PRESS RELEASE - Regrettably due to circumstances beyond our control, we will be unable to host the FIBA 3×3 clinic and Independence day 3X3 tournament scheduled for Saturday and Sunday respectively this weekend as planned.

This is due to unplanned logistical travel issues which would not permit the FIBA Americas representative to make it to St. Lucia this weekend as originally scheduled.

We are unable to proceed at this time as a sanctioned FIBA official MUST be on hand for the inaugural event and to facilitate the clinic; however we plan to reconvene both activities in the next two weeks.

The 3×3 Clinic will now be held on March 7th and 3×3 Tournament on March 8th, 2015.

All teams who are registered for the 3X3 and participants of the clinic should note that your registrations are still valid and there is now an opportunity for more persons to register and participate in both activities at the reconvened date.

On behalf of the SLBF executive and FIBA Americas, we apologize to all basketball stakeholders and our sponsors for any inconvenience caused but be assured that the Federation is committed to executing our events as promised in the immediate future.

If you have any questions, please contact 3X3 Commissioner Mr. Jonathan Cox at 484-9395 or email us at info@stluciabasketball.com.

Again, we apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to seeing everyone at the clinic and tournament at the reconvened dates.

Saint Lucian, Stéphane Devaux-Lovell has won the first place in the category laser radial of the 25th Edition of the International Schoelcher Nautical Week in Martinique.

Stephi’s victory comes after 12 races in front of Kevin Dufeal (Martinique) and Jules Mitchel (Antigua)

The Nautical Circle of Schœlcherin Martinique, has organised the 25th edition of the International Nautical Week of Schœlcher, from February 13th to 17th 2015.

It is an international light yacht regatta in the local and international sporting arena, scheduled on the official calendar of major nautical events of the French Sailing Federation.

Phil Simmons.

JAMAICA OBSERVER - Former West Indies all-rounder Phil Simmons is to be appointed the new head coach of the embattled Caribbean side, and is set to take over following the ICC Cricket World Cup.

A source with intimate knowledge of the recruitment and selection process confirmed to CMC Sports that Simmons’ appointment was virtually “a done deal”, and would formally assume duties once the ongoing showpiece in New Zealand and Australia wrapped up next month.

CMC Sports understands he was one of seven candidates being considered for the post.

The 51-year-old Simmons currently serves as Ireland head coach and only last Monday inspired his side to a shock four-wicket defeat of West Indies, in their opening game of the Cricket World Cup at Saxton Oval.

He is in his eighth year as Ireland coach, having signed a two-year contract extension in December, 2013.

Trinidadian Simmons, who has coached Zimbabwe in the past, will fill the post made vacant by another former West Indies player, Ottis Gibson, who parted ways with the West Indies Cricket Board last August, just days prior to the start of the Bangladesh tour of the Caribbean.

Ever since, assistant coach Stuart Williams, team manager Sir Richie Richardson and bowling coach, Sir Curtly Ambrose, have assumed technical duties with the side.

Several names, including that of South African Mickey Arthur, were last year bandied about but the WICB quashed speculation by saying that there would be no rush to fill the vacant post.

And only last September, WICB president Dave Cameron said the board was hoping to make an appointment “within the New Year”.

Simmons has had success as Ireland coach since succeeding Adi Birrell back in 2007. During his tenure, he has overseen the capture of two Intercontinental Cups while ensuring qualification for four successive World Twenty20 campaigns.

In 2013, Ireland – an associate ICC member – became the first team to win the Associates’ treble of the Intercontinental Cup, World Cricket League and Twenty20.

Simmons’ first series in charge of West Indies will be against England, who tour the Caribbean from April 6 to May 5 for three Tests.

In a career spanning 12 years for West Indies, the former right-handed batsman and right-arm seamer played 26 Tests scoring 1002 runs at an average of 22 and grabbing four wickets.

In 143 One-Day Internationals, he managed 3,675 runs at an average of nearly 29, while picking up 83 wickets.

Defending champions St Mary’s College.

The Ministry of Youth Development and Sports got its 2015 Under-20 Boys and Girls Schools’ Volleyball Championships underway on Monday of this week at Vigie Sports Complex and the Soufriere Multipurpose Court.

Eight schools are registered for the girls’ competition, including defending champions and top seeds, St Joseph’s Convent, although they will now have lost the services of Junior Female Volleyballer Of The year, Skye Faucher-Mondesir.

