Sports

A trio of Bahamians enjoyed top three finishes at division two championships

Sheldon LongleySend an emailMay 31, 2022 799 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

While some Bahamian collegiate athletes were looking to make the national championships in division one track and field over the weekend, a trio competed in the division two championships which wrapped up on Saturday at the Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Track & Field Stadium in Allendale, Michigan, USA.

In individual events, Bahamian athletes secured a gold, silver and bronze, along with relay gold, at the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Men and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

It was a busy weekend for Denisha Cartwright as she competed in three events along with the women’s 4×100 meters (m) relay.

Cartwright, a sophomore for the Minnesota State University at Mankato Mavericks, struck gold in the women’s 100m hurdles, winning comfortably in a new personal best time of 13.35 seconds, earning 10 points for her school. She ran 13.40 seconds in the heats. Shanette Allison, a sophomore for the Lincoln University Blue Tigers, was a distant second in 13.68 seconds, and Marie-Jeanne Ourega, a freshman with the Academy of Art Urban Knights, finished third in 13.79 seconds.

This is the second time in her collegiate career that Cartwright has earned All-American First Team honors in the 100m hurdles. She finished third at the 2021 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. This is also the first time a Mavericks athlete has captured a national title in that event in program history.

In the women’s 200m, Cartwright just missed out on a medal, settling for fourth in a personal best time of 23.55 seconds, and earning five points for her school. She ran 23.56 seconds in the heats. Winning the national title was Leah Belfield, a sophomore at West Texas A&M, in 23.30 seconds, finishing second was Selena Arjona-Alcazar, a junior at the Academy of Art, in 23.42 seconds, and rounding out the top three was Ayana Fields, a sophomore at Cal Poly Pomona, in 23.54 seconds.

Cartwright earned another All-American First Team honor in the women’s 100m. She finished seventh in that final in 11.94 seconds after running a personal best time of 11.46 seconds in the heats.

In the women’s 4x100m relay, the Mavericks’ team of Cartwright, Ja’Cey Simmons, Rose Cramer and Makayla Jackson, in that order, won the title in 44.29 seconds, earning 10 points for their school. West Texas A&M was second in 44.31 seconds, and the Academy of Art finished third in 45.02 seconds. The Mavericks ran 44.47 seconds in the heats.

The Mavericks women’s 4x100m relay squad became the first relay team to claim that title in school history. All four of the athletes earned All-American First Team honors for their efforts in capturing the national championship.

The Mavericks women finished third overall with 57 team points – the best team finish in program history, surpassing a seventh-place finish in 2010. West Texas A&M won with 77 points and host school Grand Valley State finished second with 64 points.

Among the men, Bahamian Jahmaal Wilson, a sophomore for the West Texas A&M Buffaloes, finished second in the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.80 seconds after running 13.89 seconds in the heats. The NCAA Division II record holder in that event could not duplicate the blazing 13.35 seconds that he ran two weeks earlier at the West Texas Last Chance Meet in Canyon, Texas, and had to settle for second in the two-section final.

Louis Rollins, a senior at Pittsburg State University, won in 13.65 seconds; Wilson had to settle for second, and TJ Caldwell, a freshman at Pittsburg State, finished third in 13.89 seconds.

Over in the men’s triple jump, Bahamian Shyrone Kemp, a junior for the Minnesota State University at Moorhead Dragons, finished third with a best leap of 15.75m (51’ 8-1/4”), matching his personal best and tying the school record he set earlier in the season at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California. He entered the competition ranked fourth in that event.

Mathieu Tshani, a junior for the Academy of Art, won the gold with a leap of 16.19m (53’ 1-1/2”), Henry Kiner, a junior at Pittsburg State, finished second with a leap of 15.85m (52’), and Kemp rounded out the top three. With the third place finish, Kemp earned All-American First Team 

honors for a third time in his collegiate career including a national runner-up finish indoors in March.

He was the only athlete from the school to earn first team honors at the division two outdoor nationals this year. Kemp has five Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) titles in the men’s triple jump and holds school records indoors and outdoors.

