Three goals in the first 17 minutes helped propel Grenada to a 4-0 victory over US Virgin Islands in Group C of League C in the Concacaf Women's Gold Cup qualifying at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium in Grenada on Wednesday.
With the win, Grenada now sits firmly atop the group with nine points from three matches, while USVI are still searching for their first point after two games.
Grenada picked up right where they left off from the September window, as they broke the deadlock before five minutes had even elapsed, as Erin Sylvester steered home a header off a corner kick for a 1-0 lead.
Nia Thompson also picked up where she left off from September, as she scored her sixth goal of the qualifiers by running onto a long ball and rounding USVI goalkeeper Jenna Rehm to double the lead in the 15th.
It quickly became 3-0 in the 17th on a curling left-footed strike from Malia Ramdhanny after USVI failed to clear a corner kick.
But the USVI bore down defensively and kept the Grenada attack at bay the rest of the first half and into the second stanza. USVI pushed hard for a goal, but instead it led to a late Grenada goal in transition, as Abigail Williams polished off a counterattack in the 82nd to cap the win.
The stage is set for a massive day on Sunday in Group B of League A of the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League, with the final quarterfinal spot up for grabs among Cuba, Honduras and Haiti.
Haiti vs. Jamaica
Haiti’s quest for the quarterfinal berth will face a very big test against group leaders Jamaica at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Jamaica occupy pole position in the group with seven points and have already sealed their quarterfinal berth but will still be keen to find a victory and secure a first-place finish.
Meanwhile, Haiti, with three points, remain alive for a second-place finish and quarterfinal berth, but must first defeat Jamaica and then hope the result of the Honduras-Cuba match go in their favour. A draw between those two sides in Honduras and a healthy Haiti win could give Haiti the goal difference needed to advance.
The Jamaicans were very impressive when they downed Grenada 4-1 on Thursday, as they got goals from four different players, including Shamar Nicholson, who is now Jamaica’s all-time top scorer in the CNL with five goals.
Thanks to a goal from Mikael Cantave, Haiti played to an entertaining 1-1 draw with Suriname, their third straight draw in this CNL. Haiti extended their CNL unbeaten run to 12 matches, with five wins and seven draws.
Honduras vs. Cuba
The action then shifts to the Estadio Nacional Chelato Ucles in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where the home team and Cuba find themselves in a must-win situation.
Cuba currently sit second in the group on five points, with Honduras just behind in third with four points. Simply put, it is win and you are in for both Cuba and Honduras where a quarterfinal berth is concerned.
A draw could also be enough for Cuba to advance, provided Haiti drop points against Jamaica.
These two sides met on Thursday in a feisty affair that ended in a 0-0 stalemate. There were golden scoring opportunities for both sides, but neither could find the final touch. This time around, the likes of Yasnier Matos for Cuba and Edwin Rodriguez for Honduras will try to inspire their teams’ attacks.
Cuba have registered six wins and two draws in their last eight CNL matches, but Honduras will have history on their side, as the Catrachos have won five of their six matches against the islanders.
Suriname vs. Grenada
Group B will then come to a close at the Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in Paramaribo, as Suriname host Grenada.
This will be a meeting between the bottom two teams in the group, with Suriname at fifth on two points and Grenada in sixth with a solitary point.
While their 2024 Copa America dreams are no more, there is still motivation to avoid relegation and a victory for either might be enough to assure safety for another League A campaign.
Grenada suffered a 4-1 defeat to Jamaica 4-1 at home in their last outing but did show some spunk going forward and got a goal from Trevon Williams.
Suriname also showed their dangerous side in the first half of their 1-1 stalemate with Haiti on home soil and were bolstered by a goal from Ridgeciano Haps.
While it was not the most polished performance, Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz did enough to ease past Grenada 4-1 in their Concacaf Nations League Group B encounter and move one step closer to a League A quarterfinals berth.
Despite starting without a number of the regulars, Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side raced to an early 2-0 lead courtesy of Kevon Lambert (13th) and Shamar Nicholson (23rd), before Demarai Gray (74th) and stand-in captain Bobby Reid (87th), made the three points safe.
Trevon Williams (30th) got Grenada’s consolation in the keenly contested encounter at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium.
With the win, their second of the tournament, the Jamaicans moved up to seven points, three ahead of second-placed Cuba (four points), who were scheduled to face third-placed Honduras (three points) in the group’s late kickoff.
Elsewhere, fourth-placed Haiti (three points) and fifth-placed Suriname (two points), played out a 1-1 stalemate in Paramaribo. Grenada remains at the foot of the standing with a solitary point.
It was a patient start by the Reggae Boyz in St George’s, as they took their time to breakdown Grenada’s defence and eventually found the go-ahead goal from a set play.
Gregory Leigh’s weighted corner kick was deflected towards goal by Romario Williams, but the effort was brilliantly kept out by Jason Belfon diving full stretch to his left. However, the custodian had no response to Lambert’s follow-up shot in a goalmouth melee.
The Boyz went close to doubling the lead three minutes later when Gray embarked on a darting run and played off a pass to Nicholson, whose effort was charged down by Darius Johnson, putting his body on the line.
Grenada belatedly came to life in attack a minute later with Josh Gabriel rifling a left-footed drive from a distance, but Jahmali Waite, who started in place of captain Andre Blake, proved equal to the task.
That was the start of a good, sustained attacking spell for Grenada, as they camped out in the Jamaicans half like a pack of hungry wolves, but their hunt for the equalizer proved fruitless.