Aiming to succeed St Mary’s College as boys champions, 10 schools (including the champs) are registered in that category. Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, for the first time in years, is fielding teams in both competitions. Miss Faucher-Mondesir is now at SALCC.

The main venues for games in the preliminary round are the Vigie Sports Complex, Micoud Community Court and the Soufriere Court. The third place playoff and final will be held at the Beausejour Gymnasium.

In the most recent action, the boys of Clendon Mason Memorial got a forfeit against Vide Bouteille Secondary (25-0, 25-0) whilst SALCC beat Choiseul Secondary in straight sets, 25-14, 25-12, at the Vigie Sports Complex.

At Micoud court, the girls of Leon Hess Comprehensive earned a come-from-behind win over Choiseul Secondary 2-1 (25-20, 18-25, 11-15).

Earlier in the week Group A matches at Vigie saw SJC beating Soufriere Comprehensive 2-1 (25-18, 18-25, 15-13) and SALCC winning over Vide Bouteille Secondary 2-0 (25-22, 25-8).

The boys of Gros Islet Secondary got an easy victory over Vide Bouteille Secondary 2-0 (25-6, 25-7), and at Soufriere the home team beat Micoud Secondary 2-1 (21-25, 25-18, 15-11). Choiseul’s boys also beat Clendon Mason Memorial 2-1 (25-23, 20-25, 15-9).

SJC female team.

LHCSS female team.

CHSS male team.

SCSS female team.

SALCC female team.

SSF chairman addressed FFH kick-off meet one.

Youth leaders from the west coast of Saint Lucia gathered recently for the launch and kick-off meeting of a new “football for development” programme supported by FIFA’s Football for Hope initiative.

The launch of the Beyond Us child safeguarding and protection programme will focus around the communities of Rouseau Valley/Anse La Raye, Canaries and Soufriere.

The programme, run by the Sacred Sports Foundation (SSF), with support from Football For Hope, will see youth leaders in the community mentoring adolescents in the innovative new programme.

SSF is one of the first NGO’s in the English-speaking Caribbean to become a part of the Football for Hope family and the support follows a call for proposals in April 2014.

“Poor understanding of child rights was highlighted in a recent UN Road to Geneva Youth Survey on the Rights of the Child” said Delroy Alexander, SSF chairman. “This programme is designed to tackle some of the challenges faced by adolescents in the west of the island, an area often neglected by development programmes.”

Launched by FIFA in 2005, Football for Hope is an initiative contributing to social development around the world. Support is provided to selected programmes run by non-governmental organisations that use football as a tool in their daily work to engage children and young people.

Federico Addiechi, Head of the FIFA Corporate Social Responsibility Department, has hailed the work done by SSF in Saint Lucia. The Saint Lucia programme will focus on children’s rights and values through football participation and community development, specifically helping tackle physical violence and sexual abuse in relation to children.

The programme will run in collaboration with local agencies such as the Saint Lucia Football Association and the Ministry of Youth Development & Sport.

All youth mentors in the programme will undertake the UNICEF SafeStamp scheme, providing child protection certification as mentors and will use the Beyond Us development manual, designed with a specific Caribbean focus, targeting at-risk youth aged 6 to 16 in Anse La Raye, Canaries and Soufriere.

Andre Fletcher

A member of the Windward Islands Volcanoes cricket team  has lodged a theft report with the St. Lucian police following a match between his team and Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Beausejour Cricket Ground (BCG) in Gros Islet today, Friday, Feb. 20.

Right-handed batsman and wicket keeper, Andre Fletcher, discovered the monies missing between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., highly-placed sources have told St. Lucia News Online (SNO).

Reports are that the 27-year-old Grenadian left the pouch, containing at least EC$2,000 and USD$200 cash, in the team therapist’s travelling bag at the stadium while he played in the game.

However, shortly after arriving at Harmony Suites in Rodney Bay village, Fletcher discovered the monies missing. Officers from Rodney Bay and Gros Islet Police Stations have been notified of the crime.

“Fletcher is not taking that lightly and is planning to take it further,” a source close to the investigations told SNO.

The team of police officers have since searched the rooms of all the players, but nothing has been found. Sources say the monies were stolen during the match and not many players have access to the therapist’s room at the BCG.

