PRESS RELEASE – Seven pilot countries participated in a two-day FIFA 11 for Health workshop for the Caribbean, which concluded today in Puerto Rico.

The program, launched last year by CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb and Prof. Jiri Dvorak, FIFA’s Chief Medical Officer, promises to bring numerous benefits to the region by emphasizing the importance of national health to all Member Associations.

The initial seminar was hosted by FIFA and attended by representatives of Member Associations, Governments and National Project Leaders from the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Grenada, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico and St. Lucia.

“The FIFA 11 for Health program has gained significant momentum since its inception, encouraging participation and investment from various organizations and governments to shape future ambassadors of football and sports in general,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb.  “CONCACAF welcomes this project to the Caribbean region, as it is designed to infiltrate society from a grassroots level, ensuring that our population remains fit and healthy through the power of football.”

Key subject areas covered during the sessions included implementation strategy, training courses, project budget and responsibilities of the National Project Leader.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Dvorak explained the importance of collaboration in order to maximize the program’s outcomes.

“This project is designed to increase the level of physical activity and improve awareness of communicable and non-communicable diseases globally,” he said.  “We are excited to launch FIFA 11 for Health in the Caribbean and involve another region to meet our objectives in this area, and we look forward to working with CONCACAF federations to implement the program.”

Eric Labrador, President of the Puerto Rican Football Federation, expressed his gratitude to FIFA and CONCACAF for initiating such a valuable program.

“For us, it is a privilege that Presidents Blatter and Webb have considered Puerto Rico as the hub to run this pilot project together with the other six pilot countries,” said Labrador.  “We are counting on the support of the Department of Education and the Department of Recreation and Sports.  Together, we are confident that we will continue in the quest to establish a healthier lifestyle for our youth.”

The FIFA 11 for Health messages vary based on region and the following have been developed for the Caribbean:

1)     Play football

2)     Respect girls and women

3)     Protect yourself from HIV and STDs

4)     Avoid drugs, alcohol and tobacco

5)     Control your weight

6)     Wash your hands

7)     Drink clean water

8)     Eat a balanced diet

9)     Get vaccinated

10)   Take your prescribed medication

11)   Fair play

The next phase is for participating countries to implement FIFA 11 for Health into school curriculums, using football as a vehicle to promote healthy living from a young age, so that the advantages of a healthier and longer life can be realized.

This Saturday, the Saint Lucia Shotokan Karate Association will stage a Belt Ceremony for its 49th Grading Exercise.

The SLSKA conducted its 49th Grading Exercise last Saturday at the Gros Islet Secondary School, where 26 members of the Association from three affiliate dojos vied for higher grades in the International Karate Daigaku(College) Ranking System.

The dojos involved were Kevala Taj Dojo on Rodney Bay, Police Karate Academy and St Joseph’s Convent Karate College.

The SLSKA hosted Shuseki Shihan (Master Instructor) Frank Woon A Tai, a ninth Dan from IKD headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who was on his annual Caribbean tour including visits to Antigua-Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Whilst in Saint Lucia, Shihan Woon A Tai conducted two training seminars for members of the Association.

The weekend activity ended with results of the grading exercise being announced.  Among the outstanding students were Yanil Sam of the Police Karate Academy and Krystal Ramkhelawan of the Keval Taj Dojo, passing their Shodan Grading and earning first degree black belts.

The Belt Ceremony which will be held that the SLSKA’s Headquarters Dojo at Rodney Bay, will commence from 1pm, where participants will be issued with belts and rank certificates.

Tevin St. Jean and Anfernee Ferdinand.

Saint Lucia’s men are at the bottom of the table in Pool C after the opening day of play in the 2015 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit on Friday at Seven Miles Beach on Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.

The youthful team of Tevin St. Jean and Anfernee Ferdinand went down to the Costa Rican duo of Diego Alpizar and Julio Alvares 21-10, 21-15. They also lost to Puerto Rico’s Roberto Rodriguez and Erik Haddock, 21-13, 21-12.

