07012016 sports

SPORTS SECTION E

FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2016

Euro 2016

Quarter-finals, Page 5

JONES SCORES SEASON HIGH 16 POINTS IN LOSS TO MERCURY

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

1-2 PUNCH: Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace (centre) led a 1-2 finish for the Bahamas in the 50m butterfly. She swam to a gold medal and new CISC record in 26.79 followed by Bria Deveaux (left) who claimed silver in 28.59.

SEE MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 2

Medal mania

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

eam Bahamas is well on pace to complete their quest and make history at the XXI Caribbean Island Swimming Championships.

The 69-member team delivered another dominant performance in last night’s evening session at the Betty Kelly Kenning Aquatic Centre.

The Bahamas collected 22 medals in the session, with a multiple individual medal night from rising star Lamar Taylor and a pair of new CISC records for Albury Higgs and Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace.

The 200m Free was the first series of races and the Bahamas claimed four medals in the event.

In the senior division, Matthew Lowe stepped down from his usual distance specialties and won gold in 1:55.10 seconds while Joanna Evans also won gold in 2:02.95.

“I basically just go all out the whole time. Coming off of the last wall I was out front so I just had to keep going,” Lowe said. “The past year I’ve been training for open water and I recently swam an open water 10k in Portugal. I believe training for that made me so successful at nationals and now at CISC.” Taylor won silver in the Boys 11-12 division in 2:10.93 and Samuel Gibson won bronze in the Boys 13-14 in 2:02.72.

The 50 Fly was even more successful for Team Bahamas in which they netted six med-

T

als. Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace continued her dominance at the meet thus far and led a 1-2 finish for the Bahamas in the senior division.

“It was a good swim. I’m pretty happy with that. I was trying not to spin it too much because that’s what I tend to do with the 50m Fly,” Vanderpool-Wallace said. “It’s just a relaxing meet to be back home with family, be outside be in the hot weather and swimming outdoors. My coach just wants me to be home and have fun.”

She swam to a gold medal and new CISC record in 26.79 followed by Bria Deveaux who won silver in 28.59.

In the senior men, Vereance Burrows won bronze in 24.54.

Taylor won his third medal in three events with a silver in the Boys 11-12 in a time of 28.96. Darren Laing won silver in the Boys 13-14 in 26.16 and N’Nhyn Fernander added a third silver in the Boys 15-17 in 25.47.

Another pair of medal winners came in the 100m Back with Taylor continuing his busy night with a bronze in 1:07.98. Virginia Stamp followed with bronze in the Girls 13-14 in 1:07.10.

In the 400m Individual Medley, the Higgs sisters took gold and silver in the same race for the second consecutive night.

Albury won gold in 5:05.59, a new CISC record, while Lilly took silver in 5:08.33.

Peter Morley took silver in the Boys 13-14 event in 4:57.09.

Day 3 features the 200IM, 50m breast, 100m Free, 200m Fly and 800m Free Relays. The preliminary session begins at 9am with finals swam at 6pm.

VEREANCE BURROWS, of the Bahamas, won bronze in the 50m butterfly yesterday.

Photos by Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

THE Connecticut Sun front office decided to alter its roster after a disappointing start to the season and the recent move has already paid dividends for Jonquel Jones.

Jones finished JONES with a rookie season high 16 points and tied her season high with nine rebounds in the Sun’s 86-75 loss to the Phoenix Mercury last night at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.

She also added three blocks and two steals in a season high 29 minutes.

The Mercury opened the game with a 13-2 run and led the entire way. Connecticut trimmed the deficit to four at halftime after trailing by 15 early in the second quarter.

Phoenix, seventh in the AP WNBA power poll, opened the second half with a 15-2 run to take a 56-39 lead. The 11th-ranked Sun (3-13) got no closer than 72-64 on Jonquel Jones’ 3-pointer with 5:50 left.

The additional minutes in the front court were made available to Jones once the Sun traded Kelsey Bone to the Mercury for rookie Courtney Williams and the draft rights to Jillian Alleyne, as well as a second round pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft.

In 2015, Bone earned the WNBA’s Most Improved Player Award after averaging a career-high 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. This season, she averaged 10.7 points and 5.4 rebounds through the first 14 games of the year.

On the season Jones is averaging 5.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and one block in just over 12 minutes per game.

It was her third game of the season where she played over 20 minutes and has been extremely efficient in each outing. In those three games she has averaged 11.6 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals per game.

Jones has been in the media recently for her play on the court as well as her relationship with childhood friend and fellow lottery pick Buddy Hield.

Both players were drafted No.6 in their respective drafts, Jones at No.6 by the LA Sparks before she was traded to Connecticut and Hield by the New Orleans Pelicans.

“The whole Bahamas is really excited about it. Having two first-rounders in the same year, that’s unprecedented,” Jones said. “Everything that he’s done he deserves it because he works so hard. Every time you hear a story about his work ethic, everything I’ve heard has been the exact truth.”

Hield returned the favour of compliments to Jones reminiscing on the days when they first stepped on the court together at Hugh Campbell Primary School in Grand Bahama.

“She’s a hard worker and we’d get to compete against each other every day in practice,” Hield said at the NBA Draft.

“She used to play against us, the boys, and she used to kill us. From day one, I knew she was going to make it. She told me we were going to see each other at the Draft. Now we’re here.”

‘The guys are in great shape and they have been working very hard’

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WITH the Caribbean Basketball Confederation returning the Under-16 Boys Basketball Championships for the first time in more than a decade, the Bahamas Basketball Federation is looking to regain another title.

Quinton ‘3-Ounce’ Hall said one of the good things is that the coaching staff was able to bring players together from New Providence, Grand Bahama and Sal Salvador to make up the team.