According to sources close to the team, Fletcher suspects that a particular team member is the culprit. SNO will not disclose the suspected player’s name due to legal reasons.

A law enforcement source told SNO that this is not the first time cricketers have reported missing money.

“The player suspected of taking the monies was accused in the past in similar cases,” the source added.

St. Lucia is currently hosting the seventh-round match between Leeward Islands Hurricanes and Windward Islands Volcanoes in the Professional Cricket League Regional 4-Day Tournament, scheduled from February 20-23.

On the third day of the match, Saint Lucia will be celebrating its 36th anniversary of Independence.

Saint Lucia’s sights are firmly trained on the 2015 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship and it is determined not to be intimidated by bigger nations when the tournament kicks off later this month.

Despite being drawn into a difficult Group B alongside Costa Rica (February 28), two-time defending champion Mexico (March 3), Panama (March 6), Canada (March 9) and Caribbean champion Haiti (March 12), head coach St. Croix Albert – better known to Saint Lucian fans as Cassim ‘Vaso’ Louis – expects his squad to play positive football and give a good account of itself in Honduras.

“There are two objectives [for this tournament]: we will use it as a development step and two, I don’t think we should go into this tournament believing we’re the whipping boys,” Vaso told CONCACAF.com. “I think we should go in there and fight and whoever we play against, they should have to be fighting to beat us. We should not go out there thinking these are the big names in CONCACAF and, therefore, we should just bow out. No, we will go out there and give a fight.”

Saint Lucia U17 head football coach, Cassim ‘Vaso’ Louis.

In order to accomplish that objective, Saint Lucia has been training regularly with 25 players, but school commitments have limited sessions to once per week. As the competition looms, however, weekend camps have now been added to the program, as the coaching and management team finalises preparations.

“We have now stepped up our preparation in that we are now having camp on weekends,” explained Vaso. “Because of school work, we are unable to have the kids every day, so we have one day during the week and on weekends we bring them together.

“During the camp period, we try to work on the tactical and technical aspects of the game and, obviously, the psychological aspect and that has been going pretty well. We also do some schoolwork because they will be out of school for a number of weeks, so we are trying to prepare them as holistically as possible.”

Though Saint Lucia has not been able to scout its rivals as closely as preferred, the head coach is fully cognisant of the challenge ahead, especially in the opener against the Ticos, who went 2-0-0 in Central American qualifying.

“We are at a disadvantage in that we are not privy to tapes where we can watch the opposition, but we have a fair idea of how they play,” he noted. “Central Americans, they do play just like the South Americans – they pass the ball, they are good technically, they are good runners and have good speed. So, generally, we are preparing for a team that is well fit, technically sound and good tactically.”

Vaso has also been impressed with the work rate of his own players and how they have come together.

“Fortunately for us we have a team of players who have gelled well,” he finished. “While there are one or two players that stand out as you would normally find in a team setting, generally, I think the team…they push each other, so they get the most out of each other. So you really can’t single out any one player per se, but the team in general plays as a unit.”

PRESS RELEASE - When South Castries and Roseau Valley Youth and Sports Council decided on this collaboration no one ever imagine the perfect ending to what we believe was a very successful Football competition after a massive crowd gathered at the Marigot playing field to witness the finals of the Total Construction Football Competition.

The third place match saw CT Foundation FC beating OBLA FC3-1on penalties after going behind 2-0 just before after half time, after the break CT Foundation FC was able to score 2 goals to equalize and take the games into penalties, with their goal keeper saving the first 3 kicks from OBLA FC to secure the victory. [H-T 2-0]

The Finals was the perfect match for a perfect marriage when BAYS FC of South Castries and RV Juniors FC of Roseau Valley played the match of the competition in front of a huge crowed, but it was all RV Juniors Ernil Eleuthere MVP of the Finals and Jamal Antoine the competition top goal scorer who secure a 4 to nil victory for RV Juniors FC and secure the championship.[H-T 2-0]

The competition ended with a brief pricing giving  ceremony with the Managing director of Total construction Supplies Ltd, Mr Timothy Mangal pledging his company`s continued support of sports in the two districts, the following individuals and team prices were given.

