Sports

The 7th Diamond Mineral Water International Hockey Festival has been shifted from the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) to the National Gymnasium after permission was granted on Wednesday to the Guyana Hockey Board by the Director of Sport Secretariat and the Guyana Volleyball Federation.

Two weeks after the National Schools Athletics, Swimming and Cycling Championships, there are lingering memories of the problematic 51st edition of the event but the scintillating  performances of  some athletes have boosted the status of this pre-eminent event.

By Emmerson Campbell Now that the powerlifting season is over, the main focus for lifters in the year ahead is to improve their overall lifting poundage and eclipse their performances in 2011.

VISAKHAPATNAM, India, CMC – West Indies will be looking to rebound from their nail-biting on The YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium has gained a reputation for high-scoring and the pattern is expected to continue. Teams

HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC — Former national team captain Clay Smith, who received no votes in this week’s Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) presidential race, says he feels betrayed by his own club but will “take it on the chin and move on”.

BRISBANE, (Reuters) – Daniel Vettori helped steady New  Zealand’s innings at 176-5 after Australia’s inexperienced  bowling attack had earlier threatened to skittle the tourists on  the rain-curtailed opening day of the first test yesterday.

DHAKA, (Reuters) – All-rounder Shahid Afridi  took five for 23 and then made 24 not out to lead Pakistan to a  five-wicket win over Bangladesh in the first one-day  international in Dhaka yesterday.

RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) – Ex-Brazil striker  Ronaldo has taken a top role in organising the 2014 World Cup in  his country and is looking to iron out disagreements between the  government, FIFA and the local organising committee (LOC).

The script had already been written. The two Berbice teams would clash in the final.

(BBC) Crystal Palace pulled off a stunning extra-time victory at Old Trafford to reach the Carling Cup semi-finals and send Manchester United crashing out yesterday.

(BBC) England cricket coach Andy Flower was the big winner at the 2011 UK Coaching Awards in London on Tuesday.

Captain Virender Sehwag expects a lot better from his team the next time around after India limped to a one-wicket win over the West Indies in Tuesday’s first ODI in Cuttack.

(BBC) Nottinghamshire all-rounder Samit Patel has withdrawn from the Indian Premier League auction to focus his efforts on winning a place in England’s Test side.

(Reuters) – Injury-weakened Australia return to test action on home soil this week for the first time since their humiliating Ashes defeat, taking on a New Zealand team convinced conditions might just be right for an upset.

(Reuters) – The National Basketball Association (NBA) began stirring back to life yesterday with player agents and team officials formally allowed to begin discussions about free agents in anticipation of next month’s start of the delayed season.

The 22nd edition of the Kashif and Shanghai football tournament got another shot in the arm with the contribution the organizers received from Giftland Office Max yesterday.

Defending champion Taffin Khan remains unbeaten in his quest to defend his national title  following last weekend’s matches of the Geddes Grant/Seven Seas 2011 National senior chess championships being played at the Ocean Spray Hotel in Kitty.

VISAKHAPATNAM, India, CMC – West Indies arrived here yesterday for their second One-Day International against India, following their heart-breaking loss in the first game in Cuttack.

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Paceman Mitchell Johnson is likely to be sidelined for up to five months with a foot injury, Cricket Australia said yesterday, almost certainly ruling him out of upcoming test series against New Zealand and India.

KINGSTON, Jamaica,  CMC – Injury-prone West Indies pacer Jerome Taylor has been omitted from a Jamaican 25-man squad to prepare for the upcoming Caribbean Twenty20 Championship.