“The guys are in great shape and they have been working very hard, so I anticipate that they will do excellent,” Hall said. “We have a very good team. Of course, we know that basketball has grown since we last won this tournament when Michael Carey was on the team and Buddy Hield came off the bench. So we just have to be prepared for anything.”

While Hield went on to become a lottery pick at No.6 in the first

BAHAMAS READY FOR CARIBBEAN BASKETBALL CONFEDERATION U-16 BOYS CHAMPIONSHIPS round of last week’s NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans, Carey was featured on the men’s national basketball team that finished seventh at the CentroBasket Tournament in Panama.

Hall said they don’t have a crystal ball where they can look ahead and determine that there are some potential NBA or men’s national basketball team players included in this squad.

“They will all have to go out and determine their own destiny,” said Hall, who went on to post an exciting collegiate career as a point guard with Gonzaga College, taking the team to the NCAA Elite Eight.

“I know that we have a team

SEE PAGE 8

FINAL PRACTICE: Members of our under-16 boys’ basketball team took part in a final practice session yesterday at the AF Adderley Gym. Photo by Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

PAGE 2, Friday, July 1, 2016

SAMUEL GIBSON (far right), of the Bahamas, won bronze in the Boys 13-14 200m free.

THE TRIBUNE

JOANNA EVANS (centre), of the Bahamas, won gold in the senior division of the 200m free.

GOLD FEVER: Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace led a 1-2 finish for the Bahamas in the 50m butterfly yesterday during the XXI Caribbean Island Swimming Championships. She swam to a gold medal and new CISC record in 26.79.

Photos by Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

SWIMMERS compete on day two of the XXI Caribbean Island Swimming Championships at the Betty Kelly Kenning National Swim Complex yesterday.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, July 1, 2016, PAGE 3

Bahamas could have done better than 7th overall in CentroBasket It’s not how you start, nor how you get there. Most importantly, it’s how you finish • The Finish Line, a weekly column, seeks to comment on the state of affairs in local sports, highlighting the highs and the lows, the thrills and the spills and the successes and failures.

THE WEEK THAT WAS IT was one of those could have, should have performances for the men’s national basketball team.

There’s no way, with the talent that they had, that they should not and could not have done better than the seventh place finish they turned in at the CentroBasket tournament in Panama.

So what went wrong?

There are so many questions to be asked after watching the team lose their opener to the British Virgin Islands, a team that the Bahamas has enjoyed so many successes over the years.

Then, when you consider the talent assembled and the way the team played, how could they have lost such large leads as they did in losing games to both the Dominican Republic and Mexico.

The team - coached by Mario Bowleg - saved their best performance, showing a lot of pride, by routing Nicaragua by 43 points.

Bowleg apparently sat on the bench in the last game as Norris Bain, one of the two assistant coaches, coached the team. DeAndre Ayton didn’t suit up to play, nor did Jaraun ‘Keno’ Burrows and Tharan Cox. From all indications, the latter two players were injured and with the game having no meaning in the standings, except for bragging rights, a decision was

made not to play Ayton.

The 7-foot centre is a high school sensation in the United States for Hillcrest Prep in Arizona. He is considered the best long-term prospect in high school basketball coming out in the 2017 class and could eventually land a collegiate gig for Kansas.

Ayton, 17, came on as a last minute addition to the team, but made a huge difference in the middle as he was a towering figure for the Bahamas on both ends of the court, scoring on the inside and outside and blocking shots on his opponents.

Listening to the commentators during the live broadcast of the games, all they were talking about was Ayton and how much he impacted the game.

For some reason, it didn’t seem as if the Bahamas’ coaching staff, which also included Wayde Watson and Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson, utilised Ayton as much as they should have.

There were also some concerns about the language uttered from Bowleg as he instructed the players during their time outs as the microphones were placed on the team.

Bowleg, a former player for the AF Adderley Fighting Tigers, is indeed an excellent coach who has won using those tactics at the high school level with the CC Sweeting Cobras and the women’s league with the Career Builders Lady Cheetahs.

I would think you need a calmer approach in dealing with the men on the national team. But that’s the style of coaching that Bowleg is used to and I’m not sure if he’s prepared to change right now.

Even though we didn’t have Buddy Hield in the

“THERE ARE SO MANY QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED AFTER WATCHING THE TEAM LOSE THEIR OPENER TO THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS, A TEAM THAT THE BAHAMAS HAS ENJOYED SO MANY SUCCESSES OVER THE YEARS. THEN, WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE TALENT ASSEMBLED AND THE WAY THE TEAM PLAYED, HOW COULD THEY HAVE LOST SUCH LARGE LEADS AS THEY DID IN LOSING GAMES TO BOTH THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND MEXICO.”

DEANDRE AYTON and coach Norris Bain at the CentroBasket tournament in Panama. line-up, I still believe that we had a very solid team in Panama that could have and should have, if not win the tournament, at least played much better than they did.

Bowleg said the federation would have to look at restructuring the team after qualifying for the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games with the seventh

place finish.

There are a lot of players who are playing on the collegiate scene and overseas in various professional leagues, who could fit into the equation as the federation looks ahead to qualifying for the Tournament of Americas and eventually the 2020 Olympic Games.

But there is still a lot more work to do done at both the coaching level and in the inclusion of the team players.

It can’t just be a different coaching staff this year and another one next year.

Just like putting a core group of players together and working with them over a period of time, the coaching staff has to be a little more consistent or the players won’t buy into the system.

THE WEEK AHEAD SOME of our athletes and swimmers are all sitting on pins and needles as they wait on the final decision on the selection of Team Bahamas for the 2016 Olympic

Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Following the national championships by both the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations and the Bahamas Swimming Federation, the Bahamas Olympic Committee will have the task of completing the ratification of Team Bahamas.

