Defending champions Clarendon College opened their ISSA DaCosta Cup campaign with a tense 2-1 win over Denbigh High at the Catherine Hall Stadium in Montego Bay, Jamaica on Saturday.
Clarendon College took an early lead in the fourth minute when Justin Hayles latched on to a through ball to finish across Denbigh goalkeeper Kevin Pryce into the bottom corner.
They went two ahead when Terron Williams scored directly from a corner kick in the 22nd minute.
Denbigh were the more attacking team to start the second 45 minutes and were handed a lifeline when Tayo Cross converted a late spot kick won by substitute Rahjaun Cassanova.
In the end, however, Clarendon College held their nerve to ensure that they got the three points to kick off the defense of their title.
Clarendon College will next take on Lennon High on September 14 while Denbigh will face Claude McKay a day earlier.
Mona High School started the defense of their first ever ISSA Manning Cup title with a dominant 7-0 thrashing of opponents Waterford High at Catherine Hall Stadium in Montego Bay, St. James on Saturday.
Man of the match Carlton Brown scored a pair of goals in the 17th and 37th minutes, the first being a brilliant right-footed strike from long range that evaded Waterford goalkeeper Jaheim Daley.
In between those two strikes, Savi-K Morton made it 2-0 in the 31st minute through a well-placed left-footed shot from just inside the 18-yard box.
Captain Robino Gordon made it 4-0 ten minutes later with a close-range finish, a score that would hold until the end of the first half.
Just a minute into the second 45 minutes, Alex Suazo made it 5-0 with the second long-range strike of the day.
The scoring was completed by Kshaine Gordon (67’) and Denzel McKenzie (70’).
“It’s really important to get off to a good start and we have more to come,” Brown said in a post-match interview.
Mona assistant coach Kyle Butler believes his team could have done even better but was happy with the win nonetheless.
“Definitely a statement win. The foundation is there but we’re still in second gear. We still have a lot that we can improve on. We could have won 10-0 easily but as I said the foundation is there and we want to build on that,” he said.
Waterford High coach Kevin Reid expressed disappointment at his team’s performance.
“It’s a disappointing start for us. Experience got the better of us today. Nevertheless, I believe they learned something to day and I believe the best team won. We just have to get back in training and put in some more work and, hopefully, we will have a better second game,” he said.
Mona will next take on Jonathan Grant on September 12 while Waterford will tackle Charlie Smith on the same day.
Team Takeover delivered a dominant performance to clinch the championship title at the inaugural JamRockerz Basketball Classic, steamrolling Team Kingston 62-21 in the finals held on Sunday at the Montego Bay Community College. The victory capped off an undefeated run for Takeover, solidifying their status as the best team in the six-team, three-day competition.
From the opening whistle, Takeover set the tone for the match, establishing a commanding 17-7 lead by the end of the first quarter. They continued to assert their dominance in the second quarter, extending their lead to 35-13. By the third quarter, the score had ballooned to 53-19, effectively sealing Kingston's fate. Takeover eased off slightly in the final quarter, closing out the game with a 9-2 run to secure the emphatic win.
Cole Riley was the standout performer for Takeover, contributing 15 points, three rebounds, and four steals. Kingston’s Lebron Lewinson, despite his team's struggles, managed to score nine points, including a three-pointer, and added five rebounds and a steal.
Takeover's assistant coach Marvin Riley praised his players for their outstanding effort throughout the tournament. “The kids played exceptionally well. They did what they were supposed to do—come to Jamaica and take over,” he said, highlighting the team's focus and determination.
Riley also offered high praise for the Jamaican players, acknowledging their hard work and athleticism. “You guys have great players. More than anything, you play hard. You play exceptionally hard. You have good athletes. You need skill development, better facilities, and you need to really pour into the kids and have them believe they can play at an exceptionally high level because you have the talent,” Riley added.
In the third-place play-off, Team International edged out Hardwood Kings from Ontario, Canada, in a close 49-46 victory. International’s Dwain Cummings posted an impressive double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Hardwood Kings’ Elijah Deyon contributed 16 points.