They later paid for it when Nicholson extended the Jamaicans lead. The towering striker picked up a pass from Williams, slipped his marker and easily tucked a left-footed effort past Belfon.
Grenada pulled one back on the half-hour mark through Williams’s deflection on Johnson’s follow-up effort. The initial shot by Gabriel was kept out by Waite.
Both teams created chances at the backend of the half but failed to capitalise. While the Jamaicans went in 2-1 up, it was Grenada that enjoyed the momentum at the break.
Unlike they did at the start, the Boyz were more purposeful on the resumption and had opportunities to push further ahead. However, they were denied by faulty shooting and some good work by Belfon, at times.
On one of those occasions, Belfon did well to block Williams's shot from close range in the 58th minute.
Four minutes later, a good through pass from Reid found debutant Karoy Anderson and the 19-year-old dismissed his marker, but selfishly went for a shot from a tight angle.
Grenada almost pulled level in the 70th when Regan Charles-Cook got behind defenders, but Waite left his line well to avert the danger.
Jamaica asserted their authority in the latter stages of the contest and inevitably pushed further ahead through Gray. The former Everton man used his pace to good effect on the left channel, as he charged into the box and placed a right-footer past Belfon.
Reid added another three minutes from time. He got on the end of Daniel Johnson’s free kick and made no mistakes from close range.
While on paper it seems Jamaica has drawn perceived lesser opponents for the Concacaf Men’s Under-20 qualifiers, assistant coach John Wall insists that the young Reggae Boyz will not be grandstanding against anyone, as the main aim beyond qualification is to improve the quality of their play.
In fact, Wall is aware that teams such as Bermuda, Grenada and Martinique, who they will rub shoulders with in Group F, have all been on the upgrade which means the perception of easy games is now a thing of the past.
The 27-team tournament scheduled for February 23 to March 2, will be contested in six groups across five venues in Central America and the Caribbean.
After round-robin play, the group winners will progress to the 2024 Concacaf Men's Under-20 Championship, joining the six top-ranked nations –United States, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic.
With this in mind, Wall pointed to the importance of ensuring the young Reggae Boyz are well prepared to give of their best.
"Obviously there is no simple game in Concacaf, I have learnt that firsthand and bearing in mind also that the trend overall in Concacaf is that the game has become more global, especially where the Diaspora comes in. So, Martinique when it comes to relationship with France and obviously Bermuda and Grenada with the United Kingdom predominantly.
“For us it is kind of a bigger scope, and we take it really seriously. We have been having camps from earlier this year and we are watching the players and identifying them as we go on. For me, it is really important to look at the next generation and the style of how Jamaica plays on a general basis,” Wall said.
“Also, qualifiers are a special kind of animal, you have to take certain things into account such as the number of games in a short space of time, you have players coming in as well as time zone differences. So, we are making all those external factors more internal per se and control the variables as much as we can,” he added.
Wall explained that his course of action has already be set in motion to identify character strengths he wants the young Reggae Boyz to exemplify and create an identity through purposeful planning.
“I have sent my preferred plan to the head of the Technical Committee because for us, it is obviously optimizing the time that we have. So, we want to use this upcoming Fifa window, we want to use December and January. What was done in the past is that players spent a lot of weeks in camps and accumulate too much fatigue heading into a tournament,” Wall reasoned.
“So, the good thing about what we are doing now by having these short camps since March is that it actually gives players time to adapt to the messaging and what we want and how I feel that we need to train and what we need to be. So given time, we can do a lot of things together and I am really looking forward to it myself,” he noted.
That said, the tactician who also works alongside Heimir Hallgrimsson with the senior Reggae Boyz team, expressed delight with how they have incorporated young players into that setup.
“The proof of it is in what we have been doing with the first team with guys like Dexter Lembikisa, Karoy Anderson and Whisper [Dujuan Richards]. So, the process is there and the pathway for the younger players should be there, and we need to have a really inclusive environment,” he stated.
“Jamaica for me is bold and likes to take on challenges and if there is anything I can add, I hope that I can, but I want to see that sense of desperation and urgency when Jamaica is playing football,” Wall ended.
Group A -Cuba, Nicaragua, Belize, British Virgin Islands, and Anguilla
(Venue: Estadio Nacional, Managua)
Group B -El Salvador, Antigua and Barbuda, Suriname, Guyana, and Turks and Caicos Islands (Venue: ABFA Technical Centre, Piggotts)
Group C -Guatemala, Curacao, Aruba, Saint Martin, and Barbados
(Venue: Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala City)
Group D -Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica (Venue: Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain)
Group E -Haiti, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Cayman Islands
(SKNFA Technical Center, Basseterre)
Group F -Jamaica, Bermuda, Grenada, and Martinique (Venue: SKNFA Technical Center, Basseterre)
After being initially left out for what Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson described as a lack of match fitness, young star Dujuan ‘Whisper’ Richards has been added to the senior Reggae Boyz squad for their upcoming Concacaf Nations League games against Grenada and Haiti.
Richards, who will celebrate his 18th birthday on Wednesday was called up, as a number of players are faced with injuries, among other challenges, ahead of Thursday's fixture against the Spice Boys.
Right-back Javain Brown is out due to injury, and Adrian Mariappa has relinquished his place in the squad due to personal reasons, while Renaldo Cephas is out due to flight challenges.
