Belize team late for CARICOM championships
Good evening I’m James Adderly and we’re here to dish you up another serving of Sports Monday. With the BFL football season completed and the National Basketball team off to the 15th CARICOM championships at Barbados, the focus switched to the visit of the National Volleyball Team of El Salvador for a head on collision with its Belizean counterparts. Both teams exchanged niceties at the net before the five game series begins Friday night.
The visitors burst out of the starting gates as Oviedo Quintanilla smashes down the middle of the Belize defense. It’s more El Salvador, when things dig out with this smash from Joseph Enriquez and then go on to win the point when Arvid Arnold touches the net.
The payback comes from Derrick Young, who shows no mercy. Enriquez then makes it good on this blast and Belize goes on to win the first set 25-19. El Salvador comes back to win the next set 25-27 when they break, this 25 point apiece tie, this smash misses.
Then Arthur Butler can’t handle this serve and the series is tied at one apiece. Game I would go to 5 sets and Belize would prevail with a 3-2 win.
In Game II Salvador came back to win 23-25, 25-21, 26-24, 25-20. Belize won Game III 20-25, 25-19, 25-15, and 25-20. Game IV went to El Salvador 17-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 15-9 and then El Salvador won the series by taking Game V 25-23, 25-12, 25-23, 20-25, 15-8.
Meanwhile in the semi-final round of the Belize Volleyball Association firms competition Continental Flyers downed Christ Crusaders 25-7, 25-19. Orange Walk’s Music Centre jerked BTL 25-19, 25-22.
Turning to the basketball scene, the 15th CARICOM Basketball Championships opened at Barbados yesterday, Sunday July 2nd despite the non-arrival of the Belize National Team, the defending male champions.
Trinidad and Tobago leads the US Virgin Islands 46-40 in this female play, with the game winding down. Trinidad turns over the ball here giving Demoore King an easy 2 points to cut the deficit to four. Trinidad comes right back with this baseline jumper. The US Virgin Islands cut the deficit to two on this big time shot by Lexham. Still Trinidad and Tobago wins the opener in a squeaker 65-61.
Meanwhile with the defending champions still enroute to the tournament Antigua and Guyana got off in the opener. Fugard Mohan goes to the reverse, to keep Guyana ahead by seven points. At the other end, Alexander Ned answers for Antigua, and at the half Guyana shows a ten-point lead.
In the 2nd half Antigua turns the ball over and the team from Guyana makes them pay thanks to Boyd. Orin Mohan then knocks down the three for Guyana, who goes on to take the win in a 74-64 final score.
Of course had Belize arrived in time, they would have opened against St. Kitts. Now they have certainly been experiencing a whole lot of logistical problems as far as their travel plans goes. How could they not come up with a solution to solve their charter problems, is still a thing of mystery. But yes, Belize should be reaching there for Tuesday. They have already contacted the organizers of this event and so we will get the opportunity to defend our title despite the current snafu. That’s it for now, we are gonna keep you posted.
