Sports Monday with James Adderley

Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday. We’re off to the M.C.C. Grounds where the Belize Bank Super League playoffs saw City Boys United F.C. play host to the Placencia Assassin who came in without a win in three weeks of the four team double round robin format. There’s a lot on the line for both ballclubs so the visitors look to strike first when Elias Donaire uses the set piece to find goleador Ashley Torres whose header just inches past the far upright. City boys answers with this pass from Whitfield Patnett to Tyrone Muschamp who should have done better with this chance to score. The home team gets another opportunity to open the scoreboard when Patnett heads this ball to Dalton Cayetano who misfires from point blank range. At the half we do have a scoreless ballgame. During intermission, Coach John Pollard of City Boys had this to say.

John pollard, Coach City Boys United F.C.

“We had some pretty good looks and we just never utilized, but this half we intend fi utilize every time we get wah break dis half yah. Placencia tired. Placencia gone flat di last ten minutes ah di game but just dat we neva score. We get wi break just now and we neva score but this half coming, if dehn play di way dehn play inna di first half inna di second half, I guarantee yoh di game wah finish quick.

For sure things would pick up in the second half. Nineteen minutes in Patnett serves to Dalton Cayetano whose right away right foot swing gives City Boys a 1-zip lead. Immediately Placencia Assassin looks for the equalizer off this set piece fire by Lyndon Brooks but Charlie Slusher steps up in goal. Now you make the call; Tyrone Muschamp tries to double their lead with this effort but appears to be taken down by Dalton Eiley inside the eighteen. Is a penalty called appropriate here? I’m not sure. We’re at the sixty-ninth minute of the match when Jason Westby flicks this ball to Ashley Torres. Shawn Thurton gets there first only to compound the threat. Torres gets a look at goal and the left foot shot brings the equalizer for Placencia Assassin. Tyrone Muschamp then gets this chance to put City Boys ahead when he ventures off the right wing but his shot at goal is certainly disappointing. City Boys get another opportunity to score when Cayetano pushes this ball across the goal mouth only to see Godson Michel fail with the shot at goal. It’s late in the ballgame when Donaire splices Ashley Torres who outruns the City Boys defense to smack this ball into an empty net as the Placencia Assassin comes to town and grabs the 2-1 big W over a worthy opponent.

Ashley Torres, Placencia Assassin

“We knew if we ended up getting a draw or another loss we would have been out of the competition you know. And we worked so hard for the regular season fi finish as number and then it would have looked so bad on us not to come out here with a fight. And then we didn’t want to go out so easy and we had a lot of confidence coming out here today. The game was 1-nil for a very long time and they thought the game was over because they are at home, but for us the game is not over until it’s ninety minutes and that’s the way we play ball.”

Meanwhile, in the other Super League match staged at the Ricalde Stadium, Nizhee Corozal handed Hattieville F.C. a 1-zip punch to take the unchallenged lead n the standings with eight points, City Boys remain at five, Hattieville has four and Placencia Assassin also has four points. This means all teams are still alive with two matches each remaining. This Sunday inside the M.C.C. Grounds City Boys United will face Nizhee Corozal in a must win situation while Hattieville F.C. and Placencia Assassin will battle for survival at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium Saturday night at seven-thirty p.m.

In other football news, Millennium saw a 2-zip blast on Gentle Touch of Esperanza in game two of the two game championship series to claim the 2010 female football title of Belize. Ermin Ferguson of Millennium took home the MVP award and was voted Best Goalkeeper. Nataki Alvarez led the league with six goals while Sarah Arzu of Millennium Emerged as the best defense. Sports Monday says congratulations to all.

In 9 Ball Billiards news, play in the Belize City competition over the weekend saw Mike’s Club defeat Royal Club 4-1 while Lakers blanked Royal Club 5-zip. On Tuesday Travellers take on Mi Segundo Casa and on Wednesday it’s Mike’s Club visiting Lakers. Advance Advertising currently leads this tournament with 62 points, Travellers show 56, Lakers 54, and Mike’s with 44 points rounds out the top four who will advance to the playoffs.

Checking on the Table Tennis scene, the BTTA ratings system shows that the top five A division players are David Jones, Zhi Cheng, Nelito Ayuso, Ernesto Rivero and Tux Vasquez in that order. At the under fifteen category, the top five are Victor Quan, Steve Flowers, Matthew Usher, Hasim Ochaeta and Rahim Pitzold.

Now let’s turn to the basketball scene, as the InterOffice League playoffs continue to excite the fans inside the City Center. The opener on Friday saw the Port of Belize take on Atlantic Bank and it’s a quick start for the Bank as Leon Williams dishes to Hector Locke who finishes with the layup. However, Leroy Forbes gives the Port the lead with this individual effort as he beats all defenders to the hoop. Forbes would put up seven points in this one. In the second quarter, Darwin Elijio hits the first three pointer for Atlantic Bank. It’s more Atlantic Bank when Elijio goes behind the back to Andrew “Head” Staine who goes glass for two points at the other end Lloyd Burgess shows off his runner to cut the Port’s Deficit to one. And at the half we’re tied at twenty-five points apiece. In the third, the Port of Belize takes over. Jason Wade wants three; Jason Wade gets three. He would finish with nine. Wade then spots up from the top for another three and he knocks it down. Next is Leroy Forbes and he sinks the big triple for Port and at the end of the Port of Belize boasts a ten point lead. We fast forward to the final thirty-nine seconds of the fourth quarter and it’s Andrew “Head” Staine with the big three pointer for Atlantic Bank. He would lead all scorers with nineteen points. So the Port of Belize tries the quarterback pass to Kent Franklin; he can’t handle it and brings it back on the court to Elijio. Elijio finds Ian Ferrera who hits the left hand and is fouled with four point six seconds remaining in a ballgame tied at forty-six points apiece. Ferrera goes to the charity stripe and converts as the Atlantic Bank literally steals the win in a 47-46 final score, eliminating the Port of Belize.

In the nightcap, Belize Telemedia took the court against the defending champion, Belize City Council and right away established themselves as a contender tonight when Ashley Hemsley finger rolls for two. He would finish with seventeen points. In the meantime, Virgil Miller is the go man for City Council and here he shows why he would strike for eleven points. At the end of the first quarter it’s a 20-9 lead in favour of B.T.L. B.T.L. would not look back as they go on to post the bit time upset in a 60-46 final score. The semi-finals are expected to off Wednesday in a three game series so stay tuned.

Finally, folks in cycling news here is Preston Martinez of M&M beating George Abraham of Benny’s to take the weekend warriors Belmopan race in two hours, eleven minutes and eight seconds. Steven Bisset edged Warren Coye for third place while Fitzgerald Joseph rounds out the top five.

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.