Meanwhile, striker Michail Antonio, though still in the squad, will only contest the game against Haiti in Trinidad and Tobago, on Sunday.
The 56th-ranked Jamaicans, who bettered Honduras 1-0 and came-from-behind for a 2-2 stalemate with Haiti, both at the National Stadium, currently sit atop Group B in League A on four points, same as second-placed Cuba.
Victories in both games, would guarantee Hallgrimsson’s side a spot in next month’s quarter-final where they would face Canada or Costa Rica, provided Cuba does not surpass them on goal difference, should they too win their two encounters.
If the Boyz were to finish in the runners-up position, they would have United States or Mexico to contend with in their hunt for a Copa America berth.
Squad: Andre Blake, Kemar Foster, Jahmali Waite, Javain Brown, Tayvon Gray, Di’Shon Bernard, Michael Hector, Greg Leigh, Adrian Mariappa, Damion Lowe, Dexter Lembikisa, Bobby Decordova Reid, Daniel Johnson, Joel Latibeaudiere, Kevon Lambert, Karoy Anderson, Demario Phillips, Michail Antonio, Leon Bailey, Demarai Gray, Shamar Nicholson, Romario Williams, Renaldo Cephas
Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson says qualifying for next year’s Copa America is of utmost significance for the staff to properly polish the team’s playing style, as he again stressed the need for consistent improvement to drive their 2026 FIFA World Cup ambitions.
“I think we can, as a national team, improve a lot of areas. The JFF as well, I think can do a lot more, but we are closer to what the best national teams are doing. Playing style, I think we are getting there slowly, but in order to improve our playing style we have to work with the same players.
“So, I think we have found a core of players that we think we can continue working with and then we can develop a playing style,” Hallgrimsson declared during a press conference at the Jamaica Football Federation’s offices on Friday.
Hallgrimsson’s sentiments came on Friday as he announced the addition of Charlton Athletic pair Karoy Anderson and Michael Hector to his 23-member Reggae Boyz squad for their upcoming Concacaf Nations League fixtures away to Grenada and Haiti on October 12 and 15, respectively.
London-Born midfielder, Anderson, 19, is a first-time call up, while Hector, 31, returns to the setup after an almost two-year absence.
Both, along with goalkeeper Kemar Foster, Dexter Lembikisa, and West Ham United’s Michail Antonio, replace goalkeeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke midfielder Kasey Palmer, forward Dujuan Richards and defenders Amari’i Bell and Ethan Pinnock, who all miss out due to injuries among other reasons.
“We cannot develop a playing style picking 12 new players every camp because then we would have to start over. Being a national team coach, we know that there are two training in a game, so there is not a lot of time to get the team on the pitch. So, in that case, I think we are doing well with the time, but again, if we want to continue to grow it is important to go to finals and go to Copa America and spend a month with the team to grow on and off the pitch,” Hallgrimsson shared.
The 56th-ranked Jamaicans, who bettered Honduras 1-0 and came-from-behind for a 2-2 stalemate with Haiti, both at the National Stadium, currently sit atop Group B in League A on four points, same as second-placed Cuba.
Victories in both games, would guarantee Hallgrimsson’s side a spot in next month’s quarter-final where they would face Canada or Costa Rica, provided Cuba does not surpass them on goal difference, should they too win their two encounters.
If the Boyz were to finish in the runners-up position, they would have United States or Mexico to contend with in their hunt for a Copa America berth. The 48th edition of the quadrennial international men's tournament is scheduled for June 20 to July 14, in the United States and will act as a prelude to the 2026 World Cup, also to be hosted in North America.
“We have a lot to improve on and we know that so now going for these tricky away matches, it's going to be a tough, tough task. To get into the quarterfinal is important for so many reasons because if we win that game, it will secure us to place in the semi-final and hopefully from there we will get to the final and that gives us the right to play Copa America next summer,” the tactician stated.
“So, for many reasons this is important for our team. Number one, to grow to play in tournaments that really will test us to play against the best teams. So, it is an important step for developing a good team to qualify for the World Cup in 2026. We want to put all our emphasis on this camp coming up and go for six points to finish top of the group,” he added.
“We have quite a few versatile players in the squad, and I think that is a benefit to a small nation like Jamaica. So, in our minds I think we have solutions to the problems, and we decided to go for a young player [Anderson] to look at this camp to see how we can manage him within the players group we have,” Hallgrimsson ended.
Squad: Andre Blake, Kemar Foster, Jahmali Waite, Javain Brown, Tayvon Gray, Di’Shon Bernard, Michael Hector, Greg Leigh, Adrian Mariappa, Damion Lowe, Dexter Lembikisa, Bobby Decordova Reid, Daniel Johnson, Joel Latibeaudiere, Kevon Lambert, Karoy Anderson, Demario Phillips, Michail Antonio, Leon Bailey, Demarai Gray, Shamar Nicholson, Romario Williams, Renaldo Cephas
The Charlton Athletic pair Karoy Anderson and Michael Hector have both been included in the Reggae Boyz squad for their upcoming CONCACAF Nations League away fixtures against Grenada and Haiti set for October 12 and 15, respectively.
The squad was announced during a press conference at the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) headquarters on Friday.
Anderson, a 19-year-old London-born midfielder, got his first call-up while Hector, 31, has earned 35 caps for the Reggae Boyz with his last appearance coming in 2021.
