By Curtis Morton

20 th May 2010

NETBALL

OECS Netball Tourney Shoots Off in St.Kitts

The Stoney Grove Untouchables journeyed to St.Kitts yesterday afternoon where they will participate in the OECS Netball champion of champions tournament. The first order of business for the team was a cocktail reception last evening when all of the competing teams were able to meet and greet each other. Among those addressing the players at the reception, was the Marketing Officer for tournament sponsors Courts, Teresia Pemberton and President of the St.Kitts Netball Association Mrs. Juliette Liburd.

The on the court action will get on the way this evening when the Stoney Grove Untouchables may well be in for a fiery baptism when they are pitted against tournament's champions The Elite Strikers of St.Lucia.

The other teams involved in this year's tournament which will be held at the Pam Tyson Netball Stadium are: Fort Knox Aces of Dominica, Vita Malt Maple of St.Vincent and the Grenadines and Coca Cola Shamrock of host island St.Kitts.

Prior to the first match this evening, the players and officials will participate in a march past which will commence from downtown Basseterre in front of the Courts Building. An official opening ceremony will precede the first match which is scheduled to commence at 6pm.

The full schedule of matches reads:

FIXTURES

TEAMS

FORT KNOX ACOCAES- DOMINICA

STONEY GROVE UNTOUCHABLES – NEVIS

COCA COLA SHAMROCK – ST. KITTS

ELITE STRIKERS – ST. LUCIA

MAPLE OF ST. VINCENT

DATE TIME MATCH COURT

THUR 20 TH 6:00 pm STONEY GROVE UNTOUCHABLES vs. ELITE STRIKERS 2

6:15 pm F ORT KNOX ACES vs. COCA-COLA SHAMROCK 1

FRI 21 ST 7:00 am MAPLE OF ST. VINCENT vs. STONEY GROVE UNTOUCHABLES 1

7:00 am STRIKERS vs. FORT KNOCKS ACES 2

6:00 pm STONEY GROVE UNTOUCHABLES vs. FORT KNOX ACES 1

7:30 pm COCA-COLA SHAMROCK vs. MAPLE OF ST. VINCENT 1

SAT 22 ND 6:00 pm FORT KNOX ACES vs. MAPLE OF ST. VINCENT 2

6:15 pm ELITE STRIKERS vs. COCA-COLA SHAMROCK 1

SUN 23 RD 5:00 pm ELITE STRIKERS vs. MAPLE OF ST.VINCENT 2

5:00 pm COCA-COLAS vs. STONEY GROVE UNTOUCHABLES 1

Closing Ceremony at 6:30

Jacques Kallis's 45-ball 53 set up South Africa's total of 136 for 7, and Ryan McLaren was gifted a five-wicket haul as West Indies sank to a 13-run defeat in the first Twenty20 at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium at North Sound. Coming in after the early dismissal of Loots Bosman, Kallis struck three sixes in his innings to take South Africa to 136 for 7 in trying batting conditions. West Indies' chase never really got going, and they were always behind the asking rate after Chris Gayle fell early, losing wickets at regular intervals thereafter.

Indeed, there was a certain staleness to proceedings with the match coming so soon after the World Twenty20 in the West Indies, and it showed in the low-intensity, sloppy performance from both sides. Add to that the abject quality of the umpiring, and the low attendance at the ground, and one was left with a distinct sense of disappointment at an international engagement that, at times, bordered on the embarrassing.

South Africa 136 for 7 (Kallis 53, Pollard 2-22) beat West Indies 123 (Pollard 27, McLaren 5-19) by 13 runs

Despite a fine counter-attacking ton from Shahriar Nafees, West Indies A were in sight of victory on the penultimate day of the four-day match, thanks to their domination of Bangladesh A in the first innings. The host's bowling attack came back strongly for the second time in the game, but too much ground had been squandered by their batsmen in the first innings.

Beginning the day with a lead of 322, Kirk Edwards and Darren Bravo came out looking for quick runs, but the hosts checked the pace of their progress. Edwards managed to add 17 to his overnight 55 before offering a return catch to Nazmul Hossain. Bravo followed soon after, robbing the visitors' innings of momentum. Brendan Nash dropped anchor to score an unbeaten 27, while Chadwick Walton pushed the score along. Eventually, Travis Dowlin called his batsmen in with a lead of 429, leaving the hosts over 150 overs to survive or go for the money.

Bangladesh A 233 for 7 (Nafees 133, Saghir 47, Brown 3-33) and 125 trail West Indies A 285 and 269 for 6 dec. (Edwards 72, Smith 62, Shuvo 3-104) by 196 runs

19 th May 2010

“Strictly Business” heads to Nevis

A sports club out of Antigua which goes by the name ‘Strictly Business' will be heading to Nevis for the Whit weekend.  The club which has a combination of male and female cricketers is due to arrive on Nevis on Friday May 21 st and will camp out at the Hanley's Road Community center.

