nation (32) and Natasha McLean (27) were the only batters to provide any resistance against Keila Elliot’s 4-19 off 5.4 overs. Shamilia Connell and Aaliyah Williams also took two wickets each for Barbados who now have three wins in as many games.
At Warner Park, Guyana secured a nail-biting one run win over the Leeward Islands.
Shabika Gajnabi led the way with 49 and Kaysia Schultz added 25 as Guyana posted 167-9 off their 50 overs. Tonya Martin took 4-36 from 10 overs for the Leewards.
Then, despite a top-score of 74 off 124 balls from Amanda Edwards, the Leewards reply ended agonizingly short at 166-9 from 50 overs.
Shenetta Grimmond took 3-26 from her 10 overs while Plaffiana Millington (2-26) and Gajnabi (2-31) also provided good spells.
At St. Paul’s Sports Complex, Trinidad & Tobago squeezed out a narrow two-wicket win over the Windward Islands.
Afy Fletcher (50) and Qiana Joseph (29) led the way as the Windwards were first bowled out for 150 in 44.3 overs.
Karishma Ramharack took 3-24 off 9.3 overs for T&T.
Trinidad & Tobago’s successful chase was led by 53 from Reniece Boyce, 24 from Shalini Samaroo and 23* from Ramharack as they limped across the line at 152-8 in 38.3 overs.
Qiana Joseph completed an excellent all-round performance with 6-20 from her 10 overs for the Windwards.
The Windward Islands picked up their second win of the 2023 CG United Women’s Super50 Cup, defeating the Leeward Islands by eight wickets at Warner Park on Wednesday.
After winning the toss and bowling first, the Windwards made easy work of the Leewards. By the 19th over, the Leewards were all out as left arm spinner Qiana Joseph picked up her first career hat trick as part of a five-wicket haul.
Divya Saxena was the lone Leewards batter to reach double figures and she remained unbeaten on 44 as her team was all out for 59.
Joseph had figures of 5-0-14-5, while seamer Jannillea Glasgow had 5-3-11-2.
In reply, the Windwards openers added 48 before Malika Edward was the first to go for 31. Namiah Marcellin made 12, then skipper Afy Fletcher smashed two boundaries on her way to 11 not out as the Windwards reached victory in 15.1 overs.
“Our team plans were the same as we did against Guyana. We wanted to bowl first and we got the toss win. It was exciting to bowl them out for less than 60, the plan worked faster than we expected,” said Windwards vice-captain Jannillea Glasgow to CWI Media after the match.
“We just have to continue sticking to the basics heading into the rest of matches. Qiana just kept that momentum from the Guyana game and she was buzzing around. To our competitors, we are coming for them, we are not backing down,” she added.
At Conaree Sports Ground, a batting masterclass by skipper Hayley Matthews took defending champions Barbados to their second win is as many matches with a nine-wicket victory over Guyana.
Batting first, Guyana’s struggles with the bat continued. Sheneta Grimmond top-scored with 24, while skipper Shemaine Campbelle and Kaysia Schultz made 21 each, as they posted 121 all out in 34.3 overs. Shakera Selman, Shamilia Connell, Hayley Matthews and Keila Elliott all grabbed two wickets apiece.
It was then the Matthews show as she shared in a 109-run opening stance with Kycia Knight who made 40. Matthews smashed four sixes and eight fours to finish the innings on 72 not out from 42 deliveries as Barbados needed just 17.1 overs to reach their target.
In the day’s other game, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force Divas pulled off a thrilling one-wicket victory over Jamaica at the St. Paul’s ground.
Batting first, Natasha McLean (59) rescued Jamaica’s innings, after their top-order collapsed at 19/4 in 13.5 overs.
McLean and Chedean Nation (24) then shared in a 59-run partnership as Jamaica reached 123 all out in 39.4 overs.
Teenager Samara Ramnath dominated with her off-breaks as she finished with figures of 7.4-4-13-5 while Kirbyina Alexander was next best with 7-1-17-2.
Britney Cooper led the Red Force Divas run-chase with a top-score of 53 as T&T pulled off the thrilling win. Vanessa Watts was the top Jamaican bowler with figures of 10-4-16-3, followed by Celina Whyte with 9-0-24-2.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has confirmed the dates and host countries for the remaining 2023 West Indies Rising Stars age-group Championships following the Rising Stars Men’s U15s Championship which took place in Antigua last month.
