PRESS RELEASE - Games had to be rescheduled last evening in the National Basketball League due to heavy rainsin both Gros Islet and Soufriere.

In Gros Islet, the game between Combined Schools vs. Sandals High Risers was abandoned before a ball was touched, as a heavy downpour one hour before game time ruled out the Division 1 fixture.

In Soufriere, an upset was looming when Premier League giants VBCC Warlords were faced with a 9-point deficit 48 – 39 against home team Soufriere Sulphur Stars with less than eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

Heavy showers of blessing in the Warlords favor forced the premature end of that game.  Game will be rescheduled to resume at the same juncture it ended in the 4th quarter before the rains came.

Notices of both rescheduled games will be provided in a subsequent release.

Meanwhile, the St. Lucia Basketball Federation would like to inform the general public, affiliates, clubs, officials, media and players that due to additional remedial work to be completed at the Vigie Multipurpose SportsComplex, the games scheduled for this weekend at that facility will now be moved to the Beausejour Indoor Facility.

On Saturday at 6pm, Soufriere Sulphur Stars are back in action vs. Morne Gladiators.  And at 8pm the first of at least two meetings between VBCC Warlords and Courts Jets will be the marquee game of the weekend.  Both games are scheduled for the Beausejour Indoor Facility.

Also on Saturday in Micoud, BBC vs. The St. Lucia Fire Service at 6pm and home team Micoud Hustlerz vs. Canaries Moon River at 8pm.

On Sunday April 19th at the Beausejour Indoor Facility, Combined Schools will face Maranatha Eagles at 5pm followed by Police vs. Sandals High Risers at 7pm.

Terance Mann.

The 2015 New Hampshire Boys Basketball Player Of The Year is Terance Mann. Mann, a 6’6″, 205-pound wing, attends a boarding school in the relatively small northeastern state, and he’s notable due to his family connections.

The son of two Saint Lucians, Eustace Mann and Rhode Island women’s basketball coach Daynia La-Force, Terance grew up as a two-sport star. But as he kept growing, he committed himself to the sport in which his mother excelled at Geogetown.

Terance recently led the Tilton School Rams to a 31-5 record and the 2015 New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference Class AA championship title. He averaged 23.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 61% from inside the arc.

A 2015 First Team All-New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) selection, he scored 18 points in Brewster Academy’s 68-63 win over Vermont Academy in the NEPSAC championship. He is ranked as one of the nation’s top 2015 recruits.

His skill level has led Mann to sign with Florida State for the 2015 season. And on top of his ability on the court, Terance has maintained a B average, and has volunteered locally as a mentor for children with special needs and as a youth basketball coach.

“Terance is a tremendous competitor and a complete basketball player,” says Tilton head coach Marcus O’Neil. “He’s a terrific player on both ends of the court and puts the team ahead of himself.”

The young man spent part of 2014 with his mother and younger brother, Martin, in Rhode Island. “He’s worked hard and developed into one of the better players in the country,” says his proud matriarch.

On Friday evening, Terance will get a chance to showcase his skills in New York City, when he takes part in the 2015 Jordan Brand Classic. He will be part of the Regional Classic, featuring players from New York City and the greater northeast.

Terance joins fellow ACC commits Moustapha Diagne (Syracuse), Tyler London (Syracuse), Matt Ryan (Notre Dame), and Damon Wilson (Pitt) on the “away” team at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center, in a game that tips off from 5:30pm.

Saint Lucia has had quite a few homegrown basketball players take up university scholarships in the United States. To borrow a phrase from the American pickup lexicon, Terance Mann has got next.

The Caribbean Netball Association’s 2015 Jean Pierre Under-16 Tournament ended on Thursday evening in Saint Lucia, with Barbados confirmed as champions, and home team Saint Lucia in fourth position.

After three consecutive losses, two of them by a combined three points, Saint Lucia ended the tournament on a high note, beating sixth-placed Trinidad and Tobago 30-14 to pick up their third victory.

It was, of course, a much better performance than Saint Lucia had put in the year before, when they were winless and finished in last place.

Saint Lucia could have finished in third position had Bermuda beaten Dominica on Thursday. But that match went down to the wire, the Windward Islands team 21-20 winners over the Atlantic lasses, and taking second place from Grenada.

Champions Barbados ended the tournament unbeaten, whipping fifth-placed St Vincent and Grenadines 36-11 on the final night of the competition, after a lengthy rain delay that also affected the Saint Lucia match.

For the second year in a row, Saint Lucia’s youngest player, goad defense Megan Nestor of Canaries, captured the CNA President’s Award; she was also the only Saint Lucian among the competition’s top 16 players.

Centre Janelle Mathurin was named Most Valuable Player, and shooters Tanny William and Kamala Mangal were rewarded for being the duo with most goals scored at the tournament.

At the end of the closing ceremony, Saint Lucia handed the CNA flag over to Barbados, who will commence preparation to host the 16th CNA Jean Pierre Youth Tournament in 2016.

Terance Mann throws one down in the Jordan Classic!

Even among some of the top high school basketball stars in the United States, Terance Mann was outstanding on Friday night.

The Titlon School senior featured in the Jordan Brand Classic Regional game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The 6’6″ 205-pound wing, son of Saint Lucians Daynia La-Force and Eustace Mann, and a four-star recruit, helped the Black team win 125-112.

