Gentle Touch grabs 3rd consecutive championship
Gentle Touch grabs 3rd consecutive championship
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and you’re locked into this version of Sports Monday.
Week four of the RF&G Cup Tournament brought Benque DC to the M.C.C. Grounds for the long awaited shoot-out with the Belize Defence Force. And the Military wastes no time in going offensive when Evan Mariano fires this half volley looking for the quick lead. It’s another chance for the B.D.F. when Mariano turns on this ball but the Benque defense stands firm. At the other end the visitors get this look at goal only to see Pablo Martinez launch a high riser. We’re thirty-five minutes in when poor defensive play gifts this ball to Elias Donaire. He leaves the keeper prostrate in his wake as he gives Benque D.C. United a 1-zip lead. In the opening minutes of the second half this moment of danger is handled by the Benque keeper as B.D.F. looks for the equalizer. The equalizer does come seven minutes later when Dennis Serrano’s center is headed out to Dean Frazier who controls with the chest to unleash this bomb for the 1-1 score. It’s more pressure on Benque D.C. United when this center bounces in front of the goal but he lets his hands do the saving. Deon Flowers then mounts this individual effort from the right side that hits the wrong side of the net. Meanwhile folks, how Oliver Wiltshire misses this chance from pointblank range will remain a thing of mystery. But then the truth is stranger than fiction. Now people here is a perfect example of poor defensive positioning as Roberto Bernadez is allowed uncontested possession of this ball and he gives Benque D.C. United a 2-1 lead eighty-two minutes in. It’s desperation time for the army when Tyrone Pandy fires this spot kick at goal which inches over the cross bar. Meanwhile, when they say it’s never over till it’s over because we’re in the final minute of added time when Oliver Wiltshire makes amends for his earlier miss with this left foot grass head burner that ties the ballgame at two apiece forcing the two clubs to share the points.
In other action around the league F.C. Belize became the first team to stop the red hot Nizhee Corozal in a 2-zip blast at Corozal yesterday. Suga Boys Juventus battles to a second easy win with a 3-2 sinking of San Pedro, Hankook Verdes humiliated Wagiya out west in a 9-zip rout, while Llagulei of Dangriga emerged out of week four of the RF&G Cup with a 4-1 bashing of Georgetown Ibayani. Looking ahead to week five, the schedule finds five Sunday matches. Hankook Verdes sails to San Pedro Dolphins, Suga Boys Juventus heads to Nizhee Corozal, F.C. Belize will face undefeated Llagulei at the M.C.C. Grounds. Benque D.C. will host Georgetown Ibayani and the B.D.F. marches South against Wagiya.
Turning to female football competition, hats off to Gentle Touch of Esperanza who beat Delille Pumas of Dangriga 4-3 on Saturday to clinch this year’s national female football titles. It’s a 3-peat which means three times in a row and that’s big. Kimberly Perez of Gentle Touch led the league with twenty-five goals while teammate Abbi Halliday of and Nataki Alvarez of Delille Pumas tied for second in the goal scoring department with seventeen apiece.
Turning to the softball scene, let’s head west to the Juan Garbutt Stadium at Esperanza where yesterday Unitedville and Roaring Creek are locked in a struggle to reach the championship round in the Cayo female Softball league. We’re in the top of the first inning with one out and one on when Lynette Gabourel hits into this double play that gets Unitedville out. In the bottom of the second Tanya Davis brings home the first run of the outing with this single that gives Roaring Creek a 1-nil lead. Stephanie Francis then sacrifices herself to bring in the second run of the inning. The third run comes when pitcher Jean Trapp is victimized by this pass ball and for sure she’s not a happy trooper right now. In the bottom of the third inning, Trapp walks Shalae Ilo. Beluia Gillette then hits this grounder directly at second base. She is tagged out but the runner scores from third. Melita Ho Matute then makes contact with the ball. It doesn’t pass the infield but the runner from third, beats the tag to make it a 5-zip ballgame. In the meantime, Leandra Guy, pitcher for Roaring Creek would give up one hit and gets he world of help from her teammates especially on this double play as Roaring Creek goes on to post the 7-nil big W. we say congratulations. Roaring Creek now awaits Sunday’s battle at the Joan Garbutt Stadium between Belmopan and Camalote Crystal Pot to produce the other team to make it to the championship match.
In other softball news, results from over the weekend from Belize City competition shows that Club 313 bombed Brodies 11-1. Truckers Posse got past K.H.M.H. 7-zip. Belize Electricity Limited edged Telemedia 8-6, Belize City Council walloped K.H.M.H. 12-2, Brodies/M.O.E. burned Truckers Posse 15-14, K.H.M.H. then defeated Telemedia 11-7. Meanwhile, looking at Monday’s schedule inside the Roger’s Stadium, it will be club 313 in action against Central Bank.
Now let’s check in on the Belizeans at the Beijing Olympics and there on the board in lane five is Jayson Jones of Belize and there is the gentleman wearing number 1144 which means he has on a Belizean uniform. In fact, this is the actual start of this heat and Belizean Jones pulls up sixth out of seven which translates into immediate elimination which makes us wonder what was all the fuss about going in. Now meet Jonathan Williams of Belize participating in the semi-final round of the four hundred meter hurdles. And they’re off. Williams is still competitive in the middle of the race but fades down the stretch and has to settle for sixth place. Williams did make history by reaching the semi-finals but that’s where this chapter ends. Still one win, loose or draw I’m a Belizean and I hope you are too.
Hey folks, that’s our show for today. We invited you back same time, same place, next week. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.
