Carlos Alcaraz has learned never to give up after facing Rafael Nadal, with the pair on a collision course to meet again in next week's Madrid Open quarter-finals.
Alcaraz has enjoyed a hugely impressive season to date, having last week added the Barcelona Open to the titles won in Rio de Janeiro and Miami already in 2022.
Following on from that triumph in Catalonia, Alcaraz – who turns 19 next week – became the youngest male player to break into the top 10 since Nadal 17 years ago.
He boasts a record of 23-3 this year, one of those defeats coming at the hands of Spanish great Nadal in the semi-finals of Indian Wells in March.
That encounter lasted over three hours, with Nadal digging deep in California to prevail 6-4 4-6 6-3, only to lose in the final to Taylor Fritz.
Nadal was clearly troubled by injury during his defeat to Fritz and has subsequently taken a break to recover from a rib problem.
The pair are set to collide once again in Madrid next week should they both come through their second and third-round matches.
Speaking ahead of the draw being made on Friday, Alcaraz revealed he has taken inspiration from facing Nadal, who won a record 21st Grand Slam at the 2022 Australian open.
"I learned about the fighting spirit, of never giving up," the teenager told Spanish talk show El Hormiguero.
"Many people will have also seen the Australian Open match, he was losing and came back almost miraculously.
"From that match against him [at Indian Wells] I get the fighting spirit, never give up and fight until the last ball."
Top seed Novak Djokovic is also in Alcaraz and Nadal's side of the Madrid Open draw, while Andy Murray and Dominic Thiem will meet in the pick of the first-round clashes.
The Memphis Grizzlies are "always confident no matter what the score is", Ja Morant explained after another comeback sent them through in the NBA playoffs.
All-Star Morant won his first playoff series as he helped the Grizzlies overturn the Minnesota Timberwolves' fourth-quarter lead in Game 6 on Friday and win 114-106.
That victory sends the Grizzlies into the Western Conference semi-finals – the first time they have reached that stage since 2015 – and sets up a series against the Golden State Warriors, which will start on Sunday in Tennessee.
It was the third time in their series against the Timberwolves that the Grizzlies had to overcome a double-digit deficit in the final quarter.
"The series was a battle," said Morant, who had a double-double of 17 points and 11 assists, complemented by eight rebounds.
"We knew that every game would be a dogfight. Coming in we knew, with this team, we wouldn't win this series in one game.
"We knew that every game would be a dogfight, that we had to come in locked in and bring our energy from the start. Obviously, the wins were pretty ugly outside of Game 2, but we got it done.
"I feel like we're always confident no matter what the score is. We treat it pretty much as zero-zero.
"We've been down double-digits plenty of times and came back and won. We know the game is not over until there are zeros on the scoreboard at the end of the fourth quarter."
While Morant is confident in Memphis' comeback abilities, team-mate Dillon Brooks insisted it is not by design.
"I wish we had better starts," said Brooks, who along with Morant danced on the Timberwolves' logo after sealing Memphis' progression.
"We don't want to put ourselves in that predicament, but we always find a way to fight.
"Like coach [Taylor Jenkins] said in the locker room, 'There's not one way to win in the NBA playoffs'. There are a lot of ways to win and we just figured out one way."
Morant has had a brilliant campaign though was kept relatively quiet across the series as a whole in his first postseason appearance. However, support came from Desmond Bane.
"If you ask me, the MVP of this series is this guy right here," Morant said while sitting with Bane at a news conference.
"Time and time again, he came up big-time. He hit some big-time shots for us, even kept us in the game, and gave us a lead."
Joel Embiid will be out of action for an indefinite period of time after a stray Pascal Siakam elbow fractured the Philadelphia 76ers center's orbital bone.
As well as the fracture, Embiid also suffered a mild concussion, meaning he will miss a minimum of five days as he works his way through the NBA's concussion protocol.
Embiid suffered a similar injury in 2018, which was diagnosed as a facial fracture. In that instance, the team opted to get him into surgery straight away, leading to a three-week absence.
It is reportedly undecided whether the MVP candidate will get surgery, with specialists trying to determine the severity of the injury and the different courses of action that can be taken.