During the beam's stay on Nevis, the club is expected to be involved in four matches being coordinated by the Nevis Cricket Association.  According to Ronald Powell, Cricket chief on Nevis, the matches will be used as fund raisers for his Association and the general Public will be required to pay a small fee of $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for children in order to witness what is expected to be two nights of exciting cricket.

On the evening of Saturday 22 nd May starting at 7.00 pm the ‘Strictly Business' Female team will engage last year's female cricket champions on Nevis, the St.James' team.  Immediately after that match, the male segment of the club will engage a select team from Nevis in the double header.

The following evening, Sunday 23 rd May, The female team for the visitors will lock horns with last year's runners up in the female cricket league, the St.George's team.  Immediately after that the male team for the visitors will have another go at the Nevis select team. Both matches will be played at the Elquemedo Willet Park but not on the main square,

The general public is invited out to witness what is expected to be two very stimulating nights of cricket with the visiting team.  Vendors will be asked to pay a small fee of $25.00.

The Nevis select squad reads:

Tonito Willet capt. Wendell Wallace v.capt, Winston Sutton, Carlos Adolphus, Boye, Nazir, Blair, Curtis Morton Jr, Oneil Walters, Elroy David, Patrick Newton, Charles Hendrickson, Sylvester Browne and Curtis Morton Sr

Nevis Cricket Association to meet Thursday

Cricket chief on Nevis, Ronald Powell has informed that there will be a meeting of the Nevis cricket Association this coming Thursday—20 th May at the Elquemedo Wallet Park.

According to Powell, this is a very important meeting and he is kindly asking all of the members of the Association to show up for the 5pm appointment.

The agenda items are as follows:

All Association members are kindly asked to be present and punctual.

Meanwhile, Powell has further indicated that on Thursday 20 th May at 4pm he wants to meet with all of the vendors who are proposing to sell their ware during the upcoming female cricket league.   All such vendors are kindly asked to be present and punctual at the meeting which will be held at the Elquemido Willet Park.

It has been revealed that the final round of matches in the Digicel sponsored 1 st division cricket league scheduled for this coming weekend, should be the most exciting weekend of cricket yet in the league, as several of teams are within striking distance of the championship trophy.  The present point standings are:

Pennyless All stars 23; SL Horsfords Empire and Highlights Int tied on 19 each; Brown Hill 17; Jessups 15 and Pioneers 13.

Matches scheduled for this weekend are:

Pennyless All stars v Highlights Int at the Elquemedo Willet Park

OMP Brown Hill v Pioneers at Cotton Ground

SL Horsfords Empire v Jessups at the GRG

League Registration extended

The Nevis Cricket Association is appealing to all female teams to kindly register for the upcoming female cricket league.  The league is scheduled to commence on the evening of Saturday 29 th May and the registration deadline was originally set for Friday 15 th May.  Sadly however, despite the fact that some seven teams showed up at the original meeting held for the teams, only two teams ensured that they met the registration deadline:  Champions St.James' and the Alex Stars (Nurses).

The deadline for registration has been extended until Friday 21 st May.  All other interested teams are kindly asked to register with either President Ronald Powell, Treasurer Dexter Boncamper or PRO Curtis Morton.

Cricinfo staff

Bangladesh A squandered the fight back that had given them the upper hand on the first day with a hapless batting performance on the second. Only three of their batsmen managed to get to double-figures, indicating their extent of struggle against the West Indies A bowlers.

Captain Nazimuddin top scored with 33, Marshall Ayub, who made 21, supported him in a stand of 53 and Suhrawadi Shuvo, responsible for bowling out West Indies for 285, contributed 23. Each of the five West Indies bowlers managed at least a wicket, with off spinner Shane Shillingford bagging 4 for 30. Bangladesh folded for 125, conceding a lead of 160, and there was more damage to follow.

West Indies, keen to avoid any slip-ups, put in a strong performance in their second innings, finishing the day on 162 for 2, extending their lead to 322. Devon Smith starred at the top of the order, making 62 while Kirk Edwards chipped in with an unbeaten 55. With an in-form Darren Bravo at the other end and the luxury of an already competitive lead, West Indies are firmly in control. For Bangladesh, the saving grace on a disappointing day was Shuvo, who extended his match tally to eight wickets and resisted with the bat.

