Sports

By Delvon Mc Ewan   The omission of national four-day captain Leon Johnson from the list of 20 players selected for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) training camp for the upcoming test series against New Zealand raises concerns within the cricketing fraternities in Guyana.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies speedster Kemar Roach is eyeing a return from injury against the touring Black Caps next month.

CHARLESTOWN, Nevis, CMC – West Indies opener Kieran Powell warmed up for the upcoming West Indies camp in preparation for the New Zealand series, with a half-century in the domestic Nevis Premier League on Sunday.

BARCELONA, (Reuters) – Lionel Messi signed a new contract with Barcelona yesterday that will reportedly make the four-times World Player of the Year soccer’s best-paid player with a net annual salary of 20 million euros ($27.4 million).

ROME, (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic laid down the gauntlet ahead of Roland Garros when he came from a set down to dismantle claycourt king Rafael Nadal in the Italian Open final Sunday.

– Pacers look like top seeds again (Reuters) – The Indiana Pacers delivered one of their most balanced performances in a shaky post-season to beat the visiting Miami Heat 107-96 on Sunday in Game One of the Eastern Conference finals.

(Reuters) – American Brendon Todd clinched his first PGA Tour title in style with a two-shot victory at the $6.9 million Byron Nelson Championship in Texas Sunday.

AHMEDABAD, India, CMC – West Indies left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie took two wickets on his Indian Premier League debut but it was teammate Lendl Simmons’s half-century that fired Mumbai Indians to a comfortable 25-run win over Rajasthan Royals here yesterday.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – CONCACAF boss Jeffrey Webb believes there must be a process of sustainable development in the region before another English-speaking Caribbean team can qualify for a FIFA World Cup finals.

LEICESTER, England, CMC – Former West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan stroked a half-century in his first innings of the County season as Leicestershire made a strong reply against Hampshire on the second day of the Division Two encounter yesterday.

DHAKA, (Reuters) – Former Sri Lanka batsman Chandika Hathurusingha will take over as Bangladesh coach on a two-year contract, local cricket board chief Nazmul Hassan said yesterday.

SHANGHAI, China, CMC – Jamaican Novlene Williams-Mills snatched the 400 metres hurdles at Sunday’s Shanghai Golden Grand Prix to steal the headlines for the Caribbean, after sprint sensation Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce pulled out of the 200 metres.

— Kennard’s Pre Independence Race Meet California Strike led wire-to-wire in the feature D1 and Lower event at the Kennard Memorial Turf Club yesterday, beating Run Na Na Run by about five lengths.

After two days and 171.5 miles of intense racing on the roadways, Darren Matthews emerged winner of the 32nd annual NSC Independence Three-Stage Road Race yesterday.

Bishops’ High School crushed St. Rose’s High 51-37 in their under-19 divisional matchup when the Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) conference championships continued on Saturday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Homestretch Avenue.

Days after retaining the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Inter-County three-day title Demerara, led by a fluent unbeaten half-century from opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul lifted the limited-overs trophy after a comprehensive six-wicket win over the President’s XI yesterday at the Georgetown Cricket Club Ground, Bourda.

Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) and Gandhi Youth Organisation (GYO) ended their Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/Hadi’s World Incorporated first division two day match in a draw yesterday.

Diamond United and Herstelling FC plated a 1-1 draw when the inaugural CULT Energy Drink-sponsored East Bank Football Association (EDFA) under-17 league commenced on Saturday at the Grove Community ground.

Last year’s losing finalist Victoria Church Yard got their campaign off to the perfect start, defeating Vryheid Lust 2-0 when the second annual Guinness Greatest of the Streets East Coast Edition commenced at the Haslington Market Square on Saturday.

Nyron Joseph walked away with the under-19 title, overcoming Benjamin Mekdeci 3-2 when the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) 2014 Woodpecker Products junior national championships concluded at the Georgetown Club yesterday.