Embiid has also been playing through a torn ligament in his right thumb, which he plans to have surgery on once the 76ers' season finishes.
A source of frustration for 76ers fans is the fact that the injury was sustained with less than four minutes to go, as they led by 29 points, with pundits such as Jalen Rose calling it a coaching failure by Doc Rivers to still have his stars in that game.
Philadelphia's Eastern Conference semi-final series against the Miami Heat begins on Monday night in South Beach, with Embiid almost guaranteed to be unavailable for Game 1.
Five New York Mets pitchers combined on Friday to throw the franchise's second ever no-hitter, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 3-0.
Tyler Megill got things started for the Mets, pitching five innings for three walks and five strikeouts before being withdrawn after 88 pitches.
Megill was replaced by Drew Smith, who struck out four of the five batters he faced, issuing one walk before he was then replaced by Joely Rodriguez for the seventh frame.
Seth Lugo came in to finish off the eighth inning, setting the table for closer Edwin Diaz to finish the job. The Mets' second no-hitter comes nearly 10 years after their first, when Johan Santana did it by himself in June 2012.
Diaz struck out all three batters in the ninth inning, becoming the first player to ever strike out every batter he faced to close out a no-hitter. It was also the first time since 1990 that the first no-hitter of the season was a combined effort.
It was a scoreless game on both sides until the fifth inning when Jeff McNeil's base hit brought home Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha, with Pete Alonso's solo home run an inning later giving the Mets their winning margin.
Aaron Nola was no slouch on the mound for the Phillies, with nine strikeouts through six complete innings to go with three earned runs from seven hits and no walks.
The win moves the Mets' record to 15-6 – the best in the MLB.
Showtime for Shohei in Chicago
Just one game back in the standings from the Mets, the Los Angeles Angels claimed another stylish win as they defeated the Chicago White Sox 5-1.
It was a terrific pitching performance from the Angels staff as starter Jimmy Herget was pulled after just three innings, with six relievers combining to hold the White Sox scoreless the rest of the way.
With the bat, Shohei Ohtani made sure fans did not have to wait long to get their money's worth, sending a high fastball on a 3-1 count back over the pitcher's head and over the center-field wall. It was the Angels' second homer of the opening frame after Taylor Ward hit a lead-off bomb to start the game.
Guardians win back-and-forth thriller
In a game with five lead changes, the Cleveland Guardians prevailed 9-8 against the Oakland Athletics.
A Jose Ramirez solo home run gave the Guardians a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but it was short-lived as the Athletics responded with four runs in the bottom of the frame, with three coming home on a 407-foot Sean Murphy home run.
The momentum shifted again in the third inning as an Andres Gimenez grand slam pushed the Guardians back ahead 5-4, but once again the Athletics answered straight back, scoring the next four runs to lead 8-5.
Cleveland had the last laugh in the seventh inning, as a Ramirez double brought two runs home to trim the deficit to one, before a two-run Josh Naylor homer made it 9-8, allowing Emmanuel Clase to close things out with the save.
A career night for Minnesota Timberwolves reserve Jaden McDaniels was not enough to stop the Memphis Grizzlies from winning Game 6 114-106 on the road, clinching the series 4-2 in the process.
It was another tough game scoring the ball for Grizzlies star Ja Morant, who shot four-of-14 from the field and zero-for-five from long range for his 15 points, bringing his series averages to 21 points per game at 39 per cent shooting.
But yet again, he found other ways to impact the game and help his side win, with 11 assists and eight rebounds, right in line with his average production in the series as he assumed a facilitating role.
Desmond Bane led Memphis in scoring (both in the game and the series) with 23 points from nine-of-15 shooting, Jaren Jackson Jr finally stayed out of foul trouble and delivered 18 points and 14 rebounds in 35 minutes, and Brandon Clarke was the difference-maker off the bench with 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards scored a game-high 30 points on 10-of-24 shooting and added five assists, two blocks and two steals, while Karl-Anthony Towns was solid, but disappointing for an All-Star with 18 points (six-of-19 shooting) and 10 rebounds.
Jaden McDaniels almost proved to be the most important player in the game after coming off the Timberwolves bench, hitting eight of his nine shots, including five out of six three-point attempts to score a career-high 24 points in 33 minutes.
