Belize tops Guatemala in friendly warm-up

Good evening, I?m James Adderley and we welcome you to this delivery of Sports Monday. As a part of its preparation for next week?s two-match World Cup qualifier at Canada, the National Football Team engaged a two-game international friendly series with the professional military team from insides Guatemala known as Aurora.

In game one at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium Friday night, the National team got a wicked header from Orland Lyons to burn the visitors 1-zip, so the Guatemalans are quite serious about today?s outcome.

Of course, Belize has its own motivation and the first shot at goal comes from Denmark Casey, but is hasn?t enough on it to worry the Guatemalan goal keeper.

Belize attacks again off this nice centre from Yellowman Rowley that sees Dennis Serrano beat the keeper, but the ball whistles outside the target.

At this time we salute these Cayo fans who proudly display the national flag and we say viva la patria.

Now folks, this is where I question the discipline of this military team. Number twenty-eight intentionally takes down Yellowman. The referee immediately shows him the red card?and now this Guatemalan player spits at the referee. This move could have sparked a new Central American war, but cooler heads do prevailed. Still, number twenty-eight must leave the field in disgrace.

In the meantime, let me just quickly remind you that the mood on the pitch has undergone a server decline and it?s being manifested on both sides of the equation.

The visitors try to steal the lead off this spot kick, but the goalkeeper comes up with an easy save. At the other end, the national team gets an open look at goal, but Amin Gonzales fails to complete the hard work Serrano started and at the half the scoreboard remains unmoved.

It?s more home side highlights when Orland Lyons, the scorer from game one tries to repeat with this individual effort that rises over the crossbar.

Meanwhile, the Guats look to take the lead with this centre into the danger zone, but John Brooks is well positioned.

However, the best shot by the visitors comes with this punch from number twelve off the left wing, but ain?t nothing doing. Folks, this play breaks down but finds Victor Morales of the A league who fires this screamer, but the keeper comes up with a good save.

For certain, this shot would have given the visitors the lead, except for the intervention of Vallan Symns.

It?s getting late in the ballgame when Serrano slices with the left foot to Victor Morales and just like that team Belize takes a 1-zip lead.

Belize looks for more off this spot kick from Yellowman, but the keeper gets a hand on it. Still, looking to double the lead, Serrano fails to find either the back of the net or Deon Frazer to squander this wonderful scoring opportunity.

Now folks, the frustration that had been mounting on the Aurora ball club found this player pushing his Belizean counterpart for no apparent reason. Deon Frazer intervenes and then all hell almost breaks loose. Mercifully, things did cool down. Belize goes on to post the 1-zip victory to sweep the series and inform Guatemala that Belize no longer belongs to them.

James Adderley

?It was a good finish and we are very thankful that you provided the goal for us, but I gotta say looking at your game today, I thought you were a little bit soft against the aggressive nature of the Aurora players.?

Victor Morales, Member, Belize Natl. Football Team

?Yes, because I noh know, it?s something that I get nervous or something like that, but I come in the game in the second half really strong.?

James Adderley

?Okay. Do you feel that after this performance that we could go to Canada and pick up a W??

Victor Morales

?Yes. We are training.?

Anthony Adderley, Head Coach, Natl. Football Team

?We are a lot more physical than they are, we are a lot more fitter than they are, but our ball movement needs to improve a little bit more. We are getting goals. It?s only one, but we need to score at least three goals a game before we can say that we are on top of our game. At the moment we haven?t shown that. It?s a confidence building game, but to say that we think we are already at that level that we can challenge Canada out rightly? No! Canada still has a few legs ahead of us, but by the time Sunday come, we should be right there.?

So, Belize sweep this friendly series with Aurora and our team leaves the jewel on Thursday to face Canada on the thirteenth and then on the sixteenth. We take this opportunity to wish our team maximum success.

In other football news, the Regent?s Cup concluded regular season play with the following results: Builder?s Hardware Bandits made the four-team playoffs by crushing Calcutta Bulls 4-1, Sagitun held the San Pedro Seahawks to a scoreless tie out at the island, while the two frontrunners Juventus and Griga United battled to a 4-4 stalemate.

Thus the official regular season standings shows Griga United finishing at top the standings with twenty-two points, Juventus shows twenty-one, the Bandits nineteen and Sagitun eighteen. These are the four teams that make it to the post season. San Pedro culminated play with sixteen points, Yabra a disappointing fifteen, and Calcutta Bulls four.

Now let?s head to the Princess Hotel for Friday night?s Supligen Musclemania. And these are the six contenders in the hunt today in a presentation by the Belize Amateur Bodybuilding Association.

So we cut to the chase, and this routine by the extremely built Deon Danderson, which is enough to give him top honours. He knocks off three-time Mr. Belize Edwin Ramirez in a major upset and we say congratulations.

As for Ramirez, well he obviously has the muscle and has the moves, but where is the mass, so he settles for second.

Meanwhile folks, Roger Sutherland has stepped up his game and he looks like he could have taken second, but the judges nevertheless decided that he was the third place finisher.

Of course folks, the fun part of the contest is the pose down, and here are all six athletes deep in the mix of wall to wall muscle. And we exit bodybuilding with this picture of the winners on the podium receiving their just desserts, and we say congrats to one and all.

Turning to the cricket scene, the Harrison Parks Tournament took us to Crooked Tree on Saturday where Brilliant hosted Wicked Eleven of Flower?s Bank as both teams make a mad dash to make the four team playoffs.

The Flower?s Bank batter might be a true veteran, but Egbert Robinson today proves to be the man of the match. Here he strikes for a four. Give Mr. Robinson four more runs on this swing. Naturally, he gets help from his batting-mate here, who clubs this six. But Robinson would finish with 72 runs not out as Wicked Eleven grabs the win 177-151 runs victor to hang on to second place. And we say it?s ain?t over till it?s over.

In other cricket results, Excellence rolled past Wanderers 74-52 and Berlan shut down Northern Star 139-95.

Finally in softball news, Sunday?s schedule at Roger?s Stadium in the Linda Lewis competition saw B.T.L. burn C.T.C. 6-5, giving Mary Flowers the win over Sherlene Banner, while in the nightcap Brothers Habet Lady Rebels ran over J.L.?s 11-3 as Carla Humes beat Aludy Hyde.

Hey folks, that?s our show for today, but before we go we just want to remind you that the national team leaves for Canada Thursday, June tenth. Hopefully they?ll make us proud, if they don?t, then at least they?ve tried. We invite you back same time, same place next week. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.