West Indies A 162 for 2 (Smith 62, Edwards 55*, Shuvo 2-63) and 285 lead Bangladesh A 125 (Nazimuddin 33, Shillingford 4-30, Browne 2 for 24) by 322 runs

Captains happy with outfield at Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground

Windiescricket.com

The outfield and facilities at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground have been given the thumbs-up by the two captains who will be leading the teams out on Wednesday. Chris Gayle, the leader of the West Indies side, and Graeme Smith, South Africa's skipper, both said they were pleased with what they saw when they arrived for training on Tuesday.

The two teams will face each other in the first Digicel T20 International on Wednesday. The second Digicel T20 International is Thursday at the same venue. First ball in both matches is 2 pm (1 pm Jamaica Time). The ground will also stage the first and second Digicel One-Day Internationals on Saturday, May 22 and Monday, May 24.

Gayle said: “It is good to see Antigua back on the map. It is a really nice facility here and well-suited for the game. The outfield appears to be in good shape and we are looking forward to playing some good cricket out there. You can see a lot of work has gone into getting things ready for the matches and that is good to see.”

Smith noted: “We have been here for a few days and the field looks quite good. It is quite firm and when we went out there we did not have any problems … we were happy with what we saw. We are ready for the matches and we look forward to what is in store for us.”

The Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground was not on the original schedule for the series but was included after the matches were moved from Trinidad, where General Elections are due to be held on May 24. Last year the venue was taken off the international list for one year ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after the outfield was deemed inadequate for play. The ICC conducted a full inspection late last month and the ground was cleared to host international matches again.

TEAMS

West Indies: Chris Gayle (Captain), Dwayne Bravo (Vice Captain), Shiv Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampaul

South Africa: Graeme Smith (Captain), Alviro Petersen, Loots Bosman, J.P. Duminy, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, A.B. deVilliers, Mark Boucher, Rudolf van der Merwe, Johan Botha, David Miller, Ryan McLaren, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Charl Langeveldt 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Umpires: Clyde Duncan, Norman Malcolm; Television umpire: Clancy Mack; Fourth official: Goaland Greaves

ICC match referee: Roshan Mahanama 

DIGICEL SERIES SCHEDULE

Wednesday, May 19

1st Digicel T20 at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua 

Thursday, May 20

2nd Digicel T20 at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua 

Saturday, May 22

1st Digicel ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua 

Monday, May 24

2nd Digicel ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua 

Friday, May 28

3rd Digicel ODI at Windsor Park, Dominica  

Sunday, May 30

4th Digicel ODI at Windsor Park, Dominica  

Thursday, June 3

5th Digicel ODI at Sabina Park, Jamaica  

Sunday, June 6 to Monday June 7

South Africa warm-up at Chedwin Park 

Thursday, June 10 to Monday June 14

1st Digicel Test at Sabina Park, Jamaica  

Friday June 18 to Tuesday, June 22

2nd Digicel Test at Warner Park, St Kitts  

Saturday, June 26 to Wednesday, June 30

3rd Digicel Test at Kensington Oval, Barbados

18th May 2010

ATHLETICS

Triumphant Gladiators Return

A triumphant Gladiators Track and Field club, led by Owner/Manager Mr. Wakeley Daniel returned to Nevis yesterday after successfully competing in the annual Austin Sealy Classics in Barbados.

The club members were met on arrival at the Vance W. Amory Int Airport by a contingent of individuals which included family members, members of the press and Athletics chief on the island, Mr. Lester Blackette.

Mr. Daniel was high in praise for the general performance of his team and indicated that they returned with several cups which reflected winnings from bronze to gold cups.

Some of the outstanding performances included:

•  The under 15 girls won the sprint medal by over 50 meters

•  Renika Daniel won gold in the 100 meters, silver in 200 meters; bronze in the long jump and was declared under 15 champion for the females.

•  Romisha Malone won silver in the 400 meters for under 17 girls

•  Jessie Browne won bronze in the 100 meters for under 15 girls

•  Tesril Nisbett won gold in the Javelin open females

•  Kerisha Powell won silver in the under 17 javelin for females

•  Iyana Dore won bronze in the under 17 javelin for females

•  New comer, Keishauna Brooks who starred in this year's inter primary event, won silver in the 200 meters and bronze in the 400 meters for under 13 girls

•  Kevon Charles won silver in the Javelin open males

Daniel indicated that his team competed fiercely because they were faced as per usual with stiff competition from the other clubs representing Barbados and other Caribbean islands. “The reason why I like for them to compete in the Austin Sealy Classics is simple: When you want to be the best, you have to compete against the best”, he declared.

To give an idea as to the intensity of the competition, Daniel explained that in the under 17 boys 400 meters event, there were guys completing the race in an amazing 48:00 seconds!

He also stated that apart from the athletic ability of the athletes, high on the agenda is their academic prowess. At such significant meets there are always Coaches and Scouts who would identify athletes for scholarship awards and athletes of his club therefore have the opportunity to showcase their talents.