McDaniels' clutch three-pointer late in the fourth quarter cut the margin back to 103-102, but the Grizzlies were just too strong down the stretch, winning the last frame 40-22 for their second straight victory after trailing by double figures at three-quarter time.
With the win, the Grizzlies will meet the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semi-finals.
After being projected as first-round picks in the NFL Draft, quarterback Malik Willis and linebacker Nakobe Dean finally heard their names called in the 80s.
Willis, 22, came out of nowhere in 2021, throwing for 2857 yards with 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and was the most impressive athlete in this year's quarterback class, rushing for 878 yards and 13 touchdowns.
During the pre-draft process, Willis was discussed as potentially the second overall pick, but did not hear his name called until the 22nd pick of the third round, when the Tennessee Titans traded up and selected him at 86.
He went three picks later than Dean, who was the leader of arguably the greatest defense in college football history in the Georgia Bulldogs' National Championship team.
In the conversation for first linebacker to be selected, information emerged during the second round that Dean's medicals were not as clean as he would have hoped after suffering a pectoral injury in the pre-draft process.
The medical red flags scared teams off until the Philadelphia Eagles selected him at 83.
The Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Desmond Ridder with pick 74 of the NFL Draft.
It was the first time since 2000 that only one quarterback was picked in the first two rounds – Kenny Pickett to the Pittsburgh Steelers at pick 20 – with Ridder's selection coming 10 picks into the third round.
In his senior season, Ridder had 3334 yards with 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 14 games, leading the Cincinnati Bearcats to an undefeated 13-0 record before losing in the playoff semi-final to powerhouse Alabama.
It was the first time a school outside of the 'Power Five' conferences had made the College Football Playoff since its inception in the 2014-15 season.
For the Falcons, there is a glaring need at quarterback after shipping Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts, and Ridder will get a chance to compete with Marcus Mariota for the role of week one starter.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected wide receiver Skyy Moore with the 54th pick in the NFL Draft.
Moore, 21, has shot up draft boards since the beginning of the pre-draft process after running a slick 4.41 40-yard dash, and had seven games in 2021 with at least eight catches and 100 yards.
The Western Michigan receiver's best game came against Northern Illinois, with 12 catches for 206 yards and four touchdowns. From 12 games, he finished the season with 1292 yards and 10 touchdowns from 95 receptions.
Kansas City are in desperate need of wide receiver help after trading superstar Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, and the hope will be that Moore can fill the role of a field-stretcher for Patrick Mahomes.
Moore was the 13th wide receiver selected in the first 54 picks, setting an NFL Draft record.
World number two Jon Rahm showed his class at the Mexico Open on Friday, claiming the outright lead after round two at 12 under.
Rahm was the joint-leader after a bogey-free first round, and kept that momentum going with another eight birdies the second time around, although they did come with three bogeys.
Two shots back at 10 under is Alex Smalley, who shot an incredible 30 on the front-nine thanks to birdies on two, six and seven, and an eagle on the par-four third hole. He finished with a second-round 66, one stroke off the round of the day.
A small group at nine under is in a tie for third, including Patrick Reed, Cameron Champ and Adam Long, who also all shot 66.
The next logjam at eight under includes Davis Riley, who was one of four players to shoot Friday's best score of 65 – along with Martin Trainer, Emiliano Grillo and Doug Ghim, with that trio all at five under after posting 72s in the opening round.
Also at eight under is Kurt Kitayama and Jonathan Byrd, who shared the first-round lead with Rahm, but could only manage 70s to now sit four strokes off the Spaniard.
A strong international contingent sits at six under in a tie for 18th, featuring England's Matt Wallace, India's Anirban Lahiri, Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Japan's Satoshi Kodaira.
Kevin Na is one shot further back at five under, along with the leader of the Mexican contingent, Alvaro Ortiz, who birdied five of the first seven holes, but a double bogey on eight and two more bogeys on 10 and 13 wiped out a lot of his good work.
The higher-ranked players in the field, such as Cameron Tringale (four under), Tony Finau (three under) and Abraham Ancer (two under) will live to see the weekend as the cut-line landed on two under.