Competition top scorer:  Jamal Antoine of RV Juniors

Best Goal Keeper: Dilon Cox, BAYS

Best Defender : Dennison Fitz, RV Juniors

MVP of the Finals :ErnilEleuthere, RV Juniors

Competition MVP: Gimel Rene

Most Discipline Team: Choppers United

PRESS RELEASE - The St. Lucia football Association Inter-Districts Under 15 and Royal Club Under 23 Competitions continued on the weekend with games playing in the different Districts.

On Saturday 21st February 1 games in the Under 15 Competition played in the Eastern Zone at the Dennery Playing Field featuring Mabouya Valley vs Dennery.

At the end of the game Dennery won over Mabouya Valley 4 goals to 3.  The goals from Dennery were scored by Torrian Joseph with a hat trick in the 3rd, 63rd and 75th minutes and the 4th goals from Owen Sommiare in the 45th minutes.

Goals for Mabouya Valley were scored by Harvey Alexander in the 35th and 76th minutes and Kernil Arismay in the 9th minutes.

The Royal Club Under 23 Competition continued with a game on Friday 20th February in the Western Zone at the Anse La Raye Playing Field featuring Rosseau vs Anse La Raye.   At the end of the game Anse La Raye won over Rosseau 3 goals to 2.

The goals for Anse La Raye were scored by Mc Arthur Louis in the 45th minutes, Colson Fredrick in the 46th minutes and Fagat Ferdinand in the 75th minutes. The goals for Rosseau were scored by Wendel Silvent in the 36th minutes and Jimmy Julian in the 78th minutes.

The games Continued on Sunday 22nd February in the Eastern Zone at the Desruisseau Playing Field in with Dennery vs Desruisseaux.  At the end of the game Desruisseau won over Dennery 2 goals to 1.

The goals for Deruisseau were scored by Jerlany Neptune in the 36th minutes and Mickeige Emmanuel in the 50th minutes.  The one goal for Dennery was scored by Mc Garon Joseph in the 30th minutes.

The games will continue on upcoming weekend.

Elva.

From the south of Saint Lucia to the French northwest, by way of Calgary and Stuttgart, Caniggia Elva is finally getting some quality playing time.

The young Saint Lucian ace earned a contract with VfB Stuttgart last year after impressing during his time in Canada. In the January transfer window, he was loaned to Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace in the Championnat National, the third tier of French football.

On Sunday, Saint Lucia’s Independence Day, Elva, himself the descendant of French colonials, made his debut for the Racing reserve team. His first official taste of French football came against Soleil Bischheim at the Stade J N Muller.

The first half was scoreless, but in the second stanza, the lithe striker struck. On 61 minutes, Elva connected to give his team the victory, and promptly peeled off to complete double front somersaults in celebration.

RCS is in contention for the reserve title in the Championnat. Their new Saint Lucian addition could make all the difference.

Elva is with RCS until the end of the season in June. Whether he will be called upon by the Saint Lucia Football Association between now and the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 qualifiers, starting in June against Antigua-Barbuda, is left to be seen.

PRESS RELEASE - Amidst the heightened season of school sports and national sporting events, Digicel has partnered with several schools and communities across St Lucia in ensuring the islands next generation of athletes aspire to Olympic status.

Digicel recognizesthe positive impact that sports has on the development of young people, and as such decided to support theAux Leon Combined, Dame Pearlette, Monchy Primary, Vieux-Fort Primary and the Gros-Islet Secondary Schools in hosting their annual Sport Events.

The annual National Independence Road Relay hosted by the Mon Repos Youth and Sports Council has also received major support from Digicel in hosting their 2015 road race.

The Mon Repos road race has become a staple on the national sporting calendar over the past twenty-seven years and continues grow in numbers each year. Increased participation from neighboring French island, Martinique and local sports clubs, schools and groups have all attributed to the continued success of the event.

Digicel’s Marketing and Communications Executive, Louise Victor says; ‘At Digicel we recognize the developmental benefits and life skills that sports affords young people. Involvement in sporting activities nurtures a healthy competitive spirit, teaches discipline, time management, commitment and respect. Rewarding extraordinary talent is also a very critical part of the process and at Digicel, we ensure that young athletes from the various schools across the island feel appreciated and recognized, for the hard work and training they put into developing themselves and also in to representing their School Houses.”

Ms Victor went further to add “the continuity of national sports and community development cannot be discounted, hence we have also pledged our support to the ‘National Independence Road relay in Mon Repos.’