Wilson and the Buffaloes finished second in the men’s team standings with 61 points while Kemp and the Dragons finished in a three-way tie for 36th with the six points that he earned in the men’s triple jump competition. Pittsburg State won the title with 70 points, the Buffaloes were second, and host school Grand Valley State University rounded out the top three with 56 points.

As for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, that meet is set for June 8-11 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Sheldon LongleySend an emailMay 31, 2022 340 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

In an ongoing attempt to qualify for the World Athletics (WA) World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, this summer, national record holder in the men’s decathlon Kendrick Thompson was in competition at the Jacksonville Athletic Club (JAC) Combined Events Qualifier at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, over the past two days.

Thompson was superb again, breaking his national record of 7,762 points in the men’s decathlon by 28 points. He scored a new national record of 7,788 points at the JAC Meet, breaking the national record in the men’s decathlon for the second time this year. His previous personal best and national record of 7,762 points was done at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational at the University of Miami (UM) Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables, Florida, in April.

After day one of competition on Sunday, Thompson led the competition with 4,193 points overall – 39 points ahead of national record pace – and needed just 608 points in the final event of the competition on Monday, the men’s 1,500 meters (m), to break The Bahamas’ national record. In 

essence, he had to run a 4:51.85 men’s 1500m race or faster to break the national record. The University of The Bahamas (UB) Mingoes multi-events athlete proved that he was up to the challenge, completing the grueling three and three quarter-lap event in 4:47.71, scoring 633 points. His personal best run in the men’s 1,500m is 4:44.82.

Thompson is still off the qualifying standard for the world championships which is listed at 8,350 points.

On Sunday, Thompson won the 100 meters (m) in 10.80 seconds – just two one-hundredths of a second off his personal best time. He was able to earn 906 decathlon points in that event. He won the long jump with a personal best jump of 7.47m (24’ 6-1/4”), earning 927 points. In the shot put, Thompson had a winning heave of 13.60m (44’ 7-1/2”) in the men’s shot put – about a foot and a half short of his personal best throw, and earning 704 points.

Thompson continued his impressive performances with a first-place finish in the men’s high jump with a clearance of 1.99m (6’ 6-1/4”) – just a centimeter off his personal best jump. He earned 794 points in that event. Thompson finished the first day of competition with a run of 48.99 seconds in the men’s 400m – short of his personal best time of 46.22 seconds. He earned 862 points in that event.

Despite falling off a bit in the men’s 400m, Thompson was still ahead of national record pace heading into day two of the competition on Monday.

In the first event, on Monday, the men’s 110m hurdles, Thompson crossed the finish line first in 14.53 seconds, earning 907 points, and finishing just short of his personal best run of 14.52 seconds. In the next event, Thompson had a toss of 39.70m (130’ 3”) in the discus, just under his personal best throw of 40.04m (131’ 4-1/4”). He earned 658 points with that effort.

Thompson then competed in the men’s pole vault competition and cleared a winning height of 4.15m (13’ 7-1/4”) – short of his personal best clearance of 4.35m (14’ 3-1/4”). He earned 659 points for that jump. His ninth event of the competition was the men’s javelin and Thompson had a winning heave of 60.01m (196’ 10”) – short of his personal best throw of 63.74m (209’ 1”). He scored 738 points for that throw.

Thompson gathered himself for the final event of the two-day competition, the men’s 1,500m, and was just short of his personal best run, but scored enough to break the national record again.

Thompson won all 10 events in the men’s decathlon competition over the last two days. The event wrapped up last night in Jacksonville.

Sheldon LongleySend an emailMay 31, 2022 234 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

In his second game back from hamstring tightness, Bahamian professional baseball player with the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB) Jasrado ‘Jazz’ Chisholm Jr. was in his usual spot leadoff spot in the lineup, but came up empty in four plate appearances.

In afternoon baseball on Memorial Day in the United States, Chisholm finished 0-for-4 with a strikeout, bringing his batting average down to .271.

Chisholm is now hitless in his last nine at-bats and has just one hit in his last 18 plate appearances. He remains among the team leaders in a number of offensive categories, but has fallen off a bit, and is trying to re-find the groove that catapulted him among the league leaders offensively and had him regarded as one of the top young second basemen in the game.