Camillo Villegas, Adam Schenk and Scott Gutschewski were disappointing, missing the cut after solid first rounds in the 60s, with all three of them posting second rounds of at least two over.
The Green Bay Packers traded up to the 34th pick – the second selection of Friday's second round – to select wide receiver Christian Watson.
Watson, 22, measures in at 6'4 and clocked an eye-opening 4.36 40-yard dash, while flashing a 38-inch vertical leap, dispelling concerns about the low level of competition he faced playing at North Dakota State.
With the Bison, Watson scored a touchdown in seven of the first nine games of the season on the way to an FCS Championship.
He comes from the same school as quarterback Carson Wentz, who was selected number two overall in the 2016 draft.
At pick 34, Watson becomes the highest-drafted receiver by the Packers since Javon Walker was taken with the 20th selection of the 2002 NFL Draft.
With arguably the best receiver in the entire league, Davante Adams, leaving the Packers this offseason to join the Las Vegas Raiders, Watson is projected to fill a significant role as one of Aaron Rodgers' primary options.
Top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime fell to Sebastian Korda in the Estoril Open quarter-finals, while Casper Ruud was sent packing at the BMW Open.
Auger-Aliassime won just 50 per cent of points behind his first serve as Korda claimed an impressive 6-2 6-2 success over the Canadian in one hour and 29 minutes.
In the semi-finals Korda will take on fellow American Frances Tiafoe, who edged out Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 7-5 in a tight encounter.
The other last-four clash will see Albert Ramos Vinolas take on Sebastian Baez.
Ramos Vinolas bested Fernando Verdasco 6-2 6-2 to set up his meeting with Baez after the Argentine rallied from a set down to defeat Richard Gasquet 3-6 6-1 6-4.
At the BMW Open, second seed Ruud fell to Botic van de Zandschulp in the quarter-finals.
The Dutchman won their only previous encounter en route to the last eight at last year's US Open and he triumphed 7-5 6-1 in Munich.
"Maybe the score is easier than it really was," said Van de Zandschulp. "The first set [was] really tight, I think. A great battle in the first one. I had some opportunities to break him in the beginning and didn't take them. Gladly [at] five-all I made the break and held the serve at 6-5.
"[The] second set was a little bit easier, but I think I played really well today."
Next up for Van de Zandschulp is Miomir Kecmanovic, who defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili 7-6 (7-5) 6-2. Holger Rune will continue his impressive run against Oscar Otte in the other semi-final after they overcame Emil Ruusuvuori and Alejandro Tabilo respectively.
Zion Williamson says he is committed to the New Orleans Pelicans, who were rejuvenated in the 2021-22 season he spent on the sideline.
Former first overall pick Williamson did not play a single game this season as the Pelicans reached the playoffs through the play-in tournament and then took the Phoenix Suns to six games.
The optimism around the team would increase further with the forward's return next year after playing just 85 games through three years.
When he has been on the court, Williamson has averaged 25.7 points on 60.4 per cent shooting, scoring 20 or more points in each of his 15 most recent outings – all of which came way back in 2020-21.
The former Duke sensation's dedication to the Pelicans has been questioned at times, but he appeared enthused discussing the future on Friday following their playoff elimination.
"It sucks watching from the sideline, because I just want to be out there," Williamson said. "But you're seeing the potential. We've got a lot of great pieces.
"The locker room [had] a different feel this year. A lot of that goes to BI's [Brandon Ingram's] leadership, the young guys buying in to coach [Willie] Green so fast.
"You saw it on the court. Man, we have a special group, I truly believe that."
Williamson is eligible for a five-year, $181million max rookie extension ahead of the 2022-23 season, and he is not planning to think twice if that offer comes from the Pelicans.
"Of course, I couldn't sign it fast enough," he said.
Treylon Burks is not looking to draw comparisons with A.J. Brown but took the Tennessee Titans' trade with the Philadelphia Eagles as a show of faith.
Burks is in line to be the Titans' leading wide receiver in 2022 after Brown, previously the top man, was moved to the Eagles on the first night of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Tennessee used the pick they received in return to select Burks at number 18, for now a far cheaper option than Brown, who was immediately handed a lucrative contract in Philadelphia.
