Kulture Yabra wins Regent Cup
Good evening, I’m James Adderley with a fresh delivery of Sports Monday. With ten days to Christmas the Regent Insurance Cup Championship reached money time at the M.C.C. Grounds yesterday as Kulture Yabra of Belize City with a one game lead played host to the Builder’s Hardware Bandits of Belmopan in game two.
It’s a ballgame that brings the biggest crowd to the M.C.C. Grounds this year and an atmosphere of high expectations permeates the venue.
Yabra gets the first real look at goal some nine minutes in when Frazier finds Norman “Tilliman” Nunez whose header sails high. Again, it’s Nunez forcing the action for Yabra and this time he does find the goal, but Charlie Slusher is well positioned.
When Denmark Casey sends this ball into the danger zone, Mark “Kello” Leslie has a clear header at goal, which he fails to execute. A few seconds later Dennis Serrano gets this look from point-blank range, but the Bandits’ striker misses the target. The Bandits get another shot at goal when Oliver Hendricks centres to Edmund “The Buzzard” Pandy whose header leaves a whole lot to be desired.
Now keep your eyes on Deon Frazier who takes down the Bandits defence–there’s no call–he finds Nunez then flashes to Clifford Usher and the net shakes. The Bandits launch a vociferous protest, which forces the referee to check with his linesmen, but the goal decision remains the same.
A minute later, Serrano issues this hard tackle on Vallan Symms and pandemonium almost breaks loose–and indeed it takes some time before order is restored, even if the law has to make the necessary appearance.
Out of intermission a hungry Bandits launch this shot from long distance, but Shane Moody reads in time. At the other end Norman “Tilliman” Nunez fires this left, which forces Slusher to come up with a save and he does.
I guess the referee gives the advantage play here since Norman Nunez benefits from the dispossession and take down and then he fires this grasshead burner that beats Slusher to make it a 2-nil ballgame.
John Trapp almost makes it 3-nil for Yabra when he catches up with the centre, but Slusher satters. Downfield this defensive error gives Dennis Serrano a shot at goal and he halves the deficit at the 66th minute.
Belmopan has new momentum right now and how they come away empty on this press remains a mystery after the launch crashes against the crossbar. Meanwhile, sometimes you do need a little luck to win, and after this play we’re certain the curse of the bridesmaid is following the Bandits of Belmopan.
Thus after loosing the first four ballgames, Yabra wins the next two against Belmopan to take the 2003 title. We say congratulations.
Norman “Tilliman” Nunez, Kulture Yabra
“My plan today was just to execute. I came out and I executed. I watched the execution I performed last night and I just take it and say I am an executioner because this game is an execute game. The flu wasn’t gonna bother me because you know this kind of game you have to put everything behind, you have to come out with everything you got. You want to win the game, it’s a championship game, you got to put everything behind you and come out play as hard as you can play.”
Q: What kind of respect you give to the Bandits? Were they a worth opponent, did you come out here know that you would win today?”
Norman Nunez
“Well I don’t give the Bandits no kind of credit because they have been to the big dance too many times and haven’t win nothing yet and we have been there…they have to give we credit because we have been there many times and we won all the times that we have been there. They have won nothing and people always talk about them, why don’t they talk about us, we are the toughest team in the last five years and people don’t like us, but when they check our records, no team has accomplished what we accomplished.”
Vallan Symms, Kulture Yabra
“Today the game plan was to get an early goal and Belmopan was going to chase the game after that and then we were going to capitalise on them. That happened. We came out first, get a goal, and we came out second half and they were chasing and we get a next one. We give up one and look to lose our game on the end, but fortunately we didn’t do it. God was out today and we went and win the game today.”
Q: Vallan last week Kulture Yabra controlled the midfield for most of the game. Today, for the better part of the first half, Belmopan controlled the midfield. Was that a concern at half time?”
Vallan Symms
“Yeah, the coach told us about it. We were making a lot of mistakes, Belmopan midfielders were opened and they were killing us. In the first half we made a lot of mistakes and second half, I think the coach bring in some fresh men in the middle and tighten up the middle and we get he 2-1 victory today.”
Turning to the F.F.B.’s A League, weekend play saw Boca and Boca Juniors battle to a 3-3 stalemate. JAT jolted Hummingbird Rattan 5-zip, New Site Erie rolled past Toledo Ambassadors 3-1, while Diablo Rojo outlasted Union Independiente 4-3.
Now let’s head to Belmopan where the National Secondary School basketball Tournament was staged over the weekend. We join the action in the female finals with Wesley College boasting a 15-6 lead over O.W. Tech some six minutes in.
Meet Tracy Garnett, who’s giving her usual clinic on the court today as she strikes for two of her game high points. Melanie Tasher offers some help with this nice individual effort from the corner that’s good for two.
We’ve got to say Tracy Garnett is just too much for the O.W. team as Wesley College girls goes on to post the 55-22 blow out to grab the 2003 National Female Secondary School title and we say congratulations.
Meanwhile, the male finals brought Wesley College and Delille Academy to centre court as Serrano taps the opening jump to his team mate who finds Trevor, who gives the Dangriga team the early lead.
Wesley responds immediately as Wilfred Richards penetrates for two, so you know we’ve got a tight one on our hands. On this possession Duane Staine spots up for three and he grabs three.
This sequence shows the Dangriga team’s dominance on the backboards as they come up with a big bucket in heavy traffic right here.
Central Division M.V.P. Bernard Felix is not having a great outing, but he does get the scoop shot to fall right here. And at the half Delille is up by eight points.
Okay, let’s fast forward to money time. Mansa Obi raises and goes bank for two points as his team take a 62-54 lead with 1:33 to go.
Mr. Felix gets busy and throws up the two on the run to make the score 63-57. So Felix goes to work again, and this time he comes up with an acrobatic two points. Bernard Felix is red hot now and again he penetrates for two more points to make it 63-61.
Can he force the tie? Well when it really counts Felix misses the shot that would tie the ballgame and that would seal the W as Delille Academy wins the National Male Secondary School Basketball title 64-61 to upset Wesley College. We got to say good show, let’s do it again next year.
That’s it for now, we invite you back same time, same place, next week. Jah over all! I’m James Adderley.