The final three upcoming tournaments are the Women’s Rising Stars Under 19s, Men’s Rising Stars Under 17s and Men’s Rising Stars Under 19s Championships which are all important steps in the development pathway for the next generation of West Indies men’s and women’s cricketers.
The Women’s Rising Stars Under 19s Championship, consisting of six rounds of 30-over matches, will take place in Trinidad from 2 to 16 July. The Men’s Rising Stars Under 19s Championship will take place in St Vincent between 2 July and 1 August, consisting of five rounds of 50-over white ball matches and four rounds of three-day red ball matches.
The Men’s Rising Stars Under 17s Championship will take place in Trinidad between 10 August and 1 September featuring five rounds of 50-over matches and for the first time also three rounds of two-day red ball matches.
The Men’s Rising Stars Championships will feature both red ball and 50-over white ball cricket which will help the players develop a strong foundation of skill-sets, both mental and technical, that they can build on as they progress through the CWI development pathway system.
Jimmy Adams, CWI’s Director of Cricket spoke of the importance of the West Indies Rising Stars Championships and age group cricket across the region and how essential they are to develop the next generation of young talent in the West Indies.
“These age group tournaments are of paramount importance, and we want to ensure the players get maximum opportunities and exposure. Many of our current and former international players have graduated from these tournaments and we continue to see this as the ‘nursery’ for West Indies cricket,” Adams said.
“With over 250 teenagers due to participate in these championships, this is the ideal platform for them to launch their careers and the tournaments will allow for ongoing talent identification and development of our best young players”.
TOURNAMENT DATES
2 to 16 July: Women’s Rising Stars Under 19s Championship, Trinidad
2 July to 1 August: Men’s Rising Stars Under 19s Championship in St Vincent
10 August to 1 September: Men's’ Rising Stars Under 17s Championship in Trinidad
Barbados opened their defence of the CG United Women’s Super50 Cup with a six-wicket victory over the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force Divas at Warner Park on Monday. There were also wins for Windward Islands over Guyana and Jamaica over the Leeward Islands as the tournament got going in St Kitts.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Red Force Divas innings never got going despite a valiant effort with the bat from debutant Shunelle Sawh who top-scored with 68 from 113 balls.
Sawh, a member of the West Indies Rising Stars Under 19 team, hit six boundaries as she shared a 60-run stand with Britney Cooper who made a quick 32 off 48, as the Red Force Divas posted 161 all out.
Barbados debutant, right-arm medium pacer Allison Gordon, and experienced leg-spinner Keila Elliott ran riot on the Red Force batting line-up.
Gordon bagged the wickets of Shania Abdool (2), Reneice Boyce (0), Djenaba Joseph (6) and Anisa Mohammed (16), to finish with figures of 10-1-36-4 and Elliot 9-0-40-4.
When Barbados batted, twins Kyshona and Kycia Knight posted a 74-run partnership as the defending champs reached 162-4 to win by six wickets. Kycia made 37 off 66 balls and Kyshona was run-out soon after for a 61-ball 35.
Then, the experienced pair of Shakera Selman and Aaliyah Alleyne had a 72-run partnership as Barbados secured victory in 38.4 overs. Alleyne finished unbeaten on 48 from 51 balls while Selman was with her on 21 from 43 balls. Bowling for the Red Force Divas, Steffie Soogrim finished with figures of 9-0-36-2.
At Conaree, captain Afy Fletcher steered the Windward Islands to an easy nine-wicket victory over Guyana to take early points. Winning the toss and batting first, Guyana mustered 79 all out in 27.1 overs.
They were undone by left-arm spinner Qiana Joseph who finished with figures of 10-3-18-4. Realeanna Grimmond 20 and Mandy Magru 18 were the only Guyanese batters to reach double figures. Fletcher was also lethal with her leg-spin with figures of 5.1-2-10-2.
Fletcher then returned with the bat to finish unbeaten on 44 from 52 balls while Namiah Marcellin (29*) was with her when victory came in 21.2 overs.
At St. Paul’s Ground, Celina Whyte’s medium pace was too much for the Leeward Islands as Jamaica secured a six-wicket victory.