The former Arkansas wideout has big potential, having been likened to wantaway San Francisco 49ers 'wide back' Deebo Samuel with his varied skillset and threat in the open field, averaging 9.3 yards after the catch in 2021 and also contributing 38 carries across three seasons with the Razorbacks.
Derrick Henry is in charge of the run game in Tennessee, though, and the pressure will be on Burks to replace Brown's production. The former second-round pick passed 1,000 receiving yards in two of his three seasons with the Titans – a mark Burks only topped in his final college season.
But the new man said on Friday: "I'm myself, I'm Treylon Burks. Usually I don't compare myself to anyone because I'm myself.
"There's no other person like me and I handle my business the right way, and that's what I'm going to do."
Rather than be daunted by the responsibility of replacing Brown, who was targeted on 33.5 per cent of his routes last season (second-most among wide receivers with 100 or more routes), Burks was emboldened.
"I'm just thankful for the opportunity that they believed in me to make that trade and believe in me to go out there and represent the organisation like it's supposed to be represented," he said. "That's what I'm going to do."
When Burks was linked to the Titans prior to Thursday, it was imagined he would line up alongside Brown, and he added: "That was one of my dreams, to also play with Brown. But I'm going to do what I do best and just go out there and play football."
Naomi Osaka was encouraged by her 2022 clay-court debut, winning her opening match at the Madrid Open against Anastasia Potapova.
The former world number one has not played on the red dirt since the 2021 French Open, where she withdrew citing mental health issues.
Heading into this week in Madrid, Osaka had an underwhelming 20-15 record on clay, with each of her grand slam successes coming on hard courts.
But the 24-year-old has spoken of adjusting her approach and learning from clay king Rafael Nadal – and the early signs were positive.
She needed just over an hour to defeat Potapova 6-3 6-1 on Friday and said: "I'm honestly trying to be more positive with myself.
"This year I came a week early to train on red clay, so I'm just trying to give myself more chances to do better.
Osaka added: "To be able to do it in two sets, for me, it's a really good starting block.
"I think today for me it was really fun, just being able to be back on the clay and not taking those moments for granted."
Fellow hard-court major champions Emma Raducanu and Bianca Andreescu also won their openers, although the latter required three sets to eventually coast past Alison Riske 6-4 3-6 6-0.
Raducanu will play another 19-year-old in the second round, with the US Open champion paired with Marta Kostyuk after getting over a slightly slow start to thrash Tereza Martincova 7-6 (7-3) 6-0.
Fourth seed Maria Sakkari overcame a scare, meanwhile, ending her losing run at three matches by coming from behind to defeat Madison Keys in three sets.
"Overall, it was a very positive match to get myself back in the winning feeling," the Greek said.
Kristen McGregor opened her 2022 season with an encouraging top-five finish at the Fit Muscle Championships in Mexico last weekend (April 23). The performance sets the tone for what could be an outstanding season for the fitness athlete, who is desirous of competing at the Miss Olympia competition in December. However, she can only achieve this if she can get consistent sponsor support.
McGregor, the winner of the 2020 Miss Olympia Amateur title in the Women's Figure Category, is a former national champion and CAC Champion and is arguably Jamaica’s best female fitness athlete of the modern era. However, it has been a struggle to attract consistent sponsorship support as she strives for her career goals.
“The major challenge I face as a national athlete is corporate sponsorship. I am a bit disappointed with the responses I received for sponsorship requests seeking help to represent my country and hoping that I would have gotten good responses, even given the fact that I am a recipient of the Prime Minister's Youth Award,” lamented McGregor, who is the holder of a Bachelor's degree in Sports Science from the University of Technology (UTech).
“However, I have to give big thanks to the companies that gave their generous support such as EduCom, Geolosndo, VM Group and to the contributing supporters.
“I do hope that going forward I might receive better responses from other corporations and our sporting body. The lack of support and sponsorship can impact my goals to represent Jamaica at the Olympia, as I am unable to cover the expenses related to travel and accommodation to participate in the various competitions, where I can only compete as a professional athlete in my discipline. It is my dream to represent Jamaica at the highest level of bodybuilding.”