The swimmers have until the end of the Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships this weekend at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex before they know who will be invited

by FINA and who will not make it. And the athletes have until July 11, one day after the Blue Marlins Track Classic is staged at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, before the IAAF completes its list of participants.

So there’s still some breathing room for our swimmers and athletes before the window closes on their participation in the Rio Olympics August 5-21.

BLTA TO HOST 15TH ANNUAL ITF JUNKANOO BOWL STARTING ON MONDAY LYFORD Cay International School (LCIS) held its first ever Swing for Scholarships event earlier this month.

First ever Swing for Scholarships raises $31,000 for Lyford Cay School’s Financial-Aid Programme LYFORD Cay International School (LCIS) held its first ever Swing for Scholarships event earlier this month and successfully raised $31,000 towards the school’s financial-aid and scholarship programme that allows qualified Bahamian students, who would not otherwise be able to, to attend LCIS. Forty local golf enthusiasts took part in the event - a fourperson team scramble - at the Lyford Cay Club Golf Course.

One hundred per cent of the proceeds from team sponsorships went directly to support the Financial-Aid and Scholarship Fund at LCIS, thanks to the incredible generosity of Master Sponsor CornèrTrader.

Dr Michele Clivio, CEO of Cornèr Bank (Overseas) Ltd, shared the bank’s excitement in partnering with LCIS: “CornèrTrader, in conjunction with Cornèr Bank (Overseas) Ltd, is delighted to assist LCIS through

RESULTS

1st Place - Team Klonaris & Co (Mike Klonaris, Bruce Fernie, Michael Unwin & Miles Evans) 2nd Place - Team Woslee Construction (Marc Hewison, Chris Wright, Nicolas Ratcliff & Scott Kennedy) Longest Drive - Chris Wright (Team Woslee Construction) Nearest the Pin - Michael

OVERALL CHAMPIONS of Lyford Cay International School’s first ever Swing for Scholarships event its sponsorship of the Swing for Scholarships event. It is because of Cornèr Bank’s firm belief in education and creating lifechanging opportunities for Bahamian students and families that we were delighted to invest Unwin (Team Klonaris & Co) Sponsors for the event include CornèrTrader; Albany; Commonwealth Brewery Limited; Glinton, Sweeting, O’Brien; HG Christie; JS Johnson; Klonaris & Co; Lake Nona Golf & Country Club; Lyford Cay Club; Ocean Club Golf Course; Pictet Bank & Trust Ltd; The Jones Family; The Morris Family; The Sarofim Family; Woslee Construction

in this event that promises great return for the Bahamian community.”

Over the past five years, LCIS has been able to invest over $800,000 toward financial aid, and students who have graduated have gone on to earn over $3.6 million in scholarships from colleges and universities around the world. The school plans to greatly increase its reach and impact on the Bahamian community in the coming years, by investing a further $1.5 million into its financial-aid and scholarship endowment.

LCIS Development Director Dr Joanna Paul commented on the generosity of the event’s sponsors and the far-reaching impact of their support, stating: “We would like to thank all of our team sponsors who sup-

ported this event. Your contributions are an important part of our community’s longstanding commitment to making the world-class international education that LCIS provides accessible to more Bahamian families. As we look forward to the construction of our new Upper School campus, we envision many more opportunities to impact Bahamian youth.”

LCIS intends to make the Swing for Scholarships an annual event, and will continue to look forward to the support of its corporate and individual sponsors. LCIS provides a challenging and transformative education, and with the support of a generous community, many more Bahamian students will enjoy the lifelong success that an LCIS education allows.

THE Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) is all set to host its 15th Annual International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junkanoo Bowl Tournament July 4-9.

The tournament is sponsored

by Massy United Insurance and RMS Insurance Agents & Brokers. The event will feature top juniors from over 30 countries including Germany, United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, France, Russia and Guatemala just to name a few. There will be under-14 and U-18 girls and boys categories. The tournament promises to be one to be remembered as it is celebrating 15 years in The Bahamas. The 32-draw tournament has a plethora of entrants and there will be over 100 international tennis players coming to our shores.

The two-time Junkanoo Bowl tournament director Barbara Carey said: “ It is a very special year for the tournament. Players ranking 100 and 200 in the world will be participating and this will make the tournament very competitive. There are approximately 11 female and nine male players from The Bahamas, including some of our top juniors. There are many persons on the waiting list as the tournament entrant pool is very large. Therefore some persons will not be accommodated. Next year the draw may be increased to 64 which will be good for The Bahamas as a whole and tennis in particular.”

Mickey Williams, the ITF supervisor, will continue to be the head referee and has been very instrumental in organising the tournament. Considered one of the most knowledgeable local figures on the rules and regulations of international tournament play, he has been key to the past successes of the international tournaments hosted in The Bahamas.

The opening ceremony for the tournament is slated to be held 6:15pm July 3 at the National Tennis Centre and is open to the public. Player sign-in for the main draw will also be 4-6pm Sunday and approximately 5075 players will be in attendance.

The BLTA thanks its sponsors Massy United Insurance and RMS Insurance Agents & Brokers for their kind contribution.

PAGE 4, Friday, July 1, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

BAHAMAS ASSOCIATION OF ATHLETIC ASSOCIATIONS AWARDS BANQUET

Honouring our most outstanding athletes of 2015 ATHLETES, coaches, officials and spectators enjoy the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ annual awards banquet to honour the most outstanding athletes for the 2015 season at SuperClubs Breezes on Sunday night.

CARMIESHA COX receives her award from BAAAs president Rosamunde Carey.

JEFFERY GIBSON won Senior Male Track Athlete of the Year.

