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As of Tuesday, September 20, 2022

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#FOR the third time in the past decade, the Miami Heat will make the Bahamas a part of their training camp.

#Over the weekend, the Heat revealed that their 2022 Training Camp, presented by Baptist Health, will be staged at Baha Mar from September 27 to October 1.

#The Heat announced that following their Media Day on Monday, September 26 at the FTX Arena, the Heat will conduct their two-day practice sessions from Tuesday to Thursday at Baha Mar, the award-winning luxury resort’s Convention, Arts and Entertainment Centre.

#Following the training sessions, the Heat will host a practice session opened to invited guests and kids from the Bahamas Basketball Federation before they return to Miami on Saturday. The Heat previously hosted their training camps here at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in 2013 and again in 2016. The Heat said it had intended to come back, but because of the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, they stayed in Florida for their camps either at FTX Arena or in Palm Beach County.

#Heat’s head coach Erik Spoelstra said the last time they came in the Bahamas certainly benefitted the Heat and his players.

#“We spent so much time together and really tried to get to know each other,” he said. “We spent a lot of time on the court but we spent a lot of time off the court. That’s why I love going away. It gives you a little bit of a start on that.”

#The Heat, led by the 1-2-3 punch of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Victor Oladipo, are coming off a 53-29 win-loss record to win the Eastern Conference.

#After defeating the Atlanta Hawks 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs and earning a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round, only to get eliminated in a 4-3 decision to the Boston Celtics in the divisional finals.

#Following the training camp here, the Heat will participate in their pre-season from Monday, October 3 to Wednesday, October 12 before their regular season starts at home against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, October 19.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/20/heat-make-bahamas-part-training-camp/?news

RASHIELD Williams’ arm is raised by the ring referee after he won his fight on Saturday.

As of Tuesday, September 20, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#AFTER taking a brief break from competing at the Commonwealth Games, Rashield Williams returned to the pro ranks where he secured another impressive victory.

#On Saturday, Williams stopped American Daniel Arriaga one minute and 25 seconds in the second round of their welterweight bout at the Alessi Gym Fitness Center, Tampa, Florida.

#It was Williams’ fifth straight victory in seven fights since making his pro debut on February 9, 2019 against Carlos Monroy. Williams then suffered his first and only loss on March 22, 2019 against Javaune James before he reeled off his next five bouts, including Saturday’s win over his southpaw opponent Arriaga.

#“The fight went very good. I went in there and I picked my shots,” said Williams of his latest performance.

#“I dropped him twice in the first round and in the second round, I stopped him.”

#With a hook and a straight right to the head of James, Williams sealed the deal. “I stopped him. It was a TKO, but I didn’t get a chance to catch him as clean as I wanted to,” Williams said. “But thank God for the TKO win. I accept it.”

#Williams, coming off his loss in his only match he competed in during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England in August when he had to shed about 11 pounds to make the weight, said he was delighted to be back in his comfort zone. “It was real nice. It was really exciting to get back in the ring,” said Williams, who resides and trains out of Miami, Florida. “I was really anxious, I couldn’t wait. It was a great feeling.”

#Williams, a 33-year-old orthodox fighter, is expected to be back in the ring next month when he competes in his eighth fight and hopefully secures his sixth straight victory.

#Arriaga, 32, dropped to 2-5-2 with his third consecutive loss

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/20/williams-win-column/?news

As of Tuesday, September 20, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE Atlantis Titans solidified third place in the men’s division, while the Sunshine Auto Wildcats wrapped up another ladies’ pennant on Saturday as the New Providence Softball Association completed its regular season and now prepares for the playoffs this weekend.

#The Titans pulled off a 12-10 victory over the Chances Mighty Mitts to improve their win-loss record to 4-7 for third place behind the front-running defending champions C&S Hitmen (10-1) and second place Marlins (10-2).

#Chances Mighty Mitts nipped the Renegades 11-10 on Sunday night to finish in fourth at 3-8 and will face the Hitmen in the playoffs. The Renegades have been eliminated with a 1-10 record in fifth place. Although they didn’t play because of a defaulted win over the Johnson Lady Truckers, the Wildcats moved to 8-3, but the game was played under protest with the outcome deciding on their close race with the RAB Operators, who are 9-3.

