Sports

TORONTO, (Reuters) – There was plenty of construction  in and around the Air Canada Centre this summer as the home of  the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and the Maple Leafs from the NHL  underwent a spectacular multi-million dollar facelift.

“We are going to reclaim our pride and to let the ‘Golden Jaguars’ roar proud again,” exclaimed national coach Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover as the Guyana team departed  for Suriname to compete against the host, French Guiana and  the Netherlands, in a four-nation football tournament.

It is difficult to come to an assessment of the outcome of the latest sojourn by the Floyd Reifer-led West Indies team to the Champions Trophy tournament in South Africa if one were to do a thorough analysis.

Riddim Squad and Santos Football Clubs who are firmly ahead in the points standing of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Western Union First Division Competition brushed aside Huston Stars and Uprising in the penultimate round on Sunday at the Camptown ground.

-Carriah takes four wicket haul Andre Creary and Kraigg Brathwaite yesterday scored half centuries in the second President’s Cup practice match for the West Indies Under-19 team at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, CMC – Off-spinner Anisa Mohammed recaptured top form yesterday and wrecked South Africa’s batting with a five wicket haul that propelled West Indies to a series-winning 13-run victory in their second Twenty20 Women’s International.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Marie Rosada landed the women’s road race title and completed the double while propelling Puerto Rico to overall team championship honours as the 2009 Elite Caribbean Cycling event concluded late Sunday afternoon.

Old records crumbled as Mervyn ‘Spongy’ Moses and Randolph Morgan powered their way to new ones at the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) senior  championships at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall yesterday.

By Kizan Brumell Guyana’s Cleveland Forde and Brazil’s Sueli Vieira stormed to victory in the male and female Open international categories of the first stage of the seventh annual South American 10K Road Race Classic which was run on the roads of Georgetown yesterday.

By Marlon Munroe Guyana were dealt a five-run defeat by of Jamaica in a low-scoring contest in the final of the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) Twenty20 Festival held at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence on Saturday night.

… Hicks and Ferrier find favour with selectors By Marlon Munroe When the WICB President’s Cup limited overs tournament begins on Wednesday Guyana will be without some of its usual players who were dropped by the national selectors over the week-end.

Robin Persaud won the feature 25-lap race dethroning last year’s winner Marlon “Fishy” Williams at the 12th Annual Troy Humphrey Memorial 10-race Cycle programme held Saturday around the inner circuit of the National Park.

Hikers, GCC ‘A’ teams serve up another delicious dish Their first round battle saw the Hikers ‘A’ men’s team edging GCC ‘A’ by one goal scored two minutes from full time.

The second day of the Pegasus Open lawn tennis tournament which is being played at the hotel’s courts saw a number of exciting matches as well as a number of walkovers.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Champions League runners-up Trinidad and Tobago will arrive home tonight after their sturdy performance in India and are forced to make a quick transition to the WICB President’s Cup in Guyana.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – West Indies opener Stafanie Taylor has achieved a career-best ranking with a solid move to the fringe of the Top-10.

VADODARA, India, (Reuters) – World champions  Australia kept their cool in the last over to beat India by four  runs in a thrilling one-dayer yesterday. 

PAARL, South Africa, CMC – Teenager Shemaine Campbelle snared a three-wicket haul that set up an authoritative West Indies victory over South Africa in the opening match of their three-match Twenty20 Women’s International series yesterday.

Stephanie ‘Razor’ George will have a chance at becoming Guyana’s eighth world champion when she faces Mexico’s Anna Maria Torres on October 31 in Mexico City for her World Boxing Council (WBC) Women’s Super Flyweight title.

With athletes in preparation mode for the 49th Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) national school track, field and swimming championships defending champions District No.10, Upper Demerara/Kwakwani participation at the event is unclear.