Jamaica’s Cavalier FC maintained their perfect start to the Concacaf Caribbean Cup as they registered a comfortable 4-1 over Trinidad and Tobago’s Miscellaneous Police FC in a lopsided Group A affair at Sabina Park on Thursday.

A brace each from Shaquille Stein (22^nd and 65^th) and Dwayne Atkinson (77^th and 90+2) got the job done for the Rudolph Austin-coached Cavalier, which now sits comfortably atop the group on six points, three ahead of Jamaican counterpart Mount Pleasant FA.

Kevon Woodley (32^nd) got Police's consolation as they remain fourth in the standings with a point.

Riding high from their opening 2-0 win over Mount Pleasant, Cavalier were always expected to start slight favourites, and they justified that with the opening strike less than 30 minutes in.

Suriname’s Stein, who is proving a valuable asset to Cavalier’s attacking line so far, got on the end of a through pass from Christopher Ainsworth and tucked home a right-footed effort from deep inside the 18-yard box.

However, Police were back on level terms 10 minutes later as Woodley converted an expert diving header from Alvin Jones’ perfectly weighted cross to make it 1-1 at the break.

Like they did at the start, Cavalier showed more purpose and regained the lead five minutes past the hour-mark, when Stein drove an effort past Adrian Foncette, in goal for Police, from a low pass from Atkinson.

Atkinson then added his name to the scoresheet 12 minutes later when he applied to finishing touches to a blistering counterattack to put Cavalier 3-1 up.

With Police down and unable to find a response, Cavalier continued to apply pressure and added a fourth when Atkinson fired home on the volley after Police’s custodian Foncette punched clear from a corner kick in time added.

Cavalier will next meet Haiti’s Real Hope FA in Kingston on September 17, while Police FC will seek its first victory of the campaign against Arnett Gardens FC in Couva on September 19.

On Thursday, Dominican Republic’s Ciabo FC climbed to second in Group B on four points with a 2-1 win over Antigua and Barbuda’s Grenades FC, who were wetting their feet for the first time in the tournament.

West Indies white-ball coach Daren Sammy hailed his team’s performance after they passed their South Africa test with flying colours, culminating in a dominant eight-wicket victory at Sabina Park on Sunday. This win sealed a clean sweep of the three-match T20 International series, setting a positive tone for their final preparations ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup, which begins on June 1.

The West Indies secured their series victory with a comprehensive performance on Sunday, chasing down South Africa's target of 164 with 6.1 overs to spare. This win followed earlier victories on Thursday, May 23, by 28 runs and on Saturday, May 25, by 16 runs. The series was characterized by consistent team efforts, despite the absence of key players such as Rovman Powell, Nicholas Pooran, Shai Hope, Andre Russell, and Alzarri Joseph.

In the series finale, South Africa posted 163-8 from their 20 overs, with captain Rassie van der Dussen top-scoring with 51 off 36 balls. Debutant Wiann Mulder contributed a solid 36. The West Indies’ bowling attack was led by Player of the Series Gudakesh Motie, who took 2-21, supported by Shamar Joseph’s 2-26 and Obed McCoy’s 3-39.

The West Indies’ chase was spearheaded by an explosive opening partnership of 92 runs in just 6.4 overs between Johnson Charles and interim captain Brandon King. Charles, who was named Player of the Match for his blistering 69 off 26 balls, batted at a strike rate of 265, while King added 44 from 28 balls. Kyle Mayers (36 not out) and Alick Athanaze (6 not out) comfortably saw the hosts over the finish line.

Coach Darren Sammy, who led the West Indies to T20 World Cup victories in 2012 and 2016, praised his team’s all-around performance. "With the players that we had, we executed quite well,” he told Sportsmax.TV. “We were put under pressure in the Power Play in the second game but the way the guys responded and won convincingly; we got tested in the three departments – in the field, with the bat, and the ball – and the way the guys responded was just really good, so I would give them a nine (out of 10).”

Charles expressed satisfaction with his performance after struggling in the first two matches. “It was great. We have been working hard during the camp and in the series. Worked hard on our skills leading up to the World Cup, just enforcing the basics. Tried in the first two games, didn’t work out but came today (Sunday). It’s all about building confidence,” he said.

Stand-in captain Brandon King also shared his delight at leading the team to a commanding series win. “(I was) happy with my own performance,” he remarked. “Would’ve liked to carry my bat through to the end though. We understand each other’s games, playing a few years together. (This was) an important 3-0 win.”

In an unprecedented partnership, Sports Innovators Group Ltd has announced that SL Benfica Soccer Club from Portugal will be hosting a six-day football camp in Jamaica as part of their international schools program. The camp, set to take place from July 3-8, 2023, at Kingston's iconic Sabina Park, will provide a unique opportunity for 100 aspiring soccer players aged 6-17 to receive coaching from representatives of SL Benfica.

Each day, two sessions will be conducted, with 50 participants in each session. The camp will culminate with a thrilling selection process, where 28 standout players will be chosen to compete in two games on the final day.