Terance, who will attend Florida State this fall, had 20 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot. With his mother, the women’s coach at Rhode Island, in attendance, Terance was the only player with double figures in points and rebounds.

The Black team opened a 25-point advantage in the first half, but the White team tied the game in the second half. The Black team’s coach, Ruth Lovelace, used a platoon system for most of the game but mixed up the squad in the closing minutes.

One of the features of the game – in addition to the absence of defense common to all star games – was the volume of dunking: 42 of the 104 made baskets were flushes, and the game at one point seemed to have turned into a high school dunk contest.

“It was crazy,” said Terance, himself among the most frequent purveyors of dunks in the game. “I’ve never been in a game with that many dunks. I came in with my knees feeling pretty sore and I didn’t think I was going to, but it just happened.”

Kassandra ‘Kassie’ Pierre

In some places, the Saint Lucia national record for women’s 400m hurdles was 1:11.85, a performance by Urana Joseph in 1993 in the United States. In others, it was 1:01.61, teenager Gehian Regis running at the 2007 PSAL City Championship in Randall’s Island, USA.

But whatever the old record is academic, as 21-year-old Kassandra ‘Kassie’ Pierre finally achieved one of her long-stated goals on Saturday.

Running for UNC Asheville at the Georgia Tech Invitational, the UNC Asheville redshirt junior had a modest finish by position, but lowered her own school record and set a new mark for the nation of her heritage.

The daughter of former sprinter Desmond Pierre and niece of Michael ‘Midget’ Pierre, ‘Kassie’ came into the season with a personal-best mark of 1:01.70 in the intermediate hurdles, just outside Gehian’s mark. But at the George C Griffin Track on Sunday, Kassie cleared the 10 flights in 1:01.56, stablishing a new national record for the Brooklyn Tech alum.

Brimming with emotion, Kassie shared her excitement: “My dad has this scrapbook of all his accomplishments,” she says. “By the time he graduated college, my parents had had my sister and I feel if he had the opportunity to, he would have tried to compete professionally for Saint Lucia.

“While I know I’m far off from where my potential is, I want to run for Saint Lucia as like a continuation of his aspirations or rather what he could have done. It’s a small island that goes by overlooked and I want to live up to my potential and become a standout for Saint Lucia just to bring a little more recognition to it, and to also just show I’m more than proud of my roots.”

Among Kassie’s immediate goals, she says she wants to take the record down to 58 seconds. She is hopeful of running at Saint Lucia’s National Championships in June, and if she gets under 59.56 in the next few weeks, she would qualify for the Pan Am Games.

But the level-headed young lady, who missed out on the 2013 outdoor season through injury, says she has not reached out to the local Athletics Association to date. A full Saint Lucian citizen, she explains that this was entirely by design.

“I’ve been focused on dropping my times so I’d have more appeal to the association,” says Kassie. So far, she’s doing well, but hoping for even better things for herself, for the Asheville Bulldogs, and for Saint Lucia.

David Flavius lines up a shot.

Saint Lucia is set to host at least four men’s football matches in the next two months.

The Windward Islands Men’s Football Championships will be held in the middle of May, and the FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers get underway in June.

As usual, the Saint Lucian selection for those matches will be almost exclusively home-based.

Saint Lucian football has not traditionally leaned heavily on the products of its diaspora, whilst other countries have benefited greatly from finding first and second-generation players eligible for international representation.

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz most famously ‘discovered’ over a half-dozen British-born players including Robbie Earle, Deon Burton and Frank Sinclair on their way to the 1998 World Cup finals. Jamaica has persisted in embracing its diaspora since.

More recently, Antigua-Barbuda’s Benna Boys scaled the heights of Caribbean football, as the region’s top-ranked team. They made the third round of World Cup Qualifying with a team that included several players born in the United Kingdom.

Even Guyana, under new technical director Jamal Shabazz, have begun to embrace what may be the region’s largest groups of emigrants. They recently called up two British-born professionals as they get ready for World Cup Qualifying.

Even one-off players like Jason Roberts for Grenada’s Spice Boyz or Emmerson Boyce for Barbados have enjoyed prolonged success and have contributed to the development of the game in the country of their heritage.

Now, as outlined in an article last year on Caribbean football, there are potential disadvantages to reaching out to the diaspora. Overseas pros can create rifts in the locker room, and they are not always available due to club commitments.

But with the European season winding down, all five of Saint Lucia’s upcoming matches (including an away date to Antigua in WCQ) head coach Francis ‘Baba’ Lastic could have an unprecedented number of potential players available.

Titus Elva WCFC

FIFA rules say players must have “a clear connection” to any country with which they intend to play. You can be born there, your parents or grandparents can have been born there, or you can have lived there for a specific period.

You can even played with one country at youth level, or in friendlies at senior level, and still appear for the country of your heritage. In many cases, it is a chance for good but not outstanding players to get a taste of international football.

Bringing in overseas players also helps build interest in the national team. The communities where the players or their families are from get pumped up, and their overseas communities – and clubs and media – are suddenly your biggest fans.

With all that said, it’s strange that Saint Lucia has not reached out to its overseas players in any meaningful fashion for close to a decade. Ironically, the last time the national team relied heavily on overseas players, one of them was the current head coach.

