Regent Cup semi-finals underway
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.
The Regent Cup Tournament playoffs rolled briskly into the semi-finals yesterday, Sunday, with F.C. Belize hosting Llagulei of Dangriga in game one of this home and away series that would decide who gets to perform in money time. Folks, it was a very prolonged and actually boring feeling out process between these two ball clubs until David Trapp fires this set piece into heavy traffic and the dreaded auto goal by Jose Caceres gives the visiting Llagulei a 1-zip lead seventeen minutes in. this jerks F.C. Belize into action and Tyrone Muschamp looks to provide the equalizer until the crossbar denies him his objective. Meanwhile, one would have hoped that the officiating crew would not allow controversy to rear its ugly head. Caceres takes down Jacinto Bermudez. Referee Henry rules penalty, F.C. protests very loudly. The call is rescinded after consultation with the linesman who is reported to have said the foul was committed outside the box. So we continue and Byron Usher gets this left foot shot off but he can’t get it to bend. At the half Griga is up 1-zip and the drums of our fathers celebrate the partial victory. When the action resumes Elroy Kuylen sails this ball into the danger zone forcing a reaction from Stanley Reneau but that’s all. Kuylen then finds Ryan Simpson who could have gotten the 2-zip lead for the south but it just is not in the cards. Folks, we’re at the sixty-sixth minute when this corner kick is headed to Elroy Kuylen whose wonderful turnaround offering finds the back of the net to give Griga a 2-zip.
You would think Llagulei has this one in the books right about now but hold on to your ticket because here comes F.C. and they come off this set piece that Shannon Flowers finishes with the head and the deficit is cut in half at the eighty-second minute of this ballgame. A minute and a half later miscommunication between goalkeeper Kevin Dawson and defenseman Everal Trapp gives a freebie to Jeromy James who ties the ballgame with emphasis. And in the warning moments of this ballgame Byron Usher finds Jeromy James and his right away grounder gives F.C. Belize the 3-2 big W in regulation. F.C. rallied from two down in the final seventeen minutes of this ballgame to take a one game lead into Dangriga.
In the other semi which was staged up north, Nizhee Corozal used the home field advantage to bomb the B.D.F. 3-1. In the meantime, F.C. Belize goes to Llagulei at Dangriga on the eighteenth of November with a one goal lead in the series. Will it be enough for undefeated F.C. to get over the hump? Your guess is as good as mine. We’ll just wait for the eighteenth night. On Sunday, sixteenth November, the B.D.F. will hose Nizhee Corozal inside the M.C.C. Grounds and will have to come up with a two goal margin win just to stay alive.
Turning to the Super League, week nine saw Kraal Road step on Lucky Strike 3-1, Texmar Boys blanked San Felipe Barcelona 4-zip, Cayo edged Tsunami 3-2, Lake-Collet Survivors doubled Western Rebels 2-1 and Valley Renaissance Bombed Barrio Fino 3-zip.
Week ten’s schedule finds Texmar hosting Valley Renaissance, Lake-Collet plays host to Lucky Strike. Both these matches are set for Saturday while on Sunday Kraal Road sails to Caye Caulker to face Tsunami, San Felipe Barcelona gets a visit from Barrio Fino and Western Rebels will take on Cayo South at Roaring Creek.
At the halfway mark of this particular season we’ve got to tell you that Texmar Boys continues to lead with twenty-four points, San Felipe Barcelona and Cayo South seventeen points apiece, Valley Renaissance is at fourth with sixteen points, Kraal Road fourteen points. They are up on goal margin over Barrio Fino who also has fourteen points, Lake-Collet Survivors twelve, Lucky Strike nine, Tsunami F.C. four and Western Rebels in the cellar with a mere three points.
Checking in on the Yabra Base Development Football tournament currently in session, at the Yabra field on Saturday Brown Bombers beat Poor and Famous 2-zip, St. John’s Primary got over Jah Love by that same score; both ballgames at the under thirteen level. While at the under fifteen category Yabra shelled Poor and Famous all of 8-zip and on Sunday St. John’s edged Primary Poor and Famous in a 2-1 final score.
In basketball news, Maxi Basket continues to roll at the City Center and Saturday afternoon we caught winless Belmopan facing Old Technical Rebels. Rodneal Armstrong finds Nico Black who strikes for three. Black would sink four three pointers to lead his team with twelve points. Douglas Bernard also got into double digit scoring with ten points as Old Technical Rebels defeated Belmopan 54-44. Marlon Villanueva led Belmopan with twelve points in that loss. In other matches concluded Orange Walk Eagles sailed part Maria Chang 61-52 in overtime. Old Cemetery edged B.W.S. Bulls 56-53 while defending champion Alberts continued to roll with a 60-45 mashing of Classic Purex. This Sundays schedule at the City Center finds Maria Chang in action against Old Cemetery, Classic Purex takes aim at Orange Walk Eagles, Old Technical goes up against B.W.S. Bulls and Alberts will face Belmopan.
Changing gears, we take you to the start of stage five in this current Weekend Warriors series of cycling which features athletes who have passed their prime but remain forever young and of course, they are classed as cat four and cat five riders. This time we even have female cyclist in the hunt as the race rolls off from Belmopan Comprehensive in capital city to the Sibun Bridge and back to the finish at Armenia on the Hummingbird Highway. At the finish it’s a two man sprint. Phillip Burns on the outside hangs to take first place forcing Luigi Urbina into second. Daun Ford pulls up for third place, Aston Bowman takes fourth place while Santi Castillo zips in to round out the top five.
On the ladies side, Michelle Cano took top honours, Erin McClaren settles for second while Sandra Matus pulls up third.
Finally folks, the Belmopan Billiards Association concluded its eight ball tournament at Eggy’s Bar Roaring Creek where Shattaz of Salvapan blanked Rookies Hi-five 3-zip. Elder Paredes of Shattaz emerged M.V.P. of the finals while Clifford Young King of Special Effects Sharpshooters took home the regular season M.V.P. title. We say congratulations to one and all.
But we gotta say right now folks, that’s our show for today. We invite you back same time, same place, next week. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.