Earlier in the day, Kingston earned their place in the final by defeating International 49-44 in their semifinal match-up. Lewinson again led Kingston with 12 points, five rebounds, two steals, and three assists, while Cummings was International’s top performer with eight points and five rebounds.
Takeover’s path to the final was marked by a commanding 70-22 victory over Hardwood Kings in the other semifinal. Liberty Fusire led Takeover with a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Elijah Brown of Hardwood Kings managed nine points.
The JamRockerz Basketball Classic, which also featured teams from Montego Bay and Trelawny, was deemed a resounding success by event organizer and coach of Kingston, Wayne Dawkins of P.H.A.S.E. 1 Academy. “I think that it is amazing. The support, you saw the energy, the kids on the floor, they understood what this was about. It doesn’t matter that Team Takeover is the number one club in America, they came out and they fought, and that’s what we want to see,” Dawkins said. He also expressed gratitude to the event's sponsors and partners, including Dr. Carey Wallace of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), NBA Houston Rockets player Tari Eason, and Kingston Marley, the grandson of Bob Marley.
Cole Riley was named MVP of the tournament, receiving his award from Dr. Wallace. Liberty Fusire was recognized as the Defensive Player of the Tournament, with his award presented by Kingston Marley.
The tournament’s All-Star team featured six standout players: D’Aire Patterson (Montego Bay), Daniel Clarke (Trelawny), Elijah Deyon (Hardwood Kings), Dwain Cummings (International), Lebron Lewinson (Kingston), and Doran Clausell (Takeover).
The JamRockerz Basketball Classic successfully showcased top-tier talent and competition, setting the stage for what promises to be a highly anticipated annual event in Jamaica's basketball calendar.
Jamaica’s former WBA Super world featherweight champion Nicholas ‘Axe Man’ Walters says he was encouraged to return to the ring by several trainers in Panama where he is based.
The 37-year-old is set to break a six-year layoff with an eight-round super lightweight bout this Saturday in Santa Marta, Colombia, against local fighter Luis Diaz Marmol.
In recent years, Walters had been visiting the boxing gym to keep in shape but admits he “wasn’t really serious about fighting” until experts around the gym encouraged him to come out of retirement.
“After sparring with other fighters here in Panama, my coach and other coaches asked me to come back to the sport,” Walters said.
“I was making it very difficult for the guys that I was sparring with, so everyone was saying I should make a comeback,” added Walters, who boasts a solid ring record of 26 wins (21 kos) against one loss and one draw.
The 29-year-old Marmol brings an aggressive style to this Walters bout and upset unbeaten Colombian prospect Diego Silva his last time out. Marmol has a ring record of 19 wins (11 kos) against 16 losses.
Originally from Montego Bay on Jamaica’s north coast, Walters became the first Jamaican ever to win a world boxing title at home when he defeated Daulis Prescott on December 8, 2012 in Kingston via a seventh round TKO. He will be fighting for the first time since 2016 but has been actively training for months.
Walters has also enlisted the services of well-respected manager Gabriel Barron as he returns in a weight class 14 pounds above his title-winning featherweight division. In his last bout on November 20, 2016, Walters quit against Vasiliy Lomachenko after being dominated by the outstanding Ukrainian for seven rounds in Nevada, USA.
Walters had turned pro in 2008 after an amateur career that included bronze at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games and two gold medals at the Caribbean Championships in 2005 and 2006. Within a few years he became one of the world’s most exciting fighters of the lower weight divisions after defeating big names like Nonito Donaire and Vic Darchinyan.
Hundreds of children from Paradise and its surrounding communities in Montego Bay to get Christmas gifts from Olympic gold medalist Briana Williams during the third staging of her annual Christmas Treat on Tuesday, December 21.
Williams, who now trains in Jamaica, feted children at the Paradise Community Centre from 10am to 3pm. The children enjoyed playing on bounce-about rides, a Santa Village, a games screen and gifts from Digicel.
Grace Foods provided boxed lunches, beverages and snacks to each child.
"For the last two treats, we had to deliver the gifts to each home wearing masks because of the pandemic,” Williams said.
“It's nice to host a fun day and interact with the community. This is what makes Christmas special for the children.
“Special thanks to my sponsors Digicel, Grace Foods and KIG Jamaica for making this a reality for the last three years".
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