Football, cycling, basketball in weekend sports
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and you’re right on time for this fresh dish of Sports Monday.
Week sixteen of the Belize Bank Super League of Soccer saw three teams already into the post season and two of these ball clubs clashed at the M.C.C. Grounds yesterday in a bid to improve their playoff seedings as Kraal Road hosted San Felipe Barcelona. In the very opening minute this pass from out of the midfield frees up Jason Young, who beats his man, fires a weak shot. Delroy Andrews tries to help it along but the keeper, Bryon Hernandez comes up with a big time save. Two minutes later it’s San Felipe on the attack when Harvey Cruz pushes the pill to Oscar Acevedo who smacks it into an open goal to give the visitors a 1-zip lead three minutes in. in response Delroy Andres makes this long run out of the midfield to set table for Jason Young who promptly squanders the opportunity by launching the ball into orbit. We’re at the twenty-first minute when this corner kick is kept alive by Jack Dawson to Delroy Andrews who ties the ballgame at one apiece. Pumped up Andrews wants more when he fires this right foot grounder at Hernandez who does what he has to do. In the meantime, this spot kick from Leon Jones is misplayed by the keeper but a high foot from Whitfield Patnett voids his goal. By the way Barcelona, this ball does hit the hands of Delroy Lopez, but as you can now see he had very little to do with it. However, Luis Acevedo is a deadly striker and when he unleashes this close range bomb, it gives his team a 2-1 lead at the thirty-fifth minute of this match. Three minutes later Kraal Road strikes back. Jason Young centers to Jack Dawson and his header ties the ballgame at two apiece. Give the lead to Kraal Road when Jack Dawson’s shot bounces off the keeper to Leon Jones and the host team takes the 3-2 lead into intermission.
Early into second half, Raymond Gentle fresh off the bench gets this look at goal that he fails to convert. We’re some twenty-five minutes from game time when Denfield Lemoth takes down Hipolito Andradez inside the eighteen for which the referee rules penalty. Harvey Cruz steps up and makes it look easy against goalkeeper Linarez to make it a 3-3 ballgame. Leon Jones then tries to give his team the lead by setting up Jarret Davis who unleashes a bomb that heads to the moon. Four minutes from the long whistle Christopher Hendricks outruns the Kraal Road defense to smack this ball home as San Felipe Barcelona edges the host team 4-3 in regulation at the M.C.C. Grounds.
In other results from around the league, Tsunami blanked Lake-Collet 2-zip, Cayo South crushed Barrio Fino 4-nil while Valley Renaissance did a 3-zip number on Luck Strike. Thus folks, with one week to go Texmar has emerged as the number one seed inside the playoffs, San Felipe Barcelona is the number two seed, while Kraal Road is seeded third. The remaining to the post season shows that it’s a very crucial battle between Cayo South and Valley Renaissance. This final regular season schedule, which is week seventeen, finds Cayo South hosting Tsunami while Valley Renaissance will get a visit from Barrio Fino. Obviously, both these ball clubs would have to win their matches to get into the four team post season. Kraal Road will face Lucky Strike while Texmar finishes the season against arch rival San Felipe Barcelona.
In cycling news, Gregory Lovell took Saturday’s fifty mile race presented by the Belize Cycling Association in two hours, four minutes, thirty-three seconds. Brandon Cattouse finished second while Byron Pope rounds out the top three. Meanwhile, in the Santino race presented, a forty mile ride, Kenny Gladden grabbing the in one hour, fifty-six minutes, forty-three seconds. Dennis Pollard rolled up second while Andrew Cutkelvin settled for third.
In basketball news, game one of the best of three championship series for the 2008 Maxi-Basketball title kicked off at the City Center yesterday. In the closing moments of the first quarter Old Cemetery is playing catch-up when Richard Garbutt, also known as House for obvious reasons, picks up this missed shot to tie the ballgame at twenty-one points apiece, Kevin Seroki finds Calvin “Big T” Tench in his office and Tench strikes for two of his thirteen game points as Old Cemetery begins to pull away. In heavy traffic AC Augustine gets two of his team high sixteen points. At the half Old Cemetery’s lead is 42-31. Julian Murillo hit the game high of nineteen points in this outing and Greg Williams would add sixteen but Old Cemetery, nevertheless, takes the win in game one 72-61.
Game two is set for this Sunday, January eighteenth at the City Center. The third place game between Old Technical Rebels and defending champion Alberts will open the card, you’ll certainly want to see this one so stay tuned.
That’s our show for today though. We invite you back same time, same place, next week. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.