Midfielder Kasey Palmer and defender Amari’i Bell are both missing from the last squad due to injuries while Dujuan Richards, Ethan Pinnock and Coniah Boyce-Clarke also miss out.
Jamaica’s last game against Grenada was a 5-1 Friendly win in 2018. Their last tussle with Haiti saw them erase a 0-2 deficit to pull out a 2-2 draw at the National Stadium last month.
The Reggae Boyz are currently at the top of Group B of League A of the Nations League with four points. The top two teams from that group will advance to the quarterfinals and this will mean the teams are one step closer to qualifying for the Copa America.
Finishing at the top of the group would put the Reggae Boyz up against either Canada or Costa Rica in the quarterfinals in November while finishing second will mean a tie against the USA or Mexico.
The full squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Andre Blake, Kemar Foster, Jahmali Waite
Defenders: Javain Brown, Tayvon Gray, Di’Shon Bernard, Michael Hector, Greg Leigh, Adrian Mariappa, Damion Lowe, Dexter Lembikisa
Midfielders: Bobby Decordova Reid, Daniel Johnson, Joel Latibeaudiere, Kevon Lambert, Karoy Anderson, Demario Phillips
Forwards: Michail Antonio, Leon Bailey, Demarai Gray, Shamar Nicholson, Romario Williams, Renaldo Cephas
Bahamas remains in firm control of the 27th Goodwill Swimming Championships, as they have accounted for a number of the 45 records broken so far and rightly heads both the points and medals standings heading into Sunday's final day.
With Siann Isaacs leading their record charge on Friday's opening day, the Bahamians picked up where they left off and were responsible for 14 of the 25 records broken on an action-packed second day of action at the National Aquatics Centre on Saturday.
By virtue of their exploits, Bahamas heads the combined standings with 993.5 points, almost 200 points ahead of Jamaica on 785.5, with Trinidad and Tobago (645 points) in third.
Barbados (523 points), Suriname (380.5 points), St Lucia (140.5 points) and Grenada (three points), round off the table.
On the medals card, Bahamas have so far secured 91 medals (42 gold, 28 silver and 21 bronze), ahead of Barbados (16 gold, 12 silver and 12 bronze), followed by Trinidad and Tobago (13 gold, 11 silver and 14 bronze) and Jamaica (10 gold, 21 silver and 26 bronze). Suriname (four gold, 11 silver and eight bronze) and St Lucia (two silver and three bronze) are next.
With the hype and anticipation surrounding the three-day meet, the Caribbean's young sensations were never out to disappoint and much like she did on the first day, Isaacs, who has been in impressive form, again made the first splash where the record count is concerned on Saturday.
Isaacs led a Bahamas one-three finish in the girls' 11-12 200m individual medley (IM). She won in 2:46.69 to lower the previous mark of 2:49.17 set by Kaeyn Djoparto in 2019, finishing ahead of Suriname's Elya Powdar (2:48.15) and compatriot Samirah Donaldson (2:55.00).
Suriname's Joshua Busropan accounted for the boys' 13-14 200m IM record, clocking 2:27.72 which lowered the previous best of 2:28.77 set by Curaçao's Reyan Holder in 2019. He won ahead of the Jamaican pair of Matthew Kennedy (2:29.32) and Julian Willoughby (2:30.56).
The 50m freestyle sequence offer much excitement with Kaija Eastmond of Barbados topping the girls' 9-10 event in 30.09s. That time erased the old mark of 30.28s set by Trinidad and Tobago's Keryn Burke in 2019.
Taylen Nicolls (30.39s) of Bahamas and Aliyah Greaves (30.66s), also of Barbados, took the minor placing.
Nitayo Knowles of Bahamas also clocked a record 29.15s to win the boys' 9-10 event. He bettered Liam Carrington's previous time of 29.54s, as he turned back the challenge of Jamaican duo Noah Parker (30.69s) and Joel Sinclair (31.12s).
Christin-Alyssa Clarke (29.53s) led home Isaacs (29.93s) in a Bahamas one-two finish in the girls' 11-12 event, with Jamaica's Zuri Coke (30.02s) in third. Clarke's winning time erased the 30.23s set by Jamaica's Rebekah King in 2019.
The boys' 11-12 event also saw a record-breaking performance from Sean-Verno Dipokromo (27.31s) of Suriname. His winning time shattered the 27.83s which Guyana's Jaleel Anderson set in 2019.
Trinidad and Tobago's Shian Griffiths (28.07s) and Elliot Reid (28.22s) of Barbados, were second and third respectively.
Renae Chung (28.24s) and Noire Hunter (28.88s) secured a one-three finish for Jamaica in the girls' 13-14 event, separated by Ayoka Martin (28.35s) of Barbados.
Jamaica's Willoughby continued the record-breaking exploits in the boys' 13-14 event when he clocked 25.83s to lower 26.11s set by another Jamaican Nyles Davis in 2019. Busropan (26.18s) of Suriname and Lenin Hamilton (26.24s) of Bahamas, were second and third.
Bahamas won the girls' 15-17 event courtesy of Lauren Bridgewater (28.64s) ahead of Trinidad and Tobago's Zahara Alexander (28.73s) and Asha Davis (29.12s) of Jamaica.
The Bahamians celebrations intensified after the boys' 15-17 event, as Tristin Ferguson (24.35s) led a sweep with compatriots Caleb Ferguson (24.81s) and Zion Gibson (25.69s) joins him on the podium. The winning time erased the old mark of 28.54s set by Suriname's Hendrik Powdar in 2019.