Chisholm’s batting average has fallen off 33 points, from .304 to .271, in his last five games.

As a club, the Marlins are struggling as well, losing two straight, five of their last six and eight of their last 10 games. They gave up seven runs in the seventh and eighth innings yesterday, to fall to the Colorado Rockies, 7-1, at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. They will face the Rockies again tonight, and tomorrow.

The Marlins have dropped to fourth in the National League East Division standings with a 19-27 win/loss record – 11 and a half games behind the front-running New York Mets (32-17). The World Series Champions Braves are second in that division at 23-25 and the Philadelphia Phillies are third at 21-28. The Washington Nationals bring up the rear in that division with a 18-31 record.

On Memorial Day on Monday, Chisholm started the game by flying out to Rockies’ left fielder Sam Hilliard in the top of the first inning. In the top of the third, he grounded into a force out, and two innings later, he struck out on a foul tip. In his last at-bat, in the top of the eighth, Chisholm flew out to Rockies’ center fielder Yonathan Daza.

The Marlins scored their only run of the game on a towering home run by Jesús Sánchez in the top off the second inning. The 496-foot moonshot is listed as the longest home run in the majors for 2022 and is on record as the longest home run in the league since a 505-foot blast by Nomar Mazara with the Texas Rangers in 2019.

As for Chisholm, he is still having a breakout second season in the majors. About a week ago, he was pulled from the lineup, in a game against the Braves at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, suffering from tightness in his left hamstring. The injury proved not to be extreme, and Chisholm avoided any extended time on the injured list. He missed just four games.

The 24-year-old Bahamian is batting .271 with seven home runs, 27 RBIs (runs batted in) and 21 runs scored. He has an on-base percentage (OBP) of .320, a slugging percentage (SLG) of .541, and an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of .861. Chisholm also has seven stolen bases.

Defensively, Chisholm has 60 putouts and 81 assists in 144 total chances this season. He has helped turn 17 double plays and has a fielding percentage of .979. The Marlins’ leadoff hitter is still well on his way to his first career MLB All-Star selection.

After their series with the Rockies, the Marlins will return to LoanDepot Park in Miami for four games against the San Francisco Giants. Bahamian Antoan Richardson, a former major leaguer, is a first-base coach with the Giants.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL SEASON BEGINS IN THE BAHAMAS ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16

As of Tuesday, May 31, 2022

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#NASSAU, Bahamas – Bowl Season will begin in the Bahamas this year as the longest-running international bowl game in college football history, the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl, will be played Friday, December 16 at 11:30 am ET.

#Nassau’s 15,000-seat Thomas A Robinson National Stadium will host the eighth edition of the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl, which will air in the United States on ESPN. The 2022 Bowl will kick off the first year of a new relationship with HomeTown Lenders as the game’s title sponsor.

#“We are thrilled to be the opening game of Bowl Season and to showcase the beautiful islands of the Bahamas through this event, which has been a fixture on the sporting calendar since 2014,” said Bahamas Bowl executive director Lea Miller-Tooley.

#“The Bahamas Bowl has provided tremendous competition for our participating teams from Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference, while offering a one-of-a-kind experience for student athletes, coaches and families to travel to a foreign country and be rewarded for a successful season. We know that the 2022 bowl will remind everyone why ‘Bowl Games are Better in The Bahamas’.”

#Each year, American football fans travel to Nassau to see their universities compete in the only bowl game currently played outside the United States.

#In the inaugural game in 2014, Western Kentucky defeated Central Michigan 49-48 in a memorable offensive shootout.

#Subsequent winners have included – 2015: Western Michigan (def. Middle Tennessee, 45-31); 2016: Old Dominion (def. Eastern Michigan, 24-20); 2017: Ohio (def. UAB, 41-6); 2018: FIU (def. Toledo, 35-32) and 2019: Buffalo (def. Charlotte, 31-9). After a year off in 2020, the game returned to Nassau in 2021, as Middle Tennessee used a fourth quarter comeback to secure a 31-24 win over Toledo.