For SL Benfica, the camp not only aims to provide a high-level soccer experience but also serves as a talent scouting opportunity. "The main goal is always to seek talent. In Portugal, we know that there will not be as many kids in the future, so we need to prepare a strategy to find the best talent as soon as possible," expressed David Gomez, Director of SL Benfica International School Program.

The partnership will not only benefit the young Jamaican players but also allow 10 local coaches to actively participate in the training sessions. These coaches will have a unique opportunity to observe and learn from SL Benfica's methodology and philosophy, which earned them the prestigious titles of the world's best academy by Globe Soccer in 2019 and the 2021 Football Talent Scout Platform's best Academy of the Decade.

Paul Campbell, Managing Director at Sports Innovators Group Limited, emphasized that this remarkable camp aligns with SIG's mission. "It is part of SIG's strategic approach to support the development of our young footballers and the sport as a whole. With the abundance of talent residing in our small island of Jamaica, we should find ways to expose our youngsters to more opportunities like this. SIG aims not only to showcase the talent we possess but also position Jamaica as a premier sporting destination," said Campbell.

Campbell further revealed that several young players identified during the Barbados camp were considered potential prospects for further evaluation by SL Benfica coaches in Portugal. The excitement among the SL Benfica coaching staff about the talents Jamaica has to offer is palpable, raising anticipation for the upcoming camp.

This historic partnership between SL Benfica through their agent Nexus Global and Driftwood Dreams, Sports Innovators Group Ltd promises an extraordinary soccer experience for Jamaican youth, fostering skill development, leadership growth, and potential international scouting opportunities. Aspiring soccer players and enthusiasts across Jamaica eagerly await the SL Benfica Football Camp, eagerly anticipating the chance to learn from and impress one of Europe's most esteemed soccer clubs.

Half-centuries from Sharmarh Brooks and Player-of-the-Match Brandon King helped the West Indies salvage a measure of pride after they defeated New Zealand by eight wickets with six balls to spare in the third and final T20 International at Sabina Park in Kingston on Sunday.

New Zealand took the series 2-1 after winning the first T20 international by 13 runs last Wednesday and humiliating the West Indies by 90 runs on Friday, which meant that Sunday’s match was a dead rubber with only pride at stake for the home side.

Set a target of 147, the West Indies cruised to 150-2 from 19 overs.

The victory was set up by an opening stand of 102 between Brooks, who was unbeaten on 56 and King who entertained the small crowd gathered with 53 from 35 balls, his first T20 international half-century on home soil and his fifth overall.

It was the first opening stand of 100 or more by the West Indies since January 2020 against Ireland.

King eventually got out in the 14^th over attempting to pull Tim Southee over the square-leg boundary but was caught by Martin Guptill running in from deep.

Devon Thomas wasted an opportunity to get some runs under his belt when he was caught at deep midwicket by Glen Phillips for five to leave the West Indies 113-2 mid-way the 15^th over.

Stand-in captain Rovman Powell ensured that there would be no jitters. He scored 27 not out including the match-winning six over the midwicket boundary from James Neesham’s final delivery.

Powell and Brooks shared a 37-run partnership that took the home side to victory.

For the first time in the series, the bowlers and batsmen were on song.

Odean Smith took T20I career-best figures of 3-29, Dominic Drakes bowled tidily to finish with 1-19 and Akeal Hosein 2-28 to restrict New Zealand to 145-7, their lowest total of the series.

Phillips followed up his 76 from the second T20 international with a 26-ball 41 but New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals and were unable to put together any meaningful partnerships.

In fact, it was a 47-run fourth-wicket partnership between Kane Williamson (24) and Phillips that helped the tourists set a respectable total after struggling to 57-3 in the ninth over.

Devon Conway’s 21 was the only other score of note as the West Indies bowlers maintained a stranglehold throughout the 20 overs.

Cornwall Warriors captain Michael Frew produced an excellent spell of bowling to lead his team to victory over the Middlesex United Stars in the Dream11 Jamaica T10 tournament at Sabina Park in Kingston on Friday.

Asking the Stars to bat first after winning the toss, the Warriors had early success after removing West Indies opener John Campbell for 14.

Sashane Anderson (22) and Suwayne Wilson (12) were the only other Stars batsmen to reach double figures as Frew, a member of the West Indies U-19 World Cup winning squad in 2016, ripped through the batting line-up to finish with figures of 4-16 from his two overs.

In the end, the Stars were restricted to a modest 81-7 off their 10 overs.

The Warriors made light work of the chase, reaching 83-3 off 8.4 overs to get their second win of the competition.

They got home thanks to some indiscipline from the Stars bowlers and solid showings from Ockeeno Farqharson (21), Jevoy Spence (15) and Andre McCarthy (13 not out).

West Indies U-19 representative Andel Gordon took 2-11 off his two overs.

Despite a poor run of form with the bat struggling batsmen Kyle Mayers and Nkrumah Bonner are full of confidence and are raring to go ahead of Friday’s second Test against Pakistan at Sabina Park in Kingston.