The team was also accompanied by Coach Denzil Parris and some of the parents of the athletes who assisted greatly with management issues on the trip.

Gladiators at Vance Amory Airport

CRICKET

Nevis' Cricket Chief Distraught at Wet Pitch Fiasco

Cricket Chief on Nevis, Ronald Powell is totally annoyed at the person or persons who deliberately set out to wet the cricket pitch at the Cotton Ground playing field sometime between the evening hours of Saturday 15 th and the early hours of Sunday 16 th May.

This caused a disruption in the 1 st division match being played at the time, between Pennyless All stars and Jessups, as the umpires were forced to call off the game without a ball being bowled on the scheduled second day of play.

Powell stated that the persons or persons who committed the act were very inconsiderate. “The Association does not have a lot of money to play with. We have to pay to prepare pitches. The players are keen to play cricket as they prepare for the upcoming Leeward Islands tournament and beyond and then these people come and disrupt matches for selfish reasons”, Powell lamented.

He further stated that no reason is good enough for anyone to commit such an act and beseeched persons who are so minded to desist from such criminal acts.

He also appealed to the general public to be vigilant and when they become aware of persons committing such acts, to report them promptly to the Police.

When asked what was the final ruling on the game in question, Powell stated that he will meet with his Association members and a decision will be made shortly as to the outcome of the game and resulting points.

Wet pitch

West Indies team for Digicel Series matches in Antigua

(WICB media release)

 The West Indies Cricket Board's selectors have named the following players for the 1 st and 2 nd Digicel T20 Internationals and the 1 st and 2 nd Digicel One-Day Internationals against South Africa. The matches will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

Chris Gayle (Captain)

Dwayne Bravo (Vice Captain)

Sulieman Benn

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Narsingh Deonarine

Andre Fletcher

Nikita Miller

Kieron Pollard

Denesh Ramdin

Ravi Rampaul

Kemar Roach

Darren Sammy

Ramnaresh Sarwan

Jerome Taylor

The only omission from the recently selected T-20 squad which represented the West Indies in the T-20 world cup, is Wavell Hinds.

Management Team : Joel Garner (Manager), Ottis Gibson (Head Coach), David Williams (Assistant Coach), C.J Clark (Physiotherapist), Hector Martinez-Charles (Strength and Conditioning Co-ordinator), Richard Berridge (Video and Statistical Analyst), Philip Spooner (Media Relations Officer), Virgil Browne (Massage Therapist)

DIGICEL SERIES SCHEDULE

Wednesday, May 19

1 st Digicel T20 at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

Thursday, May 20

2 nd Digicel T20 at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

Saturday, May 22

1 st Digicel ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

Monday, May 24

2 nd Digicel ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

Friday, May 28

3 rd Digicel ODI at Windsor Park, Dominica

Sunday, May 30

4 th Digicel ODI at Windsor Park, Dominica

Thursday, June 3

5 th Digicel ODI at Sabina Park, Jamaica

Sunday, June 6 to Monday June 7

South Africa warm-up at Chedwin Park

Thursday, June 10 to Monday June 14

1 st Digicel Test at Sabina Park, Jamaica

Friday June 18 to Tuesday, June 22

2 nd Digicel Test at Warner Park, St Kitts

Saturday, June 26 to Wednesday, June 30

3 rd Digicel Test at Kensington Oval, Barbados

West Indies A falter after Darren Bravo ton

Cricinfo staff

Darren Bravo continued his prolific run on the tour of Bangladesh, top scoring for West Indies A against Bangladesh A with 102 on the opening day of the first unofficial Test in Mirpur. However, West Indies will be disappointed that they only managed 285, despite strong performances from the top order. Devon Smith began in positive fashion and Captain Travis Dowlin built on that start to make 75. He partnered Bravo, who struck 12 fours and a six, in a stand of 142 for the third wicket.

West Indies were in control at 202 for 2 and that's when the left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo struck. He bowled Travis Dowlin and was in the act again after Bravo, shortly after reaching his century, was dismissed by Mahmudul Hasan. While Brendan Nash, who was eventually out for 44, tried to hold one end together, wickets fell with regularity at the other end. Three wickets - Chadwick Walton, Imran Khan and Shane Shillingford - fell in the 69th over from Shuvo. He finished with figures of 6 for 124 and West Indies collapsed to lose their last seven wickets for just 45.

In response, Bangladesh lost Shariar Nafees to a run out and ended the day on 22 for 1.