#The Johnson Lady Truckers, who out-slugged the Black Scorpions 17-14 in Sunday’s ladies’ opener, are now tied with the University of the Bahamas Mingoes at 5-6. The Black Scorpions have been eliminated at 1-10.

#In other games played over the weekend, the Marlins out-slugged the Renegades 20-12 on the men’s side, while in a pair of ladies’ games, the University of the Bahamas Mingoes knocked off the Black Scorpions 14-2 and the Operators routed the Black Scorpions 14-1.

#Titans 12, Mighty Mitts 10: Veteran left fielder Windsor Bethel enjoyed a 3-for-4 night with four runs batted in, including a three-run double in a three-run sixth inning to seal the deal for Atlantis.

#First baseman Marino Cartwright was a perfect 3-for-3 with a RBI and four runs scored, second baseman Andre Gardiner Jr was 1-for-4 with two runs scored, centre fielder Anthony Fowler Jr was 1-for-4 with a RBI and Angelo Dillet, who ended up pitching, was 2-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored. “We had a little rough start and that allowed them to get into the game, but in the end, we held strong and pushed through and did what we had to do,” Dillet said. “This was a very important game for us because we didn’t want to finish in the fourth spot. “We now face the Marlins. It’s going to be a physical series, but we just have to tighten up things a bit and play our mental game. Anything could happen between the lines, but we have a very good chance once we get the right nine on the field.”

#Stephan McKenzie went 4-for-4 with a RBI and three runs, left fielder Juniel Bain was 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, first baseman Christopher McPhee was 3-for-3 with a RBI and two runs scored and right fielder Christopher Wright was 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.

#While they waited for the outcome of Saturday’s game, the Wildcats enjoyed a festive night, celebrating the 80th birthday of their sponsor, Deanza ‘Sunny’ Cox.

#“We had a lot of injuries, but everybody is now back,” said Wildcats’ manager Anthony Bullard. “Now that we have all of our starters back, we could go even further in our bid to win another championship title. Everybody knows their role and if the starters are not there on time, we have sufficient players to pick up the slack.”

#The Wildcats won three pennant and championships back-to-back before the pandemic hit in 2020.

#Looking at the return of the league this year, the first full season since they enjoyed their winning streak, Bullard said they have to be concerned about every team they play, but they know their opponents are just as concerned about them.

#Mingoes 14, Black Scorpions 2: Breanna Hield, who gave up four hits with four strike outs, went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored to pace the University of the Bahamas in their win on Friday night.

#Catcher Nabria Hamilton was 2-for-3 with three runs, shortstop Adonya Rolle was 1-for-3 with two runs and first sacker Sophia Cartwright was 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored to help out in the win as they produced 11 runs in the first inning to blow the game open.

#First sacker Akia Rolle was 2-for-2 with two RBI, third sacker Therell McKenzie was 1-for-2 with a run scored and Vashauna Bastian was 1-for-2 with a RBI for the Black Scorpions. Nacara Gilbert suffered the loss on 11 hits with a strike out.

#Marlins 20, Renegades 12: Centre fielder Angelo Watson went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored to earn the MVP honours for Sigma. Pitcher Thomas Davis, playing first base, went 2-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored, Eugene Pratt was 1-for-4 with a RBI and three runs scored, Stephen Russell was 1-for-1 with two RBI and five runs scored, Winston Seymour was 1-for-4 with two runs scored, Kristan Collie was 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored and Ellis Adderley was 2-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored.

#Deon Whyte came in relief for Dwayne Dean for the win for the Marlins. Nathan Darling was tagged with the loss.

#Amahj McPhee was 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored, Dylan Culmer was 2-for-2 with four RBI and two runs scored, Charles Major was 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored and Christopher Jennings was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

#Operators 14, Black Scorpions 1: Third sacker Latoya Jackson enjoyed a perfect 3-for-3 night with four RBI and three runs in their win on Thursday as they scored five runs in the first, six in the second and three in the third.

