Earsinho Fontaine (right) scored 130* off 146 balls for the Windward Islands.
CWI Media
Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica and the Windward Islands all secured wins as the CWI Rising Stars Under-15 Championship bowled off on Tuesday in Antigua.
At Coolidge, Trinidad & Tobago easily got the better of Guyana by seven wickets. The Guyanese batted first and were only able to make 75 in 32.4 overs.
Yasir Deen and Darrius Batoosingh starred with the ball for the young Trinidadians with 3-8 off four overs and 3-10 off six overs, respectively.
It only took 15.2 overs for T&T to successfully reach their target, finishing 76-3. Christian Lall led the way with 34*.
At the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, the Windward Islands beat the Leeward Islands by 99 runs. The Windwards piled up an impressive 263-3 off their 50 overs thanks to a brilliant 130* off 146 balls by Earsinho Fontaine.
They also got healthy contributions from Jonathan Daniel (52) and captain Theo Edward (37).
In reply, the Leewards were dismissed for 164 in 44.1 overs. Jaheem Clarke led the way with 40* while captain Matthew Miller made 26 and Eirette Richards 23 against 3-15 from captain Edward and 3-14 from Elran Glasgow.
At the Liberta Sports Club, Jamaica pulled off an exciting 18-run win over defending champions Barbados.
Batting first, the Jamaicans made a modest 165 off 42.3 overs. Demarco Scott led the way with 49 while Savio Jones got 34 as R’Jai Gittens ripped through the Jamaica line-up to claim 4-24 from his seven overs.
The Barbados chase seemed to be going smoothly at 144-4 in the 36th over but things quickly went south as they lost their final six wickets for just three runs to be bowled out for 147 in 39 overs.
Gadson Bowens led the wat with 64 while Justin Parris got 47. The Jamaican fightback was led by hero with the bat, Demarco Scott, and Adrian Silvera. Scott took 3-12 in his six overs and Silvera bowled eight overs, finishing with 3-22.
Action continues Friday with Jamaica taking on Guyana at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, the Leeward Islands facing Barbados at Coolidge and Trinidad & Tobago battling the Windward Islands at the Liberta Sports Club.
England-born Rhea Dixon ready to shine bright for Sunshine Girls in Vitality Netball Horizon Series
To say that Sunshine Girl Rhea Dixon stands ready to make a powerful mark in the highly anticipated four-match Vitality Netball Horizon Series against England, would be a great understatement.
In fact, the England-born goal attack, whose Jamaican roots trace back to her grandparents from St. Elizabeth, is not only brimming with confidence and excitement, but more importantly, feels a renewed sense of purpose heading into the series which she believes represents an incredible opportunity to make Jamaica proud.
Dixon, who had an impactful debut for the Sunshine Girls at last year’s Fast5 Netball World Series, is ready to once again showcase her talent alongside her Sunshine Girls teammates.
England will host the first two games scheduled for November 16 and 17 at the AO Arena in Manchester, with Jamaica set to host the last two encounters on November 25 and 26 at the National Indoor Sports Centre.
“I’m very excited to be back with the Sunshine Girls this year. I’m so grateful that this opportunity has come around, and I’m ready to take it with both hands,” Dixon told SportsMax.Tv from the team’s base in Manchester, her enthusiasm unmistakable.
This series, Dixon believes, is a chance to contribute to her team’s success while showcasing the growth and resilience that have defined her journey.
While she admits that her netball journey has had its share of ups and downs, the 27-year-old considers singing the Jamaican national anthem with her teammates one of her proudest moments.
“There have been plenty of highs and lows,” she reflected.
“Winning the last two Netball Superleague championships (with Loughborough Lightning) and being named MVP in the final was a huge accomplishment, but nothing compares to representing Jamaica and sharing that connection with my team,” Dixon declared.
But Dixon also knows well the sacrifices and challenges that come with professional sport, as she has endured setbacks, including a foot injury that saw her miss almost an entire season and also being overlooked by teams early in her career.
Yet, Dixon, who represented England at the Under-21 level before switching allegiance to Jamaica, turned those hardships into fuel for her ambitions.
“Injury and non-selection can feel like huge blows, but they make you stronger. These moments taught me resilience and have shaped who I am as an athlete. I’ve learned to keep pushing and to trust that hard work and dedication always yield results,” she reasoned.
Though new to the longstanding rivalry between the two nations, Dixon is all-in, having been working hard individually over the summer to ensure she’s at peak performance to assist her number four-ranked Sunshine Girls teammates topple the now number two-ranked England and make a move up the rankings.
“I’ve been working on my fitness and mental game throughout the break, so I feel strong both physically and mentally. As a team, we’ve been doing video analysis on England’s recent games to make sure we’re as prepared as possible,” Dixon shared.
“These girls are never less motivated to win. They all want to win and will do whatever it takes to get there. So I really believe that we will come out on top; we have so much knowledge, skill and experience in this group, and they are all winners that will fight until the end,” she noted.
Beyond her ambitions to excel with the Sunshine Girls, Dixon is also focused on her continued development as an athlete.
"I want to keep building my experience with this team, performing consistently on the international stage and bringing what I learn back to my play in England, and hopefully gaining some more silverware in the NSL,” Dixon who recently signed with Nottingham Forest Netball ended.
Springer replaces injured Russell in Windies squad for final leg of England T20Is in Saint Lucia; returning Alzarri Joseph replaces Shamar Joseph
All-rounder Shamar Springer and pacer Alzarri Joseph have been drafted into the West Indies T20I squad ahead of the crucial St. Lucia leg of their “Rivalry” series against England, CWI announced on Tuesday.
Springer replaces Andre Russell who has been ruled out due to a left ankle sprain sustained during the opening T20I at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday.
The 26-year-old Bajan recently made his international debut during the West Indies tour of Sri Lanka in October.
The other change sees Alzarri Joseph, having completed his two-match suspension, rejoin the squad in Saint Lucia, replacing Shamar Joseph.
The West Indies currently trail the five-match series 0-2.
The squad for the final three games is as follows:
Remaining Schedule of West Indies vs England T20I Series:
3rd T20 International: 14 November 2024- Daren Sammy Stadium, Saint Lucia
4th T20 International: 16 November 2024- Daren Sammy Stadium, Saint Lucia
5th T20 International: 17 November 2024- Daren Sammy Stadium, Saint Lucia
Sports Ministry giving J$45M in grants to Olympians, Paralympian
As a token of appreciation for their efforts, members of Jamaica’s team to the recent Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, France will be compensated through grants from the Government of Jamaica, the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, said at a press conference on Monday.
“I have J$45M allocated to provide Appreciation Grants to members of Jamaica’s delegation to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” she said.
Grange said the money was being disbursed directly to 66 athletes, including one Paralympian, and 21 athlete support personnel who formed Jamaica’s delegation to the games.
These grants are in addition to over twenty million dollars disbursed to athletes under the Athletes Assistance Programme as they prepared for the Paris Games, according to Grange.
Junior athletes who competed at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru will also receive gift vouchers totaling J$760,000 from the Ministry.
The Minister was speaking at the press conference to announce the Jamaica leg of the new global athletics league, Grand Slam Track, being led by the former World and Olympic champion and record holder, Michael Johnson.
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