Mexican wins female cross country
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and you’re locked in to this delicate dish of Sports Monday.
So we take you immediately to the Western Highway for the 2007 edition of the Female Cross Country Classic staged yesterday.
This seventy mile race started at San Ignacio, people, and here we are with the chase group as the race rolls towards Belize City around mile twenty-two. This bunch that includes all the big names like Shalini Zabaneh, Marinette Flowers, the defending champion Gina Lovell and Shante Morrison are in fact chasing this rider Brenda Habuayo of Mexico riding for Team C-Ray.
At Hattieville Brenda, a twenty-three year old rider on her very first trip to Belize is enjoying a seven minute lead over the pack whom she blew off around Floral Park just some five minutes from the starting line.
In fact, the solitary figure of Brenda Habuayo continues to dominate the race as she creeps into Belize City.
The runaway from the pack certainly took its toll on Brenda as her struggle becomes obvious on Central American Boulevard.
Inside the Marion Jones Sporting Complex it’s a yeoman’s task for the Mexican just to hold on. She does and here is Brenda Habuayo rolling in to claim the 2007 Female Cross Country Cycle Title.
Brenda won in a record time of three hours, seven minutes, seventeen seconds shaving over thirty-two minutes off the previous record and at the end of this race she certainly needs more recovery time as evident right here.
Now here is the battle for second place. Gina Lovell grabs the lead and hangs on to it to take the prize. Shalini Zabaneh grabs third place, Marinette Flowers pulls up fourth while newcomer Jamie Lee Usher round out the top five and good show Jamie. Of the twenty-one riders that started, which included seven foreigners, fifteen finished this event.
Brenda Habuayo
“I am very excited to have won. It has been a long time since I rode a race like this one. Two years ago I got stuck at the border and I was unable to compete here. The strategy was that if I went ahead Kaya stayed with the pack and if Kaya went ahead I stayed with the pack.”
A disappointed Gina Lovell drove home the fact that there was no cooperation among the Belizean riders chasing Brenda.
Kwame Scott, Commentator
“You came in very strong winning that sprint convincingly. Where was all that energy when that gap was ballooning from two minutes to three minutes to what actually ballooned to nine minutes plus?”
Gina Lovell, 2nd Place
“When it went to four minutes I said girls we got to pick it up, this pace, the break is open up and I think that Shalini team and Comfort Air were gonna step it up but I guess these girls were just babbling decide that this other team gonna pace this other team and then it was just big fighting at the back.”
Marinette Flowers, 4th Place
“She attacked in the hills and we ladies I think, I don’t have team right but down the stretch I asked them if they would work, nobody want to work and they just watch each other, all of us just watch each other. I ask most of them, Shalini, all of them, do you want to work. And she look at me and say no the gap is too small, let us wait. I said no, I don’t know what is the competition is , let us work now and I can get any service because I have to stay on the pace, stay on the pace, stay on the pace, constantly pacing, can’t get water, can’t get anything at all. Down the stretch they wanted to work – the young lady already open a big gap, five minutes, six minutes, seven minutes – it’s too ridiculous for us to work so hard.”
We say congratulations to Brenda Habuayo of Team C-Ray by way of Mexico who took forty-two of fifty station prizes and over ten thousand dollars in cash and kind; combine that together and she’s got a pretty good haul.
Turning to the football scene, Tex Mar Boys in San Ignacio Saturday night are trying to advance against home Team Santel’s so they go to the long distance shot that misses.
At the other end Evral Torres tries to make something happen for Santel’s but comes up short.
Tex Mar gets a good chance to move the scoreboard off this corner kick and should have done better on this play people.
The host team comes right back with this push off the right side that sees Oliver Wiltshire fire a right foot handled by the Tex Mar keeper Stephen Lopez.
In second half, Cyril Simmons tries to move the scoreboard on this manoeuvre but doesn’t get enough of the pill.
Down field Gary young gets his shot at emerging the hero of the ballgame when Jamie Brooks intervenes timely.
Folks, we’re at the ninetieth minute of this ballgame when Paul Linares mounts this run, at the end of which he fires this grass head burner that secures Tex Mar Boys the 1-zip big win. Thus Tex Mar advances in the playoffs to the semi-final round on a 3-1 goal aggregate.
In other action around the league, San Pedro Costa Del Sol Nairi’s beat F.C. Belize but its F.C. that advances nevertheless on a 2-1 goal aggregate. Wagiya crushed Suga Boys 4-1 and advance on a 10-3 goal aggregate while Hankook Verdes and Revolutionary Conquerors battle to a 1-1 stalemate but the Conquerors advance on the away goal ruling.
Thus the semi-finals in the RFG Playoffs get under way this Saturday. At the M.C.C. Grounds F.C. Belize will host Tex Mar Boys and at the Carl Ramos Stadium it’s the Dangriga derby between Revolutionary Conquerors and Wagiya.
In other football news we want to inform you that on Saturday Gentle Touch Strikers beat Belize Female Football Academy 3-1 in the F.F.B.’s Female Knockout Tournament.
In cricket news, Excellence continued its quest for the 2007 Harrison Parks Title by stopping Wicked 11 229-209 runs on Saturday to take a one game lead in this two game series. Game two is set for this Saturday.
In the meantime the Brilliant and Surprise series is locked in a bitter dispute from game one and the organizers are trying to conclude game one from this adventure Saturday.
Turning to the Lawn Tennis scene, the eleventh annual Brodies/RFG Insurance Tennis Tournament was staged over the weekend at the Belize Pickwick Club with Jim Sabernady and Eugene Bautista of Mexico defeating Mike Tores and Michael Meighan of Belize.
Ian McField and Yasser Musa beat Billy Musa Jr. and Billy Musa Sr. in the over thirty-five class while Maureen Utsman and Samira Patt got past Lauren Mena and Marleni Anderson in the female open.
In closing folks, the Benque Viejo Sporting Committee presents the third Hydro Extreme Mountain Bike Challenge on Saturday May twenty-six featuring competition in six categories. You won’t want to miss this excitement.
Finally, people, we wish Ian Gaynair, a member of the F.C. Belize football club who was shot last night, a quick and full recovery.
That’s our show for today. We invite you back same time, same place, next week. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley
