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Sunday August 06, 2017
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur Sports Week in Review Each host nation except Trinidad and St Lucia (who will have 5) will have four games and the Warriors will come up against the Trinbago Knight Riders on Saturday August 19 from 12:30hrs, Barbados Tridents on Sunday August 20 before their final game in Guyana is set for Tuesday August 22 when the face-off with the St Lucia stars from 18:00hrs. Khan encouraged fans to enjoy Corona Beer but reminded them to drink responsibly.
SPORTS WEEK IN REVIEW Over the past week there were several developments in the local world of sports despite the inclement weather affecting many events. Among the highlights were the recapturing of the Digicel Schools Football title by Chase Academy, Guyana being edged out by the USA South in the RAN 15’s championship, basketball with the attendance of US coaches to run a clinic here, hockey laying a plastic tile covering on the Sports Hall floor for their tournament and the promise that the Digicel Schools football will continue but with some changes.
HARPER SAYS HE WILL FOCUS ON EACH MATCH AS WARRIORS HUNT FIRST CPL TITLE
USA SOUTH EDGE GUYANA TO CLAIM RAN 15’S TITLE The United States of America South withstood the challenges of a determined Guyana team to win the final of the RAN tournament 23-19 at the National Park. Played on a soggy ground in front of a colourful crowd, USA South opened their account in the 17th minute when Zach Miller scored a penalty. Hein Erasmus stretched the visitors advantage10 minutes later with the first try of the contest as they took an 8-0 lead. USA South strategised well in the first half and increased their lead further minutes before the interval as flanker Wayne Chermerly ran some 30 meters down the left for another try. Trailing 13-0 at half time, Guyana looked more aggressive in the second half, however their opponents extended their lead when Miller anchored his second penalty 20 minutes into the second half leaving the score 16-0. Urged on by their vociferous fans, Guyana fought back well and Patrick King gave them much to cheer about when he scored a try from center field 10 minutes later. Godfrey Broomes then made no mistake with the conversion as the host chalked up seven points. The Americans overlapped well and Jordan Gunderson and Miller put them further ahead in the 73rd minute (23-7) with a try and a conversion respectively. However, the Guyanese didn’t give up and Osei McKenzie gave them hope with a try, leaving the score 23-12. Guyana continued to improve as the game progressed, but Lancelot Adonis missed a th conversion in the 77 minute before McKenzie got in another try in the 80th leaving the score at 23-17. With time quickly running out, Godfrey Broomes closed the gap further with a conversion, but the visitors managed to hold on for the win. CHASE ACADEMY REPEAT AS CHAMPS, DOWN ANNAI 6-2; WARAMADONG END 3RD A Stephon Reynolds hat-trick
Digicel CEO Gregory Dean presenting the first place cheque to Chase Academy Captain, Jeremy Garrett. and a double from Nicholas McArthur was the foundation that led to Chase Academy retaining championship honours for the second consecutive year as the best in the Digicel Schools’ Football Championships which ended last evening at the Leonora Track and Field Facility, Leonora, West Coast Demerara. It was a fitting end to the 2017 edition and even as many were speculating that this may be the last year of the championships, Digicel CEO Gregory Dean, one of the many dignitaries attending, informed the media that the tournament is here to stay. Witnessed by over three thousand fans which included Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Sydney Allicock, Minister in the Ministry of Communities Dawn Hastings-Williams, Guyana Football federation President Wayne Forde, Director of Sport Christopher Jones and Digicel Head of Marketing Ms Jacqueline James among others, Chase steamrollered first timers Annai 62, while Waramadong’s DC Caesar Fox exacted revenge over Christianburg after six years, beating them 3-1 to claim the third place. Chase were very dominant and compact in winning the top prize of One Million Dollars that will go towards a school project; they took the attack to Annai from the first whistle with the latter having no real response. Annai did not leave the arena a dejected unit as they collected the second place cheque for $700,000 from Digicel’s Head of Marketing Ms Jacqueline James as well as two of the three prestigious awards, MVP (Sherral Daniels) and Highest Goal Scorer, Naidson Daniels who
ended with 11-goals. Waramadong’s DC Caesar Fox, third place winners via a 3-1 scoreline over Christianburg, got their goals from their most prolific scorer, Reon McNaughton in the 11th minute, Whitaker Paul in the 25th and Kevin Hasting in the 43rd minute. Christianburg got their consolation goal from Darwin Adolphous in the 67th minute. Waramadong collected the third place cheque of $400,000 from Minister in the Ministry of Communities Dawn HastingsWilliams, while the 4th prize of $350,000 went to Christianburg. GUYANA CAN BE ASSURED DSFC WILL CONTINUE – CEO DEAN MANAGEMENT CHANGES IMMINENT Following another successful Digicel Schools’ Football Championships (DSFC), Guyana can be assured that the championships, the biggest at the school level in Guyana’s history, will continue. This is the assurance given by Chief Executive Officer of Digicel, Gregory Dean who spoke with the media following the final which saw Chase Academy successfully retaining the title for the second year in a row with a 6-2 blanking of first timers to the final, Annai. There would have been rumors that this was the final year for the competition but Dean dispelled those rumors stating that the tournament will continue but there will certainly be changes as regards the administration of the championship which would have been done by Digicel staff in the 7year history of the competition.
”Just to be clear, there is no issue with us continuing with the tournament, I think we’ve been honest that we can’t do the tournament the way we’ve been doing it, we just don’t have the staff; staff doesn’t have the time to run the tournament the way it’s been running for the past seven years. We just need to change the way we’ve been doing the tournament but we don’t have any issue with continuing the tournament.” He underscored the fact that it would have been very challenging for his staff to be going into the various regions to run the tournament and still have their Digicel jobs to do. CORONA GETS ‘POURING RIGHTS’ FOR BEER IN GUYANA LEG OF CPL Wayne James, the CEO of Top Brandz, the exclusive distributer of Corona Beer in Guyana, renewed his company’s partnership with the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the fifth year. Corona Beer has once again been awarded exclusive pouring rights for Beer for the Warriors during the Guyana leg of the 2017 CPL. James said his company is again pleased to have their Beer at the biggest party in sport, while the CPL is in Guyana and hopes the anticipated capacity crown have a rollicking time and celebrate with a Corona Beer, while the Warriors Manager, Trinidadian Omar Khan, informed only Corona Beer can be sold in the Stadium when Guyana play Jamaica Tallawahs from 18:00hrs in their first game on home soil on August 17 and their three other games here.
Following the one-week camp here for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Head Coach Roger Harper informed that under the circumstances he was satisfied with the camp and the three practice games. “I am satisfied. We leave for Florida…, will have two days of practice there,” said the 54 year-old former West Indies off-spinner. Harper said that the Warriors are focusing on the first match and each game after that so as to qualify for the playoff stage. “When we get to the final we will focus on that game. We start any competition with the aim of winning it. We have reached the final on three occasions but did not play like the Warriors’ who played in the rest of the tournament,” informed Harper. Guptill, who has played 177 t20 games including 61 at International level where he has scored one ton and 10 fifties, spoke about team spirit and his own form. “Team spirit is high and we are depending on everyone to play their part during the competition. I was happy to spend some time in the middle today but I don’t judge my form on practice matches on pitches like this one here in Guyana. We should have good pitches when we get to Florida and performances in the actual tournament is what matters,” Guptill said. TOP PERFORMANCES ANTICIPATED IN BOYCE/JEFFORD INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S 1500M Guyana’s middle distance queens will be tested against defending champion, Grenada’s, Kenisha Pascal this weekend at the Boyce and Jefford Track and Field Classic VIII, which is set to begin at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground, Linden on Saturday. Pascal had never won before storming to victory in the International Women’s 1500m ahead of an impressive field last year. The path to victory does not seem clear cut in the 2017 edition (Continued on page 67)