On Saturday, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico will meet to decide the group winner, whilst Saint Lucia will play Belize in a match that’s important only for the ranking points. Belize is one point ahead of Saint Lucia in terms of scoring differential.

Top ranked Canadians Felipe Humana and Christian Redmann, and countrymen, Garrett May and Daniel Dearing of Canada-B enjoyed a perfect start to the tournament, ended the opening day with 2-0 records and assured of quarterfinal places.

Similiarly, Saint Lucia’s women, Dania Hamilton and Kerin Neptune, are winless in Pool D. They were beaten by Guatemala’s Natalia Giron and Esteanie Bethancourt, 21-14, 21-16. They would go on to lose to Cuba’s Lianma Flores and Leila Martinez, 21-14, 21-11.

On Saturday, it gets no easier for the Saint Lucian ladies, as they face the unbeaten USA-B team of Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik.

Micoud and Central Castries were the last two teams to book their places in the second round of the Saint Lucia Football Association / Vizions Entertainment Michel’s Electrical Super League tournament on Wednesday.

The two advanced on penalties Wednesday evening at Beausejour Stadium, following goalless draws with Marchand and Vieux Fort North respectively.

The lineup for the second round, which gets underway Saturday afternoon, includes Gros Islet, Micoud, Soufriere, Anse La Raye, Canaries, Mon Repos, Mabouya Valley, Roseau, Vieux Fort South and Central Castries.

Subsequent to a draw on Thursday morning on the The Rumble radio programme on Radio Caribbean, the matchups saw Vieux Fort South – recipients of a first round bye – against Mon Repos, Gros Islet matched up with Mabouya Valley, Anse La Raye taking on Soufriere, Canaries set to face Roseau, and Micoud slated to clash with Central Castries.

The stage is set for what should be an exciting weekend of football. The Roseau-Canaries encounter kicks things off from 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. That match will be followed by Mon Repos-Vieux Fort South at 6:30 p.m., with Gros Islet-Mabouya Valley providing the nightcap.

On Sunday, the first game, at 5 p.m., will be Micoud-Central Castries, with Soufriere-Anse La Raye closing out the weekend action.

A $20,000 first prize is at stake for the teams involved. Entry to the grounds is $15, and there will be a number of giveaways on offer for patrons, including a 40-inch flatscreen television. On Sunday, every patron will also be given a complimentary beverage.

Saint Lucia was represented by a three-member delegation as CONCACAF concluded a two-day ‘FIFA 11 for Health’ pilot workshop for the Caribbean in Puerto Rico.

The programme, launched last year by CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb and Professor Jiri Dvorak, FIFA’s Chief Medical Officer, promises to bring numerous benefits to the region by emphasizing the importance of national health to all Member Associations.

Member Association representatives, Government and National Project Leaders from seven territories – Cayman Islands, Curacao, Grenada, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico and Saint Lucia – participated in the initial seminar hosted by FIFA.

“The FIFA 11 for Health programme has gained significant momentum since its inception, encouraging participation and investment from various organisations and governments to shape future ambassadors of football and sports in general,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb. “CONCACAF welcomes this project to the Caribbean region, as it is designed to infiltrate society from a grassroots level, ensuring that our population remains fit and healthy through the power of football.”

Key subject areas covered during the sessions included implementation strategy, training courses, project budget and responsibilities of the National Project Leader.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Dvorak explained the importance of collaboration in order to maximize the programme’s outcomes.

“This project is designed to increase the level of physical activity and improve awareness of communicable and non-communicable diseases globally,” he said. “We are excited to launch FIFA 11 for Health in the Caribbean and involve another region to meet our objectives in this area, and we look forward to working with CONCACAF federations to implement the programme.”