OLYMPIC gold medallist Tonique Williams-Darling (centre) with Brianne Bethel - she won the Dianna Lynn Thompson Junior Female Athlete of the Year - and Charisma Taylor (right).

VETERAN coach and patron Keith Parker with his wife, Sara.

FAMILY AFFAIR: Laura and Dave Charlton share a special moment with their daughters Anthaya and Devynne Charlton - she won Collegiate Athlete of the Year.

CHARISMA TAYLOR receives the Ronald Cartwright Junior Female Field Athlete of the Year award from Tim Munnings, sports director.

LEEVAN SANDS won Senior Male Field Athlete of the Year.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, July 1, 2016, PAGE 5

Portugal leave it late again to claim Euro 2016 semi-final place MARSEILLE (AP) - Portugal like to leave it late at the European Championship in France, whether Cristiano Ronaldo is having a good game or not.

The Portuguese have been level after 90 minutes in every game this tournament, a run that continued yesterday as Ronaldo and his teammates drew 1-1 with Poland after extra time, before advancing to the semi-finals with a 5-3 victory on penalties.

With Ronaldo once again far from his best, two of the Real Madrid star’s supporting cast stepped up. Eighteen-year-old Renato Sanches, Portugal’s youngest ever starter at a European Championship, scored the equaliser and took man-of-the-match honours with his smart movement and neat footwork.

Then substitute Ricardo Quaresma struck the winning penalty in the shootout, five days after he scored an extra-time winner against Croatia in the round of 16.

Quaresma fired his spot-kick past Lukasz Fabianski to line up a match against either Wales or Belgium in Lyon on Wednesday, securing Portugal’s fourth semi-final at the last five European Championships.

Poland winger Jakub Blaszczykowski had come into the match at the Stade Velodrome as his team’s top scorer. But he had a poor game and saw his penalty saved one-handed by Rui Patricio, allowing Quaresma to finish the job with the next kick in front of a stand packed with Polish fans.

Last week, Ronaldo had lived up to his star billing by scoring two goals in Portugal’s 3-3 draw with Hungary to reach the last 16.

It was a rare moment of excellence at Euro 2016. Yesterday, he was back to squandering chances and misplacing his passes, leaving midfielder Sanches to step up and score Portugal’s equaliser in the first half.

The teenager was his team’s main attacking threat for much of the game.

“It’s wonderful for the team, for me as well for scoring the goal,” Sanches said. “People criticize us, but we don’t care because in the end we’re in the semis.”

Earlier, Poland striker Robert Lewandowski had put his team in front with the quickest goal of the tournament, scoring inside two minutes. Portugal right-back Cedric Soares misjudged a cross-field ball, allowing Kamil Grosicki to

PORTUGAL’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with his teammate Ricardo Quaresma after winning the Euro 2016 quarter-final against Poland. (AP) break into space and send in a low cross for Lewandowski to convert with a first-time shot.

Poland’s lead lasted until the 33rd minute, when Sanches lit up the game. The youngster, who has just been signed by Bayern Munich, cut in from the right and passed to Nani, who sent it back immediately with a neat backheel. Sanches then unleashed a powerful shot from the

edge of the area that took a deflection off Grzegorz Krychowiak on its way past the outstretched Fabianski.

Despite becoming the thirdyoungest scorer in European Championship history, Sanches played down his goal, calling it simply “a move that just turned out that way and I scored”. He also volunteered to take a penalty in the shootout and scored with a confident strike into the top-left corner.

The match might have been settled in regulation time if Ronaldo hadn’t missed a golden opportunity in the 85th minute. He beat the Polish offside trap with a perfectly timed run, but completely missed the ball as he tried to convert a bouncing pass from Joao Moutinho.

The Real Madrid star missed another good chance early in extra time when he failed to control the ball in front of goal. The errors meant he has yet to match Michel Platini’s all-time record at European Championships of nine goals.

However, Ronaldo did score with Portugal’s opening penalty of the shootout. After the game, Ronaldo threw away his captain’s armband in frustration.

Wales warm to pressure of history-making Belgium game LILLE (AP) - The last time the spotlight was on Wales in the way it is now at the European Championship in France, a 17-year-old Pele scored the only goal for Brazil in a World Cup quarter-final.

Today, Wales can go one stage further than they did in 1958 - the last time they made the finals of a major tournament - when they take on Belgium for a place in the last four.

“You have to put this down as the biggest game our country has ever been involved in (since),” Wales coach Chris Coleman said yesterday. “That’s a big deal.”

It is a new kind of pressure on a team UEFA has dubbed one of its two “Cinderella stories” - with Iceland - at Euro 2016.

“It’s a fantastic pressure to have,

a real positive pressure that we’ve earned,” said Coleman. “It hasn’t always been like that, it’s been tough.”

When Coleman took charge in 2012, Wales were ranked outside the top 100 by FIFA and in a downward spiral of low seeding and tough draws while trying to qualify for tournaments.

“We have experienced the other pressure which is tough, a lot tougher than this one we have got, I can promise you that,” the former Wales defender said. Coleman said a crucial point in the turnaround was when Wales drew 1-1 against World Cup-bound Belgium in October, 2013.

The two teams were again grouped in qualifying for Euro 2016 and Wales more than held their

own: a 0-0 draw in Brussels and a 1-0 win in Cardiff, clinched by Gareth Bale’s goal.

Coleman cautioned against seeking form lines from games played more than a year ago.

“Whatever we know about Belgium, the games we have had in the past will count for nothing,” he said.

What could count is the fitness of key defenders on either side. Belgium will be without left back Jan Vertonghen, who will miss the rest of the tournament after twisting his ankle in training, and centre back Thomas Vermaelen, who is serving a one-match ban.

