Yabra and Verdes play to draw

Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday. The Regents Insurance Cup tournament moved into round thirteen of a fourteen round regular season over the weekend, with three teams already qualified for the playoffs. One of the big three, Kulture Yabra, travelled west to the Norman Broaster Stadium to face Real Verdes–a team still with a mathematical shot at making the playoffs.

Having been stung by a 2-1 loss to Jacintoville in Thursday night’s back match–Real Verdes comes out ready to go–so Ricardo Jimenez fires like its wide. It’s more Verdes when Everal Gabourel centres into the danger zone, but Jimenez tardies a nanosecond too long to fire. Now keep your eyes on the pill, Earl Peters, inside the eighteen on defence for Verdes, commits the unnecessary handball and the referee rules penalty. Again, Yabra sends for Norman “Tilliman” Nunez and again he converts for his seventh goal of the season to give the city team a 1-zip lead twenty-two minutes into the action.

Eleven minutes later, Ricardo Jimenez picks up this ball at midfield and outruns the Yabra defence, including the mighty Vallan Symms, and bombs Shane Moody between the legs to tie the game at one apiece going into intermission.

So we go to second half and maybe we ought to keep track of Ricardo Jimenez, who keeps firing for Real Verdes.

Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth–we’re certain Emory Nunez would want this one back. Of course, inability to convert is not limited to either side, as demonstrated on this press by Real Verdes. Meanwhile folks, this long-range missile from Gabourel catches Moody out of position, but the ball inches wide.

Nevertheless, Kulture Yabra breaks the tie when Nunez finds Edmund Thomas, who smacks it home and despite howls of offside from the Verdes fans, the referee rules goal.

Verdes tries to respond immediately off this wicked spotkick from Peter Jones, but Yabra shows solid defence. Folks Ricardo Jimenez fires at goal with bad intentions here, but all it does is afford Thomas the opportunity to get away with a hand foul.

But it’s back to Jimenez, who keeps beating the Yabra defence at will, but the right foot push is not good enough for goal. Will somebody please do something about Jimenez, as he forces Shane Moody to come up with another save. On this press it’s the other Jimenez, Orlando, firing at goal, but he puts nothing behind the ball.

So Yabra decides to seal the deal when Tilliman finds Thomas and can you believe Edmund lets the keeper off this hook in money time?

It’s the closing minute of regulation when Ricardo Jimenez beats John Trapp right side and then has Shane Moody up jumping the wrong way as Real Verdes ties the ballgame at 2 apiece just before the long whistle blows. Of course, it’s a case of too much too little, too late–Verdes is out of the post season, Yabra is definitely in.

In other matches around the league, Sagitun bombed Jacintoville 3-1, San Pedro Seahawks and Builder’s Hardware Bandits settle for a 1-1 tie, while Juventus burned Griga United 1-zip.

In the meantime folks, all four playoff teams have already emerged, although next week’s final scheduled will determine the proper seedings. Juventus leads with twenty-four points, while Yabra, Belmopan and Sagitun all show twenty-two points apiece. It will be an interesting finish to the regular season next weekend.

In cycling news, the Edward P. Yorke High School cycle club hosted two cycle races yesterday. Zone Galvez of S.J.C. took the twenty miles B class race in fifty-four minutes, while Ornel Sosa finished second and Jermaine Barilla took third to make it an S.J.C. sweep. In the A class thirty-four mile race, Geovanny Leslie of Gwen Liz took that event in one hour, eighteen minutes. Leslie Sanchez of St. Michael’s College pulled up second and Brandon Cattouse of Wesley College finished third.

That’s it for now, we invite you back same time, same place, next week. Jah over all! I’m James Adderley.