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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, January 23, 2017
Flashback: Captain of the 2015 winners Milerock FC Joel McKinnon (centre) receiving the championship trophy from GTT PRO Allison Parker during the official Limacol/ GTT Football Championship presentation ceremony while other members of his team, respective prize winners, sponsors and Petra Organization staff look on.
Limacol knock-out football kicks off tonight at GFC ground
Action in the 2017 Limacol round- robin knock-out football competition starts this evening at the Georgetown Football Club Ground (GFC), with a double-header card from 18:00.hrs The tournament,which is being organised by the Petra organisation in partnership
with GT beer, Starr Party Rentals and Trophy Stall,will see sixteen teams in four groups vying for top honours. In this evening’s matches, group D gets going with the Guyana Police Force battling Mahaica Determinators in the first match from 18:30hrs and then Riddim Squad will tack-
le Camptown in the feature game from 20.00hrs. Following these matches, action will continue on Friday, with Western Tigers going toe-to-toe with New Amsterdam United in a group B clash, while Santos will play Ann’s Grove in group-C action. Both games
are set for the GFC ground. The following day the competition will move to the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) ground in Linden with Milerock battling Northern Rangers and Winners Connection facing off with Grove Hi-Tech in group-A. The final matches in round
one slated for January 29th will pit Uitvlugt against Eagles United in group-B and Pouderoyen against Den Amstel in group-C at a venue to be announced. The winner of the tournament will take home $500,000 and a trophy while the sec-
ond, third and fourth placed teams will receive $250,000, $125,000 and $ 7 5 , 0 0 0 r e s p e c t i v e l y. Additionally, the winner of each group will receive $100,000 while the respective finishers will pocket $50,000, $30,000 and $20,000 apiece.
Gayle wants 400-run score Paul, Yadram mentally strong to execute, says Nedd before leaving Test cricket - Paul: A future star in the making – Mentore
West Indies star batsman Chris Gayle still has hope of returning to Test cricket and has targeted making 400 runs as one of the objectives to be met before retiring from the sport. Gayle has not featured in the longest format of the game for the regional team since 2014 against Bangladesh. The absence is in part due to a dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the player has instead, opted for the shorter formats of the game. The 37-year-old, however, insists he is not quite finished with Test cricket. “I will play again,” Gayle said. “I want to score 400 runs in a Test match. I’ve done two triples, I think I can push it to four [hundred]. “A lot of people want to see me back in test cricket, a lot of people. That’s one of the reasons why I haven’t announced I’ve retired because wherever I go, people want to see me
play Test cricket, to give it one more shout, that’s why I’m holding out.” Over the last few years the big left hander has become far more recognizable for his heroics in Twenty20 cricket, but remains one of the world’s most accomplished in all white gear. In 103 Tests matches Gayle has scored an impressive 7214 runs at an average of 42.18, having blasted 15 hundreds, including the pair of triple centuries.
N AT I O N A L y o u t h coach, Garvin Nedd,believes West Indies under-19 selectees, Guyanese Keemo Paul and Bhaskar Yadram are mentally strong enough to execute during the 2017 NAGICO Regional Super50 tournament.
Keemo Paul
Chris Gayle
Burkina Faso beat Guinea Bissau 2-0 to win Afcon group BURKINA Faso progressed to the Africa Cup of Nations(Afcon) quarter-finals as group winners after seeing off Guinea-Bissau 2-0. A defensive mix up gifted Burkina Faso the lead, as defender Rudinilson Silva headed past onrushing goal-
By Rajiv Bisnauth
keeper Jonas Mendes and into his own net. On-loan Ajax forward Bertrand Traore doubled the advantage with a composed left-footed finish after the break. Cameroon also went through as group runners-up
The duo are part of a 14man squad to participate in the upcoming tournament, which runs from January 24 to February 18 in Antigua and Barbados. “I expect great things from both players,” Nedd said in an exclusive interview on Friday. “Both are exceptional and talented players. They are mentally strong, so I expect them to execute well.” Nedd,who coached both after a goalless draw with Gabon that saw the hosts eliminated. Guinea-Bissau, making their Africa Cup of Nations debut in this tournament, looked the more likely to open the scoring, before handing Burkina Faso the lead.
players at different youth levels, also believes that the game‘s situation will play an important role for both players, in terms of their performances. “Paul is a brilliant all-rounder, and once he plays to his strength, he will come out successful. Yadram, on the other hand, is doing well for the past months. He is a free-scoring batsman and he needs to continue in that attitude, but the games situation will be key (to) how they perform,” the current national under-17 coach pointed out. Meanwhile, president of the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC), Alfred Mentore,believes Paul is a star in the making. According to Mentore, Paul, who is one of the three over-aged players selected in the squad, has a bright and good future ahead of him. “Paul (Keemo) is an exceptionally talented player, and the opportunity given to him will definitely give him a chance to express himself going forward,” Mentore said. He added, “With the likes of the Bravos and the Pollards coming to the tail-end of their international careers, players like Paul need to advertise Rudinilson's header looked to have crossed the line, but Prejuce Nakoulma thumped in to make sure after Guinea-Bissau attempted to scramble it away. The dangerous Piqueti went closest to levelling, but Burkina Faso keeper Koffi
their true potential. This is an opportunity which he needs to grab with both hands”. Mentore strongly feels that Paul is definitely a future for Guyana and West Indies cricket. The 14-member squad includes five players who were part of the team which won the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh last year.They are all-rounders Shamar Springer and Paul; middle-order batsman Kirstan Kallicharan; wicket-keeper/batsman Emmanuel Stewart; and left-arm fast bowler Obed McCoy. The West Indies Under-19s are participating in this tournament as part of their preparation for the ICC Under-19 World Cup, to be played in New Zealand next year. Springer, Paul and McCoy will not be eligible for that tournament, but have been selected as part of their future development and monitoring. The West Indies Under-19s will play in Zone A, which is based in Antigua. They will play alongside defending champions Trinidad & Tobago Red Force,along with Windward Islands Volcanoes, Kent Spitfire and host team Leeward Islands Kouakou was able to push the winger's low strike wide of the far post. Juary Soares could have equalised in the second half when a corner found the Guinea-Bissau defender unmarked at in the six-yard box, but Abdou Traore threw himself in
Bhaskar Yadram
Hurricanes. Full squad: Te-Shawn Alleyne, Alick Athanaze, Joshua Bishop, Shian Brathwaite, Kirstan Kallicharan, Mikyle Louis, Obed McCoy, Matthew Patrick, Keemo Paul, Jeavor Royal, Javier Spencer, Shamar Springer, Emmanuel Stewart and Bhaskar Yadram. Team management: Graeme West (Head Coach); To n y G r a y ( A s s i s t a n t Coach); Dwain Gill (Team Manager); Khevyn Williams (Physiotherapist); Dinesh Mahabir (Analyst); Zephyrinus Nicholas (Trainer).
Garvin Nedd
front of the goalbound shot. Burkina Faso immediately went down to the other end to increase their lead, with Nakoulma setting up Traore, on loan at Ajax from Chelsea, to slide a finish beyond Mendes. (BBC Sport)