That dream has been the fuel driving McGregor's ambitions ever since she transitioned from athletics in 2017 and what sparked her singular focus during the off-season in preparation for 2022.
“It has been nothing but hard work for every show. Hard work and focus are the common denominators for every season prep. l am in the gym every day and on diet for a maximum of 16 weeks during preparation,” she revealed.
That work paid off in Mexico.
“A top-five finish is a great accomplishment, considering the progress from last year, where I also finished in the top five in Puerto Rico Pro, and in the Tampa Pro placing 4th and 11th, respectively. However, for my first show since 2022, finishing in the top five is a great place to finish because I have already started to accumulate points toward the quantifying for the Olympia Competition,” she said.
“Only second through fifth-place finishers for each contest, depending on the tier of the contest can accumulate points. All competitors will have between September 13, 2021, to November 20, 2022, to qualify whether by placement or points for the big show in December, the Olympia held in Las Vegas. That being said, the progress has been going well.”
Too well even. In fact, she worked so hard during the off-season she might have bulked up a tad much.
"Last year was a bit different from this year, as I really didn’t get a chance to train properly for my debut and my first Pro show coming out of winning the Amateur Olympia in December 2020. I contracted the COVID virus which caused me to stop training and in the time between recovery and my first show, which was the Puerto Rico Pro, I didn’t have much time to bulk so we went straight in for competition," she said.
"I figured that was the reason I was too small because I was burning muscles while in recovery. My coach, too, reassessed and ended my season after the Tampa Pro in June and we started working on bulking up from that time. I had a wonderful off-season, no injuries or sickness so I was training right through.
"I think this time around we gained good size. I was able to condition properly without burning muscles. Coming out of this show, the judges said I was perfect in shape. However, based on how the other girls came in I was too big so I have to lose a bit more and I would be okay. So yes, I am on a good path but with that, my coach has decided on reducing by about five to six pounds more for my next show on June 17-19, 2022 which is the Puerto Rico Pro."
New Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise Brown has confirmed he requested his trade away from the Baltimore Ravens.
And the former Oklahoma pass catcher, who is to be reunited with Kyler Murray, says he told Lamar Jackson the Ravens' run-first offensive system "wasn't for me" more than a year ago.
In one of two significant receiver trades on the first day of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Cardinals parted with the 23rd overall pick in return for Brown and a third-round selection.
Having already secured perhaps the best player in the draft in ultra-versatile safety Kyle Hamilton, the Ravens used their additional first-round pick to bolster their offensive line in front of quarterback Jackson with center Tyler Linderbaum.
Jackson's Twitter activity suggested he was unhappy with the Ravens' business, frustrated by the loss of the wide receiver he has looked to more than any other in his NFL career to date (256 targets, 164 receptions, 20 touchdowns).
The former NFL MVP posted a series of messages, including sharing a post from Brown in which he said to his former QB: "Wish I coulda played with my brotha forever but ima see you at the top."
However, speaking to media on Friday, Brown revealed he was the driving force behind the trade, and his desire to move on could have come as no surprise to Jackson.
"It was just [about] my happiness," he said. "I talked to Lamar about it after my second year, then after my third year leading up to the end of the season.
"He wasn't playing, but I let him know again: I can't do it.
"It's not really on Lamar; I love Lamar. It's just the system wasn't for me, personally. I love all my team-mates, I love the guys, but it was just something I had to think about for myself.
"The Ravens and I both handled it the right way. I didn't go out and make anything public; I just kept it in-house, kept working, and it all worked out."
In the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Jackson's first two as a full-time starter, the Ravens ran on 56.0 per cent and 55.9 per cent of their plays respectively, leading the league in this regard.
Since entering the NFL in 2018, Jackson has recorded 3,673 rushing yards – by far the most among QBs and the seventh-most of all players.
Murray (1,786 rushing yards just since 2019) is third among QBs over that period, but Brown already knows he can effectively link up with the Cardinals star.
In 2018, at Oklahoma, Murray's 4,361 passing yards and 42 passing TDs led the Big 12, with Brown his top receiver with 1,318 receiving yards and 10 receiving TDs.
