A very youthful Jamaican team has settled and hit the ground running in the Dominican Republic as they fine-tune their strokes ahead of the three-day Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship.
The tournament is scheduled for July 31 to August 2 at the Iberostar Golf Course in Bavaro.
Team manager Sebert Walker said that the team, which travelled to the Spanish-speaking Caribbean island on Sunday, had their first of two practice sessions on Monday and that it went well.
He explained that the second practice on Tuesday, will include two new players—Kingston Burke and Kierra Williams—who travelled from the United States to meet up with the team on location.
The full team of male and female players is composed of Aman Dhiman, Oshae Haye, Rocco Lopez, Ryan Lue, Zandre Roye, Jack Stein, Kingston Burke, Mattea Issa, Emily Mayne, and Kierra Williams.
Meanwhile, Jodi Munn-Barrow, president of the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA), has high expectations for the team.
“The Jamaica Golf Association is very pleased with the team that will be representing Jamaica at the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship. It is quite an historic moment as all the team members are under the age of thirty, including some of our juniors who will be representing us at the junior championship the following week in Kingston,” Munn-Barrow said.
“We know that the members will be playing their hardest. They had an extra practice round today (Monday), and they are really eager and are looking forward to the start of the event. We wish them all the best, and we know that they will make Jamaica proud,” she added.
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago book semifinal spots at CAZOVA Men’s U19 Zonal Championships; USVI join Barbados in Women’s final four
Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago both booked spots in the last four of the 2024 CAZOVA U19 Boys Zonal Championship with wins over the US Virgin Islands and Barbados, respectively, on Monday at the GC Foster College in Spanish Town, Jamaica.
The hosts came from behind twice to secure a 3-2 win over USVI and secure top spot in Pool A and a spot in the semi-finals.
USVI took the first set 25-23 before Jamaica levelled proceedings with a 25-22 victory in the second set.
A close third set saw USVI win 26-24 to take a 2-1 lead before Jamaica roared back once again with a 25-20 win in the fourth set.
The hosts then took the fifth set 15-11. USVI will also advance to the semis after finishing second Pool A.
Trinidad & Tobago had an easier time of it than the Jamaicans, defeating Barbados 3-1 to top Pool B.
T&T won the first set 25-22 before Barbados tied things up with a 26-24 second set win. Trinidad & Tobago then won the next two sets 26-24 and 25-22 to secure their spot in the final four. Barbados and the Cayman Islands will determine who joins them in the semis from Pool B in the last preliminary round match.
In the CAZOVA U19 Girls Zonal Championship, the US Virgin Islands booked a spot in the semifinals with a 3-0 win over Curacao on Monday.
They won the sets 25-12, 25-10 and 25-12 to top Group B ahead of Curacao and Aruba who will face off to determine the other semifinalist from the group.
Barbados defeated hosts Jamaica on Sunday to book their spot in the semifinals from Group A.
The Bajans recovered from a 23-25 first set loss to win the next three sets 25-23, 25-17 and 25-21 and book their spot in the semis.
Jamaica, who were playing their first game in the tournament, will face Trinidad & Tobago to see who will join Barbados in the semis.
Barbados defeated T&T 3-1 to open the tournament on Saturday.
Reggae Boyz prepare to name new coach: Former EPL boss Steve Bruce and ex-Jamaica ace Deon Burton in the mix for prestigious role
Steve Bruce has been revealed as a leading contender to become the next Jamaica head coach. He is among a shortlist of four names being earmarked by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to lead the Boyz into the next World Cup finals.
The 63-year-old former English Premier League manager was last in charge at West Bromwich Albion, but he was given the boot by the Championship club in October 2022.
The ex-Manchester United defender has never managed at international level, but has been in charge at 11 different clubs in England and amassed over a thousand matches. His CV includes being head coach with Aston Villa and Newcastle.
Jamaica have been without a coach since Icelander Heimir Hallgrímsson resigned last month following a poor Copa America 2024 campaign, and promptly took over the Republic of Ireland hotseat.
With over 30 serious applications received by the JFF, which included ex-Manchester City players Ole Solsjaer (Norway international) and Dwight Yorke (Trinidad & Tobago), there has been a gradual process to narrow it down.