Titus Elva had 19 official caps for Saint Lucia. He led a group from Trinidad and Tobago’s W Connection that included Lastic, Earl ‘Ball’ Hog Jean and Elijah Joseph, Romania-based Eric Fannis, David Flavius and Jarvin Skeete from the USA, between 2003 and 2006.

That group also included home-based players such as Kester Erysthee, Faustus Tobie, Emerson Jn Marie, Tennyson Glasgow and Shawn Kirton, under various national coaches. But in recent times, there have been few “overseas” players on Team Saint Lucia.

Again, W Connection, under former Saint Lucia international Stuart Charles-Fevrier, has been central. That’s where 24-year-olds fullback Kurt Frederick and midfielder Tremain Paul ply their trade along with 19-year-old midfielder Malik St Prix.

Defender Jamil Joseph also plays in Trinidad and Tobago, with Caledonia AIA. Pernal Williams has come in from L’Aiglon of Martinique, and Zachaeus Polius plays with Harbour View of Antigua-Barbuda.

Beyond those six are many unexplored options. In defence alone, the national team could conceivably call on Leon Legge, Janoi Donacien, Anton Ferdinand, Stephane Emard, Dwight Degazon and Danny Mullarkey.

Saint Lucia-born Donacien is a 21-year-old product of Aston Villa in the English Premier League, and has played much of this season on loan with Tranmere Rovers. Able to operate at various positions, he has expressed his desire to play for Saint Lucia.

Jamil Joseph

Emard, 26 years old, was called up from Canadian club Kingston FC for the 2012 Caribbean Cup, but was never given a game. Mullarkey is a relatively unknown fullback who has played for Coventry and most recently Corby Town.

Degazon is an interesting prospect. He is 22, and has played junior college, college and semi-professional football in the United States since 2012. He has trained with the national team in the past, and is very interested in representing Saint Lucia.

Gillingham’s Legge is winding down his career and is unlikely ever to get serious consideration at the age of 30. Ferdinand, like his more famous brother Rio, is the son of a Saint Lucian tailor, but he is also 30 and on the downside of his career.

In midfield, Zaine Pierre, Darel Russell, Jay Emmanuel Thomas and Junior Stanislas are among the possiblities.

Zaine, aged 21, is on loan to Messina in Italy’s fourth tier, but has struggled with injury since last playing for the national team three years ago. The dynamic defensive midfielder has also been at the centre of a contract row.

Wingers Emmanuel-Thomas and Stanislas are both in their mid-twenties and have played for clubs including Bristol City FC, West Ham United and Burnley. Both have also played for England at youth level, Stanislas up to Under-21.

Russell has long spoken of his desire to represent Saint Lucia. At the age of 34, however, time has probably run out for the British-born midfielder better known as Rusty. He plays with the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the USA.

Up front, where the national team has probably been weakest of late, Caniggia Elva is the biggest name, for a number of reasons, but Leon Knight and Dominic Poleon are also available options.

Degazon

Elva’s father, Titus, played for over a decade with the national team. His uncle Oliver was also an international. But Vieux Fort-born Caniggia, who is on loan with RC Strasbourg in France, has said that he would rather play for Canada.

Knight and Poleon are at opposite ends of their careers. Barnton’s Knight played for England U19 and U20, but over a decade ago. Oldham Athletic’s Poleon is 21 and has played youth football for Chelsea and Leeds. He has three goals this season.

It’s clear that there are options available, some more realistic than others. And some of them could certainly add to the national team. But from all appearances, Saint Lucia might just look to go with the status quo.

Feel free to suggest other potential players in the comments below.

PRESS RELEASE - The Gros Islet Football League Promotional Competition continued on Sunday 19th April at the Corinth Playing Field with two games.

The 1st game featured Dominators vs Young Bay Strikers At the end of the 1st half the score was

Dominators took the lead 1-0 with a goal from Clyde Henry in the 22nd minutes. The 2nd half end with the win for Dominators 5-0 over Young Bay Strikers with goals from Lee Mathurin in the 52nd minutes, Dubai Demay in the 67th minutes, Zackim Aurelien in 80th minutes and another goal from Clyde Henry in the 87th minutes.

The 2nd game featured GMC vs Super J Northern United at 4.00 p.m.  At the end of the 1st half the score was 0-0.

The 2nd half saw Super J Northern United taking the lead with a goal from Nicholas Lawrence in the 59th minutes and another goal from Elijah Louis in the 85th minutes giving Super J Northern United the win over GMC 2-0 at the end of the game.

The Gros Islet Football League would also like to congratulate the Gros Islet Team in the Super League Competition for winning their game over Desruisseaux 7-0.

PRESS RELEASE - Morne Stars Athletics Club 1997 enjoyed a successful outing on Sunday at the Elite Invitational Track and Field Championships. The meet was held at Mindoo Phillip Park, and MSAC got four gold medals, four silver and five bronze.

As usual, Morne Stars dominated the men’s Long Jump, sweeping the medals. Desran Desir was the winner, with National Junior Record holder Darren Defreitas in second, and Darran ‘Yogi’ Anderson in third.

Much of the team’s success on track came from Allana Paul, who won the 200m and 400m in the 15-17 girls division. Gabrielle Tobierre got silver in the 100m in that division, and Mijan Augustus got bronze in the 200.

Those three young ladies, along with Jada Francis, got gold in the 4x100m relay in that division. Aaliyah Paul, Allana, Marva Herman and Delcia Hubert ran for bronze in the 4x300m in that division as well.

