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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, October 3, 2018
SuperBet on board early for GMR&SC Ignite
SUPERBET is one of the first candidates to ink support for the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club’s (GMR&SC) Ignite race meet set for November 10 and 11. Ignite, which will also feature the final round of the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) is expected to see a large turnout of drivers as it is also the final circuit racing event locally. A statement from the GMR&SC indicated that “we are happy to have SuperBet on board with the Ignite race meet. We feel that the company is seen as strong with sport and we were more than happy to see them join motorsport as well.” “We foresee this new partnership taking the sport to new levels and we want to thank the management of SuperBet for putting their faith in us,” the statement continued. Meanwhile the final leg of the Caribbean Championship is expected to see competition from Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica, the United States and Canada as well as Europe. Apart from the regular groups 1 through 4 and Superstock championship, the first-ever Radical Caribbean Championship featuring the SR3s is expected to culminate here too. The event is expected to be launched shortly.
SuperBet’s Jean-Pierre Nathoo hands over sponsorship to GMR&SC’s Fleur Blanckaert.
Enhanced team chemistry a good sign for title defence, says pacer Selman PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Fast bowler Shakera Selman believes the enhanced team chemistry in the West Indies side will play a key role in their defence of the Twenty20 World Cup title in the Caribbean next month. The core of the squad had been together over the last several months in various training camps and Selman said this had resulted in strong camaraderie in the unit, which augured well for their campaign in the November 9-24 tournament. “The atmosphere (in the camp) is very good. We have become a lot like a family over the last few months,” said Selman. “We’ve been together, we’ve been living together so it has actually brought us a lot closer and I think we are prepared.” She added: “We are very confident. We’re going to put our best foot forward. We know it’s going to be
very challenging. Everyone will be coming to beat West Indies because we are very good, especially in the T20 format but we are very confident.
Fast bowler Shakera Selman believes Windies Women have built important team chemistry.
“We’re going to play our best cricket and we know if we do that we’re in with a big chance.”
West Indies will compete in Group A alongside powerful England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and are expected to be one of the two teams to reach the final four. Group B, meanwhile, will see powerhouse Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Ireland clashing for a place in the semi-finals. In the last tournament in India two years ago, West Indies were forced to overcome a strong New Zealand side in their semi-final before downing the Aussies in the final, and Selman believes the hosts will have to be at their best again against these top tier sides. “In T20 – the shortest format of the game – it’s always a challenge so all of the teams will be coming hard,” she pointed out. “We’re looking at all the teams especially the ones in our group, but over the last few years we know England
and Australia have been our toughest competitors and we are really preparing for them.” Selman, who is expected to lead West Indies’ new-ball attack, said the tournament was extremely important to the team especially since West Indies were hosts. “It means a lot to me, it means a lot to the team as well,” she stressed. “It’s the first standalone T20 tournament for the women and it’s really an honour to have it here in the Caribbean especially being defending champions.” West Indies are currently preparing for the fourth Twenty20 International of a five-match series against South Africa, carded for the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba tomorrow. They lead the series 2-0 after winning the first two matches. The third fixture on Sunday was rained out.
14th Hand-in-Hand 11-Race Cycling Programme set for Saturday THE 14th annual Hand-in-Hand Mutual Fire and Life Insurance 11-race cycling programme is set for Saturday (October 6) and is being organised by National cycling coach Hassan Mohamed. Cyclists will assemble in the National Park from 09.00hrs to compete for top honours and accolades across five categories. The five categories are the 12-14 years Three-lap race, Veterans’ U-50 5-Laps, Mountain Bikes 5-laps, Junior/Juveniles 10-laps and the feature 35-laps Schoolboys and Invitational race. Last year Jonathan Ramsuchit took the Boys’ and Girls’ 12-14 years event and will be looking to replicate that feat while Warren ‘40’ McKay is the defending Veterans’ U-50 champion. Shane Bourne won the Mountain Bikes 5-laps race and will be hard-pressed to defend that title; Nigel Duguid is the reigning Junior/Juvenile rider and the effervescent Geron Williams is the defending champion of the 35-laps feature event which he won last year in one hour 16 minutes 16 seconds. The Marketing Director at Hand-in-Hand, Shafeena Juman, along with other staff members will be there to witness the action and distribute prizes.
Business Development personnel at Hand-in-Hand Mutual Fire and Life Insurance, Soma Bharrat, hands over the sponsorship package to organiser, Hassan Mohamed.
Pakistan-A hold on for a tense draw despite Holland’s fiver JON Holland’s heroic efforts (5-79) on the final day went in vain as Pakistan-A clung onto a tense draw in the practice game at the ICC Academy in Dubai yesterday. Having piled on the runs and misery, Australia declared overnight with a lead of 216. The task was straightforward for the Pakistan-A batsmen, leaving with 3 sessions and a minimum of 90 overs to survive.
Jon Holland
Opener Shan Masood took the aggressive route to put the Aussie new-ball bowlers under pressure, while his partner at the other end, Sami Aslam remained watchful in his stay at the crease, as they saw off the new ball without any hassle, putting on a 50-run opening stand. Australian captain Tim Paine turned to spin in search of a breakthrough and the move worked immediately. Holland snuffed
out Masood for 41 while Aslam perished in the very next over to Neser leaving Pakistan-A in a tricky position at 55-2. Then skipper Asad Shafiq and Abid Ali took centre-stage, showed good resistance and steered their team to safety at lunch. The doggedness continued in the second session from both batsmen as they reached their respective fifties before Lyon removed Abid Ali, thereby breaking the 84-run stand for the third wicket. Iftikhar Ahmed joined his skipper and eased through to tea. However, the Australian bowlers, led by Holland, went full-throttle in the final session to trigger a collapse, rattling the opposition by taking 4 wickets for 44 runs and outclassed Lyon, staking his claim for a place in the team for the first Test. With the pitch crumbling and the natural light fading, Mohammad Rizwan and Wahab Riaz played out the tense final moments to settle for a draw. Brief scores: Pakistan A 278 (Abid Ali 85; Nathon Lyon 8-103) and 261-7 (Asad Shafiq 69, Abid Ali 52; Jon Holland 5-79) drew with Australia A 494-4 (Mitchell Marsh 162, Shaun Marsh 94; Waqas Maqsood 2-66, Iftikhar Ahmed 2-149).
Former world champion Rocchigiani dies in Italy after being hit by car BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) - Germany’s former world super-middleweight and light-heavyweight champion Graciano Rocchigiani has died aged 54, in southern Italy after being hit by a car while out walking, officials said yesterday. The boxer, who had an Italian father and German mother, had held both the IBF super-middleweight title from 1988 to 1989 as well as the WBC light-heavyweight in 1998 by defeating Michael Nunn. Rocchigiani, who fought all 48 of his professional fights in Germany, captivated the boxing world with his bouts against fellow German Henry Maske and Poland’s Dariusz Michalczewski in the 1990s. His last fight was in 2003 when he was defeated for the vacant WBC international light heavyweight title. “Berlin mourns one of its athletes, who in the 1980s and 1990s fascinated the crowds,” said Berlin mayor Michael Mueller in a statement. “Rocky, as he was known around the world, was, after Max Schmeling and Eckhard Dagge, the third German world champion in the professional sport. “He was also an original Berliner, who combined his mouth and his heart. Not everything worked out for him in life as it did in the ring. But Berliners loved him for his sometimes rough and edgy ways. We mourn a boxer with a big heart.” Rocchigiani, who had been imprisoned for assault and driving without a valid licence, had been the youngest German world boxing champion. He also worked as a boxing commentator.