Saint Lucia’s delegation included Lyndon Cooper, president of the Saint Lucia Football Association; Victorin ‘Sugar’ Lawrence of the FA Secretariat; and Saralee Williams, from the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports.

The FIFA 11 for Health messages vary based on region. For the Caribbean, the 11 messages include respect for girls and women; protect yourself from HIV and STD’s; avoid drugs, alcohol and tobacco; eat a balanced diet; and fair play.

The next phase is for participating countries to implement FIFA 11 for Health into school curriculums, using football as a vehicle to promote healthy living from a young age, so that the advantages of a healthier and longer life can be realised.

Levern Spencer of Saint Lucia competes in the women’s high jump.

Despite low temperatures and a constant rain this year’s Drake Relays saw several world-leading marks set during Friday’s and Saturday’s competition at the ‘blue oval’ in Des Moines, Iowa.

That was not the case in the women’s high jump. Labelled as a Beijing World Championships Preview event, the high jump included Americans Chaunte Lowe, Amy Acuff and Sharon Day, and Saint Lucian World Championships finalist, Levern Spencer.

But it was Nigeria’s Doreen Amata who stole the show, just days before her 27th birthday. The 2008 Olympian set a new personal-best height of 1.90m to capture the Drake Relays crown. China’s Asian Games silver medalist, Xingjuan Zheng, took second. Spencer, who cleared the same height as Xingjuan – 1.87m – took third. Lowe, also on 1.87, was fourth.

Amata, who had first-time clearances at 1.70, 1.75 and 1.80, needed two tries at 1.84, but went over first time at 1.87, and on her second try at the winning height.

Spencer, the English-speaking Caribbean’s record holder for her event, is back with Adidas after a stint with Mizuno and reports that she had inked a deal with Puma. She started jumping at 1.80 and cleared on her first trial, before passing at 1.84.

Lowe, like Levern, cleared 1.87 on her third attempt, but had had one miss at 1.80m. Acuff and Day went out at 1.80 and 1.75, respectively.

Spencer was the first Saint Lucian athlete to qualify for this year’s Pan American Game in Toronto, Canada, but is yet to make the mark for the IAAF World Championships in Beijing.

Tevin St. Jean and Anfernee Ferdinand of Saint Lucia earned the island’s sole win on the opening leg of the 2015 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit at Seven Miles Beach in Grand Cayman on Saturday.

The young men’s team got a narrow Pool C win over Jason Cabral and Gustavo Morataya of Belize, 21-18, 21-18. That gave Saint Lucia a third-place finish in their group, behind unbeaten Puerto Rico and second-placed Costa Rica.

In the past three years, the Puerto Rican duo, Erik Haddock and Roberto Rodriguez, have won twice in the Cayman Islands and were third overall in 2014.

The Saint Lucian women, Dania Hamilton and Kerin Neptune, ended the first leg of the NORCECA tour winless. They fell to USA-B’s Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik, 21-10, 21-10, to end up bottom of Pool D.

Kevin Deligny

Saint Lucian junior Kevin Deligny and the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats men’s tennis team made it to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championship title match for the first time in programme history. But a championship will have to wait another day.

The MEAC title match between B-CU and South Carolina State was suspended due to inclement weather in the area. A tournament champion was not declared, but the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Division I tournament will be awarded to South Carolina State, the regular season southern divisional champion. Bethune-Cookman was second in the division.

The Wildcats’ season concludes with a 15-12 record, their first winning campaign since an 11-9 mark in 2009. The 15 wins were the most since the 2001 team’s total of 21 and marked a nine-win improvement over last year’s 6-18.

“We’re proud to be we’re at right now,” said senior Diego Garavito. “And I’m very proud to have been a part of this team.”

The final match of Garavito’s and Gilbert Rotich’s career will probably be one of the most memorable: Saturday’s epic and emotional come from behind 4-2 victory over North Carolina Central.