#Catcher Brianna Knowles was also perfect at 2-for-2 with three RBI and a run scored, second sacker Katrel Dorsette was 1-for-1 with two RBI and a run scored and winning pitcher Brendia Ferguson fired a one hitter with eight strike outs in their abbreviated victory.

#Second sacker Therell McKenzie got the only hit for the Black Scorpions, whose Nacara Gilbert gave up 11 hits with s strike out in a losing effort.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/20/wildcats-win-ladies-pennant-titans-end-third/?news

SHOWN, from left to right, Alan Loane, commodore of The Nassau Yacht Club, sailor William Bain, Emma Tinkler, regatta chair, Akone Cumberbatch, Fidelity Bank Donations Committee member, sailor Zane Munro, Lori Lowe, president of The Bahamas Sailing Association and Antonio Saunders, Fidelity Bank marketing and media manager.

As of Tuesday, September 20, 2022

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#FIDELITY Bank (Bahamas) Ltd. has donated generous sponsorship to The Bahamas Sailing Association to support this year’s Optimist National Championship, the largest national junior event on the country’s sailing calendar.

#Based on Fidelity’s guiding philosophy of “We’re Good For You”, their donations committee’s primary goal is to contribute to the creation and maintenance of educational and vocational opportunities for youth in The Bahamas, giving away thousands of dollars each year to activities which support community and youth development and improve the socio-economic conditions of Bahamians.

#The event will be hosted by The Nassau Yacht Club September 30 to October 2.

#This annual regatta is held at a different island location each year with young sailors aged eight to 15 years old coming together from throughout the country to sail in the iconic little Optimist boat. This year the expected participation is set to be around 90 children.

#The Sailing Association is particularly excited to be welcoming back sailors from Hope Town and Freeport, their first visit since the ravages of Hurricane Dorian destroyed their sailing clubs, boats and equipment.

#Other contingents are heading to Nassau from Eleuthera, Exuma and Harbour Island to race against their New Providence-based rivals.

#As this is an “open” championship, non-Bahamians are welcome to compete and, to this end, there are a number of children from the United States oming to the event.

#All participants receive medals, the top finishers in each fleet receive trophies and the top-placed Bahamian sailor will receive the prestigious Geoffrey Holowesko Perpetual Trophy and be awarded the national title.

#The organising committee wishes to also thank JS Johnson, which has continued to support numerous events and junior sailing programmes and initiatives over the years and have also given a generous contribution towards financing this championship.

#Thanks also goes to several other businesses for donating products, including Aquapure, Home Fabrics, Thompson Trading, Panama Jack, Sands Beer, Abaco Big Bird and the Nassau Yacht Club, who are providing all the food throughout the weekend at a substantially reduced cost for the sailors and their entourages.

#As non-profit organisations, the Bahamas Sailing Association and the Bahamas National Sailing School cannot run events such as this without the support of sponsorship and the assistance of many volunteers.

#Emma Tinkler, event chairperson, believes this year’s Optimist National Championship will be a huge success thanks to all who are working tirelessly to make it happen.

#Watch out for the action in Montagu Bay next weekend.

JONQUEL Jones shoots last night. (AP Photos/Jessica Hill)

As of Friday, September 16, 2022

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#On a night where Jonquel Jones was awarded her fourth All-WNBA selection, her Connecticut Sun staved off elimination in game three of the WNBA Finals.

#Jones finished with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists in the Sun’s 105-76 win over the Las Vegas Aces last night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

#She shot 8-12 from the field and made her only three-point attempt. Jones’ teammate, Alyssa Thomas recorded the first triple-double in WNBA Finals history with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

#The Sun are now 4-0 in elimination games in the playoffs so far this postseason.

ACES’ A’ja Wilson dribbles as Sun’s Jonquel Jones defends during the first half in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals last night in Uncasville, Connecticut.

#The Aces raced out to an early 12-4 lead, but the Sun responded with one of their most dominant stretches of the postseason. They eventually outscored the Aces 34-19 at the end of the first quarter and took control for good. They maintained a double figure lead at the half, 53-42, and took a 77-69 lead headed into the fourth.