Anton Paul, also a national footballer,  won both of his heats in the 15-17 boys 100m and 200m. Like several of his teammates, Anton is balancing preparations for CXC exams with training, in his case for both track and football.

The quartet of Zoey Dorville, Keeniva Thompson, Aaliyah Paul and Thea Denis also won medals. Keeniva and Zoey got silver and bronze in the 80m dash, and then the foursome combined for bronze in the 4x100m relay.

Morne Stars management extends its congratulations to the hard-working athletes, their parents, coaches and teachers, not just from MSAC, but also from all the other schools and clubs that participated.

Morne Stars also thanks sister organisation Elite Track Club for hosting a fine meet. It was a great celebration of the sport of athletics and all involved should be congratulated for a job well done.

The club is preparing for engagements in May, including the Club Relay Championships, which Morne Stars has won on three occasions. MSAC is also planning to take part in at least one regional meet this season.

PRESS RELEASE - A total of six games were played this past weekend at two different venues in the KFC National Basketball League.  On Saturday, two double-headers were played in Micoud and at the Beausejour Indoor Facility.

In Division 1 action in Micoud, BBC defeated newcomers St. Lucia Fire Service 58 – 50 claiming their 2nd successive win.  Game two in Micoud featured the home team Micoud Hustlerz vs. Canaries Moon River.

Micoud won that game to square their season record at 1-1, Canaries with their 2nd defeat.

At the Beausejour Indoor Facility, Morne Gladiators got a historical win which improves them to their best start of a National tournament with their 2nd successive win in as many games over Soufriere Sulphur Stars 60 – 54.

KFC Player of the Game Sharmoir Jn.Baptiste had 24pts and 11rebs in their win.  Mervin Augustin added 14pts and 8rebs for Morne.  For Soufriere, Clayton William had 20pts and 7rebs in their loss.

Second game of the doubleheader at the Beausejour Indoor Facility featured a rematch of last year’s finals between defending champions Courts Jets and beaten finalists VBCC Warlords.

The defending champions continued to show their dominance in the National Basketball League with four players registering double figures in a lopsided rout of VBCC 72 – 53.

An even game at the 1st quarter interval had Courts Jets leading VBCC by only 1-point 13 – 12.

Poor 2nd and 3rdquarter showings for VBCC combined with good defense from Jets limited them to only scoring a total of 16 points between these 2 quarters to Jets 32.

Courts Jets led early in the 3rd by as many as 31 points.  KFC Player of the Game Ron Dumurville had a team high 15pts, 9rebs and 3 assists for Courts Jets.   Nigel Francis scored a game high 22pts and 4 steals for VBCC in their defeat.

On Sunday, two Division 1 games were played at the Beausejour Indoor Facility first with Maranatha Eagles vs. Combined Schools.

The Schools team playing their first game of the tournament won 68 – 63 behind an outstanding performance from KFC player of the game Jadson Montoute with a huge night on the boards for his 13pts and 21rebs.

Jervais Florius had a team high 23pts and 2 steals.  Dave Headley was the front man for Maranatha Eagles with 23pts and 5rebs and Valentine Dantes added 14pts and 7rebs in their loss.

Game two of the evening went the distance and needed extra minutes to separate the two teams Police and Sandals High Risers.  Police won that game in OT 73 – 71 after being tied at regulation 63 apiece.

Kurlinus Augustin was the KFC Player of the Game with his 21pts and 4 steals steering his team to victory.

Amil Octave added 18pts and 6rebs for the lawmen.  David Stanislas led the scoring for Sandals with 20pts and grabbed a tournament high 28rebs.  Kurt Weeks also contributed with a double-double of 18pts and 12rebs in Sandals loss.

Games continue on Tuesday with Courts Jets vs. Micoud in Micoud and Lions vs. Fire Service in Gros Islet.  Both games tipoff at 7pm.

Smith.

PRESS RELEASE - West Indies opener Devon Smith is excited and focused as he prepares for the second Test match against England at the Grenada National Stadium.

The 33-year-old left-hander is set to become the first Grenadian to play a Test match on home soil when the game bowls off on Tuesday.

Smith played well in the first Test – with a defiant 65 off 175 balls in over three hours — in the second innings as West Indies showed resilience to earn a draw at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua.

“I’m feeling relaxed and ready as I look forward to Tuesday. I will become the first Grenadian to play a Test match at home so for me this is something special. I will be confident when I walk down the steps to take that first ball and I know the people here will back me and the entire West Indies team,” Smith said.

“This will be a dream for me. My entire family will be here to support me. I grew up dreaming of playing for the West Indies, and to play a Test match in Grenada is something I will remember for a very long time.”

SCHEDULE OF MATCHES

APRIL

Mon 13 to Fri 17: 1st Test – Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua – MATCH DRAWN

Tue 21 to Sat 25: 2nd Test – National Cricket Stadium, Grenada

MAY

Fri 1 to Tue 5: 3rd Test – Kensington Oval, Barbados

Jessie Corneil Lionel.

Over the weekend, Kassandra Pierre set a new Saint Lucia national record for women’s 400m hurdles. Rick Valcin also cleared 5.10m in pole vault at the University of Dubuque Invitational, punching his ticket to the Pan Am Games.

But those accomplishments are secondary (and tertiary) to the latest from Jessie Corneil Lionel. The 23-year-old set a new national record for the men’s 200m and qualified for the Pan Am Games in his event.