The Eagles (11-10) won the doubles point when William East and Tamina Kienka fended off the comeback challenge of Garavito and Greg Almeida, who rallied to force a tiebreaker after being down 7-4. East and Kienka took the tiebreaker 7-4.

However, the Wildcats took charge in singles play. Alvaro Barrera tied the match with his 6-1, 6-1 win at No 4 singles, then Deligny, the 6’3″ transfer who attend The International School in Saint Lucia, earned a 6-1,6-0 decision at No 5 to B-CU a 2-1 lead.

Alexander Chepik delivered a huge three-set win at No 1, then Almeida delivered the clinching point with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 at No 3 singles.

The Wildcats were 1-9 in matches they lost the doubles point prior to Saturday.

PRESS RELEASE - Adriel Bousquet secured the #1 ranking in the 14 and under division for the Central America and Caribbean regions.

This is certainly a first in St. Lucia’s recent history.  Adriel was able to secure the #1 ranking on the back of one of the most successful tours by a St. Lucian tennis player.

Despite being hampered by a back and shoulder injury, Adriel was able to make it to the singles and doubles finals in all three tournaments held in Barbados, Trinidad and Guadeloupe.

He secured a singles championship trophy in Trinidad and singles finalist prizes in Barbados and Guadeloupe. In doubles he secured winners trophies in Barbados and Trinidad and a finalist prize Guadeloupe.

These successes did not come easily to our most recent male junior athlete of the year. In the              Barbados singles final, Adriel faced a vociferous crowd and took the match to three sets (6-2, 4-6, 5-7) in spite of the said injury and partisan crowd.

In Trinidad, Adriel was forced to default a match and seek medical care at a hospital as his injury had caused swelling in his arm.

This resulted in him being ranked among the lower echelons for the main portion of the tournament.  He was therefore forced to face 3 of Trinidad’s four top 14s players in Samuel West, Aidan Carter and Adam Ramkissoon.

Adriel rose to the challenge and beat these top Trinidadians and won the title in straight sets 7-5, 6-3.

In Guadeloupe, Adriel faced players specially trained by a coach appointed by the French Federation headquartered in France.

Adriel ousted one of these top players in the round robin stage in straight sets (6-4, 6-2) after being down 0-4 in the first set.

In the final, Adriel faced a player ranked in the top 30 in the whole of France and despite a strong showing went down 6-1, 5-7, 2-6.

Known as a consummate doubles player, Adriel secured two of the three doubles titles on tour.

In fact, Adriel has reached the finals in doubles in each of the last five ITF tournaments he has participated in; each time with a different partner.

Therefore, for his most recent tour Adriel was able to secure 6 trophies (3 Championship and 3 Finalist Trophies) despite his injury setbacks.  Adriel certainly put in a heroic effort in the face of injury.

Attaining the number one ranking in the Central American and Caribbean region is quite an achievement for local tennis.

Adriel’s team thanks his coach Vernon Lewis who has worked tirelessly to prepare him for tournament play.  He also thanks his sponsors, the Tennis Association, all those who have assisted in his development and those who have encouraged him to aim high.

Saint Lucia have completed the first step towards qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics in men’s beach volleyball, winning the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association title over the weekend at Castaways Beach in Antigua-Barbuda.

The youthful but experienced foursome of Agustin Faulkner, Coen Caesar, Sheldon Descartes and Darnel Eudoxie beat the host nation in the gold medal match-up on Sunday in exceedingly arid conditions.

All of Saint Lucia’s players have competed at the international level, taking part in various age-group world championships. That experience told, as they defeated Antigua-Barbuda twice to remain unbeaten in the ECVA competition.

After three intense days of competition, Saint Lucia beat Antigua-Barbuda 3-1 on Sunday morning, leaving the hosts to meet St Kitts-Nevis in a qualifying match for the final.

