Gregg Lovell wins National Road Championship 2008
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and it’s my pleasure welcoming you to Sports Monday.
Week nine of the RF&G Cup Tournament saw the battle for the lead in the south zone as Llagulei hosted the Belize Defence Force of Belize City inside the Carl Ramos Stadium yesterday. The hometown attacks early off the left side as Jeremy Archer tries to set table for Ryan Simpson only to see veteran keeper Charlie Slusher intervene. Allan Flores then unleashes this bullet off the set piece but it’s right at the goalkeeper. It’s more Llagulei when Ryan Simpson unleashes this bender that curls outside the target. Again, Griga goes to the set piece for offense as Kareem Haylock bends this left foot around the wall. Slusher fumbles but recovers in time to keep the ballgame scoreless. And folks, how Lennox Mejia misses this goal from pointblank range is a mighty, mighty question as we go the half in a scoreless ballgame without a highlight for the military. Immediately into the resumption of hostilities, Mejia gets off this header that doesn’t beat the keeper. B.D.F. finally looks offensive off this corner kick that gives Tyrone Pandy a chance at goal that he squanders. At the other end Kareem Haylock fires this left foot which inches outside the sticks. In the meantime, Deon Flowers comes alive with this run to the goal and almost makes it until he is cut down inside the eighteen from behind by Jacinto Bermudez and the referee rules penalty. The military sends Dennis Serano fresh off the bench and he fails to beat the keeper. He lets him off the hook. At the sixty-fifth minute this defensive error by Tyrone Pandy gives possession to Aaron McLaughlin who makes him pay. Llagulei goes up 1-zip. Fifteen minutes later, Deon Frazier sets up Dennis Serano and he makes amends for his penalty miss by tying the ballgame one apiece. Serano then gets to be the hero as he sets this play up in a bid to steal the Big W. It doesn’t quite pan out as we roll to a 1-1 final score.
In other action around the league, San Pedro burned Hankook Verdes 3-2, F.C. Belize doubled Nizhee Corozal 2-1, Georgetown Ibayani stopped Suga Boys Juventus 3-1 and Benque D.C. United whipped Wagiya 4-2. Llagulei, despite the draw continues to lead the south zone with sixteen points, both B.D.F. and Georgetown show fourteen apiece, Benque has eight and Wagiya in the cellar four. Undefeated F.C. Belize has twenty-three points from a ballgame to show a commanding lead in the north zone Nizhee Corozal has fourteen, San Pedro eleven, while both Verdes and Juventus show nine points apiece at this juncture and it’s getting late. Looking to the weekend, on Saturday Georgetown will host Benque D.C. while on Sunday Llagulei and Wagiya will battle it out at Dangriga, San Pedro will get a visit from F.C. Belize, the B.D.F. marches to Corozal Nizhee and Juventus will be at the People’s Stadium against Hankook Verdes.
In news from the Belize Bank Super League, Kraal Road crushed Lake-Collet Survivor 4-zip, Valley Renaissance clubbed Cayo South 6-3, Lucky Strike edged Tsunami F.C. 2-1 and Barrio Fino burned Texmar Boys 4-3 on four goals from Francisco Vella.
Turning to the cycling scene, the National Road Championship was staged from Silk Grass to Belize City yesterday by the Belize Cycling Association featuring some thirty riders including the defending champion, Big Michael Lewis. We give this view of the pelathon working their way up the gap to impress upon you the kind of effort necessary to compete in this hundred and nine mile ride. As the race rolls out of the Southern Highway into the Western, this twenty man group controls the pace en route to Belize City. Around mile ten and a half, it’s Jose Choto, Darnell Barrow, Glen O’Brien and Marlon Castillo leading a pack of seventeen riders. At the sprint to the tape it’s down to a ten man unit. Gregg Lovell grabs the lead on the inside, Brandon Cattouse and Bryan Pope challenge but Belizean bullet, Gregg Lovell of Santino’s holds on to win in four hours, thirty-three minutes, and twenty-four seconds and that’s his first National Road Championship and certainly say congratulations. Brandon Cattouse takes second, Bryan Pope of Megabytes pulls in third, Roger Troyer fourth of Western Spirit, while Sherman Thomas, also of Western Spirit, rounds out the top five.
Gregg Lovell, Winner, National Road Championship
“This means a lot. The National Road Champion wearing the Belize jersey on the back, it really means a lot. Going towards all those major races and ride international, other teams are expecting a lot if you are the National Champ of such countries. It means a lot.”
In the female race, Shalini Zabaneh of Sagitun took the sixty-two mile ride in two hours, fifty-seven minutes, twenty seconds beating Alicia Thompson of B.T.L. Swoosh by some six miles while Anthea Sutherland took third.
On the Jr. side Ernest Wade of Team Indeco took top honours in the sixty-seven mile ride in this category with a time of two hours, fifty-nine minutes, thirty seconds while teammate David Henderson finished second and George Abraham Jr. rounds out the top three.
In other cycling news, race two in the weekend warrior series saw Andrew Ordonez of Benny’s Megabytes in the top spot, James Nisbet, also of Benny Megabytes took second, Santino Castillo third, Andrew Brown of Impossible is Nothing while Carlo Marin rounds out the top five.
In Lawn Tennis, the sixth international Belize friendship Tennis Tournament which was staged at the Belize Pickwick Club over the weekend saw Belize contend against players from Mexico and the United States. Billy Musa Jr. was ousted in the semi-finals by Brandon Blankenbaker 6-1, 6-2, while Ryan Blankerbaker knocked off Enrique Bautista of Mexico 6-3, 6-2 to set up an all Blankerbaker finals. Brandon beat his brother Ryan 6-3, 6-4 to take this year’s title. We say good show.
In doubles play, David Madrid and Dr. Raju prevailed over Mexicans Julio Bautista and Hugo Leyrena in straight sets 6-4, 7-5 to grab top honour. While in the Ladies Open Single category Samira Musa Pott rolled past Lauren Mena 6-3, 6-1 in the finals.
Hey folks, that’s our show for today. We certainly invite you back same time, same place, next week. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.