From there, the swimmers moved into the 100m breaststroke sequence where a number of athletes, namely, Eastmond, Donaldson and Willoughby, among others again etched their names in the record books, before moving into the 50m butterfly sequence.
During that quick sprint, the outstanding Bajan Eastmond again topped rivals in record time, with Clarke of Bahamas, Brandon Balfour of the twin island republic and Jamaica's captain Khiara Roomes, also getting in on the action.
And much like they started the day, Bahamas brought the curtains down on day two on a high, topping the girls' and boys' 15-17 400m freestyle relays in record times.
The team of Bridgewater, Grace Farrington, Tia-Isabella Adderley and Bianca Johnson clocked 4:17.23 in victory, smashing 4:28.13 set by Suriname in 2019. Trinidad and Tobago (4:22.95) and Jamaica (4:30.65), were second and third respectively.
In the boys' event, the two Fergusons combined with Ayrton Moncur and Gibson to win in 3:46.09, ahead of Jamaica (3:52.91) and Trinidad and Tobago (4:01.58). Bahamas winning time lowered Trinidad and Tobago's 3:48.99 set in 2019.
After months of hard work and training, a number of the Caribbean’s young swimming sensations will put their preparation to the test when they dive into action at the 27th staging of the much-anticipated Goodwill Swimming Championships, which gets under way on Friday.
In fact, Jamaica’s Head coach Gillian Millwood believes the highly competitive three-day meet represents an opportunity for swimmers to not only improve, but also to learn valuable lessons to take with them as they prepare to transition to next level competition.
Over 200 swimmers from Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, St Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Turks and Caicos are expected to join their Jamaican counterparts in action at the National Aquatic Centre.
“I’m excited for our athletes and I anticipate that they will go into each race with enthusiasm and more importantly, purpose. They are filled with incredible abilities and have worked extremely hard to get where they are today and we expect to see that on display across the three days,” Millwood told Sportsmax.tv.
“Goodwill this weekend provides an opportunity for them to rise to the occasion and put forward their best race together and also to make memories with their teammates and the new friends they’ll make from the other countries, as they prepare to move to a next level,” she added.
Friday’s schedule will be highlighted by the 100m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, 4x50m mixed freestyle relay and 4x100m freestyle relay, all after an opening ceremony at 4:30pm.
Action for Saturday and Sunday is scheduled to begin at 9:00am and end at 1:00pm.
The Jamaicans will be seeking to surpass last year’s massive haul of 92 medals (33 gold, 37 silver, 22 bronze), which bettered their previous best tally of 65 medals from the 2019 staging in Suriname.
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago, though missing some of their better swimmers to CCCAN duties in El Salvador, are favoured to once again top the points standing, as they topped last year’s event with 1,442 points. Jamaica (1,002 points), with Barbados (723 points), third.
Each National Federation has a maximum of 40 swimmers - four boys and four girls in the age groups eight and under, 9 to 10, 11 to 12, 13 to 14 and 15 to 17.
The member countries of the Goodwill Swimming Championship host the meet on an annual rotation basis. Trinidad and Tobago were last year’s hosts.
The Aquatics Sports Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) will host the 27th Goodwill Swimming Championship in Kingston, at The National Aquatic Centre from Friday, August 18 - Sunday, August 20. Three hundred swimmers from the national federations of Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Turks and Caicos are expected to participate in the regional meet alongside hosts Jamaica.
The Goodwill Swimming Championship is a premier swim meet in the Caribbean, and it is also seen as a launching pad toward higher levels of competition.
Friday will begin with an opening ceremony starting at 4:30 pm followed by five events in the pool. The 100m freestyle will lead off the action in the water, followed by the 50m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, 4x50m mixed freestyle relay and 4x100m freestyle relay. Action will begin at 9:00 am and end at 1:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Each National Federation has a maximum of 40 swimmers - four boys and four girls in the age groups eight and under, 9 to 10, 11 to 12, 13 to 14 and 15 to 17. The member countries of the Goodwill Swimming Championship host the meet on an annual rotation basis. Trinidad and Tobago were last year’s hosts.
Patrons can expect an exciting three-day meet with fierce competition. At last year’s staging, Jamaica’s team of 25 swimmers surpassed expectations by winning 92 medals (33 gold, 37 silver, 22 bronze), setting new meet records and two age-group high point trophies.
Prior to the 26th edition, Jamaica’s highest tally was 65 medals at the 2019 staging in Suriname. The team amassed a total of 1,002 points to finish 2nd behind Trinidad and Tobago who won with 1,442 points and Barbados was 3rd with 723 points last year.
"It has been a real honour for Jamaica to have been asked to host this year's Goodwill especially when we were only ratified as a Goodwill country in 2022. I am delighted to be welcoming the various participating countries and we now wait with bated breath for the exciting competition” said Georgia Sinclair - VP Swimming ASAJ and Chairperson of Goodwill, LOC.
Jamaica’s National Swim Team Head Coach Gillian Millwood also added "The swimmers are ready to go and excited to welcome our visitors for a fun cultural exchange. It’s going to be a truly treasured Meet as over the past 5 years of our participation we’ve witnessed swimmers continuing their swimming journey. Some are headed to college in August, others are preparing for the World Junior Championship in Israel in September, while some are in El Salvador preparing for CCCAN. We are ready for more swimming!"