#Connecticut’s all-time postseason record is now above .500 at 37-36. Sun head coach Curt Miller’s WNBA Finals Record is now 3-5. The best-of-five series continues in Connecticut for game four, September 18 at 4pm, broadcast live on ESPN.

#A fifth and deciding game, if necessary, will be hosted by the Aces at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 20.

#Jones had 15 points and nine rebounds in a game one 67-64 loss followed by 16 points and 11 rebounds in an 85-71 loss in game two.

#Prior to the game, Jones was named an All-WNBA Second Team selection. She received 12 first team votes and 22 second team votes for a score of 126.

#The 2022 All-WNBA Second Team also includes Jones’ teammate Alyssa Thomas (175 points), New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (168), Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike (141), and Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles (65).

#Voting for the All-WNBA Team was conducted at the conclusion of the regular season.

#For the first time, players were selected without regard for position.

#Players received five points for each First Team vote and three points for each Second Team vote.

#Jones led the Sun in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots with averages of 14.6 points (17th in WNBA), 8.6 rebounds (fourth) and 1.15 blocks (seventh).

#The 6-6 Jones was selected to the WNBA All-Defensive Team for the third time. The All-WNBA First Team included the Aces’ A’ja Wilson (280 points), Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart (280), Aces guard Kelsey Plum (265), Phoenix Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith (183) and Chicago Sky center-forward Candace Parker (183).

#Each member of the All- WNBA First Team will receive $10,300 and each member of the Second Team will receive $5,150.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/16/jonquel-jones-sun-stay-alive-connecticut-routs-las/?news

As of Friday, September 16, 2022

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JACOB HIGGINS, the owner of the Class B boat, The Cobra, passed away on Sunday at his family homestead in Yellow Elder.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#SLOOP sailing boat owner Jacob Higgins was not just remembered for the pioneering role he played as a competitive sailor, but as an executive chef, who helped to inspire so many of his family and friends.

#Higgins, the owner of the Cobra, a Class B boat, passed away on Sunday at his family homestead in Yellow Elder.

#The 82-year-old native of Pirates Well, Mayaguana, leaves behind seven daughters and five sons.

#Clyde Rolle, vice commodore of the National Family Island Regatta in Exuma, said he was able to benefit so much from the late Higgins, whom he considers to be one of his idols.

#“He was a former five-time national champion with the Cobra, who was featured in a number of sailing magazines,” Rolle said. “The Cobra is still a very popular boat. He was like a father to me. He made an invaluable contribution to sailing.”

#For his efforts, the National Family Island Regatta committee, headed by Danny Strachan, honoured the late Higgins and Stafford Armbrister during the last National Family Island Regatta held in Georgetown, Exuma in 2019 before COVID-19 halted the popular event until it returned this year.

#“We recognised his contributions and we asked him to become a part of our race committee in 2019 and he gratefully accepted, the same year that we honoured him and Stafford,” Rolle said. “It was long in coming. He made his contribution, but we were glad to honour him.”

#Rolle, who also sailed the Cobra on a number of times for Higgins, said he could always count on him for his advice. He noted that he will definitely be missed by the sailing sloop community for the contribution he made along with the late Cassius Moss, King Eric Gibson and Rollie ‘the Grand Master’ Gray.

#Higgins’ son, Dwayne Higgins, who followed in his father’s footsteps in sailing, said he was a “strong, resilient and committed” person, who was very disciplined and exhibited a lot of high standards that he expected others to emulate.

#“I could remember him especially for his tenacious spirit because nobody could shake his conviction,” Higgins said. “If only one person supported his position, he still stuck with it.”

#As an executive chef, listed as the first as a Bahamian, Higgins was known for his employment at a number of establishments, including the Sheraton British Colonial Hotel, Emerald Beach, Lucayan Beach, Balmoral Beach, the Pilot House and Holiday Inn, just to name a few.

#“He came from humble beginnings as a person cleaning the floor to being elevated to executive chef,” said Dwayne Higgins, whose brother Marcellus and sister Natchie Dean have followed in their father’s footsteps in the culinary industry.

#“He really pulled himself up by his bootstraps and made it happen. He was really a trailblazer as a chef.”

#As a child growing up in Mayaguana, Higgins developed an affinity for sailing.