Corneil ran 20.63 seconds at the John Jacobs Invitational in Norman, Oklahoma on Saturday, with a legal wind of +1.6 metres per second. That bested Ronald Promesse’s 1999 time of 20.75 in El Paso, Texas.

Coming into the season, the Abilene Christian student and Entrepot Secondary alumnus said he was just looking for improvement. Saint Lucia’s Track and Field Athlete Of The Year for 2014, he represented the island at the OECS Championships and Commonwealth Games last season, but did not have a great deal of individual success.

“I just wanted to run as fast as I can so that I could make my mother and aunty proud,” he says. “After that I believe everything will fall in place, for example, World Champs.”

Corneil’s mother, Cornelia, was one of the first athletes to represent Saint Lucia at the IAAF World Championships. She ran the 200 and 400 at the inaugural event in Helsinki, Finland. But her son is plotting his own destiny.

One of the big things for Corneil is that he’s had to redshirt this season. That means he is unable to run for the ACU Wildcats track team. But he says that he has learnt a great deal from having to compete without official school support.

“Well it taught me how to be an independent athlete, and how to work on my own,” he say. “When you are a college athlete, you run with your school, your coach babies you around, but running unattached I learnt how to do get things done on my own.”

Corneil admits that it has helped to have compatriot Rosen Daniel with him. Rosen set personal-best marks in the 200 (21.01) and 400 (46.76) and is within a split second of qualifying for the Pan Am Games in both events.

Although Rosen likens them to the NBA basketball duo of Kobe and Shaq, they are more like the superhero team of Flash and Superman. Corneil is looking to qualify for Pan Am again in the 100, but he’s also aiming higher.

“I wasn’t thinking about Pan Am or the record,” he explains. “My focus has been on World Champs. I have not really been working on technique, just strength. So coming from the back put me in a position to test my might. I’ve been working on my start mainly because my last 60-50 metres are my fastest since I travel at a second or less during that time, which is a big difference from last year!

“I’m running really good in both the 100 and the 200 right now. I ran 10.26 last weekend with a 2.9 tail wind very easy and 20.77 with a 3.4 tail wind. So I am getting best  out of both worlds.”

The emphasis on speed endurance and other technical adjustments have obviously paid off big time. Corneil, though, is always aware of those who helped him get where he is, and those who continue to support him as he aims to take his journey further.

“Track and field is always on my mind,” he reveals. “My main goal is to make the entire nation proud. Seeing the results of my hard work is exciting and makes me feel good about myself on and off the track. But I remember how far I came and what the people around me did for me to get here. So I stay humble and patient.”

Rick and Corneil are set to join Sandisha Antoine, Jeannelle Scheper, Levern Spencer and Albert Reynolds from track and field at the Pan Am Games, along with sailor Stephanie Devaux Lovell, swimmers Jordan Augier and Joshua Runako Daniel, as well as the men’s beach volleyball team of Julian Bissette and Joseph Clercent.

PRESS RELEASE - Here are the scores for the Semi Finals games played on April 17th 2015

April 17, 2015-Peter & Company went up against FLOW.

Peter & Company scored 4 goals; Marcus Toussaint scored 3 goals and Ashlie Edward scored 1 goal.

Anthony Christopher scored 1 goal for FLOW.

April 17, 2015-Saint Lucia Distillers took on LIME.

Saint Lucia Distillers emerged as the winners 4-1. Kevin Antoine scored 3 goals and Bertrand Henry scored 1 goal.

Finals Matches take place onFriday 24thAprilfrom 6:30pm at the Beausejour Indoor Facility. Entry fee is $5.00EC dollars per person.

LIME vs FLOW

6:30PM (Bronze Medal Macth)

Peter & Companyvs Saint Lucia Distillers

7:25PM (Gold Medal Match)

Sponsors of this tournament are Guinness, Seven Seas, Climax, Paradise Water and Kotex who jointly sponsor the tournament.

PRESS RELEASE - The St. Lucia National Tennis Centre hosted a successful 4-day junior training and development tennis camp from April 13th to 16th 2015, at the home of tennis in Beausejour Gros Islet.

The junior camp was aimed to improve and increase the level of play and knowledge of our most promising junior and grassroots tennis players.

This event would not have been possible without generous sponsors Northwest Ltd; who is no stranger to the support of Tennis in St. Lucia as the sponsor of the KIA National Independence Tournament.

Supporting sponsor Mano Enterprises was also keen to assist in this tennis initiative. The sponsors were all onboard to support this tennis project as they believe in the development of our juniors especially the grassroots players among them.

Contributions were also provided by Consolidated Foods Ltd, Mr. Romano Soochan and Mr. Digby Ambris.

The camp saw 41 young tennis enthusiasts’ ages ranging from 8 years to 16 years. Participants from our weekly Schools Program at the National Tennis Centre were Luanne Blanchard from La Guerre Primary, Ronaldo St Juste and Saneil Bernard from the Grande Rivierre Combined, Keva Louis and Niesha Cherry from Monchy Primary.

Camp Directors Scyla Murray and Diana Stanislas had assistance from the National Tennis Centre’s two resident tennis coaches Andre Dolcy and Vernon Lewis and National Tennis Centre Manager Buzz Erlinger-Ford; also camp assistant coaches and chaperones Ricardo Francois, Ajaunie Scott, Iesha Emile, Catherine Murray, Catherine Edmund, Ms Marie Joseph and Ms Vanessa Augustin.