Bangladesh A 22 for 1 (Nazimuddin 16*) trail West Indies A 285 (Bravo 102, Dowlin 75, Nash 44, Smith 30 Shuvo 6-124) by 263 runs  

ATHLETICS

Gay erases 44-year-old 200 mark American sprinter Tyson Gay broke a 44-year-old record for 200 meters on a straight track as part of his drive to challenge Usain Bolt for sprinting supremacy. Gay ran 19.41 seconds into a slight headwind Sunday on a specially constructed track in Manchester, England, shaving 0.09 off the mark Tommie Smith set in May 1966 on a straight cinder track at San Jose State. Smith was at the Great City Games to watch Gay set the record, which isn't an official world mark because track and field's governing body recognizes only 200s run around a curve. "The last 20m I was extremely tired. Kim Collins [the St Kitts and Nevis former world champion] had a great start and I think that motivated me. If he wasn't beside me, I don't think I could have done it. He had an excellent start and that was pushing me."

BASKETBALL

Jennersen France cops top honours in A1 Technology League Persistent rain placed a damper on what could have been a generally festive atmosphere at the Old Manor hard court in Gingerland, last evening. That was when the closing ceremony for the A1 Technology sponsored Basketball league was held. The organizers had been hoping for a finish with some fan fare with the evening's activities commencing with a much anticipated show down between champions CG Rebels and 'The Rest'. The 'Rest' team comprised of some of the top players from the other teams which participated in the league, matching their skills against the champs. Rain however had other plans. There had been a persistent drizzle throughout the afternoon and shortly after the match commenced, a heavy downpour disrupted the proceedings. With the conditions indicating no immediate improvement, the organizers hastily shifted gear and decided to facilitate the closing ceremony. The ceremony was chaired by chief organizer, Ms Veronica Brandy and the trophies were handed out by Ms Wanda Parry.

The following were the top statistics resulting from the league:

Top performers for each team: CSS: Cheslyn Hutton-34 points; Mervin Hercules-39 rebounds Police-Polstars: Kevin Franklyn 70 points; Lynchand Charles-28 rebounds Gingerland: Bernard Patrick 70 points; Trevor Arthurton 20 rebounds Brown Hill Crisis: Everson Webbe 124 points; Kelvin Bramble 32 rebounds Church Ground: Kirt Esdaille-57 points and 47 rebounds; Dwayne Warner 57 points CG Rebels: Jennersen France 93 points and 40 rebounds

Top Awards:
Block shots: Justin Jeffers-CG Rebels
Rebounds: Kirt Esdaille-Church Ground (47)
Assists: Jennersen France -CG Rebels
Highest scorer for the tournament: Everson Webbe with 124 points and a game high of 56 points Steals: Jeffrey Lewis-CG Rebels Most disciplined team: CSS MVP of Finals: Jennersen France with 23 points and 6 rebounds MVP of tournament: Jennersen France
1st place-CG Rebels
2nd place-Brown Hill Crisis
3rd place-Polstars

MVP=Jennersen France

Veronica Brandy-Chief Organizer

CG Rebels with trophy

2010 Lime Junior Division Playoffs? begins today Basseterre, St Kitts May 12, 2010(SKABA) The 2010 Lime SKABA Junior Division Basketball Semi Finals will commence today Monday 17th May at Basketball City with two games, the first game no. 1 seed ODB Fruta Falcons of Sandy Point will take on no. 4 seed Blue Devils at 6:30 pm then at 8:15 pm the no. 2 seed Rams Hitters will come up against no. 3 seed Birdrock Uprisers. The semi finals will be a best of three series, the two teams advancing from the semi finals will then play a best of three finals. ODB Fruta Falcons are the defending junior division champions.

ST.KITTS BASKETBALL STAR HONOURED AT US COLLEGE

St.Kitts basketball star Nashorn "Big Nash" Maynard was among honourees at the recently held University of Alaska Fairbanks All-Sports Banquet in Alaska USA. Nashorn, a junior forward for the Nanooks men's basketball team, received the Harris Shelton Spirit of Competition Award. The 6-foot-5 former St.Kitts Amateur Basketball Association MVP and national team member, was Alaska's top rebounder at 8.8 rebounds per game and the third-leading scorer at 13.7 points per game during the 2009-10 season. Maynard who plays in the SKABA league with the St.Pauls Tuff Knots was recruited by Coach Clemon Johnson midway through the 2007-2008 season after leading his St.Pauls Tuff Knots to a spectacular season which culminated with their first SKABA title in 2007.

