James Adderley has the weekend rundown for sports
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.
Game two of the Belize Bank Super League Football Championship series saw the defending champion, Texmar Boys roll into Dangriga’s Carl Ramos Stadium yesterday with a one game lead over the host team, Valley Renaissance after last weeks 3-2 win at Independence. A win today by the visitors would give them the 2009 title and they certainly could have made that objective even more accessible when five minutes into the action, Norman “Tilliman” Nunez gets this good look at goal over to be foiled by Woodrow West, who is well positioned between the sticks. It’s more offense from Texmar when Ashley Torres slices through heavy traffic to fire this left foot that veers outside the target. On this press, Ashley Torres has beaten the goalkeeper but cannot shrug off the tough and determined defensive challenge from Harrison Tasher. The Valley finally comes alive some ten minutes in when Alexander Peters launches this weak left foot that almost gets past goalkeeper Marcel Garbutt. However, it’s Texmar Boys in control of the opening half people and the Griga fans hold their collective breath when Tilliman Nunez gets off this header that inches outside the sticks. The question must be asked people, is Valley Renaissance at home because West is a tormented keeper today and this time his problem comes courtesy of Jeovanni Reyes and we must say he handles. Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth poor defense gives Kenroy Authors this wide open look at goal but he squanders the opportunity.
We’re some twelve minutes into second half when Norman “Tilliman” fires this grass head burner but its right at West. In the meantime, the Valley’s best chance at goal comes on this attempted shot by Kenroy authors which Leonard Valdez should have re-directed instead, he comes up empty. It’s more Valley Renaissance when Harrison Tasher gets this look at goal but obviously his trajectory is certainly off today. In response, Norman Nunez Pipersburgh fires this long distance bomb that bounces off the horizontal bar at the end of ninety minutes of play neither team had done enough to observe the W- so we go to overtime. In overtime play Norman “Tilliman” Nunez gets this open look to grab the W for Texmar but the veteran launches a high riser. Gilmore Palacio then gets his turn to ring up the win for Texmar off this set piece but he just can’t deliver people. So after thirty minutes of overtime play, we go to penalty kicks. First up is Captain Robert Muschamp of Texmar and Woodrow West guesses right to make this save. Ruben Ortiz steps up for the Valley and he beats Marcel Garbutt easily. Texmar needs to score now when Wilmer Garcia launches his attempt into orbit. Kenroy Authors then gives Griga a commanding 2-zip lead. And it takes Gilmore Palacio to finally get Texmar on the scoreboard after three tries. Karim Peters make it a 3-1 Valley lead. Dalton Eiley sends West the wrong way right here to give Texmar its second goal, so West comes out of goal and his conversion seals the big W as Valley Renaissance wins game two of the three game series, 4-2 on penalty kicks. Therefore, the decisive game three comes to the M.C.C. Grounds this Sunday at four p.m. so look out for big time fireworks inside the Barracks come Sunday.
In other football, we caught up with the Edmund Castro Cup at Sandhill yesterday where Maskall Strikers clashed with Lucky Strike Eleven and in the opening minute, Jermaine Wallace pounces on this corner kick to give Lucky Strike a 1-zip lead. Sidney Bradley then makes it 2-nil when he dances his way through heavy traffic to finish effectively. In second half play, Elroy Hulse connects on this corner kick to get Maskall onto the scoreboard. And then take in the ballgame poor defending gives Brian Martinez this look at goal and he makes the most of it to tie the ballgame at two apiece. This Sunday’s schedule will be staged at Burrell Boom where Maskall F.C. takes on Sandhill Easy Street, Jaguars takes on Rangers and Sandhill One Love sees action against Boston Old Road Bomber. Meanwhile, folks female football comes alive at the M.C.C. Grounds this Saturday, March twenty-eighth four p.m. with the city champs Millennium Female taking on B.D.F. Female.
In Softball news, Gregg Moguel, Head coach of the National Women Softball Team informed us of international play for the Belize Team coming up shortly.
Gregg Moguel, Head Coach, National Women’s Softball Team
“The Women National Team will be traveling to Puerto Rico. We should be leaving on the nineteenth of June to participate in the upcoming Central American and Caribbean Tournament for Women. This is a qualifying tournament which the tournament will be held next year, also in Puerto Rico.”
James Adderley
“Have we been to this tournament before? And what has been our greatest success there?”
Gregg Moguel
“Yes, we’ve been to this tournament before but we haven’t been there for quite some years now and I think the success there is that we have medal; silver medal and bronze medal already in the tournament. But we have been only participating in the Central American games and now we want to step up our action to see where we are at this point.”
James Adderley
“Who are going and how were they selected?”
Gregg Moguel
“The program that we have been doing for the past three years; I was selected, I had to apply as the head coach for the national team and also the coaches who assist me, Miss Delcy Lizama and Mr. Flowers and what we do is to send in our resume as to qualification and so I am the head coach for the team. The females have been selected from the entire country which is the city competition, the rural, north, Cayo, south and west.”
James Adderley
“You want to tell us about the training sessions?”
Gregg Moguel
“We’ve been practicing for the past three years, as I mentioned before, and I think the practice session has been coming along very good. We just played a team last week Wednesday; a church male team and the females were successful in defeating the male team 7-6. The hitting and defensive have shown a great improvement. We still have some more areas that we want to cover over the next two months from now and I’m pretty sure that we don’t just want to go to qualify but also to medal if possible.”
James Adderley
“In terms of medal, what metal are we looking at?”
Gregg Moguel
“I am going no further—I’m going for the gold. That’s my objective. I think putting in three years of training and this is what we always wanted because most of the time national teams have been selected within a month and a half, two and I think that enough practice and training has never been put into it. But now this is a three year program and this is our last lap and this will say where we are from here.”
Turning to table Tennis, the Belize Table Tennis Association staged its national ranking Tournament at the Belize Elementary School Auditorium featuring thirty-nine players. David Jones of Belize City took Group A defeating Zin Cheng of Dangriga in the finals with Tux Vasquez finishing third. Petie Matus won Group B after disposing of Peter Wang of the Belize District with Jamil Bedran of San Ignacio settling for third.
Hey folks, that’s out show for today. We invite back same time, same place next week. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.