Murray wrote on Twitter following Brown's trade: "Let's run it back! Hollywood to the desert... Y'all welcome my boy!"
Rugby League Jamaica will launch its 2022 Parish of Residence (POR) series which serves as the national selection tool for Jamaica’s domestic players to the full national team, the Reggae Warriors, this Saturday, April 3 when the first of three games will be played at the UWI Mona Bowl in Kingston.
The kick-off is at 2:30 pm with the women’s game, followed by the men’s clash at 4:00 pm. Games two and three will be played at the same venue on May 21 and 28.
As is customary, national prospects have been placed in two squads, Reds, and Blues with most of the Reds' players coming from Kingston and St. Andrew while the Blues will mainly comprise players from St. Catherine with some from other parishes.
On Saturday, history will be created when the women's teams take the field as it will mark the first-time full-contact women’s rugby league is played locally.
“The women’s match is a big deal for us, the ladies have a big opportunity to qualify for the 2025 rugby league World Cup in France and this game marks the beginning of that journey. We are inviting all talented female athletes to give rugby league a go and be part of history,” said Rugby League Director Romeo Monteith.
Blues women players squad Tihana Lewinson, Lovel Atkinson, Daynna Angus, Khimoi McKay, Naomi Mohamid, Vanessa Henry, Debisha Scarlett, Nazomi Christie, Ray-Anna McCalla, Naomi Dodd, Kimisha Jones, Shanoa Lewis, Teresa Smith and Ciara Modest. The team is coached by Andre Hill.
Reds Women are Shanique Smith, Latoya Sanchez, Alicia Richards, Aneil Campbell, MoeshaBogle, Brooke-Ashley Jarrett, Tiana Gordon, Shawna-Kay Douglas, Anna Kay Williams, Dae-Marie Whyte, Sheirne Johnson, Gabrielle Davidson, Candice Tulloch, Nicola Brissett and Lovell Evans. The team is coached by Andrew Dixon and Huntley Anderson.
Among the men, the Reds' team will comprise Andrew Simpson, Kenneth Walker, Adrian Brown, Kevin Thomas, Jenson Morris, Joseph Shae, Adrian Hall, Daniel Graham, Marvin Thompson, Andre McFarlane, Neville Lynch, Kile Nembhard, Owen Linton, Oshane Eddie, Sheldon Kelly, Michael Pearson, and Mahkaya Anderson. The head coach is Donovan Jackson.
Blues men’s team includes Javian Bryan, Adrian Thomas, Shaqueil Pollack, Steve Miller, Miguel Facey, Ryan Grant, Julius Reid, Akeem Murray, Omar Jones, Khamisi McKain, Reinhardo Richards, Chevaughn Bailey, Ronaldeni Fraser, Chevaun Smith, Takeem Creary, and Linval Green. The head coach is Otis Brae.
Brae believes his squad is prepared to go all the way.
“We are ready. The lads have put in practice and getting themselves prepared for this series. The stem is to leave it all on the field where if they do their best, they are already winners," he said.
Meanwhile, Jackson also expressed confidence that the experience of his unit will see them to victory.
“We have a good culture in our squad and enough experienced players to lead us to another series win. We have prepared well; the players know what is at stake and are ready,” he said.
Monteith, who is also Jamaica's head coach, believes a lot is at stake for the players intending to make it into the national squad.
“What is at stake are spots to the rugby league World Cup in England at the end of the year, the players are aware of this and so am expecting high-quality rugby league. The games are always close so the fans will be in for a treat," he said.
"I am really looking forward to identifying the top performers from game 1 and seeing if they can carry through to the next two games.”
Boris Becker has received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for breaking the United Kingdom's insolvency laws.
He was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court in London on Friday.
The six-time grand slam champion had denied violating the Insolvency Act after he was declared bankrupt in 2017.
Becker, 54, owed creditors close to £50million at the time of his bankruptcy. However, he has now been found guilty of hiding assets and loans in order to avoid paying his debts.
The German was cleared of 20 counts but found guilty of four charges by a jury earlier this month.
Becker was previously given a two-year suspended sentence for tax evasion and attempted tax evasion in Germany in 2002.
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