Digicel’s commitment to the advancement of the nation’s athletes is evident through its support of Digicel’s brand ambassadors Darren Sammy and Johnson Charles. Digicel will continue to invest in the athletic development of St Lucia’s youth.

Daynia La-Force.

“I want to win games, finish first in the conference and go to postseason tournaments. I want to win, but I want to do all of this the right way… by putting people first.”

Those were among the first words of Daynia La-Force, when she was introduced as women’s basketball head coach at the University of Rhode Island last May.

Born in Saint Lucia, Daynia’s family is from Rock Hall (her father, Trevor Scholar) and central Castries (her mother, Lucia La-Force). Her family includes Saint Lucia’s 2013 Sportswoman of the Year, Makeba Alcide, and former Volleyballer of the Year, Samantha Mann.

Her winning attitude and eclectic background have been major assets to her as a player, and as an assistant at Long Island University and St John’s, and eight very successful years leading Northeastern.

Daynia played four seasons at Georgetown University, and is among the schools all-time blocked shots leaders. Upon graduation, with a degree in psychology, the mother of two boys taught religious studies at Bishop Loughlin High School, and then mathematics at Bishop Kearney High School in Brooklyn. She would go on to complete a masters in psychology at LIU.

Eventually, she would get into coaching, taking on each of her four jobs to date when the schools’ basketball fortunes were at or near their lowest ebb. “I have learned that the key to building a solid foundation and a winning attitude is by leading with your heart,” she says.

As I write, the Rams are 15-11, having dropped their last two contests, and are sixth in the Atlantic 10 Conference. It might not seem like a dramatic record, until you examine where the ‘Rhodies’ have come from.

Over the last five seasons prior to 2014-15, as pointed out in a recent article in the Providence Journal, URI had gathered just six conference wins, against 11 times as many losses. This year, under Daynia, they are 7-7.

URI earned its first conference road win since 2011 over a month ago. That streak included 35 straight A-10 road defeats, and the Rams went on to add a second conference road win at George Mason. With two games remaining in the regular season, the Rams are assured of their first winning record since 2004!

Charise Wilson.

Daynia, the eighth coach in URI women’s basketball history, but the first minority woman head coach in Rhode Island history in any sport, has been credited as the difference-maker. And she has certainly set precedent in that regard.

Daynia’s Northeastern team struggled in her first season, but they improved by 10 wins in her second year. In her near decade with the Huskies, she established all sorts of benchmarks, and consistently defied and exceeded the expectations of her peers.

Daynia’s ethos is distilled as “winning minds” but that translates to winning basketball. Part of that ethos is deferring credit: Rebuilding programmes is a hard task,” she says. “It takes the right people to make it fun and exciting, and I think found a place where the right people are here.”

But Daynia deserves a lot more credit than she demands. “It’s time for us to set a statement saying that we’re here, and we want to win,” she exclaims. “We’re no longer at the bottom of the league, we’re no longer the doormat of the A-10. We want to win, we believe we can, we have special players, we have a special situation at URI, and it’s time we show the top of the conference that we’re here to win.”

Recruiting is one of Daynia’s strengths, and the addition of a class that includes freshman star Charise Wilson has impacted the team. Wilson is the second-leading freshman scorer in the United States. But they’ve also been given a new identity built around their coach’s up-tempo, dribble-drive offense and a disruptive defense that affords them fast-break opportunities aplenty.

“Defense has really been the key for us,” says Daynia, whose Rams are allowing just 59 points a game, third-best in the A-10. “Our philosophy is to delay and disrupt. Defense isn’t so much about talent as it is about heart. We’re hardly ever the biggest team, the quickest team, the toughest team. But we have the biggest hearts, and that shows on defense.

Daynia La Force, URI columbia game (front).

“I have 15 girls here who will do anything I ask them to do,” she continues. “I feel like they’ll run through a brick wall for me.” She hasn’t had to ask any of her girls to do that just yet, but the winning vibe is infectious, and after games, the Caribbean-born coach often leads a dance session – no word on whether she incorporates any traditional Saint Lucian moves.

If history is anything to go by, Daynia is going to do great things with the Rams. With great support from the university, its faculty, student body and alumni, she is already off to a flying start.

