James Adderley with Sports Monday
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and here’s a fresh serving of Sports Monday. We take you out immediately to the Ring Road at capitol city Belmopan where the Alphius Williams World AIDS Day Cycle Race has attracted forty-two riders for the 9:30 a.m. blast off on Sunday and well… they’re off.
Coming out of Belmopan the riders remained bunched together since it’s only a fifty mile run and on this windy day, nobody’s thinking about running away from start to finish. Around mile thirty James Frampton, Orson Butler and Elbert Pope try to break for it, but the pelathon would not be shaken by this move. Leaving Hattieville is a bunch of hungry riders actively seeking to become the second Alphius Williams race champion. By the time the race rolls into Belize City it’s a 4 man shoot-out featuring defending champion Quinton Hamilton, perennial champion Ernest Meighan, James Frampton of Santino’s and Juan Gonzalez of Cayo.
Inside the National Stadium the big 4 ready themselves for the final spree to the tape. Around the curve it’s the defending champion in the lead as the sprint accelerates. Ernest Meighan chases and closes the gap against Hamilton. It’s one on one around the curve but Hamilton cannot hang on as Ernest Meighan wins the World AIDS Day Race for Santino’s in 2 hours, 15 minutes and 47 seconds in some 3 minutes behind last year’s time set by Quinton Hamilton. James Frampton pulls up third and young Juan Gonzalez of Cayo settles for fourth after a good ride. Now here comes the battle for fifth place. Ian Smith burns rubber to grab that position. And yes the junior rider Mirari Cano of Cayo is in this sprint so he gets rewarded with the junior first place prize.
Ernest Meighan, Winner
“It was easy early first so I knew I was going to win the sprint. So we wanted at least 2 guys in the top three positions. So I told my coach to tell the guys to try and make a breakaway and if they came close enough I would drop back for them. The same thing happened: James Frampton made a getaway from the back and I stopped for him between mile five and six and we worked together and caught Quinton again. I wanted Frampton to win the race but Quinton realized it and so he decided to come around real quick and try to take it.”
Q: “Are you going to win all the races Ernest Meighan?”
Ernest Meighan
“No it is just a team work. If I am there for the team I would try and win it but if one of the other guys is up front we would try to big it up for him.”
Q: “What was the difference in the final moments when Ernest Meighan and you ended up head to head?”
Quinton Hamilton, Second Place
“We have Juan Gonzalez who is not too experienced at the front in breaks so I was just trying to tell him a little bit about the break in the front.”
Q: “You finished about third in the last race, second in this, would you say that you are getting into shape and you would be really ready for the first of January?”
Quinton Hamilton
“I’m just consistent and I’ll be around.”
Q: “Mirari, for a while back there you did not look like a junior rider, you did not look like an eighteen year old; you looked like someone who wanted to win this race, it didn’t happen.”
Mirari Cano, Junior Champion
“Well I tried my best and it just turned out that the better men won and I just tried my best in this race.”
Q: “What was the crucial moment in this race that had you in this position?”
Mirari Cano
“Well my team members from Cayo helped me a lot. Something that affected me was my fall early in the race but anyway like, just had to happen.”
Switching gears we take you out to M.C.C. Grounds for yesterday’s monster football match-up between defending champion Juventus of Orange Walk and the city team Yabra Sporting Club. Yabra gets to go ahead in early action in this center pummeled by Jorge Herrera but the shot sails high. At Yabra’s goal, Willie Bo has harrowing moments on this defensive mistake but Marcelino Tun lets him off the hook. It’s another rough moment for Willie Bo when Dean Banner fires from point blank range but the goalkeeper comes up smelling like roses. By the way Tubos Flowers, we’re certain Raul Pelayo takes a dim view of this performance in front of the goal and at the half it is a nil-nil score.
In the second half, Christopher Hendricks goes offensive for Juventus with the long range missile but Willie Bo looks like a pro. Again Yabra dodges a bullet when Hendricks fires this right foot but the ball inches outside the sticks. Meanwhile folks it’s some ten minutes into second half when Emory Nuñez picks up this lose ball and fires a left foot that totally beats Charlie Slusher and the barracks erupts with the 1-zip Yabra lead.
Unfortunately for Yabra, Nuñez celebrates by taking off his uniform top – for which he gets chased off the field to give Juventus the numerical advantage. Marcelino Tun has a shot at the equalizer for Juventus but he can’t get the pill pass the keeper. In the closing moments it’s Juventus pressing for the equalizer. Raul Celiz plays two-man game successfully with Marcelino Tun and then drills Willie Bo to force the regulation tie.
In other football results from over the weekend, La Victoria came from 2 goals down to stop Jube 3-2 while Acros fell 3-1 to Sagitun at Independence Saturday night.
Hey folks, that’s our show for today. We invite you back same time, same place next week. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.
