B.D.F and Hankook Verdes will face off in B.P.F.L. finals

Good evening, I’m James Adderley and you’re most welcome to this burst of Sports Monday.

First order of business people, is to give public kudos to the National Football Team of Belize who eliminated St. Kitts and Nevis Islands from the first round of the World Cup qualifying series last Wednesday with a 1-1 draw in the away game. This team’s historic achievement comes with very little public support because of the home game played in Guatemala where Belize won 3-1. The National Team now heads to a home and away series in round two against super power Mexico. Belize should host game one on the fifteenth June but no venue has yet been finalised so stay tuned.

Now lets head to the M.C.C. Grounds for Sunday’s B.P.F.L. match as F.C. Belize faces a must win situation against city rival the Belize Defence Force already into the playoffs. It’s F.C. Belize with a sense of urgency putting on the pressure that almost earns them an auto goal. We’re twenty-five minutes when F.C.’s persistency pays off from this set piece that finds Eian Gaynair with a crushing header to give his team a 1-zip lead. F.C. Belize then tries to double its lead off this spotkick that’s almost converted by Leon Cadle who pays for the attempt. The B.D.F. finally comes alive when this ball is centered into the danger zone, only the military sure don’t look hungry today people. At intermission we’ve got a 1-nil F.C. Belize lead. In early second half Al Thurton looks to extend the lead with this spotkick that just wouldn’t bend for him. Talk about a dangerous floater, this offering from Tyrone Muschamp forces Gilroy Suazo into a last second save and it’s spectacular.

In the meantime, we’re sure what’s up with Floyd Jones of the B.D.F. but he does get away with this malfunction. At the other end Ludrick Gonzales gets a crack at the equalizer with this vicious header that inches over the crossbar. Eighty-two minutes into the ballgame, Jeromy James sets table for Tyrone Muschamp and Muschamp gives F.C. Belize a 2-zip lead. Folks, we’re into injury time when the B.D.F. does get a consolation goal on this header from Deon McCauley. Nevertheless, F.C. Belize goes on to post the 2-1 big W. Alas it was all for nought because F.C. Belize needed Wagiya to beat Hankook Verdes in the other playoff match up Sunday … it didn’t happen. Hankook Verdes kept Wagiya winless in a 4-2 blast on a hot trick from Daniel Jimenez and Orlando Jimenez got one too in this outing. So people, the championship series will feature Hankook Verdes as the number one seed and the B.D.F. as the challenger. Game one is set for this Sunday, April sixth inside the M.C.C. Grounds since Verdes has relinquished its home field rights.

Turning to the Super League Tournament, Forever Strong Kraal Road needed to come away with all three points from its Friday night match with Estrellas F.C. of Toledo at the M.C.C. Grounds. Indeed it’s a perfect start for Kraal Road when Jason Young finds Raymond Gentle whose on the run left foot gives his team a 1-zip lead eighteen minutes in. Estrellas F.C. fires back with this effort from Delroy Flores but it’s not good enough to impress the scoreboard. Brandon Peyrefitte then looks to beat Denroy Lopez in the far corner only to see the pill inch past the target. In early second half action Kraal Road’s Whitfield Patnett goes to the left foot with a power shot that is handled nicely by goalkeeper Frank Lopez. At the other end, the equaliser comes when Edney Nunez finds Evon Lino in heavy traffic and Lino ties the ballgame at one a piece. At the seventy-fifth minute, Paul Bradley, fresh off the bench, provides Kraal Road with a much needed lift as they take a 2-1 lead on Bradley’s wicked splice. Raymond Gentle then gets this chance to put the match away for the host team but can you believe it, Gentle falls victim to a horrendous first touch in a pivotal moment of the ballgame? And now we’re into injury time, a few tricks from the long whistle when Ralph Flores smashes this left foot into the net to force the 2-2 final score; Forever Strong Kraal Road is thus eliminated from the championship round in a ballgame, well, they had mostly covered.

In the other match up Benque D.C. and Texmar Boys battled to a scoreless stalemate in the championship series. Thus this weekends schedule finds Estrellas hosting Texmar Boys in Sunday while Kraal Road travels to Benque D.C. United. However, the championship series is already locked up by Texmar Boys and Benque D.C. United. And when we get the opening date for the beginning of this championship series we’ll certainly pass it on.

Changing gears folks, these young ladies are beautiful, they are Belizean, they are talented and are gathered this Sunday morning inside Belmopan to plan strategies for the thirtieth running of the U.B. Relathon. The girls have won this event eleven times before. And the lead runner today takes off from inside capital city Belmopan en-route to the big finish at Belize City. We caught up with the boys who come in to today’s relathon with seventeen wins. Their run took off simultaneously at San Ignacio. It takes the boys almost sixty-five miles before they do catch up with their female counterpart around mile three on the Western Highway and there’s Luke Martinez accompanied by the rest of the team that wins the eighteenth title for the boys in seven hours, twenty-six minutes, ten seconds. While Lorena brings home the baton for the girls who were clocked at seven hours, twenty-eight minutes, thirty-four seconds and we say to U.B. good show, let’s do it again, keep the tradition going.

That’s it for now though. We invite you back same time, same place next week. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.