In the gold medal series, Faulkner and Caesar of Saint Lucia A defeated Constant and Yoshid Augiste of Antigua B 21-14, 21-8. Descartes and Eudoxie (Saint Lucia B) got the come-from-behind win over Antigua A, Jamarie James/Collin Thomas, 14-21, 21-17, 15-9.

“Our tactics made the difference,” said Faulkner, two-time junior Volleyballer Of The Year in Saint Lucia. Added Eudoxie”: “We came out to win and expected a challenge; we trained hard and especially today, we played our best no to lose today’s first series against Antigua & Barbuda. It feels good to win, our hard work definitely payed off.”

Saint Lucia, Antigua-Barbuda, St Kitts-Nevis, Dominica, Dutch St Maarten and St Vincent and the Grenadines will represent ECVA in the next round of the NORCECA Continental Cup, when they will take on the best teams from the rest of the Caribbean. From that round, the top Caribbean teams will face the vest of Central America. The final round of qualifying for Rio 2016 will include the North American teams.

For subsequent rounds, the Saint Lucia Volleyball Association is hopeful of having stronger teams, including the likes of Julian Bissette, Joseph Clercent, and perhaps Gillan Octave, as they [press their case for Rio 2016.

Jeannelle Scheper.

The University of South Carolina Gamecocks track and field team enjoyed a wildly successful outing at the Penn Relays over the weekend.

Saint Lucia’s Jeannelle Scheper continued her unbeaten season in the women’s high jump, winning the Championship Division with a mark of 1.86m (6’1.25″) in less than ideal conditions.

The senior from Gros Islet by way of St. Joseph’s Convent earned her first career victory at the meet and passed on the final bars as she sets her eyes on the postseason.

“It was a little bit windy and cool,” she opined. “But it wasn’t as windy as it was in Alabama. It was a good field, a good competition, a good chance to see some of the people I will probably encounter at Nationals, so it was a good day.”

Temperatures sat in the mid 40′s for the first two days in Pennsylvania.

Scheper, who turns 21 this year, had no height in her first two years at Penn Relays, and she was understandably delighted to have come away with the weekend win.

“Previous years at this competition I haven’t performed too well, so I’m pleased with it, and I think the coaches are pleased as well,” she said in a brief interview after the competition.

South Carolina Head Coach Curtis Frye called it “a fantastic day,” adding that “The big thing was to have a senior like Jeannelle come in here and win the high jump…. It has been one heck of a day.”

Now with the regular season in the books, the team will have a long break before heading to the Southeastern Conference Championships, hosted by Mississippi State.

Nesbert Vaval

The Asbury University Eagles men’s tennis team completed their four-year regular season reign over the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (KIAC) with a triumphant 7-2 win over the host Brescia University.

The win, the Eagles’ 11th of the season and fourth in as many tries against conference opponents, was as sweet as any for the Eagles’ seniors and head coach Jarred Miller.

“We needed to shake a little bit of rust off after a week away from competition and after some injuries have held a few guys out for awhile,” Miller said after the game.”

“It wasn’t our prettiest win for sure, but we played well when it really mattered and it made the difference.  I have to get a lot of credit to Brescia, though, for coming out and giving us a good fight from the top of the line up to the bottom.”

The Eagles started with wins at No 1 and No 2  doubles and followed with five wins in singles competition to cap off the big win. Saint Lucian senior Nesbert ‘Nessy’ Vaval earned a gritty 7-6, 6-3 win over Tom Roidl at No 5.

The 5’11″ Desruisseaux native went on to team up with Daniel Harris to beat Joshua Ackermann and Turilo Duck 8-5.

“I am glad to have wrapped up our fourth straight undefeated KIAC regular season and title,” Miller went on to add.

“The number one seed is a massive advantage for us this year and we are lucky to have it with some of the physical aches and pains we have been having this year.”

VBCC’s Lenard Emmanuel.

PRESS RELEASE - Six games were featured this past weekend at two venues in the KFC National Basketball League.  On Saturday, two double-headers were played on the Morne SALCC Court and inGros Islet.