By contrast, Wales have been boosted by captain Ashley Williams recovering from a left shoulder injury. The 31-year-old centre

BRITAIN’s Chris Froome prepares to leave for a training ride two days before the start of the Tour de France cycling race at the team hotel in Port-en-Bessin-Huppain, France, yesterday. (AP)

TOUR DE FRANCE: CHRIS FROOME WORRIED ABOUT PURE CLIMBERS SAINT-LO (AP) - Featuring two individual time trials and a lot of mountains, the Tour de France route suits titleholder Chris Froome well. The British allrounder, however, believes pure climbing specialists will excel in the heat of the French summer when the 103rd edition of the cycling classic starts tomorrow.

“It’s a route that is very much a climbers’ route,” Froome said before the grand depart at Mont SaintMichel. “Even though we have two time trials, they are very hilly time trials.”

Those two stages take place in the second half of the 2,186 miles, three-week race. The first one, on stage 13, is on 23 miles of rolling terrain in the Ardeche region, and comes a day after the daunting ascent of Mont Ventoux, where Froome made his mark in 2013 for his first Tour triumph.

The second time trial, in the Alps, will be the Tour’s first mountain time trial since the 2004 ascent of l’Alpe d’Huez. “The guys who climb well should go right in them,” Froome said.

Careful of maintaining a sense of suspense until the very end of the race, Tour organisers have chiselled a well-balanced route with many opportunities for Froome’s main rivals, Nairo Quintana, Alberto Contador and Fabio Aru,

as well as the French duo of Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet.

The race features 28 mountain passes and four very hard stages in four days in the final week, where the trio of main contenders is expected to be among the leaders and on the attack.

In 2013 and 2015, Froome lost time to Quintana in the closing mountain stages.

But he has slightly changed his schedule this year in order to maintain his peak longer, especially as he will be competing in the road race at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August.

If that different approach bears fruit, Froome should be in a better shape come the third week of the Tour.

“He’s coming up to top form a bit later, and he’ll try to hold onto that through to the Olympics and the second part of the season,” Team Sky chief Dave Brailsford said. “He is in great shape.”

In his quest to become just the eighth rider to win three Tours, Froome will be helped by the strongest team in the field. Team Sky features Sergio Henao, Mikel Landa, Woet Poels and Geraint Thomas, who will be key assets during the nine mountain stages.

“We’ve got a fantastic team. I’ve got a lot of confidence in my teammates,” Froome said at his team hotel in Normandy. “I feel

privileged to be in a position to be leading a lineup of guys like that. Guys who can be leaders in their own right have come here to support me. It’s something that gives me a lot of confidence coming into the Tour de France.

Every rider obviously starts every new Tour equal and what has gone before counts for nothing,” Froome said.

“This year I am hungrier than ever for success.”

The 21-stage race opens at Mont-Saint-Michel, a World Heritage Benedictine abbey perched on a rock off the Normandy coast. The picture-postcard starting stage ends at Utah Beach, where Allied troops landed on D-Day in 1944. The race scales the Pyrenees before the Alps, just as the Tour did last year, again going counter-clockwise around France. That breaks with tradition because generally the Tour alternates between clockwise and counterclockwise.

The Tour will visit three neighbouring countries Spain, Andorra and Switzerland - and pass through 16 sites and stage cities unseen in previous editions.

The most difficult stage on paper appears to be the eighth leg, a challenging 114-mile route through the Pyrenees from Pau to Bagneres-de-Luchon that features the legendary Col du Tourmalet plus three more serious climbs.

back collided with a teammate in the 1-0 over Northern Ireland in the round of 16 last Saturday.

Belgium come into the match in form, following their 4-0 drubbing of Hungary in the round of 16. They also has the potential advantage of playing what is almost a home match - Lille is just six miles from the Belgian border.

Coleman noted that while Belgium “play with imagination, they have got pace and power,” his own team, with a defence-minded reputation, have scored just one goal fewer.

“When it is time to defend, we will defend with our lives,” the Wales coach said. “And when it is time to attack, we will attack with our lives. If we do that, Belgium will be in for a hell of a game.”

EURO 2016 AT A GLANCE

Kick offs Bahamian time. All matches televised live on ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPN Deportes QUARTER-FINALS Thursday, June 30 Poland 1 (Lewandowski) Portugal 1 (Sanchez) (after extra time, Portugal won 5-3 on penalties) Friday, July 1 Wales v Belgium (3pm) Saturday, July 2 Germany v Italy (3pm) Sunday, July 3 France v Iceland (3pm) SEMI-FINALS Wednesday, July 6 Portugal v Wales or Belgium (3pm) Thursday, July 7 Germany or Italy v France or Iceland (3pm) FINAL Sunday, July 10 At Saint-Denis, Paris (3pm) Leading goalscorers 3: Bale (Wales), Morata (Spain), Griezmann (France) 2: Stancu (Romania), Payet (France), Lukaku (Belgium), Perisic (Croatia), Nani (Portugal), Dzsudzsak (Hungary), Ronaldo (Portugal), Blaszczykowski (Poland), Brady (Ireland), Gomez (Germany), Pelle (Italy), Sigurdsson (Iceland).

