Brilliant of Crooked Tree takes Harrison Perks Trophy
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and it is with pleasure we bring you this dish of Sports Monday.
In a bid for its first win of the Belize Bank Super League post season, Kraal Road hosted Valley Renaissance of Stann Creek at the M.C.C. Grounds yesterday in week three. So let’s see how it went. Displaying a real sense of urgency, the host team looks to Delroy Andrews to get things going in the opening moments but he’ll have to do much better than that. Of course, Valley Renaissance has plans of its own as Harrison Tasher slices this ball to the far corner only to see the ball inch outside the sticks. Folks, we’re only twenty-seven minutes in when Karim Peters fires this spot kick that crashes into the net to give the Valley a 1-zip lead. Meanwhile, Kraal Road gets two good looks at the equalizer off this corner kick but failed to move the scoreboard; that’s the kind of day they’re having. At the other end Kraal Road dodges a bullet when this attempt by Tasher drains outside the goal. Delroy Andrews then gets this open look at goal but is let down by a weak left foot.
We’re now nine minutes into second half when Harrison Tasher breaks loose to launch this screamer that bends into the net and Valley Renaissance goes up 2-zip. In the meantime, a miss at a time like this from a position like this can only lead to tension between Jack Dawson and head coach Raymond Gentle. Still, it’s Kraal Road with the pressure and should have gotten a goal right here when Woodrow West comes up with a crucial stop. Fresh off the bench, Rodney Sanchez fires this bomb that veers outside the sticks. Valley Renaissance goes on to post the 2-zip big W as Kraal Road loses back to back outings in this post season and are yet to find the Big W. Hey what’s going on?
In the other semi-final match, Texmar Boys, the defending champion continued to roll with a 3-zip blanking of San Felipe Barcelona. Thus, both Texmar and Valley Renaissance show seven points apiece while Kraal Road and San Felipe are still tied with one point each. Going into week four, Kraal Road travels to Texmar for a Saturday night outing at Independence in a must win situation or else they can call it curtains while Valley Renaissance hit the road for a four p.m. Sunday date against San Felipe Barcelona who find themselves in a similar position.
Now let’s head to Lord’s Bank where the decision game three of the Cricket championship series in the Belize District competition between Brilliant of Crooked Tree and Excellence of Double Head took center stage. This look at Brilliant of Crooked Tree shows a team that has scored a hundred and thirty-seven runs in fifty overs with eight outs this morning going to defend against an Excellence team that had scored one hundred and sixty-eight runs in its lead outing to tie the series at one apiece. However, today the bats of Excellence ran into a buzz saw known as Brandon Lewis who gets this batter to ground out right here. Lewis gets help from Teammate and captain Lawrence Banner who forces a high fly with this delivery that is caught in the outfield. Talk about quality people, Brandon Lewis strikes for his second wicket with this bouncer. Wicket number three comes tumbling down when Lewis goes back to the bouncer. Again, Lewis gets help as another batter swings and misses for yet another out. But back to the Brandon Lewis show as he mows down his fourth wicket. Excitement now begins to build when Lewis is hit but miscommunication between the Excellence runners gives Lewis his fifth wicket. And here’s one more as Lewis forces a long fly that is caught and the young man has mowed down six wickets; that’s pretty big. In the meantime, here’s the final out of the match as Brilliant displays good team work to pull this off, Excellence is held to eighty-seven runs and the 2009 Belize District cricket title goes to the defending two and time champion Brilliant of Crooked Tree who now literally owns the Harrison perks trophy having won three championships in a row.
James Adderley
“At what point did you know that Brandon Lewis had the stuff to shut down Excellence?”
Brandon Lewis, Bowler, Brilliant
“Well, after the first two goal open and the captain came to me and said Brandon it’s your turn and I just had to do my part.”
James Adderley
“You know that six wickets in a ballgame is pretty big. How do you feel about that particular accomplishment?”
Brandon Lewis
“Man, could never feel better.”
Lawrence Banner, Captain, Brilliant
“The strategy was get out there, keep this game tight, whatever we do—if we bat fifty, we get them fi forty-nine—we gotta go for it. Third year championship, we’re playing for a cup and there it goes. There it goes.”
Elihugh Banner, President, Belize District Cricket Assn.
“We have thirteen registered teams in the Belize District Cricket Association presently and they are all senior teams. What you have seen here based on the years of experience of handing down—as you know cricket is a culture sport—it’s handed down in the Belize District for at least a hundred years now. So all these things handed down form different people who are involved with the sport of cricket.”
Glykstein Bennett, Vice President, BDCA
“We are in the twenty-fifth year of cricket, which marks a year of silver. Cricket started in 1984, which myself started it or restarted it and this is our twenty-fifth year. I am very happy to say thanks to everybody who have contributed so well to make our cricket last for twenty-five years. The cricket before had lasted twenty-nine years and we’re looking forward that this continues.”
Turning to the softball scene, the annual CLB Rogers Invitation reigned supreme inside Rogers Stadium yesterday as Lady Rebels battled Roaring Creek in the finals. Janelle Smith picked up the 6-5 win as Lady Rebels wins this tournament again. At the awards ceremony Lisa Jones is honoured for sinning the homerun derby. Shadalee Ho receives the second place trophy on behalf of Roaring Creek while MVP honours goes to Sharette Vernon who wins a brand new bicycle to go along with her spanking trophy. We take time out to say to the Lady Rebels Softball Team, you big and you have proven it.
In cycling news, we’re sixty riders deep for the start of the 2009 Valentine Cycle Classic as they blast off from in front of the San Ignacio Hotel for this eighty-one mile journey. And this is what it looks like at the turn around point at the Benque Viejo border where the pelathon is still quite compact. Coming down the Cement Hill on the way back to Belize City, it’s Greg Lovell in control of the pace. Around mile fifty-three American, Christopher Montellion, breaks out of the pack to grab the lead. Montellion rides for Sugar City Star so the Santino’s team set chase led by Elston Coleman. And around mile nineteen the chase group catches up with this rider. Around mile eight, two riders slip out of the pack en-route to money time. However, at tape time the American cyclist Rick Harper of Team Zamir rides in uncontested to take top honours, riding for the first time in Belize with a time of three hours, forty-nine minutes, eight seconds. Costa Rican Juan Espinosa of Bennys Megabytes edges out Roger Troyer who also rides for team Zamir. In the sprint for fourth place Gregg Lovell grabs that spot although his foot steps out of the toe clip while Mateo Cruz, well he has to settle for fifth.
In the junior class, which we limited to sixty-one miles, Kyle Gentle took it in three hours, two minutes, thirty-seven seconds. Edward Reyes pulled up second while Geon Hanson settled for third. On the female side, Shalini Zabaneh continues her good show. She prevailed over Alicia Thompson and Gina Lovell in that order respectively.
Checking in on the Red Bull race staged by Santino on Saturday, Leroy Cassasola took the forty-two mile veteran ride held Saturday in one hour, forty-eight minutes, thirty-two seconds. Glen O’Brien took second and Fitzgerald ‘Palas’ Joseph rounds out the top three.
Meanwhile, one of Belize’s best cyclists, Marlon Castillo of Santino’s, is out for the year with a broken collarbone received while training. It’s a big loss for Belizean cycling and for Team Santino’s going into the annual Cross Country Classic.
Finally folks, we say congratulations to St. Ignatius Primary School basketball team who beat Queen Square 18-15 to take the Belize District Primary School basketball title. They now will represent the district in the national tournament which gets staged this Saturday at the City Center. on the female side, La Democracia Government School will step up to see action.
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.