#He first owned a boat called “the Snake” before he got another one called “Trouble Maker,” which evolved into the Cobra.

#“Daddy owned the boat, but he had a number of people who captained it for him,” Dwayne Higgins said.

#Dwayne Higgins, an educator by profession, eventually owned his own boat, Jacob’s Ladder – a Class C boat that he named in honour of his father.

#“He came from really humble beginnings, having to leave school at a very early age to go to work at the naval base,” Dwayne Higgins said.

#“He always wanted people to know that despite your beginning, it doesn’t determine your outcome. It ain’t how you start, but how you make the best of what you have to become what you are.”

#In addition to Dwayne, Marcellus and Natchie, Higgins’ other children are Sheral and Donna Higgins, Carmen Rolle, Darnell, Bonnie and Madonna Higgins, Melvin and Dwight Higgins and Ricardo Penn.

#He also has two sisters Mabel Bodie and Vernita Ellis and two brothers Huel Williamson and Nathaniel Higgins and a number of grand and great grandchildren.

#The Tribune Sports Departments extends its condolences to the Higgins family.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/16/jacob-higgins-dies-his-family-home-yellow-elder-ga/?news

ANDY and Nancy Knowles with Let’s Swim Bahamas mascots Tim and Snorkel.

As of Friday, September 16, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#AFTER spending the past 15 years teaching primary school students the basic skills in swimming, the Let’s Swim Bahamas programme will provide a private premiere documentary on their progress made so far.

#On Tuesday at 6pm at the University of the Bahamas, the husband and wife team of Andy and Nancy Knowles will show the LSB documentary to provide more awareness of the importance of learning how to swim.

#“When we started this programme 15 years ago, we only got started with one school, but now we have worked with over 10 schools,” said Andy Knowles, who along with Nancy, have been responsible for providing an opportunity for countless young people to learn to swim.

#The duo were previously responsible for the formation of Swift Swimming, one of the most successful clubs in the Bahamas Aquatics, formerly the Bahamas Swimming Federation, which gave rise to some of the top swimmers in the country, including Olympians Jeremy Knowles and Allan Murray.

#The LSB programme got started in 2008 with students from the Thelma Gibson Primary School. The Knowles are now working with 10 primary schools with Sadie Curtis, Sandilands, Eva Hilton, TG Glover, Stephen Dillette, Woodcock, Albury Sayles, Adelaide and Gambier joining Thelma Gibson.

#“We have been encouraged by the response, with each school willing to work with us, that includes principals, teachers and administration,” Andy Knowles said.

#“Would like to see a better response from parents willing to sign their kids up for the learn to swim programme, we have averaged about 46 percent of the students taking advantage of the swimming.”

#The programme was relaunched in March through June this year.

#On June 23 at Baha Bay, LSB worked with Melissa Lockwood from Baha Mar and Olivia Daxon, principal of Thelma Gibson School and 55 children to participate in a worldwide swimming event.

#Jeremy Knowles along with Baha Mar’s lifeguard, Linda Hall, assisted in the lesson plan.

#“Once the lesson was over, the children and their families were able to spend the rest of the day at Baha Bay playing in the water park. This will definitely be a LSB annual event.

#While they are based here in New Providence, the Knowles plan on expanding the programme throughout the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. But for now, they are content with what they have accomplished here so far.

#“We are pleased with what we have been able to accomplish with the 10 schools, including the many thousands of students we have taught and the many tens of thousands of lessons we have taught,” Andy Knowles said.

#As they move forward, coming out of the pandemic which forced the programme to be put on hold over the past two years, Andy Knowles said they are eager to resume the programme following the launch of the documentary next week.

#Knowles said they intend to continue to improve their registration process to be quick, efficient, thorough, with emphasis on sticking to the deadline for registration. “We are now using our Facebook page to get the word out about signing up for the lessons and have had over 7000+ shares so far.

#“With the financial help from our sponsor ATEOS, they hope to be able to print and distribute to all the Government Primary Schools throughout The Bahamas the 3rd edition of the Let’s Swim Bahamas Water Safety Colouring and Activity Book and Posters.

#Eventually, they want to show two mini premiere documentaries for fund-raising and then air on ZNS TV for the general public.