And with the Saint Lucia Basketball Federation signalling its intent to get serious about the women’s game, they could do a lot worse than to reach out to a highly successful Saint Lucian, who’s blazing a trail in the sport.

Team Saint Lucia.

Guyana is set to host international football for the first time since 2012, as the Golden Jaguars are preparing to host Saint Lucia next month.

The game is set to take place on Sunday, Mar. 22 at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence. Both teams will use the occasion to prepare for the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 Qualifiers, coming up later this year.

Saint Lucia is set to play home and away against Antigua-Barbuda in June, whilst Guyana is set to face St Vincent and the Grenadines. Coach Francis ‘Baba’ Lastic will also be looking forward to his team’s defense of the Windward Islands Championship, from 29 April to 3 May.

The game between Guyana and Saint Lucia brings international football back to the host nation following an absence of more than 28 months.

The troubled Guyana Football Federation has installed a Normalisation Committee, and recently appointed Trinidadian Jamaal Shabazz as head coach pro tempore. However, it appears that Shabazz is set for a permanent appointment.

Saint Lucia are ranked at 140 in the latest FIFA Coca Cola rankings. Guyana are at 166. The two teams have recent history, having met last September in the Caribbean Cup, where Saint Lucia  won 2-0. Goals on that occasion came from Sheldon Emmanuel and Jamil Joseph.

From all accounts, the Golden Jaguars have improved considerably since that encounter, and are aiming to prevent Saint Lucia from evening up their all-time series at four wins apiece.

The Saint Lucia National Cricket Association has announced the commencement of two competitions this coming weekend.

The 2015 Inter District Under-19 tournament will feature a number of the exciting youngsters who are playing at the school level, including the likes of Cricketer Of The Year, Johnnel Eugene. The Kenneth Arthur Women’s Softball League will include players like young Nerissa Crafton and Quiana Joseph, both from Gros Islet.

On Saturday, the Under-19 bowls off with action at Mindoo Philip Park, Babonneau, Dennery, Mon Repos, Beauchamp and Piaye.

At MPP, Central Castries will face Eugene’s Gros Islet. Babonneau will play host to Anse La Raye. South Castries will visit Dennery. Mon Repos will defend their turf against Mabouya Valley. Vieux Fort North and Soufriere will clash at Beauchamp. And the battle of the south-west corridor will be joined between Choiseul and Laborie.

It will be a short turnaround for all of the teams involved, as Gros Islet will play a home match against Anse La Raye on Sunday. Babonneau will remain at home, this time against Central Castries.

So too, will Dennery, as Mabouya Valley will play back-to-back away games. South Castries and Mon Repos will play at MPP. Laborie will host Vieux Fort North. And Soufriere will host Choiseul.

In the Kenneth Arthur Women’s Softball League, the games on Saturday will include South Castries against Des Barras, Dennery against Mon Repos, and two Choiseul derbies, Saltibus against Caffiere and Tet Morne versus Delcer.

Sunday’s games will feature Mon Repos against Des Barras, Dennery against South Castries, Morne Paul against Saltibus and Caffiere against Tet Morne.

Jerry.

The 2015 Men’s North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) 15’s Competition is scheduled to kick-off on Saturday 28 February.

Hosts Saint Lucia will come up against the British Virgin Islands at home in their first encounter at the Mindoo Phillip Park.

The local lads have been in training from the beginning of January for this first encounter of their group which also features St Vincent and the Grenadines and

Curacao. Saint Lucia is expecting to face a tough challenge from British Virgin Islands, whom they beat 29-18 in Tortola in 2014.

That kicked off a four-game win streak for Saint Lucia, although only two of those were international matches.

In the same tournament last year, Saint Lucia beat St Vincent and the Grenadines at home 26-22, and were whipped by Curacao 57-7.

Saint Lucia’s challenge will rest on the preparedness of its team under reinstalled president Colvis Samuels.

On the pitch, they will be led once again by experienced campaigner Jerry Charles, whose fleetfootedness will be sure to trouble the Virgin Islanders, in what promises to be a bruising encounter – at least from the Saint Lucian side, at least!

The Saint Lucia National Table Tennis Association held their Independence Day Classic tournament last weekend, with competition in boys and girls under 11, and (for the first time) under 9.