Since then the athletic forward has become a critical component of the Nanooks basketball team. In his first season Nashorn saw time in nine games, including three starts, after joining the Nanooks in mid-season. He averaged 4.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, recording 12 steals as well. He grabbed team season-high 17 rebounds against Saint Martin's on March 8 and recorded his first career 10-point game against Western Washington on Feb. 16 of 2008 and ended the season by being awarded the team's Sixth Man award. During the 2008-2009 season Maynard became a dominant force as he finished 2nd in conference for rebounding grabbing 8.8 rpg.He led Alaska in rebounds 19 times and earned GNAC(Great Northwest Athletic Conference) Academic All-Conference honours. The 2009-2010 season has been Nashorns most successful having gained GNAC All-Conference Team Honourable Mention in addition to being the GNAC Player of the Week for Feb. 8-14. He is 11th in GNAC in scoring averaging 13.7 points per game and 2nd in conference for rebounds with 8.8 per game.

Maynard leads the team in field goal percentage with a .495 and blocked shots with 30 during season. He averaged 1.8 steals per game. His best games for the season came on Feb. 5, 2010 with a huge double against Central Washington with 29 points and 10 rebounds and on Feb. 11, 2010 another double double against Western Washington with 30 points and 12 rebounds on Feb. 13, 2010. Nashorn was recently instrumental in the Alaska Nanooks recruitment of fellow St.Pauls Tuff Knots forward Javid Williams who was just signed ad the Nanooks first signing for the 2010-2011 season. Williams is expected to pick up where Maynard leaves off as the 2010-2011 season will be his final with the Nanooks.

Nash Maynard

CRICKET

WET Pitch Unsolved Mystery

The action in the Digicel sponsored Nevis Cricket Association's first Division competition took a strange twist over the weekend when one of the matches could not go into a second day of play due to a mysteriously wet pitch. In the match being played between Pennyless All stars and Jessups, the players showed up on Sunday, the second day of the match to find the entire playing square saturated with the outfield unbelievably dry.

The obvious conclusion is that either overnight rains only fell on the pitch and not on the outfield or the pitch was deliberately wet by an unknown conspirator or conspirators overnight. The umpires were eventually forced to call off play with the Pennyless All stars team comfortably placed in the encounter. Up to press time, President of the Nevis Cricket Association, Ronald Powell could not be reached for a comment. Sketchy scores received from the game indicate that Jessups batted first on Saturday and could only manage a paltry 138 all out with Loren Daniel and Gaston Eddy top scoring with 27 each.

Vern Clarke with his seamers was the top performer for the Stars with 4 wickets. The Pennyless All stars were comfortably positioned at the end of the day on over 100 runs on the tins for the loss of only 1 wicket with Carlos Adolphus on half a ton batting alongside Boye in an impressive partnership. Meanwhile, Highlights Int engaged Cotton Ground Pioneers at the Elquemedo Willet Park. Highlights batted first and for the first time for the season thus far, fell below 200 in an innings when they were bowled out for 195. Ardie Liburd top scored with 60; Winston Sutton got 59 and Carlon Smithen 42. For the Cotton Ground team, veteran Frank Monzac bagged 5 for 86; Teddy 'Blackman' Liburd 2 for 17 and H. Harvey 2 for 45. In an obvious fight for 1st innings honours Pioneers managed to just barely overhaul the target when they were bowled out for 205. Jamoy Pemberton batted impressively for 87; Marvin Hamilton scored 36 and the youthful Duan Webbe got 30. For Highlights, young Shadell Bussue was the unexpected hero with 3 wickets for a mere 8 runs; Wendell 'Micey' Wallace bagged 3 for 22 and Ian Byron 2 for 22.

Highlights only managed to bat 8 overs before the umpires called off the game and were struggling on 36 for 3 with Frank Monzac picking up 2 for 13. In the third game played on the weekend, rain affected what looked like an interesting contest between SL Horsfords Empire and Brown Hill. Brown Hill batted first and scored 166 all out. Laborde top scored with 42; Edison Parris got 26 and Shaheed Tyson 17. For Empire, Trevier Smithen got 3 wickets for 27 runs; Nelson Bolan 3 for 37; Adelvin Phillip 2 for 25 and Wasim Mintos 1 for 48. Empire was interestingly placed on 44 for 2 when stumps were drawn with Kieran Powell not out on 25 but speedster Blair had already snared two wickets in an impressively hostile spell.

