Sports

The opening day of the three-day practice game at the Guyana National Stadium Providence, scheduled by the Interim Management Com-mittee (IMC) ahead of the Regional four-day tournament which bowls off on Friday, was washed out without a ball being bowled, due to persistent rainfall throughout the day.

By Iva Wharton The Kashif and Shanghai organization and Ram’s Pharmacy yesterday threw their combined weight behind the Thomas United Mashramani football tournament.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Victoria Azarenka sankto her knees in disbelieving triumph after winning her first grand slam singles title with a one-sided victory over Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final yesterday.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – West Indies were languishing at number seven in the latest International Cricket Council Test team rankings announced yesterday, as Australia continued their march back towards the top of the tables.

The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) is set to run off their first event of the year, their national cross country race at the National Park from 16:00 hrs today.

By Emmerson Campbell Olympic hopeful Alonzo Greaves yesterday sped off with the feature 35-lap Invitational race when national cycling coach Hassan Mohammed and Ricks and Sari Agro Industries Limited staged an 11-race cycling meet at the National Park circuit, Thomas Lands.

In what can be described as an interesting game of “cricket musical chairs”, 24 hours after the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) named its Guyana squad for the opening regional four-day encounter against the Leeward Islands next Friday, the Interim Management Committee (IMC) named an identical squad – but with controversially discarded senior West Indies middle-order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan as its skipper.

By Emmerson Campbell Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) president, Kit Nascimento yesterday underscored the need for the full support of both government and the corporate sector  to get the national ruggers to the international level.

ADELAIDE, (Reuters) – Australia took India’s last  four wickets yesterday morning to crush the tourists by 298 runs in the fourth test and record a 4-0 series sweep.

ABU DHABI,  (Reuters) – Monty Panesar ripped through Pakistan’s top order to reduce the hosts to 125 for four in their second innings at the close of the third day of the second test yesterday, 55 runs ahead of England in an interestingly poised match.

Whenever it seems things simply cannot get worse (in other words every other week), West Indies cricket lapses into further sharp decline.

Early this week the national cricketers, like animals caught in the glare of a car headlight, were a confused bunch, not knowing, whence or which way to turn.

There were minor changes to the executive as Commodore Gary Best, Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force was returned unopposed as President of the Guyana National Rifle Association (GNRA) at its Annual General Meeting Thursday evening at the Bank of Guyana Roof Garden.

As part of its celebration of its 52nd anniversary as a club, Thomas United Football Club (FC) has launched a month-long “Mashramani Challenge Cup” scheduled to kick off from February 5 – March 8.

MELBOURNE,  (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic survived a brutal battle of wills with grand slam nearly man Andy Murray yesterday to reach the final of the Australian Open against fellow fighter Rafa Nadal.

National cycling coach Hassan Mohamed and Ricks & Sari Agro Industries Limited will team up to host the 19th annual Ricks & Sari Agro Industries ‘Teach Them Young’ cycling programme today at the National Park Circuit.

The Hadi’s World Inc., formerly the City Mall, of Camp and Regent Streets, nationwide male and female softball tournament organised by the Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) will continue tomorrow at several venues coubntrywide.

West Indies Cricket Board directors will convene a teleconference tomorrow and high on the agenda will be the present stalemate between the sidelined Guyana Cricket Board and the government-implemented Interim Management Committee.

By Emmerson Campbell The Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) will come alive tonight when the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) presents the 20th edition of the Guyana Fight Night Pro Am card.

Guyana’s under-construction synthetic track at Leonora still remains in phase one  after a year and one month since  the contract was awarded to Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited.