Sports

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Clinton Pestano’s four-wicket burst hauled leaders Guyana Jaguars back into their eighth-round contest against Jamaica Scorpions after a batting collapse left them in danger of falling behind, on the opening day at Sabina Park here yesterday.

With their campaign in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship slated for April, Fruta Conquerors General Secretary Daniel Thomas sat down with Stabroek Sport to discuss the club’s preparation for the regional championship.

Bissan’s Trading has renewed its sponsorship of the Berbice Cricket Board’s (BCB) Elizabeth Styles Under-21 knockout tournament.

The Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) has expressed condolences to the family of former national welterweight champion Lennox Beckles, who died recently following a prolonged illness.

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) on Tuesday successfully concluded a two-day FIFA facilitated medicine workshop for physiotherapists and doctors attached to the GFF’s respective member associations.

Guyana has officially been drawn in Group G of the CONCACAF U-17 Championship, which is slated to be held at the IMG Arena, Florida, USA in May.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Captain Jason Holder has defended his side’s bowling performance in Wednesday’s opening One-Day International, after they failed to defend a venue record 360 at Kensington Oval.

Guyana rolled out the red carpet for newly crowned World Boxing Association (WBA) Gold super middleweight champion Lennox ‘2 Sharp’ Allen upon his return yesterday.

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – Former Cabinet minister and West Indies team manager, Ricky Skerritt, has formally launched his bid to unseat Cricket West Indies president, Dave Cameron, at next month’s elections in Jamaica.

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, (Reuters) – Sri Lanka seamers Kasun Rajitha and Vishwa Fernando took three wickets each to bowl out South Africa for 222 on the first day of the second and final test yesterday, but the hosts struck back late in the day with the ball.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Yuzvendra Chahal has forged a formidable wrist-spin partnership for India with Kuldeep Yadav and the leg-spinner believes their success, to a large extent, is due to their freedom to attack relentlessly even when bleeding runs.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – All-rounder Hardik Pandya will miss India’s limited overs home series against Australia, their last before this year’s World Cup, with lower back stiffness, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said yesterday.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – A Nike Inc sneaker worn by a college basketball superstar split in half less than a minute into a highly anticipated game between Duke University and North Carolina, prompting an outcry on social media as the company sought to figure out what caused the malfunction.

WELLINGTON,  (Reuters) – New Zealand’s series sweeps of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were pleasing but the 4-1 loss to India will serve as a reality check for the World Cup, according to coach Gary Stead.

NEW DELHI,  (Reuters) – Circumstances conspired to facilitate Mayank Agarwal’s test debut in Australia and the 28-year-old has now embarked on establishing himself as India’s preferred opener across formats.

BARCELONA, (Reuters) – Ferrari are looking stronger than Mercedes in testing and the Formula One champions have work to do before next month’s season-opening race in Australia, Valtteri Bottas said yesterday.

(Reuters) – Two-times Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova says Naomi Osaka’s shyness is a problem for her as she struggles to deal with the increased scrutiny in the wake of her success at the Grand Slams and her rise to the top of the world rankings.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Chris Gayle’s 24th one-day hundred went in vain as West Indies paid dearly for a plethora of missed chances in the field, allowing England to complete their highest-ever run chase in One-Day Internationals and win the opening contest of the five-match series by six wickets here yesterday.

An unchanged Guyana Jaguars squad will look to solidify their spot at the top of the table when they face Jamaica Scorpions in the eighth round of the Cricket West Indies Regional Four-Day Championships at Sabina Park, Jamaica, from today.

The inaugural Dragon Stout and I-Cool sponsored ‘Dominoes in the Country’ Championships was officially launched yesterday at the Good Times Sports Bar, Pouderoyen.

Cuban boxing coach, Francisco Hernandez Roldan is back in Guyana for a second stint.

The champ is coming home. Recently crowned World Boxing Association (WBA) Gold Super Middleweight champion, Lennox ‘2 Sharp’ Allen is scheduled to return to Guyana this morning for a series of public appearances.

In 2018 he missed three crucial international assignments but Guyana’s top male squash player Alex Arjoon is focused on returning to national duties in August when Guyana hosts the senior Caribbean Squash Tournament.

For any team, a solid start to an innings is often what is needed to set the momentum of a match and that is exactly what Romeo Deonarain and Jayden Campbell have been doing for Georgetown in their successful campaign during the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) Inter-Association Under-15 tournament last week.

Defending champions Bent Street, Sparta Boss, Future Stars, Sophia, Gold Is Money and Back Circle secured their berths to tonight’s quarterfinal round following victories in the 2nd Annual NSC/Magnum Mash Futsal Championships yesterday.  