NEED HELP? Call 0904 161 1609 for 5 extra clues! Ca

PAGE 6, Friday, July 1, 2016

NAME

21

THE TRIBUNE

22

23

25

26

ADDRESS 27

FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN £10 letters in the highlighted squares to

POSTCODE JUDGE PARKER

28

TO ENTER: Call 0904 161 1607 and leav 88600. Calls cost £1.50 plus your teleph midnight tonight. Or send your grid conta Sutton Coldfield B73 9BT. Entries must be number. ● The winner will be the first NEED HELP? Call 0904 161 1609 for 5

CARPE DIEM

THE DAILY EXPRESS 30-SECOND C

TODAY’S ANSWERS: BEGINNER = 12; INTERMEDIATE = 76; A NAME

CROSSDOUBT ADDRESS

POSTCODE

Can you make two common five-letter THE DAILY EXPRESS 30words from the nine letters given, TODAY’S ANSWERS: BEGINNER = 12; IN using each letter only once? You can MARVIN – but only if one letter features in both CROSSD Can right. you make two common five-lette words in the squares on the words from the nine letters given, There’s at least one way to doeach it,letter andonly once? You can using – but only if one letter features in bo you have to have the rightwords letter atsquares the on the right. in the There’s at least one way to do it, and crossover – but which oneyou is have it? to have the right letter at th crossover – but which one is it?

See if you can find the answer within See if you can find the answer within ourhelp, target time. our target time. If you need ringIf you need help, ring our clue-line below to find out the our clue-line below to find crossover out theletter. Solution on Monday Target times: Average: crossover letter. Solution 16onmins Monday.

R O N Good: 12 mins

BLONDIE

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

TIGER

Target times: Average: 16 mins Good: 12 mins Excellent: 8 mins Yesterday’s solution: PLUGS (across) GUESS (down)

Excellent: 8 mins Yesterday’s solution: PLUGS (across) GUESS (down)

R O N N I E

0901 322

Halve your Tar

*Calls co

STUCK? CALL FOR A CLUE

0901 322 5601 090 TARGET

Both to Halve your Target Time!

The Target C

D O V R U A TARGETE L THE B

A uses your teleph *Calls cost 75p plus n words in network access cha – the main

body of Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (1999 edition)

CALVIN & HOBBES

D O V R U A E L B

DENNIS THE MENACE Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so the each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

1

CRYPTIC PUZZLE

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution

Yesterday’s Easy Solution

Across: 1 Lock-keeper, 8 Stick, 9 Culture, 10 Orifice, 11 Ahead, 12 Abrupt, 14 Jetsam, 17 Delta, 19 Refrain, 21 Curates, 22 Empty, 23 Second-hand.

Across: 1 Black looks, 8 Album,

Down: 2 Olivier, 3 Kukri, 4 Etcher, 5 Palmate, 6 Route, 7 Ready money, 8 Snow and ice, 13 Plastic, 15 Sharpen, 16 Prison, 18 Lords, 20 Flesh.

Down: 2 Lobster, 3 Comma,

8

you2585 turn thefor page up Call 0907 181 HOW many words of four letters today’s Target solution down.

Solution tom or more can you make from the *Calls cost 80p per minute p plus your company’s Best described as a telephone number crossword, the task in Kakuro network charge. is to fill alla of the empty access squares, using numbers 1 to 9, so letters shown here? In making Yesterday’s solu the sum of each horizontal block equals the number to its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the number 1 word, each letter may be used Black squares: on its top.

No number may be 0333 used in the same block more P *SP: Spoke – Helpline 202 3390 than once. level of Conceptis once only. Each must contain theThe difficulty 10, 18,the 19, 20,Kakuro 21, 2 increases from Monday to Sunday.

24, 29, 33, 38. centre letter and there must be at Chain, least one nine-letter word. NoYesterday’s Across: Yesterday’s Reaction, Swipe, plurals or verb forms ending in “s”.Answer Sudoku Kakuro Answer

4

9

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION cling clink cloning clonking cluing clunking coil coin coking coning conking gink icon ikon kiln kilo king kino lick ling lingo link linn 7 lino5 lion6 locking logic loin nick nocking nuking nuncio oink ugli uncoil union UNLOCKING

Call 0907 181 2585 for today’s Target solution 11

13

14

18

21

19

22

24

12 Shrewd, 14 Sermon, 17 Incur, 19 Samurai, 21 Leather, 22 Amiss, 23 Separately.

4 Ledger, 5 Obverse, 6 Slang, 7 West Indies, 8 Accessible, 13 Worship, 15 Martial, 16 Usurer,

12

*Calls cost 80p per minute 16 plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

15 17

9 Deviate, 10 Cottage, 11 Right,

18 Crass, 20 Meant.

3

10

EASY PUZZLE

Down 1 Bundles to haul on board (7) 2 Not on green, perhaps, yet below par (3-6) 3 It turns up on the tenth (5) 4 Breaks down and confesses (6) 5 Tears away from cheats (4,3) 6 Stars in a couple of films (3) 7 Dramatic episode is witnessed, we hear (5) 12 Drinks for parties, if stirred (9) 14 She eats her salad (7) 16 Harass the debtor gone somehow underground (7) 17 Workshop occupied by strikers (6) 18 Covenants to do something in addition to writing (5) 20 Sporting tussle that gives all-round credit (5) 22 Sheep drive (3)

2

Beryllium, Zip, Fib Quiz, Oil, Shipwre Vixen, Sweep, Sk Enjoy.

Down: How, Inky Reflex, Imply, Sna Sequin, Dinghy, S Rowan, Dazzle, J Ego.

Extra letter c

0907 181 2

(Deduct three minu each extra clue lette

Full solutio

0907 181 2

*Calls cost 80p per plus your telephone co network access ch

20

*SP: Spoke – Helpline 0333 202 3390 23 25

Across 1 Worker in a stable (5) 4 Abandoned (4-3) 8 Furrow cut by wheels (3) 9 Exacting task (4,5) 10 One more (7) 11 Arabian goblin (5) 13 River famed in waltz (6) 15 North American Indian people (6) 18 Stingy hoarder (5) 19 Compel observance of (7) 21 Spreading throughout (9) 23 Large African antelope (3) 24 Wide stretch (7) 25 Commerce (5)

A t y g le b g s w y d

HOW many words of four letters The or Target more can you CAN make you fromcrack the the letters shown here?