Wet pitch in Nevis--picture by Donovan Matthews

Windies girls lose semi to White Ferns
Cricinfo

Sara McGlashan made a career-best 84 as she led New Zealand Women to victory over West Indies Women in their semi-final of the ICC World T20 Tournament at Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia on Friday night. The White Ferns batted first after being sent in and amassed 180-5 off their 20 overs. The Windies girls put up a good fight in the first half of their innings but could not maintain the tempo and ended on 124-8, losing by 56 runs. Summarized scores: New Zealand 180 for 5: S Mc Glashan 84; Selman 2 for 27; West Indies 124: Taylor 41; Watkins 3 for 27

Rossouw stars in South Africa A's title triumph Cricinfo South Africa A prevailed by five runs in a high-scoring final against West Indies A in Mirpur, and ended their opponents' run of four consecutive victories in the tournament. In the battle of the bats, opener Devon Smith smashed 115 to overcome the loss of two early wickets in West Indies' chase and set up a potentially successful run-chase, adding 156 for the third wicket with Darren Bravo, who added yet another 50-plus score to his tally this tournament. Bravo, Smith and Imran Khan fell within a space of 41 runs in 41 balls but Chadwick Walton, the wicketkeeper, threatened to take the game away from South Africa with a brutal 64 off 29. He struck six fours and three sixes in his knock but South Africa held their nerve to dismiss him off the penultimate ball of the match, bowled by Lonwabo Tsotsobe. West Indies had required 7 off 2 balls but Walton's dismissal erased their hopes. South Africa A 328 for 7 (Rossouw 80, van Zyl 62) beat West Indies A 323 for 6 (Smith 115, Bravo 69, Walton 64) by five runs

Australia shut down NZ for thrilling trophy win Cricinfo Australia's women staged a dramatic comeback to go one better than the men after holding their nerve in a low-scoring final in Barbados. New Zealand deserved to be confident after restricting Australia to 106 for 8, but they could not deal with the suffocating pressure and fell four runs short to suffer their third loss in a row in a global final. Alex Blackwell's side captured the early wickets they desperately needed and when Ellyse Perry struck twice in two overs New Zealand were a horrible 29 for 4. Perry, the fast bowler, added another late in the game and delivered a cool final over, allowing 10 when 14 were required. She finished with a highly impressive 3 for 18 and the player of the match prize, while the result ended Australia's six-match losing streak to Aimee Watkins' team in this format

Australia 106 for 8 (Poulton 20, Browne 2-11) beat New Zealand 103 for 6 (Devine 38*, Perry 3-18) by 3 runs.

Kieswetter and Pietersen seal title for England
Cricinfo

Craig Kieswetter and Kevin Pietersen powered England to their first ICC global title with an irresistible 111-run stand for the second wicket, as Australia were outmuscled in a battle of the bowlers at Bridgetown. Despite a brave recovery led by David Hussey, who made 59 from 54 balls, Australia's hopes of claiming the only world title to have eluded them were devastated from the moment they lost three wickets in 13 legitimate deliveries in a stunning start to the contest. Chasing a target of 148, Kieswetter and Pietersen broke the back of the chase in an 11-over alliance, but fittingly it was left to England's captain, Paul Collingwood, to seal the victory with 18 balls to spare. At the moment of victory, he was mobbed by his jubilant team-mates as they poured out of the dug-out, with incredulity and triumph writ large on their features. Barely 12 months ago, Collingwood was leading England to defeat against the Netherlands in the opening contest of the 2009 event. Now he has joined football's Bobby Moore and rugby's Martin Johnson in captaining England to a world sporting title.

England 148 for 3 (Kieswetter 63) beat Australia 147 for 6 (D Hussey 59) by seven wickets

England T 20 champs

FOOTBALL

Results Of The SKNFA Digicel Final Four Playoff Matches Played at Warner Park Stadium Over The Weekend:

On Saturday

TDC Newtown United 3 vs Coury's Gatorade Conaree 0 (Half Time 0 - 0)

Alexis Saddler 55th minute Kiethroy Richards 79th minute Malivia Harris 90th minute

Yellow Cards Jazzel Francis (Conaree) 19th minute Alexis Saddler (Newtown) 4oth minute

*Officials were Carlton Dupont, Ike Inniss, Lloyd Rouse & James Matthew
*Match Commissioner was Troy mills

On Sunday

St.Peters FC 1 vs S.L.Horsford St.Pauls 0 (Half Time 1- 0)

Ashton Davis 26th minute

Yellow Cards Javiem Blanchette (St.Pauls) 31st minute Kirlkland Harris (St.Peters) 32nd minute Ashton Davis (St.Peters) 34th minute Jason Prince (St.Peters) 72nd Minute Jahren leader (St.Pauls) 86th minute

*Officials were James Matthew, Alexis Joseph, Fidel Fahie & Steadroy Techeira
*Match Commissioner was Fitzroy Eddy

NOTICE

Referees Training Sessions

The St.Kitts Referees Association will continue its training sessions on Monday 17th May at the Football House on Lozack Road starting at 5:00 pm. All referees are asked to make a very special effort to attend.

14th May 2010

CRICKET

Under 13 squad resumes practice

Coach of the under 13 Cricket squad on Nevis, Carl Tuckett, has revealed that the squad will resume serious training and practice from today, Friday 14th May, 2010.
The young cricketers have had an extended break due to their participation in their various schools' sports and more recently in their promotional examinations.