In Division 1 action at the Morne, Fire Service defeated Combined Schools 62 – 44 behind KFC Player of the Game Marcian Calderon.

In the 2nd game at the Morne VBCC Warlords narrowly edged Morne Gladiators in a close game.  KFC Player of the game for VBCC was Lenard Emmanuel.

In Gros Islet, Lions got their 3rd successive win over a shorthanded Police squad 85 – 57.

KFC Player of the Game Fabian Florton led the scoring again for Lions with another impressive game, scoring 24pts and 9rebs.

Kassim James also had a double-double of 15pts and 15rebs in their win.  KerlinusAugustin for Police had 21pts and 6rebs in their loss.

Game two of the evening in Gros Islet saw another win for defending champions Courts Jets over Soufriere 63 – 51.  KFC Player of the Game Keegan Preville was the high man for the Jets with 21pts and 13rebs.

Canaries Chris Alexander.

Linzel Alcee had 20pts and 6rebs for Soufriere.

On Sunday in Premiere League action, Canaries Moon River won over Micoud Hustlerz 63 – 55.  KFC Player of the Game Chris Alexander top-scored with 23pts and 6rebs.  Larry Shepherd also had 14pts and 7rebs for Canaries.

Jay Desroses had 15pts and 6rebs for the Micoud Hustlerz.  In game two, BBC with another win over Maranatha Eagles 70 – 56.

KFC Player of the Game Craig Fontellio had a game high of 21pts and 15rebs for BBC.

Kurt Raphael also had a strong game with 20pts and 13rebs in their win.  Arthur Lisson had 18pts and 12rebs for Maranatha Eagles.

Games continue this evening in Micoud with the lone game VBCC Warlords facing home team Micoud Hustlerz at 7pm.

Julian and Joe celebrate with teammates.

Julian Bissette, Joseph Clercent and MENT have one game remaining in the 2015 Greek Volley league. And that game is decisive.

The Saint Lucian pair are in the thick of a three-way playoff tournament that will decide whether they remain in Division 1 next season, or whether their Thessaloniki club is relegated to Division 2.

It’s do or die at the pointy end of the season.

That ultimate clash was set up by a 25-22, 25-20, 18-25, 25-19 weekend victory over AEK. But AEK also lost to Lamia, who are more or less evenly matched against MENT.

They meet on Wednesday in the season finale for both teams.

In the previous rounds of the playoff series, Lamia beat MENT at home, but they fancy their chances in the return match. “Last game of the season for us and it’s a must win,” says Julian, the 24-year-old hitter from Babonneau. “We’re playing at home so that’s a good advantage.”

MENT coach.

Coach Finos Spyros was equally balanced in his assessment. “We made the first step to salvation,” he explained.

But the next step is the most important.” Spyros says he is confident that the team will be able to put in an improved effort in mid-week.

On Wednesday, MENT is looking forward to being at full strength for their crucial tilt.

They need to beat Lamia at least 3-1 in order to maintain their Division 1 status.

A loss would be disastrous, and would leave the Caribbean players in limbo for next season.

Nick Elibox batting.

Nick Elibox was the star of the show this weekend, scoring two half centuries in as many 50-overs matches as the national men’s cricket team got its trials underway for the 2015 Windward Islands Lotteries Under-19 tournament.

Several members of the Inter-District champions, Babonneau are in a 28-man squad named by the Saint Lucia National Cricket Association to begin preparing for this year’s competition, under the guidance of coach Walter Emmanuel.

The tournament is scheduled for the end of June in Roseau, Dominica.

On Saturday at the Gros Islet Playing Field, Team A scored 227 for 8 in 43 overs. Collinus Callender of South Castries top scored with 55, Dane Edward of Gros Islet hit 38, and Junior Cricketer Of The Year, Johnnel Eugene added 37.