#With the assistance of the Defence Force, headed by Commodore Dr Raymond King, LSB would like to work out the details for using members of the Defence Force as coaches, especially for the South Beach Pool site.

#And LSB will continue to work to add new sites and schools with the goal to have five sites and 18 schools (out of the 24 schools in New Providence) ready to start the programme in September 2023.

#“We want to increase the percentage of kids who sign up and the number of schools we work with and the teaching all the grades from 1 to 6 and getting to have all 24 primary schools in NP on board,” he said.

#With the Bahamas being an archipelago of islands, Andy Knowles said their goal is to get all Bahamians able to swim and enjoy the God-given beautiful seas surrounding us.

#Today, Andy and Nancy head a LSB programme that receives tremendous help from students, parents, retired workers, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and many others who learn about LSB and the impact they can have by being a part of the programme.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/16/andy-and-nancy-knowles-show-lets-swim-bahamas-docu/?news

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailSeptember 16, 2022 307 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Retired Boxers Association inaugural Hall of Fame Awards program that was originally scheduled for this coming Sunday, September 18 has been postponed and will now take place at a date to be announced in late October.

It was set to be held at the JCN Broadcast Center on University Drive in New Providence. However, plans are being made to hold the event in late October at the same venue.

A representative for the organization said that the event was put off because of circumstances beyond the control of the organizers. 

The association is set to induct Oswald “Elisha Obed” Ferguson, Gomeo Brennen, William “Yama Bahama” Butler Jr., Ray Minus Sr., Nathaniel “Nat” Knowles, Garvin “Garry” Davis, Charlie Major Sr., Kirkwood “Baby Boy” Rolle, Leonard “Boston Blackie” Miller, Bertram “Bert Perry” Perigord, Wilfred Coakley Jr., Wilfred “Battling” Douglas, Clifford “Sugar Cliff” Francis and Andre Seymour into the Hall of Fame Class of 2022.

They will also recognize Taureano Johnson, Ray Minus Jr., George “Boo” Wilmore, Everette Jackson, L. Garth Wright, Paul Thompson, Gladstone Thurston, Chris Malakius, Roger Kelty, Charlie Major Sr., Wilfred Coakley Jr., Frederick Sturrup and Valentino Knowles for their outstanding contribution to amateur and professional boxing.

The association is a non-profit organization with former Bahamian Cruiserweight Champion and former Chairman of the Bahamas Boxing Commission (BBC) Pat “The Centreville Assassin” Strachan as the chairman. Wellington Miller is the vice chairman, Sturrup is a director and Janet Munroe serves as the organization’s first secretary.

https://thenassauguardian.com/retired-boxers-hall-of-fame-awards-rescheduled/

 Home|Sports|BAISS softball season gets underway TuesdaySports

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 16, 2022 372 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) will kick off its 2022-2023 sporting calendar on Tuesday, September 20 with its softball season on Tuesday, September 20 at various locations.

Four division titles will be up for grabs – senior boys, senior girls, junior boys and junior girls divisions. It is the first time that the BAISS will be hosting its softball season since the 2019-2020 school year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Coordinator for the softball discipline, Ainsworth Beckford, said that it was imperative to get softball up and running.

“It is key to get started as we have a calendar of sporting events to try and get in within the school year. If we push back softball, it is going to affect the sports we normally play at the end of the school year which is volleyball. We need to get softball started so we can keep on track with the calendar so we can have a smooth calendar for the year,” Beckford said.

The softball season was set to start on Monday, September 19 but because of the National Holiday those games were pushed back to Friday, September 23. The senior girls will kick the season off on Tuesday, September 20.

Queen’s College will host Kingsway Academy,; St. Andrew’s will host St. Anne’s Schools; St. Augustine’s College will host C.W. Saunders Schools; over at Freedom Farm, Nassau Christian Schools will host Temple Christian Schools. All games start at 3.30 p.m.

“Our student-athletes at Nassau Christian Schools are excited to go again,” Beckford said. They are just ready to let loose on the field against other schools. It is the same thing that I am hearing from the other schools. The students are excited to get back into competition.”

