Sports Monday Highlights with James Adderley
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.
Week 11 of the PLB football season took us to the Capital City Saturday night where the Belmopan Bandits hosted the Belize Defense Force in a bid to have sole command of the top spot in the standings. In the opening minutes of this ballgame, Ryan Simpson picks up this gift from the defense and misses the target from inside the box. At the 30th minute, Deon McCauley works his way past two B.D.F. defensemen to deal to Jerome James who finds Denmark Casey Junior and the right foot punch from close range gives the Bandits a 1-zip lead. The host team then looks to double its lead off this set piece triggered by David Trapp, but its right the goalkeeper, Frank Lopez, who punches it out of harm’s way. Sine 10 minutes into 2nd half, Ryan Simpson of the B.D.F. is unceremoniously taken down inside the eighteenth by Jacinto Bermudez—the referee rules penalty and rightly so.
Vallan Symms again gets the call from the B.D.F. and this time he disappoints by hitting the horizontal bar. The B.D.F. almost comes up with the equalizer when Byron Usher unleashes this power shot that just screams over the crossbar. We’re at the 78th minute of play when Harrison Tasher launches this set piece at goal from long distance. It’s a bouncer that is deflected and Woodrow West cannot recover in time to prevent the equalizer. However, the Bandits retake the lead at the 85th minute when Ian Gaynair finds Deon McCauley who chests this ball down to launch a splice under heavy pressure that bounces off the far upright to make it a 2-1 Belmopan lead. It’s McCauley league leading 8th goals of the season. In the closing minutes of the ballgame, it’s all Belmopan so Gilbert Swazo hooks up with Jerome James whose attempt to score veers outside the near post. Belmopan Bandits go on to post the 2-1 big Win and are sole leaders of the BLB with 26 points.
In other action around the league, Police United overwhelmed San Ignacio United in a 4-zip blast; Verdes doubled FC Belize 2 to 1 and FC San Felipe Barcelona burned the Placencia Assassins 1-zip at Placencia. Thus the standings going into Week 12 looks like this: Belmopan Bandits lead with 26 points, the B.D.F. is next with 20, FC Belize has 17, san Ignacio 13, Verdes 13, FC Barcelona 11, Placencia 11 and Police are in the cellar with 10 pts. Looking ahead on Saturday, April 13th at 7:30 p.m., Belmopan Bandits will host FC Belize while at the MCC Grounds. Police takes on Verdes FC. On Sunday, at 3:30 p.m., FC Barcelona will be at the People’s Stadium against the B.D.F. and at the Norman Broaster Stadium, San Ignacio United plays host to the Placencia Assassins.
In other football news, Week 7 in the Mayor’s Cup at Dangriga saw Riverside Nets blank Valley Pride 3-nil; Green Gold got over Backatown Kulture 1-zip while Red Bank Napoli and Silk Grass battled to a draw and Hopkins held New Site to a 1-1 draw. On Friday, April 12th, DYFA takes on Silk Grass and Benguche battles Umadagu. On Sunday, Hope Creek fazes Green Gold and Conquerors take aim at Valley Pride.
In Softball News, we want to salute Camalote United who rolled our Ontario Rebels 8 to 1 inside the Joan Garbutt Stadium yesterday in Esperanza to win the Cayo Softball Marathon to kick off the 2013 Cayo Softball Competition. Francine Salazar gets the win over Kenreen Gillette. Meanwhile, in news from Belize City Interoffice Softball Competition, K.H.M.H. edged Belize Water Services 14-13 in Saturday night’s finals to take the 2013 title. After squandering a 14-9 lead at the end of 6 innings, K.H.M.H. had to survive a late rally by Belize Water Services after giving up 4 runs in the 7th inning. We say congratulations.
In billiard news, Mirab presents the Ben BouNahra 9 ball tournament at Elements Bar here in Belize City this Saturday and Sunday.
Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.