#The 2022 HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl – one of 17 college bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events – will once again feature teams from Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference.

#For more information on the 2022 HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl, visit BahamasBowl.com.

#About The HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl

#The HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl, the longest-running international bowl game in college football history, will provide student-athletes, conference partners, alumni, fans and sponsors a first-class international bowl experience while promoting The Bahamas and highlighting the educational and athletic opportunities for the youth of The Islands through college football.

#The eighth HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl will take place in Nassau, Bahamas on December 16, 2022 at Thomas A Robinson National Stadium between schools from Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference. The game will be televised nationally in the United States on ESPN.

#ESPN Events

#ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide.

#In 2022, the 32-event schedule includes three early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events, and a college softball event.

#These big events account for approximately 400 hours of live programming, while reaching nearly 64 million viewers and attracting over 800,000 annual attendees.

#With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

#For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.

As of Tuesday, May 31, 2022

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#UNIVERSITY of The Bahamas multi-event specialist Kendrick Thompson broke the national record in the decathlon at The Jacksonville Athletics Club’s Jacksonville Combined Event Qualifier yesterday after amassing 7,788 points over the two-day, 10-discipline event.

#Thompson had held the old record set in April of this year at the Miami Hurricane Invitational with 7,762 points. Thompson won every event in the competition, including the javelin segment pictured here. “I am really happy with the record and I know coach is happy for the record,” Thompson said.

#“We were looking at going for 8000 points to give us a chance to qualify for World Championships. I fell short in two events but I know how to rebound and go after the goal.”

#Photo: UB Athletics

As of Tuesday, May 31, 2022

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#An historic season for the Life University Track and Field programme yielded another accolade for head coach Dominic Demeritte.

#Demeritte was named the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year.

#In the programme’s inaugural season of competition, Demeritte led the men to the NAIA Outdoor Championship last weekend in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

#Life U compiled 52 points, three individual titles and three other All-American honours.

#Demeritte’s season of milestones also included leading the Eagles to the 2022 Mid-South Conference men’s and women’s titles.

#In February he was named the Conference Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year.

#His Running Eagles men’s team captured their first championship crown at the James H Taylor II Stadium in Williamsburg, Kentucky, with 177 points, while the women’s team repeated as champions with 167 points.

#In February, Demeritte was also named the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association’s South Region Women’s Coach of the Year.

#Demeritte accepted the title of Director of Cross Country and Track in the Summer of 2021 after being tabbed as the leader for the restored Life University men’s programme and an assistant for the women in 2020.

#The women captured their first Mid-South Conference Outdoor Championships title while the team tallied 16 total All-Conference honours, including eight individual champions.

#Over the weekend at the NAIAs, the women captured a gold medal and four other All- American performances, to place fifth. “I never coached for personal goals, so it comes with the territory. It’s a blessing, not just for myself, but my coaches because it’s a coaches’ staff award, rather than a head coach’s award,” Demeritte said in an interview with the Tribune earlier this season. “They do all the work. I just bring everything together.”

#A two time NCAA All- American, Olympian and 200m World Indoor champion, Demeritte has used his platform to recruit several Bahamians into his programme.

#This year’s roster included Breanna Pratt, Aniqua Darville, Vernord Burrows, Hesley Charlton, Nigel Hepburn, Corey Johnson and Nathan Moss.

#Pratt and her Life U 4x400m team members – Alesha Wright, Iantha Wright and Brianna Florvilus, won bronze at the NAIAs in 3:45.71 seconds.

#“It doesn’t matter where you’re at, even if it’s NAIA division II,” he said. “The only four meets that you won’t compete in with division one talent is our conference and nationals indoors and outdoors championship,” Demeritte said.

#Demeritte also coached at the high school level, where he is credited with the development of over 80 collegiate athletes and two New Balance All-Americans, while leading The Marist School to six GHSA Team Championships and 38 GHSA Individual/Relay Champions.

#“It wasn’t all a straight line. I took some detours here and there, but I’m truly grateful for the opportunities along the way because it’s made me the coach that I am today,” he said. “Like I always tell my athletes, I gladly failed because failure is the only way you can have true sucess and appreciate the success once you get there.”