JFF president Michael Ricketts, who is not part of the selection process, has publicly expressed that he personally prefers to have an England-based head coach as Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz prepare to tackle the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers. There were murmurs that former West Ham United boss David Moyes could be a surprise appointment, although that appears to have only been rumours.
Whoever takes over the role will be expected to guide the Boyz to the next World Cup finals, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
These three nations are Jamaica’s biggest rivals in the CONCACAF region. As they have been given automatic berths for football’s biggest competition, the Boyz are expected to breeze into the World Cup finals for only the second time in their history.
The other names believed to be on JFF’s shortlist are Deon Burton, Miguel Coley and Jose Peseiro.
British-born Burton is the U23 coach of West Bromwich Albion. The 47-year-old won the 1997 Jamaican Sportsman of the Year award after bagging four goals in five games during the Boyz’ successful 1998 World Cup qualifiers. He played in all four games at France ‘98, but failed to find the back of the net.
Jamaican Coley, 41, has served as assistant manager and U23 head coach with the Boyz. He has recently been in the UAE with various clubs.
The standout name being touted is former striker Peseiro. The 64-year-old Portuguese has managed at international level with Saudi Arabia (2009-11), Venezuela (2020-21) and Nigeria (2022-24).
Peseiro was given the boot by Saudi Arabia, left Venezuela because he had not been paid for over a year and quit Nigeria in March following 22 successful months. He guided Nigeria to the 2023 African Cup of Nations final, where they lost 2-1 to hosts Ivory Coast, and was awarded the Order of the Niger by president Bola Tinubu for his achievements.
The JFF Technical Committee is anticipated to decide on one candidate this week, with an announcement expected as early as August 1 to reveal the new Jamaica head coach. The next game for the Boyz is the Nations League tie against Cuba at the National Stadium in Kingston.
Corporal Shayon Francis signed on as Spectrum Brand Ambassador
At the Jamaica Rifle Association (JRA) Jamaica Cup on Saturday, July 27, Corporal Shayon Francis, the top-ranked female pistol shooter in Jamaica, was announced as the newest brand ambassador for Spectrum Systems Limited, Jamaica's leading roofing supplier.
Francis was previously a member of the historic Super Six all-female shooting squad that proudly represented Jamaica at the PanAmerican Handgun Championships in Florida in 2022. During that competition, the team clinched a Bronze medal and Francis has been on the rise since.
Francis now holds the top ranking as Jamaica's leading female pistol shooter. Typically, she achieves a position in the top ten among all shooters at the Jamaica Rifle Association, where her competitors are predominantly male.
Shayon’s upcoming 2024 schedule includes the Smoking Barrel Regional Standoff in Barbados from August 30 to Sep 1. She is also set to participate in the Fast and Furious Woodleigh Qualifier on Oct 27.
Shayon, a native of St. Thomas in Jamaica, rose to the top of her sport by virtue of commitment to excellence, determination, and hard work, constantly practicing to hone her skills to become one of the region's best shooters, male or female.
Spectrum Managing Director Andrew Stanigar is happy to have Francis on board, "We previously sponsored the Super Six shooters and also the Spectrum Shooting tournament at the JRA, so this is a continuation of our support of the sport. Shayon is the number 1 in shooting for women in Jamaica, and so, it's a no-brainer that she will be backed by the number 1 roofing company, Spectrum Systems Ltd."
As part of the sponsorship, Francis will enhance Spectrum's branding and corporate image as she will be included in advertising campaigns alongside other brand ambassadors, race car driver Sara Misir and Reggae Boyz captain, Andre Blake.
Francis looks forward to representing Spectrum Systems, “I am thrilled and deeply grateful for Spectrum Systems Ltd.'s generous sponsorship as I gear up for my upcoming matches. Although my sights are set on the ultimate goal of World Shoot in South Africa 2025, I understand the significance of each upcoming match. With Spectrum Systems Ltd. by my side, I am equipped with the resources for more training sessions, enabling me to stay primed and deliver my A-game in all the matches” she said.
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