As for the level of competition, Beckford said that the senior level should be very competitive as they were involved in the sport outside of school. The junior high level may not be as competitive because they were in primary school before the pandemic hit, where they were not playing any softball. He understands that it will be a rebuilding process.

“The level of competition will be a mixed one,” Beckford said. With the juniors, I see a little of a struggle there as they were coming out of primary school where there is no competition at all. They come into high school, and they will do a lot of catching up. Those kids who were playing baseball from the two leagues – Freedom Farm and Junior Baseball League of Nassau (JBLN), they did not stop playing. We are expecting very good technical skills to be displayed by those students who were involved in some level of sporting activity.”

There has been a push to have the boys play baseball in the private schools like in the government schools. Beckford said that while they want to have baseball played in BAISS, it is not a simple fix as facilities are needed in case all 15 of their member schools decide to play baseball.

“We do not have sufficient fields to play a round robin format amongst the schools,” Beckford stated. “We are looking around and thankfully, the National Sports Authority (NSA) refurbished the softball complex which should be able to play baseball, but it is still a softball complex. Few private schools can accommodate baseball namely SAC, St. Andrew’s School and Aquinas College. They have a sizable field to accommodate baseball. All the other schools will rely on facilities such as Freedom Farm and the facilities by Blue Hills. It’s a logistic situation for us and we are trying our best to see as quickly as we can to get baseball going.”

There are 10 schools across the four divisions that are participating in this year’s softball season. In the 2019 season, Queen’s College won the senior boys division while St. John’s College won the senior girls. On the junior side, Queen’s College won the boys and C.W. Saunders won the girls.

http://sportsinthebahamas.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5003&action=edit

 Home|Sports|Collegiate tennis players see fall actionSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 20, 2022 150 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian collegiate tennis players Sydney Clarke, Jacobi Bain and Abigail Simms saw some Fall action over the weekend as they look to see where they are in these early matches.

Jacobi Bain and doubles partner VanDer Woody came away as champions in the men’s A doubles at the HBCU National Championships at the South Fulton Tennis Center in College Park, Georgia on Saturday. Bain repeated as champion.

The Xavier University of Louisiana Gold partners took care of Alabama State University’s Ruan Du Preez and Samrakshyak Bajracharya. They won 6-3. The duo comfortably won the quarter finals and semi finals.

The sophomore played in the men’s singles A draw. He received a bye in the first round. He then played against the eventual champion, Jonasz Dziopak in the quarterfinal. However, Bain fell 3-6 and 0-6.

Bain and his team were tied for third with 17 points as nine teams participated.

Clarke and her University of Alabama Blazers were in action at the Austin Peay University Fall Tournament at the Governors Tennis Courts in Clarksville, 

Tennessee. The matches were played on September 16-18.

The junior was able to play in eight matches including both singles and doubles. She was not so fortunate in the singles as she lost all but one of her four matches. In the doubles, she won all four of those matches.

In her first match against Emma Honore, Clarke fell in two sets – 1-6 and 4-6. Clarke was able to win a set against Melody Hefti but fell 6-1, 0-6 and 7-10. She then fell 3-6 and 2-6 to Coc Bosman. She won the final match with a score of 6-0 and 6-2 over Maria Arbelaz.

Clarke played with four different doubles partners, and they were able to be victorious. She first paired up with Adela Wasserbaureova. The duo took on Paola Campigotto and Emma Honore and won 6-4. Clarke played with Mackenzie White, and they won 6-4 over Denise Torrealba and Lucy Lascheck. Her third double matches saw her pairing up with Annalisa Smith as they took down Bosman and Callie Billman 6-2. Her final doubles match saw her and Alexandria da Silva taking care of Elina Sungatullina and Juanita Mendez 6-1.

Simms and her Indiana Tech Warriors were in action against the number five Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats at the IWU Fall Classic. They were shut out 6-0. In the doubles action, Simms and doubles partner  Echavarria fell 2-6 to France Antezana and Sofia Loren Munoz.

Simms’ number two singles match against Munoz did not finish as the Wildcats wrapped up that dual.

https://thenassauguardian.com/collegiate-tennis-players-see-fall-action/