Sports Guru James Adderley sums up the week in sports
Good Evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.
As regular season in the Belize Bank Super League Tournament reached its natural conclusion over the weekend, Raymond Gentle City Boys completed its schedule by hosting Hattieville Monarchs inside the MCC Grounds yesterday. It’s a tale of 2 teams streaking in opposite direction as Hattieville is looking for onlt its 2nd win of the season and things got off according to the script when Deon McCauley’s spot kick is kept alive by Tyronne Mushchamp of the deflection but it’s David McCauley with the opportunity finish to give the defending champions a 1-zip lead. City Boys look for more when Ryan Simpson picks out Bryan Martinez off the set piece but goalkeeper Daniel Mejia denies him the goal and at the half, the home team still boast a 1-zip lead.
We’re in the 2nd half when Stanley Reneau misread this center from Albert Arnold, Christopher Meighan tries to clear it with the right foot but instead it crashes into the net giving Hattieville Monarch the tie at the 58th minute.
Things continue to spiral downwards for City Boys when Ryan Simpson is red carded for mouthing off to the referee, putting his team at a numerical disadvantage. In the meantime, Stanley Reneau continues to live dangerously when he mishandles this easy bounce but he gets away with it.
At the other end, Deon McCauley deals this spot kick to Shannon Flowers who fails to turn on this ball. Deon McCauley then tries to break the tie by pouncing on this defensive error but ballgame is decided. Carlton Rogers centers into the danger zone. Jerome James gets there in time and Hattieville Monarch hands City Boys its 2nd loss of the season with the 2-1 big W. For City Boys, this loss should bother them some as they’ve lost their momentum going into the playoffs.
In other results from around the league, Paradise Freedom Fighters bombed Cayo South 4-zip while Griga Knights defaulted to Orange Walk United and Third World FC to Placencia Assassin. Thus the official standings at the end of regular season show City Boys with 34 points from 11 wins, a draw and 2 losses. Orange Walk United shows 28, Paradise Freedom Fighters 27 and Placencia Assassins round out the 4 teams headed to the playoffs with 26 points. Griga Knights finished with 20 points, Third World, 13 points, Hattieville 11 and Cayo South finishes with 2 points from 2 draws and 12 losses. David McCauley of City Boys scored the most goals with 22. Thus the playoffs hicks off this Sunday, June 5th, with Orange Walk hosting Paradise Freedom Fighters while Placencia Assassin will be in town to face R.G. City Boys inside the MCC Grounds under this double round robin format.
Checking in on the Smart Challenge Cup on Friday, West Lake folded Brown Bombers 3-1 to even the championship series at 1 apiece. The decisive game 3 is set for this Friday, June 3rd at the MCC Grounds.
Turning to the basketball scene, we want to say congratulations to our U-17 National Team who returned from Costa Rica with the silver medal from the COCABA games. President Paul Thompson of the Belize Basketball Federation fills us in.
Paul Thompson
Paul Thompson, President, B.B.F.
“The Belize national U-17 participated in the COCABA U-17 championship in Costa Rica. We placed second losing to Mexico in the gold medal game. We beat Nicaragua in the first game by 31, we beat El Salvador in the second game by twelve. We played Mexico and we lost in the overtime by two. That was an excellent game, we played very well we gave our maximum effort. But what that did was advance us to the semifinal round where we met panama and we beat them handily by twelve points so we advanced to the goal medal game where we met Mexico for the second time. I believe we lost that game due to several reasons. I believe we weren’t mentally ready and due to the fact that we played two hard games two nights prior to that and we extended most of our energies against panama the previous night and I think because our physical abilities weren’t there, we weren’t focusing the way I believe we could have focused. We lost nineteen to Mexico. So we weren’t in the game from the second half.”
James Adderley
“You know that there is a rivalry between Mexico and ourselves and to loose by nineteen after a lost by two, is shocking.”
Paul Thompson
“We definitely will have a chance to redeem ourselves. Because we placed second, we qualify to go to Centro Basket in Puerto Rico in August where Mexico will be there as well. So hopefully we get another opportunity to try to beat them.”
The national U-17 team now heads to Puerto Rico for Centro Basket play from August 1st to the 6th. Meanwhile, the National U-16 team will participate in the Centro Basket Championship at Mexico form June 15th to June 19th. It’s the qualifying tournament for FIBA Americas U-16 which will be staged in Cancun from June 21st to the 27th so stay tuned.
Jermyn Galvez
In Billiards news, Belize will be participating in the 1st 9 ball Bi-national Billiard Tournament with Guatemala over this weekend and we spoke to newly elected president, Jermyn Galvez and Special Adviser, Otto Cattouse to get the details.
Jermyn Galvez, President
“We’re just trying to get billiards to be more recognized as a sport in Belize and we are just trying to bring up the level of billiards on a whole. So we are planning to take a trip internationally and play against Guatemala.”
James Adderley
“As the president is this your vision for the sport that we are seeing playing out right now?”
Jermyn Galvez
“Yes sir, slowly but surely we di get there and eventually we want to bring in a junior program to teach the youth from an early age and make we bring billiards up to the level of the whole world.”
Otto Cattouse
Otto Cattouse, Special Adviser
“Right now we have eight men travelling from different districts James. From Belize City we have William Leiva, from Cayo we have Leonel Pinelo, from Orange Walk, Naim Rosado from Belmopan Wayne Wilshire. From Corozal, Lazaro Amaya. Stann Creek, Wayne Pascasio, Toledo we have Jerome Parham and Horace Arnold and as a president travelling, we have Isaac Ranguy also playing.”
Finally folks, FIFA the world governing body for football finds itself in a terrible turmoil. Over the weekend, a commission headed by Chuck Blazer cleared President Sepp Blatter of bribery charges while suspending Mohammed Bin Hamman, President of the Asian Football League and a challenger for the presidency of FIFA and the president of CONCACAF jack Warner of Trinidad. Both officials were accused of offering U.S. $40,000 to members of the Caribbean Football Union at a meeting on May 10th and 11th. Bin Hammam was to face the incumbent Sepp Blatter on June 1st in Zurich Switzerland. Like they say in Africa, ye-ye di smell.
Jah overall, I’m James Adderley.
