Football, cycling, canoeing top weekend sports
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and you’re welcome to this Baron Bliss edition of Sports Monday. The busy weekend of sporting activity got off Saturday night with the kick off of the Regent’s Cup playoffs at the Capital City’s Isidero Beaton Stadium. There the number one seed, Builders Hardware Bandits, played host to the number four seed, Fabro’s Juventus Stars of Orange Walk.
At 7:30 p.m. referee David Jones signals the commencement of hostilities. And as we say in the business, we’re underway.
In the early goings, the visitors assume the role of protagonist and if this take down of Sergio Quinonez by Wilhelm “Locho” Coyi is not a penalty, then referee Jones is not the man with the whistle tonight.
Talk about squandering a golden opportunity; how Kello Leslie fails to convert here will remain a question for decades to come.
It’s some half and hour in when a centre from Raul Celiz inadvertently bounces on to the left hand of this Juventus defender and referee Jones charges the visitors with the maximum penalty despite their furious protestations.
Jair Perera the Brazilian step up and while Geovanni Rodriguez almost comes up with a spectacular save, the net shakes for the 1-zip Bandits lead.
Naturally, the momentum swings Belmopan’s way and five minutes later when David McCauley’s shot is pushed out by goalkeeper Rodriguez, Jair Perera catches up with the pill for his second goal of the match.
The Bandits look for more when Derys Benavides again sets table for McCauley, but the subsequent aerobatic shot sails outside the sticks as intermission finds the hardware company with a big 2-zip lead.
In second half, Mark Leslie tries to make amends, but this shot disappoints him by inching outside the sticks. This spotkick from Donnie Tun might have breathed new life into a dejected Juventus ballclub, but up jumps Charlie Slusher to make the save.
In fact folks, nothing worked for Juventus in this opening playoff match. And when this defensive error gives Perera possession, the striker smacks it past Rodriguez to complete the hat trick as the Builders Hardware Bandits record the 3-zip big W.
James Adderley
“It’s a 3-nil defeat, can Juventus Stars recover and get back on the winning track?”
Freddie Tun, Juventus Stars
“Well most naturally. We played very good tonight and Belmopan is a very good team. Nonetheless, we’re gonna play them again at home, and I hope that we could do a better game than tonight. The team that scores the most goals wins. They scored three goals tonight, and obviously we had opportunities, which we couldn’t score, but then obviously we have a game home on Sunday against Griga and we’re going to come out harder and try to win that game.”
Edmund Pandy, Builder’s Hardware Bandits
“We have been preparing ourselves for this point of the competition and I think tonight we came out here mentally prepared more than anything. We knew we worked hard and we had to win this game to get a good start in the competition and that’s what happened.”
James Adderley
“Going into Kulture Yabra, how you feel that you’re gonna attack Kulture Yabra?”
Edmund Pandy
“Yabra is a different team. We have to study Yabra, we have to prepare for Yabra this week, and when we meet them, we have to play them different than we play Juventus. Although they’re not playing as impressive in the earlier part of the season, but come playoff time Yabra definitely will lift their game and we have to prepare for that.”
In other playoff match, Sunday at Dangriga Vallan Simms and Eden Rawley combined on the scoreboard to giver the defending champion Kulture Yabra a 2-1 big W over the host team Griga United. Thus, this Sunday finds Belmopan at Yabra here in the city, while Griga United travels to Fabro’s Juventus.
Now let’s head to Georgia August for the early morning sights and sounds at the start of the twentieth San Cas Belmopan Cycle Classic. And as you can see, all the big guns are out in their respective colours in search of fame and fortune, and they’re off.
We now go to the finish of this one hundred-mile race at the foot of the Belcan Bridge. It’s a thirty-one man sprint; Mexican Eduardo Uribe of Santino’s gets up off his seat and walks out of the pack to pick up the win in impressive fashion in a time of four hours, sixteen minutes and twenty-three seconds, eclipsing the time of four hours twenty minutes set by Ian Smith in 1996. He raises his arm in victory because last year he was physically manhandled and put out of the race in a heated controversy. Uribe, not only exacted sweet revenge, but he also celebrated his thirty-second birthday with a coveted big W. Happy birthday amigo.
Jamaican American Anthony Taylor pulled up 2nd, Ernest Meighan 3rd, Mateo Cruz 4th, Ariel Rosado 5th, big Mike Lewis 6th, while Shane Vasquez rounds out the top 7.
On the junior side, Mexican Edilberto Balaam took top honours, while all praises to Anamarie Bennett; she easily won the female race.
Turning to La Ruta Maya, that river race that has taken the nation by storm, we go to the Belcan Bridge for the big finish. There you see Koop Sheet Metal paddling in for top honours, followed by Black Rock Lodge. Programme for Belize comes in third.
That’s our show for today, we certainly invite you back same time, same place next week. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.