As of Wednesday, June 1, 2022

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#VETERAN distance runner O’Neil Williams will have another opportunity to add to his résumé of accolades when he competes in the elite field of one of the most highly regarded events on the international marathon circuit.

#Williams is set to compete in the elite flight of the BMW Berlin Marathon on Sunday, September 25 in Berlin, Germany.

#As the Bahamian national record holder in the marathon, event organisers granted Williams complimentary entry into the field.

#“It’s a great step in the right direction. It’s the first time a Bahamian will run in the elite field and I’ll be the first to compete,” he said.

#“It’s a surreal feeling because I’ve seen these other great athletes compete in this event. I’ve lived in Kenya for 10 years but just started running marathons in 2017 so the progression has been great.”

#The Berlin Marathon began in 1974 and is reputed as the fastest marathon in the world as six of the latest consecutive men’s world records has been set here. Three of the women world records have also been set there.

#Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge holds the men’s course record of 2:01:39, while his country woman Gladys Cherono holds the women’s course record of 2:18:11.

#After he broke into the sport with events in Stockholm, Sweden and Jacksonville, Florida in 2017, Williams went on to set the Bahamian national record for the first time at 2:29.26 on October 20, 2019 at the Amsterdam Marathon in the Netherlands.

#This year, he lowered that record to 2:25.10 at the fourth edition of the Eldoret City Marathon in Kenya to finish 56th out of a field of 193 competitors. “In 2020 I couldn’t run because of the pandemic and in 2021 I had an Achilles injury that prevented me from running. I ran one race, but I couldn’t finish,” he said. “But coming back from all that, this year I ended up breaking a national record again, by four minutes, so it is coming along pretty well. You know, as long as I have like a support I’ll be able to continue my progression.”

#Despite his recent success, Williams said distance running continues to be overlooked by the Bahamian track and field community at large.

#“I get no support from the BAAAs and I barely get any support from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. To be an elite athlete at this level is very expensive. Sometimes I get $1,500, sometimes I get $3,000,” Williams said.

#“They come up with a lot of excuses. So most of the times I try to find sponsors outside of the BAAAs and the ministry to help with my training and also to represent my country.”

#While chasing his Olympic dream has become uncertain due to a lack of funding, Williams said he has been thankful for the network of friends, family and private sponsors that have been the catalyst of his success.

#“Without those people taking an interest trust me, I was not going to be running today,” he said. “Distance running gets no support, I would say it’s disrespected.

#Despite the setbacks, Williams said he is pleased to see the popularity of distance running continue to rise in the Bahamas due in large part to the growth of groups like the Bahamas Roadmasters who he looks forward to seeing at the Berlin Marathon.

#At a crossroads in his career, Berlin will be a probing ground moving forward for the 39-year-old Williams.

#“I’m not saying at this point I’m going to try for the Olympics because like I said, I have a family now and training and running is difficult. Especially when you have no support,” he said. “So I was thinking of making this my last year, but if I do well in Berlin, then I’ll see if I’ll go forward. If don’t do well, then I’ll just quit and try to focus on my family because they come first and running comes after that.”

Devynne Charlton

As of Wednesday, June 1, 2022

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Sprint hurdler Devynne Charlton continues her season of milestones with another new season’s best time.

#Charlton ran to a fourth place finish in the 100m hurdles in a time of 12.88 seconds at the Ostrava Golden Spikes at Metsky Stadium in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

#The meet was the latest on the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Series.

#Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico continued her dominance in the event with a first place finish in 12.56.

#The world leader finished ahead of Poland’s European U23 champion Pia Skrzyszowska in 12.65 and Nia Ali of the United States was third in 12.69.

#Charlton’s time of 12.88 finished just ahead of Hungary’s Luca Kozak who also finished in a season’s best time of 12.89.

#On May 13, Charlton posted a wind aided (+3) time of 12.61 to finish fourth on the Diamond League Series meet in Doha, Qatar.

#The 26-year-old World Indoor silver medallist and Tokyo Olympic finalist is currently ranked no.6 in the world in the 100m hurdles.