Joshua Mann of Central Castries took two wickets for 23. Adeju Hobson, Daniel Jn Baptiste, Simeon Gerson and Milan David took one wicket each.

In reply, Team B scored 204 for 9 in 43 overs. Central’s Elibox top scored with 62, Selwin Boyce of Gros Islet added 30. Kester Charlemagne took 4 for 28, Christopher Albert and Eugene had figures of 2-22 and 2-28, respectively. Team A won by 23 runs.

On Sunday, Team A scored 251 in 50 overs. Elibox was in the runs again, with a hard hitting 89. Babonneau’s Eugene made 39. Laborie’s Rick Moses was the lead bowler, with 4-49, Hodson was 2-18, Callender, Boyce, David and Gerson took one wicket each.

In reply, Team B was held to 211 for 8 in 43 overs, losing again, this time by 40 runs. Moses top scored with 59, Christian Charlery scored 36. Kester Charlemagne took another two wickets.

Elibox has been in a rich vein of form for his district team and for Castries Comprehensive Secondary School in the Massy United School Cricket Tournament.

Two more trial matches are scheduled to be played on Saturday and Sunday 2 and 3 May.

Mathurin.

Garey Mathurin is enjoying a strong season in Trinidad and Tobago, even though his team has not had a great deal of success.

The 31-year-old Saint Lucia, Zouks and West Indies all-rounder plays with Jailal Enterprise Victoria in the Shanghai Construction Group National League three-day competition.

In spite of Garey’s wicket-taking prowess, the team has struggled.

Last week, the slow left-arm orthodox bowling Saint Lucian took four wickets in an innings, only for his team to fall well short of the necessary total.

This weekend, on the opening day of a sixth-round three-day match against  Esmerelda at Enterprise, Garey took five wickets for 54 runs, holding the opposition to just 140 runs.

But at the end of the first day, Victoria were already 100/7, despite Lincoln Roberts’ unbeaten 55.

The two teams will continue their match with days 2 and 3 next weekend.

Troy Greendige.

The best game of the tournament turned out to be a one-sided affair, as Super League football resumed on the weekend.

Gros Islet, Canaries and Vieux Fort South confirmed their spots in the semifinals of the Saint Lucia Football Association / Vizions Entertainment Michel’s Electrical competition, all three with clinical wins.

David Henry and Fitus Shepard scored in the 43rd and 75th minutes to send Canaries past Roseau 2-0.

Vieux Fort South, who got a bye into the second round, made light work of Mon Repos, Antonio Joseph, Shem Savery and Thruston Joseph netting for VF, whilst Leslie James pulled a late goal for Mon Repos.

Gros Islet had won 7-0 in the first round, but appeared to be in for a bit of a challenge against Mabouya Valley. After a goalmouth scramble, though, Troy Greenidge poked home to see his team ahead. Minutes later, Gros Islet had doubled the lead.

By the full-time whistle, Greenidge and Elijah Louis had scored two goals apiece to give Gros Islet victory. Greenidge, with six goals from open play, has more goals than any other team so far in the competition.

On Sunday, Micoud beat Central Castries 2-1. Soufriere and Anse la Raye went to penlaties, where Soufriere prevailed 4-3. Micoud and Soufriere will now meet in a playoff game to determine the fourth semifinalist. The playoff is set for the Anse La Raye Grounds on Wednesday from 6pm.

In other Super League News, organisers are indicating that they are already working on plans for the next years’ tournament.  Super League next year will see an increase in prize money to EC$60,000.

LIME 4G boys with coach.

PRESS RELEASE - The LIME 4G Boys have secured a third-place win in the 2015 Inter-Commercial Futsal Football Competition!

In a thrilling encounter that had the Beausejour Indoor Facility ablaze with excitement, the LIME 4G Boys came up against FLOW on Sunday (April 26) in a hard-fought semi-final match that had their fans screaming with delight and avidly cheering them on.