In making Alphabeater?a Each Y g uses word, each letter may be used B once only. Each must contain the 1a number represents words 2 centrein letter and there must be at – orword. blackNosquare. As A one nine-letter theleast main plurals or verb forms ending in “s”.

Alphapuzzle, every RBl body of the alphabet is usedQV TODAY’S TARGET Good 28; very good 42; excellent Chambers you have to completE 55 (or more). Solution tomorrow.

21st grid too!

Use the givD R YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION S letters andcluing black squ cling clink cloning clonking Century R clunking coil coinbelow cokingthe coning E grid to sta Dictionary conking gink icon ikon kiln kilo king kino lick ling lingo link linn grid is ‘rotationally (1999 lino lion locking logic loin nick symmetrical’ nocking nuking nuncio oink ugli– in oth edition) uncoil union UNLOCKING words, it looks the se

TODAY’S TARGET Good 28; very good 42; excellent 55 (or more). Solution tomorrow.

Across 1 Beverage with plenty of body (5) 4 Overbalance? (7) 8 We’ve never seen one in level flight (3) 9 Bell ringer (9) 10 A remarkable novel, it is lacking restraint (7) 11 Love to have a tea break about five.

Like an egg? (5) 13 Current faults in boy’s clothes (6) 15 A piece of land away from home (6) 18 Prize money in the bag (5) 19 Unmarried woman I took on for a job (7) 21 Go in after fish and chips (9) 23 Carbon that is about to freeze (3) 24 Survey the whole lot with a girl (7) 25 Mother’s taken on at the lodge (5)

STUCK? CALL F

Down 1 Festoon of flowers (7) 2 Necessary expenditure (9) 3 Sporting contest (5) 4 A stalk vegetable (6) 5 Temporary substitute (7) 6 Made long ago (3) 7 Absurd comedy (5) 12 Country of Central America (9) 14 Negotiate over terms (7) 16 Carry out (7) 17 As compared with (6) 18 A hard, closegrained wood (5) 20 Navy (5) 22 Sharp, quick blow (3)

PLAY MORE

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, July 1, 2016, PAGE 7

Muguruza stunned by qualifier in Wimbledon 2nd round

By STEPHEN WILSON AP Sports Writer LONDON (AP) — Garbine Muguruza’s first major tournament as a reigning Grand Slam champion didn’t last long.

Less than a month after winning the French Open, the second-seeded Spaniard was beaten in the second round of Wimbledon yesterday by a Slovakian qualifier ranked No. 124.

In the biggest upset of the tournament so far, Jana Cepelova beat a listless and mistake-prone Muguruza 6-3, 6-2 on Court 1 in less than an hour to reach the third round at the All England Club.

Muguruza was one of 11 seeded women’s players eliminated on Thursday, a day that also saw 10 American men and women win first- or second-round matches as the tournament got through a full day without any rain delays following two days of wet weather.

Muguruza looked like a shadow of the player that reached the final last year, where she lost to Serena Williams, and beat Williams in the final at Roland Garros this month for her first major championship.

“My energy was missing a little today,” Muguruza said. “From yesterday I felt a little bit tired. During the match and after the match, I’m like, ‘Tough day today, empty today.’”

The Spaniard sprayed ugly shots all over the court and finished with 22 unforced errors, compared to just nine winners. Cepelova had a first-serve percentage of just over 40 per cent, but still outplayed Mugu-

ruza with 14 winners and 12 errors.

“She played great, no fear, trying a lot of stuff that was working,” Muguruza said.

“But my energy wasn’t there. I was trying but it didn’t work at all.”

Cepelova, Slovakia’s No. 5 female player, had to win three matches in qualifying to make it into the main draw. It’s not the first time she’s knocked off a top player: Cepelova ousted Simona Halep in the first round at Wimbledon last year, also on Court 1, and beat Serena Williams at a tournament in Charleston in 2014.

“Last year I beat Halep on the same court and I had great memories,” the 23-year-old Cepelova said. “I am so happy.”

The last time a second-seeded woman lost at Wimbledon before the third round was in 2013, when Victoria Azarenka was beaten in the second round.

The second-seeded men’s player fared much better Thursday, as Andy Murray swept to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 victory on Centre Court over Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan.

Murray, the 2013 champion, fell behind 1-3 in the first set, but settled down, took control and dropped only three more games the rest of the way, breaking the 76th-ranked Lu seven times.

Muguruza was nearly joined on the sidelines by No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska, who saved three match points before coming back to beat 18-year-old Croatian Ana Konjuh 2-6, 6-4, 9-7.

Radwanksa, the 2012 runner-up at Wimbledon, saved one match point at 5-3 in the third set and two more at 5-4. On the third match point, the 103rd-ranked Konjuh

JANA CEPELOVA, of Slovakia, celebrates after beating Garbine Muguruza of Spain in their singles match on day four of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships yesterday. (AP) stroked a forehand that hit the top of the net tape, popped up and fell back onto her side of the net.

At 7-7, Konjuh stepped on the ball with

her right foot as she chased in vain for a drop shot. She hopped to the side of the court and dropped to the ground, sobbing in pain.

Konjuh took a medical timeout, and a trainer taped her foot and ankle. She resumed the match, but was clearly hobbled, and Radwanska quickly closed out the contest.

No. 4 Angelique Kerber and No. 5 Halep advanced, while No. 14 Samantha Stosur was knocked out 6-4, 6-2 by 2013 runnerup Sabine Lisicki.

Dominic Thiem, seeded No. 8 and considered one of the rising stars in the men’s game, became the highest seeded male player ousted so far this week. The 22-yearold Austrian lost to 64th-ranked Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3).