Jamaica's hosting the championships was made possible by the support of sponsors that include the Sports Development Foundation, Main Event, Gatorade, SportsMax, Rosh Marketing, Island Smiles, Wynlee Sportswear, Grace Kennedy, Sterling Asset Management Ltd, Everything Creative Ltd, iPrint Group, Cari-Med Group, The Herald Printers, Medical Disposable Supplies Ltd, Leo Hudson Photography, Iron Rock Insurance, Amazing Concrete Finishes Ltd, National Water Commission, National Road Operating & Construction Company Ltd, National Works Agency, Rainbow Awnings, Transport Authority, Caribbean Broilers, Scotia Insurance, Pure National Ice, Armbands Plus, Digicel and Recycling Partners of Jamaica.
Three-time Olympian Kirani James will lead a four-member Grenada team at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, according to the final entry list published by World Athletics.
James is the most experienced member of the team, having competed at the London, Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games and 2011, 2013, 2015, 2019 and 2022 World Championships.
He missed out on the 2017 World Championships due to illness. He is the most decorated 400-metre runner in history, winning gold, silver and bronze medals at both Olympic Games and World Championships.
The team also include two-time Javelin World champion, Anderson Peters; Commonwealth Games Decathlon champion, Lindon Victor and female sprinter Halle Hazzard.
Peters is attempting to rewrite the history books with a third consecutive gold medal at the World Championships.
The World Championships will take place August 19-27 at Hungary’s new National Athletics Centre in Budapest.
All-rounder Kevin Sinclair and pacer Ronsford Beaton were the heroes as they batted 17.1 overs to salvage a draw for the Guyana Harpy Eagles against the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Grenada National Stadium on Saturday.
The day started with the Harpy Eagles 35-0 off 14.3 overs, needing a further 259 runs to win their second straight game with Matthew Nandu on 18 and Tevin Imlach on 13.
The pair brought the score up to 54 in the 23rd over before Preston McSween dismissed Imlach for 25.
Kemol Savory joined Nandu at the crease and lasted 35 balls before falling to Kenneth Dember for seven in the 31st over.
Captain Leon Johnson made his way to the middle to join Nandu and the pair put on 55 for the third wicket before Johnson was dismissed by Darius Martin for 40 in the 46th over.
The 47th over saw Nandu bring up his half century off 112 balls. The 19-year-old struck 126 in their first-round encounter with the Barbados Pride.
The 51st over saw the Harpy Eagles lose their fourth wicket as Anthony Bramble went caught behind off McSween for three.
Just two balls later, 140-4 became 141-5 as Nandu was bowled for a well-compiled 60 off 123 balls.
Akshya Persaud, who replaced Chandrapaul Hemraj who retired hurt on day three, then combined with Sinclair to form a crucial 64-run sixth-wicket partnership. The partnership ended when Persaud was dismissed by Justin Greaves for a 62-ball 24 to leave the Harpy Eagles 205-6 in 70th over.
Between the 73rd and 74th over, Veerasammy Permaul (4), Shamar Joseph (0) and Nial Smith (0) all fell, bringing Ronsford Beaton to the crease to join Sinclair and try to save the match.
Sinclair brought up his fifty off 82 balls in the 79th over and the pair put together a masterful display of grit to bat out the last 17.1 overs to finish 250-9 off 91 overs.
Sinclair ended up 77* off 138 balls while Beaton made just one but, more importantly, faced 24 balls.
Preston McSween ended up with 3-58 from 21 overs while Justin Greaves and Kavem Hodge took two wickets, each.
Scores: Windward Islands Volcanoes 294 off 80.5 overs (Alick Athanaze 141, Ryan John 51*, Sunil Ambris 47, Veerasammy Permaul 4-70, Ronsford Beaton 2-50, Kevin Sinclair 2-66) and 168 off 56.3 overs (Justin Greaves 27, Sunil Ambris 26, Preston McSween 25, Shamar Joseph 5-41, Ronsford Beaton 3-35)
Guyana Harpy Eagles 169 off 63.1 overs (Veerasammy Permaul 53, Kevin Sinclair 23, Justin Greaves 5-24, Ryan John 2-52) and 250-9 off 91 overs (Kevin Sinclair 77*, Matthew Nandu 60, Leon Johnson 40, Preston McSween 3-58, Justin Greaves 2-35, Kavem Hodge 2-36)
A maiden First-class five-wicket haul from pacer Shamar Joseph gave the Guyana Harpy Eagles a fighting chance going into day four against the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Grenada National Stadium.
The Windwards began day three 48-2 off 17 overs in their second innings, leading the Harpy Eagles by 173 runs with Kavem Hodge (3) and Sunil Ambris (18) at the crease.
The second ball of the day saw Hodge fall to Ronsford Beaton after failing to add to his overnight total.
Justin Greaves joined Ambris at the crease and the pair put on a further 37 runs for the fourth wicket before Ambris fell caught behind off the bowling of Shamar Joseph for 26 in the 30th over.
Not long after, with the score on 101, Greaves went in the exact same way as Ambris for 27 in the 34th over.
Ryan John and Tevyn Walcott added only two runs before John was dismissed by Joseph for one in the 36th over.
Walcott was joined at the crease by Kimani Melius and the pair added 15 runs before Walcott became the seventh man to fall, going for 23 to leave the Volcanoes 118-7 in the 40th over.
Regular opener Melius, who made a career-best 192 in round one, batted at eight after being off the field with a groin injury and could only manage six runs before falling to Joseph with the score on 129 in the 42nd over.