The team pulled off a successful feat with daily devotionals, physical conditioning, match play, tennis drills, guest speakers and movie and games night. Mr. Taylor Evariste Nutritionist taught the benefits of eating healthy, junk food eating and diets for athletes.

Dr. Alan Platt Chiropractor, discussed benefits of stretching and over working the muscles. From the fire department in Gros Islet, Sub Officer 371 Williams spoke on Fire safety and distributed fire escape plans to campers. The camp served off without a glitch and the campers could not be happier. It is just one of many junior tennis camps to come from the St. Lucia National Tennis Centre.

Camp Director Scyla Murray is quoted saying “I see a great improvement in some of the junior players’ thinking on court; we do hope what is learnt here at the camp will be put into practice daily by the junior players”.

The St. Lucia Tennis Association would like to again thank all sponsors and contributors who made this camp the great success that it was.

Special awards were given on the final day of the camp namely:

Male Sportsman of the Camp – Matison Preville Jr

Female Sportsman of the Camp – Niesha Cherry

Most Helpful Camper – Clyvert Alexander

Most Disciplined Male – Sydney Bailey

Most Disciplined Female– Linda Stanislaus

Spirit of the Camp – Kiani Rambally

Troy Greendige.

First round matches continue this week in Saint Lucia Football Association / Vizions Entertainment Super League Football, presented by Michel’s Electrical.

The tournament kicked off on Saturday (on time, as the organizers have been at pains to point out), and depending how you like your football – or even if you did not come for the football – there was plenty to see at the Beausejour Stadium.

Sixteen goals were scored in five matches, and in between there was entertainment by Skinny Fabulous, the Derek yarde Project and Teddyson John, not to mention plenty of big giveaways.

On Saturday, Roseau Valley and Dennery played to a cagey scoreless draw. Dennery, who might well have felt they had the better of the contest, would surely have rued their spurned chances, as Roseau made their way to the next round of play with a 4-3 penalty shootout win.

Gros Islet made light work of Desruisseaux, beating them 7-0. Troy Greenidge scored four times, whilst Aramis Lorde, Elijah Louis and Nicholas Lawrence each scored one apiece.

Mabouya Valley defeated Choiseul 3-2 (Martis Joseph, Wayne Thedore and Yveslin Eugene for Mabouya Valley, Leontius Jospeh and Tarrie Alcee for Choiseul.)

It took a 67th-minute goal from Yod Fevrier to supply the knockout punch to La Clery ensuring Mon Repos qualification into the second round defeating La Clery.

Anse La Raye made light work of Laborie with Dane St. Croix , Mackean St. Croix and Georges Guillet scoring for Anse La Raye to send Laborie home 3-0.

Matches continue on Tuesday from 6pm at Beausejour with Baboneau against Soufriere and South Castries playing Canaries. On Wednesday Micoud will play Marchand and Vieux Fort North will clash with Central Castries.

Cassim ‘Vaso’ Louis and Cyril ‘Ces’ Podd continue to run the rule over the under-23 men’s national football training squad, with two games being played over the weekend, amidst a flurry of activity at the community level.

On Friday, the squad trvelled to take on the Anse La Raye under-23 team. At the half, the home side held a 1-0 advantage, but in the second period, David Henry headed in a free kick from Onel Toussaint to level the scores.

The national squad got the winner in the 80th minute when a low cross came from the boots of Adam Gaston for Antonio Joseph to tap into the back of the net.

In the second game on Saturday, the national squad came up against Dennery under-23, and made light work of their opponents, with a 4-1 win. Goals for the select team coming from Tonius ‘Monty’ Simon in the 15th minute, Erickson Reid in the 38th minute and a second-half brace from former national under-17 player Antonius Mayers in the 78th and 85th minute.

The lone goal for Dennery came from the penalty spot, and was converted by Azara Faucher in the 87th minute.\

Mon Repos

The Football League Senior Club Competition continued on Monday with an exciting contest between Young Strikers Sports Club and Bordelais Correctional Officers.

The half time score was 4-1 in favor of Young Strikers, but the officers arrested any further progress with three unanswered goals in the second half to end the game at 4-4.

The goals for Young Strikers were from a hat trick by Jason ‘Turtle’ Constantine (25th, 40th, 42nd) and a lone goal from Kenson Walter in the 43rd minute.

The goal scorers for Bordelias were an own goal from Andy Jeffery 45th, Cryus Ambrose 55th, Lyra Francois 63 and Greg Valcin in the 74th minute.

The next game  on Wednesday is set to be a mouth watering encounter between La Pointe 4H and Grass Street Sports Club from 4 pm at the Wenn Playing Field.

Dennery

The Plante’s Place Senior Football Competition continued on Monday at the Dennery Playing Field with WHITE HOUSE edging out ON THE ROCK STRIKERS by 1:0 courtesy of a last minute goal by Levi Gilbert. The completion continues on Wednesday with PITON TRAVEL YOUNG STARS taking on SERIA from 4:30 pm.

CICERON

In games played over the past week in the Ciceron Seagulls Sports & Cultural Club annual Ciceron football League: On Tuesday, Crusaders and Force Five played to an exciting 2-2 draw.