The annual Trophy Stall golf tournament will get underway on Saturday at the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC).

(Reuters) – Ross Taylor became New Zealand’s highest scorer in one-day internationals yesterday as he helped his side secure an 88-run victory over Bangladesh in Dunedin in their final official ODI before the World Cup.

LUTON, England,  (Reuters) – England would be silly not to include Barbados-born all-rounder Jofra Archer in their World Cup squad even if it’s just to keep their regular pace attack on their toes, according to former fast bowler Devon Malcolm.

(Reuters) – The International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday it had banned United Arab Emirates-based coach Irfan Ansari from all cricket for 10 years after he was found guilty of corruption.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Captain Jason Holder has stressed the “clinical” execution of bowling plans as his inspired West Indies seek to build on their stunning Test series win with further success, when they face world number one England in the opening One-Day International of the five-match series here today.

With Guyana set to depart local shores today to compete in the FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers in Colombia, the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation [GABF] has officially announced their 12 member roster for the championships via a press release.

Ramesh Narine spurred Mike’s Wellman to the Masters’ Over-40 title while Grill Masters beat Regal All-Stars to take the Open title in the annual Republic Cup last Sunday at the Everest Cricket Club ground.

The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) has named its 14-member squad to participate in the Guyana Cricket Board Inter-County Under-15 tournament scheduled to commence next week.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Monday unveiled Bermuda-based insurance company, Colonial Group International (CGI), as the title sponsors of the Regional Super50 domestic championship.

MONACO, (Reuters) – World number one tennis player Novak Djokovic crowned a winning return to the courts after surgery with the Laureus sportsman of the year award on Monday, while American gymnast Simone Biles won the sportswoman of the year prize.

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, (Reuters) – Sri Lanka will be chasing history and a shock series victory when they play hosts South Africa in the second and final test at St George’s Park tomorrow.

LIVERPOOL, England,  (Reuters) – Bayern Munich showed all their Champions League experience and quality organisation as they held Liverpool to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their last 16 match at Anfield yesterday in a game of few chances and little drama.

(Reuters) – Caster Semenya has released a list of experts she will call in her appeal hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) this week in her fight against regulations aimed at lowering the testosterone levels of hyperandrogenic athletes like her.

Keevin Allicock continues to display why he is one of the Caribbean’s better boxing prospects.

Guyana’s top male  badminton player Narayan  Ramdhani  made history for the Kings Eagles University Badminton Team when he won the gold  medal in the men’s singles  at the 2018-2019 ACAC Provincial championship which was played off at the Concordia University in Edmonton Alberta.

Director of Sports, Christopher Jones, has criticized the GFF referees for their  non-appearance on match day five of the 2nd Annual NSC/Magnum Mash Cup Futsal Championship at the National Gymnasium on Saturday.  

Young Warriors Cricket Club booked their spot in the semifinals after defeating Rose Hall Canje by 15 runs in the Berbice Cricket Board/New Building Society 40-overs second-division tournament on Sunday at the Canje Welfare Ground.

A low- scoring contest between defending champions Pepsi Hikers and rivals Bounty GCC headlined Sunday’s round of matches in the ongoing 2019 Farfan & Mendes Men’s First Division league at the Saints Ground.   

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Legendary former West Indies captain, Sir Vivian Richards, was recently honoured with a large portrait himself, during the second Test of the just concluded Test series here.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,  CMC – Veteran left-hander Chris Gayle has earmarked the ICC World Cup later this year as the swansong of his illustrious one-day career, and hopes he can help underdogs West Indies lift the title at the showpiece in England.

LONDON, CMC – West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor, along with the new-ball pair of Shakera Selman and Shamilia Connell, have made important strides in the latest ICC women’s one-day rankings released yesterday.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Joe Root and Jason Roy both slammed centuries to lead England to a comprehensive 171-run victory over a UWI Vice Chancellor’s XI at the 3W’s Oval here Sunday.

(Reuters) – Former West Indies bowler Ian Bishop took pride in his former team’s recent test series win over England, and thinks the current crop is “filled with possibilities” enough to climb up the rankings and put a smile back on the face of Caribbean fans.

(Reuters) – Several fans and a Mumbai cricket official have asked India to boycott their World Cup match against Pakistan in June this year after a suicide bomber killed 44 members of the Indian paramilitary police in Kashmir last week.

CHARLOTTE – Kevin Durant scored 31 points and won MVP honors after outdueling Giannis Antetokounmpo to lift Team LeBron to a 178-164 win Sunday night in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game.