Preston McSween and Kenneth Dember then put on the second highest partnership of the innings with 33 for the ninth wicket before McSween fell to Beaton for 25 with the score on 162 in the 54th over.
Dember was the last man to fall, going leg before wicket to Verrasammy Permaul for 15 as the Volcanoes were bowled out for 168 in 56.3 overs, meaning the Harpy Eagles would need 294 runs to record their second outright win of the season.
Shamar Joseph took a career-best 5-41 from 12 overs while Ronsford Beaton took 3-35 from 15 overs.
Rain then brought an end to the day’s proceedings with the Harpy Eagles on 35-0 off 14.3 overs requiring a further 259 runs on the final day for victory.
Matthew Nandu (18) and Tevin Imlach (13) are the batsmen at the crease. Chandrapaul Hemraj earlier retired hurt while on three.
Scores: Windward Islands Volcanoes 294 off 80.5 overs (Alick Athanaze 141, Ryan John 51*, Sunil Ambris 47, Veerasammy Permaul 4-70, Ronsford Beaton 2-50, Kevin Sinclair 2-66) and 168 off 56.3 overs (Justin Greaves 27, Sunil Ambris 26, Preston McSween 25, Shamar Joseph 5-41, Ronsford Beaton 3-35)
Guyana Harpy Eagles 169 off 63.1 overs (Veerasammy Permaul 53, Kevin Sinclair 23, Justin Greaves 5-24, Ryan John 2-52) and 35-0 off 14.3 overs (Matthew Nandu 18*, Tevin Imlach 13*)
An unbeaten half-century from veteran Jason Mohammed helped the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force earn a nervy draw against the Windward Islands Volcanoes in their first round West indies Championship fixture at the St. George’s Cricket Ground in Grenada on Friday.
The Windwards entered day four in a dominant position, finding themselves 397-3 with a huge 325-run lead over the Red Force on first innings with captain Alick Athanaze (49) and Sunil Ambris (42) at the crease.
The pair started the day looking for quick runs and both batsmen brought up their half-centuries before Athanaze went off the bowling of Terrance Hinds for 51. Ambris ended up finishing not out on 55 while Justin Greaves (6) and Tevyn Walcott (6 not out) provided late cameos as the Volcanoes declared on 425-5 off 113.4 overs, leaving the Red Force needing 355 for victory.
With Vikash Mohan once again unable to open the innings, the Red Force went with Jeremy Solozano and fast bowler Uthman Muhammed to open the innings.
The move did not work as Muhammad only lasted six deliveries before he was dismissed by Darius Martin for four.
With the score on 43, the Red Force lost their second wicket when skipper Darren Bravo was bowled by Ryan John for 23 in the 13th over.
On the stroke of lunch, John picked up his second wicket, removing Solozano for 22 to leave the Red Force reeling at 55-3 off 16.3 overs.
After the break, the vastly experienced pair of Jason Mohammed and Yannic Cariah carried the score up to 93 in the 38th over before Cariah was dismissed by Kavem Hodge for 12.
Tion Webster, who got 79 in the first innings, joined Mohammed at the crease and the pair batted well to put on 49 before the tea break. Trinidad & Tobago entered tea 142-4 with Webster on 38 and Mohammed on 31.
The pair resumed their fight after the break, needing a further 213 runs for victory.
Mohammed brought up his fifty off 111 balls in the 52nd over before Webster brought up his half-century off 50 balls in the 53rd over.
With the partnership on the brink of 100, Webster’s stay was brought to an end for 58 by John in the 58th over to leave the Red Force 191-5, needing 163 runs to win.
The volcanoes were able to take the wickets of Amir Jangoo (8) and Terrance Hinds (0) before the match came to an end with the red Force on 225-7 off 83 overs.
Mohammed ended not out on 79 from 201 balls while Khary Pierre ended eight not out.
Scores: Windward Islands Volcanoes 243 off 63.1 overs (Tevyn Walcott 87*, Sunil Ambris 55, Bryan Charles 4-46, Terrance Hinds 4-72) & 425-5 off 113.4 overs (Kimani Melius 192, Kavem Hodge 80, Sunil Ambris 55*, Alick Athanaze 51, Bryan Charles 2-92)
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 315 off 92.1 overs (Amir Jangoo 86, Tion Webster 79, Terrance Hinds 52, Ryan John 5-18, Darius Martin 2-80) and 225-7 off 83 overs (Jason Mohammed 79*, Tion Webster 58, Ryan John 3-27, Kavem Hodge 2-54)
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced the match schedule and venues for the first two rounds of the West Indies Championship, the region’s first-class four-day red ball tournament, which will be played in Antigua and Grenada.
The tournament will open with the Windward Islands Volcanoes hosting the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force at the Grenada National Stadium (GNS). This match will start on 31 January and will continue on 1 to 3 February.
In Antigua, defending champions the Barbados Pride will start their bid for a third straight title when they face Guyana Harpy Eagles in the feature match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS) on 1 to 4 February. The third contest will see the Leeward Islands Hurricanes hosting the Jamaica Scorpions at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) from 1 to 4 February.
The second round will be played from 8 to 11 February when the Barbados Pride will meet the Jamaica Scorpions at CCG; Trinidad & Tobago Red Force travel to face the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the SVRS, and the Guyana Harpy Eagles take on the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the GNS.