On Wednesday ED Strikers defeated last year’s runners up All Star Strikers 1-0, on Thursday Strike Force defeated Trois Piton by default and on Saturday Prospects defeated Goodlands 2-1 to go top of the table. Four games are scheduled for this week.

Marchand

A game featuring the only two undefeated teams left in Group A, Toughest (five-game win streak) and Flames United (three wins, two draws) came to life early with the partisan crowd favoring United.

Canicius Philip scored in the second minute for Flames, then added a second in the 14th minute. In the second half, Flames seemed content to protect their lead. Nonetheless, Peter Valcin pulled a goal back for Toughest in the 70th minute.

But it proved insufficient, even though Toughest retain first place on 15 points, one point ahead of Flames United on 14.

Competition for the Philip J Pierre Trophy continued with Pavee United beating B1 FC 4-1 in Group A, Wanya Wells, Roger Leon, Kamel Dorleon and Millan Aimable netting for the victors.

In Group B, Marchand U23 beat La Cou Do 7-1 and Marchand 18-and-under beat Sandals La Toc 3-1.

Vieux Fort South

The 2015 season kicked off on Sunday with the SLFA / Vieux-Fort South re-registration tournament at Phillip Marcellin Grounds. 2014 Southern Inter Club champions, KNIGHTS came up against the VIEUX-FORT VETERANS. Substitute Romeo ‘Jacket’ Cox put Veterans ahead with a right foot blast from way out of the penalty area in the second half.

Junior footballer of the year and national under-17 player Nyrone Winter equlised with a header. Losing finalist in the 2014 Dr. Kenny Anthony Cup, GREEN LAKE took on W MANGUE U. That game also ended in a 1-1 draw.

PRESS RELEASE - The St. Lucia Volleyball Association has named three Teams in both Male and Female divisions to represent St. Lucia over the coming two weeks.

Firstly, Tevin St. Jean and Afernee Ferdinand along with Dania Hamilton and KerinNeptune, will represent St. Lucia at the Opening Stage of the 2015 NORCECA Tour to be held in Cayman Islands from April 23-27, 2015.

St. Jean and Ferdinand were the upset winners at the recently held Aqua Mele Beach Volleyball Championship April 5th and 6th, only recently agreeing to play together.

St. Jean has some experience having partnered with Cohen Caesar on one stage of the Tour before. This will be Ferdinand’s first outing.

Meanwhile, Augusin Faulkner and Cohen Caesar will lead St. Lucia’s charge at the 2016 Rio Olympic Beach Volleyball qualification, at the Continental Cup in the Male division.

This will take place in Antigua at the same time, April 24-27, 2015. They will be joined by Sheldon Descartes and Darnel Eudoxie as team St. Lucia takes on nine other ECVA countries for one of four spots in the Second Round of the Continental Cup scheduled for later this year.

Faulkner and Caesar know each other very well, as they have been playing together for some time now. They represented St. Lucia at the 2013 Under 21 World Beach Volleyball Championships in Croatia, and at the 2014 Under 23 World Beach Volleyball Championships in Poland, where they gave a good account of themselves.

Eudoxie and Descartes have also been playing together for some time and represented St. Lucia at the 2014 Under 21 World Beach Volleyball Championships in Cyprus.

These two teams also performed well in the two Local Tournaments earlier this year, with Faulkner and Caesar winning the Independence Beach Championships in Vieux Fort Independence Weekend and then placing third at the Aqua Mele Beach Tournament Easter Weekend. Eudoxie and Descartes were runners up in both these tournaments and are seen as tough and steady team.

The Continental Cup pits two teams from each country in a contest, country against country, Team A against Team B and if each country wins a match, then the score is settled with a final death, Golden Set.

St. Lucia advanced last time around to the Second Round and the aim is to go all the way to Final Round and Qualify. St. Lucia Volleyball hopes that its best players and Teams will always be available for these tournaments, yet is prepared to field quality teams in both male and female divisions because of the depth of talent now available in Beach volleyball.

The Ladies Continental Cup is scheduled for April 30- May 1st, 2015 in Antigua as well and the following Teams have been announced: Dala Noel and Kerin Neptune will partner leading St. Lucia’s campaign, with Lisa Casimie and Jamila Lansiquot pairing up in the second Team.

Both Teams have only this year started playing together and the most of the players are fairly young, with Noel, Casimie and Neptune all teenagers, while Lansiquot is only 27.

Noel and Neptune won the 2015 Independence Beach Championships, with Caismie and Lansiquot placing second. However in the Aqua Mele Beach Tournament, both teams were outdone by Junior National Player of the Year, Sky Mondesire and veteran Samantha Mann.

President of the St. Lucia Volleyball Association says that the Associations’ Beach Volleyball Program is starting to bear fruit with many of the young players who have been given exposure and opportunity to play and train, are rising to the challenge and showing great talent and commitment.

“There is now increasing competition at the top and players will find it difficult to be picked to represent St. Lucia for sure, as more players work harder and play smarter, difficult  and ticklish selection and pairing decisionswill have to be made, sometimes not please everyone. Not a bad position to be in, really.”

PRESS RELEASE - Games continued last evening in the KFC National Basketball League in.

Courts Jets defeated Micoud Hustlerz 70 – 55 to improve to a 3-0 perfect start to this year’s Premier League tournament.

Micoud seemed up for the challenge in the first half with the game in the balance at the half time interval 32 – 31, Courts Jets with a slim one point lead.