Winning the toss and batting first, Terez Parker (32) and Divya Saxena (30) took the Leeward Islands to 120 all out in 28.4 overs.
Whyte’s pace proved too much for the home team, as she finished with figures of 8.4-1-31-5 followed by Vanessa Watts with 8-0-23-4.
Natasha McLean then led the Jamaica run-chase with the bat finishing 33* with Rashada Williams providing good support with 31 as Jamaica reached victory in 24.1 overs. Amanda Edwards was the best of the Leewards bowlers with figures of 5-0-17-2.
A successful team of young gymnasts returns to Jamaica on Tuesday after its encouraging exploits at the recent Caribbean Classic in Trinidad and Tobago.
The 19-member group was assembled from schools in Kingston, Westmoreland, Montego Bay, Mandeville and St. Catherine after being selected from the Jamaica School of Gymnastics Regional Schools Championship recently held in March 2023.
These young athletes, considered by Jamaica Gymnastics Association President Nicole Grant to be the foundation of the Future Stars Program, won an array of medals on the bars, floor, beam and vault exercises.
Among them were Akayla Ireland, who was second on the beam and floor routines and third on the vault and bars, respectively and finished second overall.
Akeela Bonas was third overall after claiming second on the vault and bar and third in the beam and floor exercises. Jazharia Johnson won the beam, was second in the vault and third on the floor for second place overall.
Abigail Carpenter finished third on the beam while Kelli-Jo Reid was second on the beam and floor.
Bria Eubanks was third on the floor.
Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago got their Women U20 Championship qualifiers off to winning starts on Saturday.
Six games were played in Groups C, D and F. In Group C action at the Estadio Felix Sanchez Stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Guyana drubbed Suriname 6-0.
Se-Hanna Mars opened the scoring in the 24th minute before Sandra Johnson scored the first of her two goals in the 44th as Guyana took a 2-0 lead into half-time. Johnson added her second shortly after the resumption in the 47th minute.
Glendy Lewis added Guyana’s fourth in minute 55 and Samantha Banfield made it 5-0 five minutes later. Jalade Trim completed the rout in the 90th minute.
In the second match on the night the Dominican Republic clobbered Dominica 15-0 as Angelina Vargas scoring a double hat-trick, her goals coming in the sixth, 11th, 33rd 44th, 73rd and 78th minutes.
Jaylen Valecillo (7’, 21’, 63’) also had a hat trick, Ariana Diaz had a brace (14’, 37’) while Jazmyn Jackson (9’), Renata Mercedes (11’), Stella Tapia (86’) and Isabella Ventura (90’) all chipped in with scores.
The Rignaal Jean Francisca Stadium in Willemstad is serving as the site for Group D, and Trinidad and Tobago got off to a winning start in a 3-0 final against Cayman Islands. Talia Martin scored goals in the 22’ and 68’, while Nikita Jackson found the back of the net in the 66’ to give Trinidad and Tobago the three points.
Puerto Rico enjoyed a winning start in Willemstad as they topped Guadeloupe 5-0. Kenedy Garcia (12’), Enasia Colon (40’), Estefania Gonzalez (52’), Jocelyn Chinea (73’) and Fabiola Martinez (88’) supplied the goals for the Boricuas.
The Estadio Nacional in Managua was the location of the day’s games in Group F, beginning with Costa Rica’s 13-0 win over Belize.
Alexa Herrera had four goals (7’, 14’, 20’, 33’), Sheika Scott notched a hat trick (4’, 45+2’, 56’), Tanisha Fonseca contributed a brace (12’, 29’) and Jocelyn Briceno (33’), Dayra Dinarte (56’), Veronica Matarrita (71’) and Luciana Gonzalez (89’) all added scores for the Ticas.
Host nation Nicaragua took on Guatemala in the second game of the day in Managua and it ended with a 3-1 win to Nicaragua.
Aryeri Mejia (56’) and Daniela Manzanares (64’) scored for the Pinoleras in addition to an own goal (69’), while Guatemala got their score from Karen Gonzalez (19’).
All of the teams will be back in action on Monday.
In Group C in Santo Domingo, Guyana will look to make it two wins in a row versus Dominica, while the Dominican Republic will try to continue their scoring ways against Suriname.
Group D in Willemstad will see Trinidad and Tobago seek a second win against Guadeloupe, while Puerto Rico take on Cayman Islands.
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