The prospect of the two telecoms teams facing off in the semi-final would no doubt have fired them up and heightened their supporters’ anticipation ahead of the match. This certainly added to the drama.

Soon after the kickoff, FLOW came out strong and managed to net three goals by the end of the first half. While they came out in the second half determined to hold their ground and press ahead to secure victory, the LIME team returned reenergized and with a new strategy. Within minutes, the 4G Boys managed to penetrate the defence and netted their first goal. Two more goals followed thereafter and the score was tied at 3-3.

With just ten minutes to go for the end of play, the 4G Boys upgraded their play some more and went for the kill, scoring a fourth goal and sealing a win of 4-3. Players and fans alike were ecstatic.

Among the scores of spectators who attended the match, it was generally agreed that both teams played great football, and whichever of the two teams had won, it would have been well deserved.

In addition to commending his teammates, the 4G Boys captain, Kissinger Anthony complimented the FLOW team for their valiant effort.

“We feel very proud to be the first ever Inter-Commercial Futsal Football Competition bronze winners, especially knowing how hard the boys worked and applied themselves throughout the tournament. Three cheers to all of them for a job well done! We came up against some strong teams and it took great effort and a lot of determination to pull off all the wins we had. FLOW put on a remarkable performance and they definitely brought out the best in us. Hats off to them! On behalf of the 4G Boys, I wish to offer our deepest thanks to the fans and members of the LIME Family for all their support,” said Mr Anthony.

Soufriere defeated Micoud 2-1 to confirm their spot in the semifinals of the Super League football competition on Wednesday evening.

In what was a keenly contested game at the Anse La Raye grounds, a large crowd witnessed the battle for the fourth spot, with plenty of chances squandered by Micoud. Ned Etang netted twice to help Soufriere advance.

This victory means that Soufriere now joins Canaries, Gros Islet, and Vieux Fort South to round out the top four.

The match-ups and venues for the semi-finals will be announced shortly.

PRESS RELEASE - Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) today announced that it has reached an agreement with talkSPORT, global audio partner of the Barclays Premier League, to acquire live audio streaming rights and official match commentary of Barclays Premier League football across all its markets in the Caribbean and Latin America until the end of the 2018/19 season.

CWC has also been granted sponsorship and marketing rights within the content, as well as the right to distribute branded coverage across free to air radio stations in the region.

CWC, which now operates the Flow brand in a number of markets, will allow their customers access to live commentary (in English and Spanish) of every Barclays Premier League match for four seasons starting in 2015/16. CWC’s customers will also have access to live commentary for the climax of the 2014/15 season.

Through its market-leading products, CWC will stream coverage of the world’s most popular and exciting football league to customers through their Flow set top box and online via a new mobile application to be unveiled shortly.

In addition to talkSPORT’s official live commentary; users will also enjoy coverage of selected FA Cup matches, weekly Barclays Premier League preview and review shows and other mobile and digital content.

Additionally, CWC customers will also be able to download a specially created Football App associated with this partnership, and access the exciting commentary of the matches, at their convenience.

James McElvanna, newly appointed VP of Products at CWC, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with talkSPORT in bringing exclusive audio rights for Barclays Premier League football to our markets up until the end of the 2018/19 season.

This partnership also allows us to continue to demonstrate the advantages of our recent merger with Columbus.  Through our newly merged companies we are combining our strengths and will work with our content partners to expand our multi-platform approach to deliver top sports programming to our customers throughout our markets, as well as the advertisers who want to reach them. With access to every game – all 380 – there will be no better place for fans to keep up with all the action than with CWC.”

Scott Taunton, Chief Operating Officer of talkSPORT owner UTV Media plc, said: “We are thrilled to be entering into this new long-term strategic partnership with Cable and Wireless to exploit talkSPORT’s Barclays Premier League audio rights in the Caribbean. The combination of our world class content and Cable and Wireless’s market-leading fixed and mobile distribution equals great news for football fans across the region.”