The third round of the West Indies Championship resumes on 15 March with the final round concluding on 1 April when the 2023 Champions will be crowned and presented with the Headley Weekes Trophy. The final three rounds will all be played in Trinidad and the venues will be announced at a later date.
Roland Holder, CWI’s Manager of Cricket Operations said: “We are happy to announce the match schedule and venues for the first two rounds of the West Indies Championship, our flagship regional tournament on the annual calendar. The six teams have been preparing diligently for the upcoming season and we expect to see keen competition this year as they battle for the Headley Weekes trophy. From the tournament, the best performers also have the reward of playing for Team Weekes and Team Headley in the new tournament announced by CWI scheduled for April and May.”
The new Headley Weekes Series will follow the West Indies Championship and will feature three matches and three teams. Team Headley and Team Weekes will select from the best performers in the 2023 West Indies Championship and players outside the starting West Indies Test XI. The new West Indies Academy will provide the third team in the new Series.
Team Headley and Team Weekes are named in honour of West Indies pioneers and legendary batting greats George Headley and Sir Everton Weekes, whose names are also honoured on the Trophy for the winners of the West Indies Championship. All three matches will be played from 18 April to 6 May at CCG in Antigua.
Every West Indies Championship match will be streamed live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel. Fans can follow each and every game from their mobile devices, computers or connected TVs, including access to live ball-by-ball scoring on the Windiescricket.com live match centre.
2023 WEST INDIES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH SCHEDULE
All matches start at 10am Eastern Caribbean time (9am Jamaica time)
GNS – Grenada National Stadium, Grenada
SVRS – Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
CCG – Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua
ROUND 1:
31 January to 3 February - Grenada
Windward Islands Volcanoes v Trinidad & Tobago Red Force at GNS
1 to 4 February - Antigua
Barbados Pride v Guyana Harpy Eagles at SVRS
Leeward Islands Hurricanes v Jamaica Scorpions at CCG
ROUND 2:
8 to 11 February – Grenada and Antigua
Windward Islands Volcanoes v Guyana Harpy Eagles at GNS
Leeward Islands Hurricanes v Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at SVRS
Jamaica Scorpions v Barbados Pride at CCG
ROUND 3:
15 to 18 March in Trinidad – Venues to be confirmed
Trinidad and Tobago Red Force v Guyana Harpy Eagles
Jamaica Scorpions v Windward Islands Volcanoes
Leeward Islands Hurricanes v Barbados Pride
ROUND 4:
22 to 25 March in Trinidad - Venues to be confirmed
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force v Barbados Pride
Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Jamaica Scorpions
Leeward Islands Hurricanes v Windward Islands Volcanoes
ROUND 5:
29 March to 1 April in Trinidad - Venues to be confirmed
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force v Jamaica Scorpions
Guyana Harpy Eagles v Leeward Islands Hurricanes
Barbados Pride v Windward Islands Volcanoes
Headley Weekes Tri-Series
All matches to be played at CCG, Antigua
Match 1: 19 to 22 April: Team Headley v West Indies Academy
Match 2: 26 to 29 April: Team Weekes v West Indies Academy
Match 3: 3 to 6 May: Team Weekes v Team Headley
SQUADS (Rounds 1 and 2)
Barbados Pride: Shane Dowrich (Captain) Camarie Boyce, Shamarh Brooks, Jonathan Drakes, Keon Harding, Chaim Holder, Akeem Jordan, Nicholas Kirton, Jair McAllister, Shayne Moseley, Zachary McCaskie, Shamar Springer, Kevin Wickham; Vasbert Drakes (Head Coach)
Guyana Harpy Eagles: Leon Johnson (Captain), Veerasammy Permaul (Vice Captain), Chandrapaul Hemraj, Matthew Nandu, Kemol Savory, Tevin Imlach, Anthony Bramble, Kevin Sinclair, Nial Smith, Ronsford Beaton, Akshaya Persaud, Ashmead Nedd, Shamar Joseph; Ryan Hercules (Head Coach)
Jamaica Scorpions: Paul Palmer jr (Captain), Jamie Merchant, Alwyn Williams, Aldaine Thomas, Leroy Lugg, Kirk McKenzie, Romaine Morris, Abhijau Mansingh, Patrick Harty, Akim Fraser, Marquino Mindley, Gordon Bryan, Ojay Shields; Andrew Richardson (Head Coach)
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force: Darren Bravo (Captain), Amir Jangoo, Imran Khan, Jason Mohammed, Terrance Hinds, Jyd Goolie, Jeremy Solozano, Yannic Cariah, Bryan Charles, Vikash Mohan, Uthman Muhammad, Tion Webster, Khary Pierre; David Furlonge (Head Coach)
Windward Islands Volcanoes: Alick Athanaze (Captain), Jerlani Robinson, Kavem Hodge, Keron Cottoy, Sunil Ambris, Justin Greaves, Tevyn Walcott, Kenneth Dember, Preston McSween, Teddy Bishop, Daurius Martin, Kimani Melius, Nicklaus Redhead; Shirley Clarke (Head Coach)
Leeward Islands Hurricanes (provisional squad): Jahmar Hamilton (Captain), Mikyle Louis, Kieran Powell, Colin Archibald, Terance Warde, Jeremiah Louis, Keacy Carty, Ross Powell, Kofi James, Damion Williams, Kelvin Pitman, Hayden Walsh jr., Rahkeem Cornwall; Stuart Williams (Head Coach).
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