The second-round match had only two breaks of serve, one by each player in the first set. Thiem reached the semi-finals at the French Open and won a grass-court warm-up in Stuttgart. But it was Vesely who came up big in all three tiebreakers.

Five-time champion Venus Williams led a parade of Americans picking up victories.

The 36-year-old Williams, the oldest player in the women’s draw, needed nearly 2½ hours to get past 20-year-old Greek qualifier Maria Sakkari 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.

The US men’s winners included John Isner, Sam Querrey, Donald Young, Jack Sock and Steve Johnson. Joining Williams among the women were Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Coco Vandeweghe and Julia Boserup.

PAGE 8, Friday, July 1, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

TEAM BAHAMAS PROFILES

TEAM BAHAMAS: Members of our under-16 boys’ basketball team took part in a final practice session yesterday at the AF Adderley Gym. Photos by Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

Bahamas ready for Caribbean Basketball Confederation U-16 boys championships FROM PAGE 1 that will go out there and compete. If they produce the type of performances that we saw from them in practice, I’m confident that we will have a very good chance to win.”

• This year’s team is comprised of the following: Guards – Devonte Jennings, Dominic Bridgewater, Detarrio Thompon, Alfredo Burrows

and Joshua Cornish.

Forwards – Samuel Hunter, Derrio Burrows, Devonte Moxey and Christopher Johnson.

Centres – Michael Cartwright, Chosen Levarity and Michael Williams.

Nigel Ingraham, one of the assistant coaches, indicated that the team assembled is a very balanced one.

“We can put the ball inside, we have good penetration, we could drive and kick it out to some great shooters and we

have some good post players,” Ingraham said.

“So we have a good mixture of an in and outside game.

We’re looking pretty good and I am confident that we can get the job done.”

Although this is the first time that Ingraham will be travelling on the national team, he said he is putting the country first and is eager to help to get the Bahamas’ flag raised at the end of the tournament.

“We are the best in the world

and we are going there to prove that,” Ingraham said.

Also expected to travel on the team as a coach is Wayde Adderley, a former division one player at the University of Arkansas, who went on to play professionally for Real Madrid Spain and the Connecticut Pride in the CBA. Anton Francis, a level 3 FIBA Certified, NPAVBA division II championship and high school basketball coach, will serve as the team manager.

Name: Devonte Jennings Age: 15 School: St George’s High Height: 6-foot-7 Position: Post 3-4 Idol: Kyrie Irving Favourite team: Cleveland Cavaliers Observation of team: “Just play hard. We need to go there and execute.”

Name: Alfredo Brown Age: 15 School: Tabernacle Baptist Height: 5-foot-9 Position: Guard Idol: Russell Westbrook Favourite team: Oklahoma City Thunder Observation of team: “We’re a very hard working team, dedicated and we really want to win.”

Name: Devonte Moxey Age: 16 School: St George’s High Height: 6-foot-3 Position: Wing 3-4 Idol: Michael Jordan and Paul George Favourite team: Kentucky Wildcats and Duke Blue Devils Observation of team: “We know when to work hard, we know when to play and we know when it’s time to get serious. Everyone is hard working and we have some high basketball IQs.” Name: Michael Williams Age: 16 School: Tabernacle Baptist Height: 6-foot-5 Position: Post 4-5 Idol: Buddy Hield Favourite team: LA Lakers Observation of team: “We have very good chemistry on this team and I’m confident that although the teams might be bigger than is, we have to play with a lot of heart.”

Name: Chosen Levarity Age: 15 School: Sunland Baptist Academy Height: 6-foot-6 Position: Post 4-5 Idol: Lebron James Favourite team: Cleveland Cavaliers Observation of team: “This team is 100 per cent better than the last time I played on it. We have a very good chance of bringing the gold back home. We bond very well and we look at each other as a family.”

Name: Derrico Burrows Age: 15 School: San Salvador All-Age Height: 6-foot-4 Position: Post 4 Idol: Lebron James Favourite team: Cleveland Cavaliers.

Observation of team: “This is a good hard working team with a lot of good basketball players We’re working hard and just hope that we can come back with the gold for the Bahamas.”

Name: Samuel Hunter Age: 15 School: St John’s College Height: 6-foot-6 Position: Post 4-5 Idol: Michael Carey Favourite team: Golden State Warriors.

Observation of team: “We stand a pretty good chance because most of us played against each other in showcases, so we know each other game. I think we will do very well.”

Name: Christopher Johnson Age: 15 School: Aquinas College Height: 6-foot-4 Position: Wing 3-4 Idol: Mother - Chantel Johnson, who taught him how to play.

Favourite team: SA Spurs Observation of team: “This is a well-balanced all around team. We are very strong in every area. We have shooters, dribblers and post players. We have everything to bring back the gold.”

Name: Detarrio Thompson Age: 15 School: British Colombia, Canada.

Height: 5-foot-11.

Position: Guard 1-2 Idol: Father - Lester Thompson Favourite team: Golden State Warriors.

Observation of team: “We have a lot of chemistry and we just work together well. I think we can win it.”

Name: Michael Cartwright Age: 16 School: Aquinas College Height: 6-foot-7 Position: Post 4-5 Idol: DeMarcus Cousins Favourite team: OKC Thunder Observation of team: “This team is very good. Everybody is in sync, everybody know what they are doing, everybody know their role and I think we have a very good chance of winning the gold.”

Name: Dominic Bridgewater Age: 16 School: Anatol Rodgers High Height: 5-foot-10 Position: Guard 1-2 Idol: Cousin – Tavares Roker Favourite team: Cleveland Cavaliers.

Observation of team: “We’re a very good team. We should be able to bring back the gold.”