The youngsters are kindly asked to report to the Elquemedo Willet Park as from 4.00 pm today for the commencement of the first practice session after the break.

The full squad reads:
Ross Powell, Delroy Cornelius, Kamil Wilkin, Philo Wallace, Saeed Williams, Tarique Browne, Kareem Parry, Ryani Ferguson, Clydre Smithen, Hakeem Harvey, Kezron Archibald, Ravindra Sewdat, Delano Freeman, Shelton Forbes and Tevin Nisbett.

Disappointing No show by Masters

Questions continue to be raised about the commitment of the Nevis Masters towards the defence of their hard fought championship trophy, won last year on home turf. The Masters are due to travel to Antigua in June in order to defend their title as Champions of Leeward's Islands Masters Cricket. However, just 16 players showed up for the first of two scheduled trial matches on Tuesday 11th May. On that day, a simulation match was played with some degree of success. However, by 5.30 p.m on Thursday when the other scheduled trial match was due to be played, only 8 players of the 37 called to trials, were present.

The players then engaged in a practice session and several other players showed up as the evening approached.

After the practice session, a meeting was held and it was decided that from hereon, practice sessions will be scheduled for Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays of each week, up to the time of the tournament. However, practice sessions will not always focus on batting and bowling, but also on catching, fielding drills and general fitness training.

One good observation however, is that the players who are showing interest seem really keen in making sure that the championship trophy remains in Nevis.
The matter of team uniform also received some serious consideration and plans are now being made to ensure that the uniforms will be available to the players at short notice.

Tonge and Pascal seal comfortable West Indies A win
Cricinfo staff

Bangladesh A, after losing their first three games, were deprived of a consolation win as well, as West Indies A raced to their fourth straight win in the tri-series with a six-wicket humbling of the hosts. Fast bowlers Gavin Tonge and Nelon Pascal shared seven wickets to bowl out Bangladesh for 203. Faisal Hossain top scored with 93, and he had to rebuild the innings after his team was reeling at 15 for 3. He struck six fours and two sixes in his 141-ball knock and was supported by Marshall Ayub (35) and wicketkeeper Dhiman Ghosh (22) but there were no significant contributions from the rest.

West Indies made short work of the target, cruising home with almost 13 overs to spare. Opener Devon Smith smashed a ruthless 63 off just 36 balls with eight fours and two sixes, while Kirk Edwards assisted him in a 61-run stand with 45 off 52. Darren Bravo, in terrific form this series, continued his good run, finishing unbeaten on 62 to see his team through with ease.

West Indies takes on South Africa A in the final toady-May 14th.

Summarized scores: West Indies A 205 for 4 (Smith 68, Bravo 67*) beat Bangladesh A 203 (Faisal 93, Tonge 4-37, Pascal 3-43) by six wickets

England strolls to resounding win
Cricinfo

Kevin Pietersen marked the birth of his first son by steering England into the final of the ICC World Twenty20, as he continued his imposing run of form with an unbeaten 42 from 26 balls in a comprehensive seven-wicket victory. Back in the side after his paternity dash back to England, Pietersen built on the hard-hitting efforts of Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb, who added 68 for the first wicket in eight overs, as Sri Lanka's sub-par total of 128 for 6 was hunted down with four overs to spare.
Summarized scores: England 132 for 3 (Pietersen 42*) beat Sri Lanka 128 for 6 (Mathews 58, Broad 2-21) by seven wickets

Blackwell steers Australia into final
CRICINFO

The captain Alex Blackwell posted a career-best 61 as she pushed Australia into the final of the Women's World Twenty20 with a seven-wicket win over India. Chasing India's below-par 119 for 5, Australia surged early through Blackwell and Shelley Nitschke and cruised to victory with seven balls to spare.

Australia was knocked out by England in the semi-finals in last year's tournament and is desperate to add this trophy to their five 50-over World Cups. They face the winner of New Zealand and West Indies, who play in St Lucia on Friday, in Sunday's final in Barbados and will hope the men's side, will also be there.

Summarized scores: Australia 123 for 3 (Blackwell 61) beat India 119 for 5 (Raut 44) by 7 wickets

FOOTBALL

Weekend SKNFA Digicel Premier Playoff Matches at Warner Park Stadium:

On Saturday at 8:00pm

T.D.C Newtown United vs Coury's Gatorade Conaree
*Officials: Carlton Dupont, Lloyd Rouse, Ike Inniss & James Matthew

On Sunday at 7:00pm

Defending Champions S.L.Horsford St.Pauls United vs St.Peters FC
*Officials James Matthew, Alexis Joseph, Fidel Fahie & Steadroy Techeira