Justin James, a student of the Tapion School, and son of former national junior champion Jasen James, played unbeaten to win the under 9 tournament. Charles Gidharry from Dame Pearlette Louisy Primary placed second. Shernan Jankie of Blanchard Combined  School (Desruisseaux) finished in third.

The Girls under 11 category saw Gabrielle Soomer from the Tapion School, Sharlene Jean from Ave Maria Girls Primary, Grande Rivierre Primary’s Angelique Richardson and Gizzelle McGowan all advancing to the semifinals.

Soomer got a close win over Jean whilst McGowan edged out Richardson in a highly contested duel. Richardson won the third place match over Jean.

McGowan had lost to Soomer in the preliminary rounds in straight sets. But it was to be sweet revenge – and comprehensive, at that! – for the Grande Riviere girl, beating her rival in straight sets to become the Independence Day Classic Girls Under 11 Champion.

The under 11 boys category saw the young competitors playing with good intensity since most of them had played in the LUCELEC Inter Primary Schools Tournament, which was organized by the Ministry of Youth Development & Sports three weeks ago.

After the preliminary rounds the best eight players to advance to the quarters were Jelanie Desuazay and Klay Dorius from Camille Henry Memorial, Justin James and Aiden Phillip from Tapion, Shaquan Nelson from Canon Laurie Anglican, Rhahkeem Simon from Morne Du Don Primary, Charles Gidharry from Dame Pearlette Louisy and Ronaldo St Juste from Grande Riviere.

In the quarterfinals matches, Jelanie won 11-3, 11-9 over Rhahkeem; Aiden defeated Klay 11-7, 7-11, 12-10; Ronaldo bested Justin 11-7, 11-2; and Shaquan beat Charles in straight sets 11-4, 11-8.

The semis saw Jelanie shocking Aiden to win 11-2, 11-2; Ronaldo also advanced in straight sets over Shaquan 11-7, 12-10. Shaquan Nelson won the third place match over Aiden. Jelanie executed his shots and played with good form as he won over Ronaldo 11-3, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7 to take the 2015 Independence Day Boys Under 11 title back to Camille Henry Memorial.

Tournament action continues this weekend at the Beausejour Gymnasium on Saturday from 10am with both the boys and girls under-13 and under-15 championships, and on Sunday from the same time in the open division.

PRESS RELEASE - The St. Lucia football Association Inter-Districts Under 15 and Royal Club Under 23 Competitions continues on the weekend with games playing in the different Districts.

In the Inter –District Under 15 Competition the final preliminary games will be played in the Southern Zone on Sunday 1st March at the Dames playing field in Vieux Fort featuring:

1st game Soufriere vs Vieux Fort South at 2.00 p.m.

2nd game Vieux Fort south vs Laborie at 4.00.

The Royal Club Under 23 Competition will feature the following games:

On Saturday 28th February games will be played in the following Districts.

The Southern Zone Under 23 at the Dames Playing field:

1st game Soufriere vs Vieux Fort North at 2.00 p.m.

2nd game Choiseul vs Laborie at 4.00 p.m.

On Sunday 1st March games will be played in the following Districts.

Western Zone Under 23 at the Anise La Rayed Playing field on Sunday 1st March:

1st game Canaries vs Roseau at 4.00 p.m.

2nd game Anse La Raye vs South Castries at 6.00 p.m.

Eastern Zone Under 23 at the Desruisseaux Playing Field:

1st game Mon Repos vs Dennery at 2.00 p.m.

2nd game Mabouya Valley vs Micoud at 4.00 p.m.

The games will continue with the Quarter Finals round.

The St. Lucia Football Association Fantasy Football Competition kicked off on Wednesday 24th February with 2 games played at the Micoud Playing Field.

The 1st game featured Mon-Repos vs South Castries.  At the end of the game Mon-Repos won over South Castries 3-0.  The 2nd game featured Canaries against Vieux Fort South and the game ended with Canaries winning over Vieux Fort South 5-1.

Games continue on Thursday 26th February at the Micoud Playing Field with La Clery vs Laborie at 6.00 p.m. and Marchand vs Choiseul at 8.00 p.m.

PRESS RELEASE - The St. Lucia Football Association Fantasy Football Competition which kicked off on Wednesday 24^th February continued on Thursday 25^th February with 2 games played at the Micoud Playing Field.