#Her indoor season was highlighted by her silver medal in the 60m hurdles in the World Indoor Championships at Belgrade, Serbia.

#France’s Cyréna Samba- Mayela won the gold medal with a time of 7.78 while Charlton was second in 7.81 – a new national record.

#At the time of her silver medal triumph, Charlton said she hoped that her first individual success of that magnitude set the tone moving forward to an eagerly anticipated outdoor season.

#The season includes the upcoming BAAA Nationals and World Athletics Championships. “I’m expecting to build on this experience.

#“A lot of the improvements I made indoors can only help with my outdoor hurdles and so I think it will be that much better,” she said.

As of Thursday, June 2, 2022

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Antoan Richardson

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#ANTOAN Richardson’s San Francisco Giants are once again expected to battle for a National League postseason spot and the club’s first base coach detailed his decision to accept the post in addition to the appeal of the Giants organisation in his recent media availability.

#“I think it’s everybody’s desire to work together for a common goal. We see it on a daly basis and it really feels like a family,” he said.

#“From the clubhouse to the baseball ops to the entire organisation. I really appreciate the family aspect. I always talk about the Bahamas being a community and that’s the part I enjoy about the Giants.”

#The Giants are currently 27-21 on the season, third in the NL West.

#They open a three-game set against Jazz Chisholm and the Miami Marlins tonight at 6:40pm local time.

#The franchise’s first base coach is currently serving in his second year in the role.

#“It’s a lot of reminding them of game situation, I think my job is just to be a reminder,” he said.

#“They know what to do, and it’s just a matter of nudging them a bit to remember ‘hey if this happens we’re going to look do this’ remember to pick up [Mark Hallberg] at third base’ and let’s just find a way to help our team by getting to the next base.”

#Richardson has also been privy to several moments this season where he had an opportunity to witness players record their first major league hits.

#“It’s pretty cool, what I try to do in those moments is encourage the player to take it in because you don’t get to experience it again,” he said.

#“I know sometimes as a young player you get excited and move on to the next play but I just like to remind them to take a moment, embrace it and try to hold on to the moment because it’s not going to happen again.”

#Last year, the Giants concluded the regular season 107-55 on the year and earned the team’s first division title since 2012. They advanced to the postseason for the first time since 2016 when they advanced to the NLDS before an elimination at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

#The 107 wins for the Giants established a new franchise record and also clinched the home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The previous record was 106 wins in the 1904 season. The 2021 season represented a complete turnaround for the Giants who missed the postseason a year ago in the 2020 regular season finale.

#Richardson previously served as an outfield coordinator before he joined the major league club at first base.

#“When I was done playing I thought I was done with the sport but I had a passion for coaching youth. I was in The Bahamas, got involved, started a non non-profit to give back. During that time I got a few calls about getting back into the game, but the thing I dreaded the most was being away from my family. I had done it since I was 14. It wasn’t a hard transition in the sense that I love working with people. I’m still learning, I’m still growing, we have an awesome coaching staff I get to learn from daily so it’s just been a really cool experience,” Richardson said.

#“I just wanted to be in a position to help the organisation so at the time when I took this role here I was still a field coordinator in the minor leagues. It was a tough decision, I remember going back and Kyle Haynes our farm director and trying to get some assistance with that process. At that time the move was the best for the organisation.”

#As he prepares for another series against Chisholm and the Marlins, he discusses the role the group of professional players currently serve as ambassadors of the country and the game.

#“We’re a close knit community, we’re just really rooting for each other and trying to push the sport forward,” he said. “Over the past 5-10 years it has grown a lot in the Bahamas and from a youth standpoint we have a booming youth baseball programme now so I’m excited to see where we grow over the next couple of years.”

#Despite recording his first career hit against Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw and scoring a run on Derek Jeter’s final RBI, Richardson said his most memorable moment on the field was the opportunity to share the field with other Bahamians. “In 2016 I got an opportunity to play in the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers with a lot of other Bahamian professional baseball players,” he said. “Got to take the field with Jazz and some of the other prospects we see coming through the system now, that was one of the moments I really cherish and I haven’t forgotten about that one.”