Jets limited the Hustlerz to 24 points with their familiar defensive trap in the 2nd half scoring 38 themselves to win comfortably in the end.

Elsewhere, in Division 1 action at Gros Islet, Lions got an impressive overtime win over Fire Service 87 -81.  A good exhibition of scoring from both teams registered the highest combined score in a Division 1 game for this year’s league.

Lions as a team scored 10/14 (71%) from 3-point range, Miguel Gaspard leading the way with four triplesadding to his 19pts and 3steals.

KFC Player of the game Neil Verdant had a team high 26pts and 5assists and Fabian Florton for a 2nd successive game had a strong performance with 22pts and 5rebs.

Fire Service was led by Owen Cazaubon with a near triple double of 27pts, 15rebs and 9steals.   Marcian Calderon added a double-double of 25pts and 12rebs but proved too little in the OT loss.

Games continue on Thursday with Canaries vs. Soufriere in Soufriere at 7pm and Maranatha Eagles vs. Sandals High Risers in Gros Islet also at 7pm.

St Vincent Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves (left) and WICB president Dave Cameron (right).

CMC – The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the Caricom committee on cricket governance say they have ended a “productive” meeting where an agreement has been reached on “the way forward” for West Indies cricket.

However both parties have declined to comment on the specifics of the agreement following their meeting which ran for nearly five hours at the upscale Spice Island Beach resort in Grenada’s southern tourist belt late Monday.

WICB president Dave Cameron and Grenada’s Prime Minister Keith Mitchell said details of the agreement will be contained in a joint press release to be issued on Tuesday.

“We also agreed that we will have a joint press release from the West Indies Cricket Board and of course the Prime Minister’s team,” Prime Minister Mitchell told the media at the end of the meeting.

“I believe we have reached a positive conclusion which will chart the way forward. We will be working together with the board and all concerned to move West Indies cricket forward.”

Prime Minister Mitchell chaired the meeting, which was also attended by Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie, the current CARICOM chairman; Antigua & Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.

All 18 directors of the WICB, including President Cameron and Vice President Emmanuel Nanthan, along with Chief Executive Officer Michael Muirhead and Corporate Secretary Verlyn Faustin met with the CARICOM Committee which also included CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque.

“I think the meeting was very productive. We have agreed a way forward and a joint release will be issued. So you will get the details very shortly,” said Cameron.

“I think the meeting was very positive. We have a shared vision. All of us want to see West Indies cricket back at the top and we are committed to making this happen.”

The two sides were expected to discuss the abandoned tour of India last October, the reform and governance of West Indies Cricket, and the relationship between the CARICOM Committee on Cricket Governance and the WICB.

Also in attendance were West Indies cricket legends who met with the four CARICOM Prime Ministers earlier in the day at the same venue.

Reports from inside that meet say the legends – Andy Roberts, Sir Vivian Richards, Deryck Murray, Wes Hall , Gordon Greenidge , Sir Garry Sobers and Michael Holding on the telephone from Miami and the Prime Ministers – were united on the need for change in the Governance structure of the WICB.

“Today was a very important one for West Indies cricket in the sense that we had the views and of course clear passion of the legends that have built West Indies cricket,” Mitchell said.

“They were here with us and expressed strong support for moving this process forward and eventually we were able to meet with the board to express the view for the necessity for change and I think we have reached a conclusion in that respect.”

The second meeting brought Cameron face to face with Prime Minister Gonsalves who criticized the WICB chief following the abandoned tour.

However both men were cordial to each other and were heard engaging in occasional friendly banter before and after the session.

The meetings occurred on the eve of the second Test match between West Indies and England, due to start at the Grenada National stadium on Tuesday.

Linzel Alcee.

PRESS RELEASE - Soufriere Sulphur Stars defeated Canaries Moon River 50 – 40 in the battle of the west down in Soufriere in Premiere League action last evening in the National Basketball League.

Leading the way for Soufriere was KFC Player of the Game Linzel Alcee with 15pts, 12rebs and 5assists.  Clayton William also added 17pts and 8rebs for Soufriere.

For Canaries, Larry Shepherd was the lone player with double figures.  He finished with 13pts and grabbed 12rebs in their loss.

In Division 1 action in Gros Islet, Maranatha Eagles through Ryan Headley’s prolific shooting from long range made easy work of Sandals High Risers in the 2nd half 73 – 49.

At half time Eagles led 29 – 25 but pulled away through KFC Player of the Game Ryan Headley leading the way scoring 5/6 3-point field goals for his 19ts and 7rebs.

Arthur Lisson also had an outstanding performance with a game high of 23pts and 14rebs for the Eagles.  Kurt Weeks had 11pts and 8rebs for Sandals in their 2nd defeat of the tournament.

Maranatha’s Ryan Headley.

Games continue this weekend with the following schedule listed below:

On Saturday April 24th, 2015

Lions vs. Police in Gros Islet at 6pm

Courts Jets vs. Soufriere in Gros Islet at 8pm

Fire Service vs. Combined Schools 6pm at the Morne Playing Facility

Morne Gladiators vs. VBCC 8pm at the MornePlaying Facility

On Sunday April 25th, 2015

Maranatha Eagles vs. BBC at 5pm in Gros Islet

Canaries vs. Micoud Hustlerz at 7pm also in Gros Islet