The 1^st game featured La Clery vs Laborie.  At the end of the game the score was 0-0 which led to Penalties.  La Clery won over Laborie on penalties 4-3.  The 2^nd game featured Marchand vs Choiseul with Marchand winning over Choiseul 2-0.

The next round of the Competition will continue in the knock out stage with the Four Winners and the Best Loser meeting each other.  The Four Winners are Mon-Repos, Canaries, Marchand and La Clery.  The Best Loser is Laborie.

The dipping for the teams will take place on Tuesday 3^rd March.

Johnson Charles

The ICC has confirmed that the Event Technical Committee of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 has approved Johnson Charles as a replacement player for Darren Bravo in West Indies’ squad for the tournament.

Bravo is suffering from a hamstring injury, he picked up during the match against Pakistan in Christchurch.

Charles, the 26-year-old top order batsman, has played 30 ODIs in which he has scored 869 runs with two centuries and as many half-centuries. His last ODI was against New Zealand in Hamilton in January 2014.

Any injury or illness-based replacement requires a written submission to the Event Technical Committee along with a diagnosis from a medical practitioner as to the extent of the injury or illness. Once replaced, a player may not return to the squad save as an approved subsequent replacement for another injured or ill player.

The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is Geoff Allardice (ICC General Manager – Cricket, Chairman), Campbell Jamieson (ICC General Manager – Commercial), John Harnden (Chief Executive, CWC 2015 LOC), Gavin Larsen (Cricket Operations Manager, New Zealand), Russel Arnold and Sanjay Manjrekar (independent nominees).

The West Indies is in Pool B of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 along with defending champion India, former winner Pakistan, African rivals South Africa and Zimbabwe, and qualifiers Ireland and United Arab Emirates (UAE). The West Indies has played four pool matches to date, beating Pakistan and Zimbabwe, while it has lost to Ireland and South Africa. Its next match is against India in Perth on 6 March.

Darren Bravo

Andy Reyes of Costa Rica (left) celebrates.

Two goals apiece from Andy Reyes and Kevin Masis consigned Saint Lucia to an 0-4 loss to Costa Rica in the opening match for both teams at the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Under-17 Football Championships.

The Group B game was played Saturday evening at the Olympic Stadium in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. In spite of the final scoreline, the Saint Lucians appeared to be very much in it in the early going.

Technical director Cyril ‘Ces’ Podd and head coach Cassim ‘Vaso’ Louis named Viannie George in goal, a defensive unit comprising captain Ryi Maryat, Alvinus Myers, Melvin Doxilly, Keeroy Lionel, and a midfield of Zacherinus Simon, Nyrone Winter, Cassius Joseph, Antoine Wilfred and Lael Cherry behind lone striker Noah Nicholas.

Nicholas’s name in particular was called early and often, although Winter had the best chance of the first half hour, just going past the post.

Mere seconds later, though, a bit of confusion in the Saint Lucia box gave Reyes all the space he could possibly have needed to thunder the ball past the Saint Lucia custodian. Nicholas got close again, but could only get a corner. Costa Rica was up 1-0 at the interval.

Going into halftime, however, Cherry limped off the field with the assistance of physiotherapist Kim Andrew. The Castries Comprehensive student was holding on to his hamstring, which has been an area of some concern.

To start the second half, Saint Lucia’s technical team switched out Cherry for school teammate Bradley Cyril, and defender Myers for Harrison Moffat.

Costa Rica, though, quickly took the measure of their opponents. Saint Lucia’s play up to this point had depended almost entirely on getting the ball to Nicholas and Winter, and losing the trickiness of Cherry hurt them further.

Again, it was confusion in the Saint Lucia box, Moffat and George losing Ticos forward Masis, who headed in at the far post after a foul by Simon won them a free kick.

Two minutes later, Reyes slotted in from a Masis cross, then returned the favour to set up his strike partner as each completed their braces.

After the fourth goal, Wilfred was replaced by Albertini Philip. Saint Lucia had one further shot on goal, but it was easily dealt with.

Team Saint Lucia face probably the toughest team in the group, Mexico, on Tuesday at the same venue. Mexico beat Panama earlier in the day, and their last loss at this level was 20 games ago.

Saint Lucia and Costa Rica met for the first time at any level in football. Following the game, Ticos head coach Hugo Herrera said: “For a team making their debut in thir competition, they appeared to be very strong.”