Marlon Castillo wins National Road Championship
Good evening, I?m James Adderley and it?s a pleasure to welcome you this edition of Sports Monday. Folks we take you immediately to South Stann Creek for the start of the 2006 National Road Championship of cycling, which left scenic Silk Grass around nine a.m. yesterday.
Going in as defending champion is the man Shane Vasquez beautifully attired in the Sub-Umbro Floreo and indeed that?s what it?s all about today, in a package limited to only Belizean athletes.
Before we go to the start though folks, this year?s ride was certainly not all it could have been because of a pre- race dispute which spitted B.C.A. President Melvin Torres against this year?s sponsor Lewis Leslie of Leslie?s Imports, representative of Acros stoves in Belize.
In a nutshell, Tony Leslie was giving away nine stoves among other things and the Torres-led association in their commercials erroneously suggested only three were being donated. This obviously led to a major friction between authority and money. The sponsor wanted a postponement, while the B.C.A. was adamant the race would go on as schedule, even if it meant giving back the money. Amid a swirl of rumours that the race was off, an emergency session of the association late Saturday evening was able to soothe things somewhat, which brings us to Sundays start at Silk Grass.
At the start of the elite class of this event, the National Road Championship, some twenty-eight riders are making a bid on, like what we saw in the business … they?re off.
Folks were not even half an hour into the one hundred and ten miles when Jeffrey Zelaya suffers a spill-but his Megabyte team-mate Orson Butler helps him back into the pack. At the bottom of this ascent on the Hummingbird Highway, it?s Giovanni Leslie, Kieron Fernandez, Elston Cadle, and Carl Logera controlling the pace. However, rolling by Capital City, Belmopan the lead now features Giovanni Choto, Froggy Leslie, Marlon Castillo, and Jose Choto.
Around mile thirty-three the lead four is expanded to ten with the addition of Juan Gonzalez, Shane Vasquez, Ernest Meighan, Jeffery Zelaya, Teddy Vasquez, and Gian Ochaota.
However, at the finish line folks it?s the man-child Marlon Castillo in total control of the event crossing the finish line unchallenged in a time of four hours, fifty minutes, eight seconds to take top honours … and Marlon when you big you large. Ernest Meghan wins the sprint for second place and Jose Choto pulls up third to make it a Santino sweep of the top three.
Checking in on the master?s class, Elbert Pope of Megabyte took top honours in the seventy-one mile ride in three hours, seventeen minutes, beating out Robert Mariano and Ray Cattouse in that order.
Darnell Barrow of Benny?s Megabytes stepped up to grab the Junior seventy-one miler in three hours, twenty minutes, forty-seven seconds. Peter Choto took second, Byron Pope, son of Elbert Pope, settles for third.
While on the female side, Marinette Flowers was the best in the sixty-six mile race in three hours, twenty-two minutes, forty-seven seconds, forcing Fiona Humes Gonzalez into second, and defending cross country champion Anthea Sutherland into third.
In international cycling news, the news for Belize certainly aint good. No Belizean finished the one hundred and sixty-seven kilometre road race at Melbourne, Australia yesterday. Hey, life is real you got to face the music.
In football news, here are the results from playing the RFG Trophy Tournament from over the weekend. Hankook Verdes trampled Alpha 4-1. Placencia Pirates pummelled Belmopan United 4-zip. Wagiya and New Site Erei rallied to a 3-3 tie in the Dangriga derby, Benque Viejo United bombed Cayo Anvengers 3-1, while Kremandala Penta and F.C. Belize settled for a 1-1 stalemate at the M.C.C. Grounds.
This weekend schedule in the RFG Trophy Tournament folks has been pushed up to Wednesday to accommodate the international Under Twenty-one football match between Belize and Honduras this comes up on April second at Dangriga. Keep that date open, you?ll certainly want to be a part of it if you are in the area. Nevertheless, all matches in the RFG Trophy Tournament begin at seven-thirty p.m. Wednesday. Placencia Pirates will host Benque Viejo, Alpha of O.W. gets visited by Kremandala, Belmopan travels to Verdes, Avengers go to New Site Erie, and Wagiya comes to the city to face F.C. Belize.
In the softball scene, we head to Lord?s Bank for the Belize Rural Softball Marathon and we must congratulate the organisers for the wonderful pre-game show. Hey you certainly put some thought into it and some management.
Game one featured defending champion Lords Bank Sunrise facing Sunflower of Double Head Cabbage. Lords Bank had to overcome a 6-3 deficit late in the ballgame to post the 8-7 big W. However, in the semi-finals Lords Bank was ousted by Double Head Cabbage Unity, who went to smash Burrell Boom Orchid 11-6 to grab the overall win. Hey congratulations are in order. In the individual awards, Malta Garbutt emerged as MVP, Stephanie Talbert amassed the most home runs; Ardeth McFadzean took best pitcher award. Most RBI?s was taken by Malta Garbutt–all these players are of the Unity Team. The only award received and not on the Unity Team is Phillipa Humes, who got the most stolen bases and we got to say congratulations.
In basketball news, the Belize Bank Bulldogs put a hurt on the University of Belize Friday night inside the Civic Centre in a 67-61 finish. Bart Sanchez played big for the Bank leading all scorers with seventeen points, including this dunk. American Eric Cheers, he helped in the effort with a double digit thirteen points in the W. For U.B., Darren Bovell hit twelve points, so did Kirk ?Shabbe? Smith, however, it was in that lost.
Meanwhile, it turned out to be a shocker out at San Pedro as Orange Walk Eagles sunk the San Pedro Tigersharks in a 84-80 squeaker. Hey, the truth is stranger than fiction folks.
That?s it for now though we invite you back same time, same place, next week. Jah, overall I?m James Adderley.
