Home|Sports|Clarke, Mackey reach final againSports

Women’s championship set for Thursday; men’s semis to be held today

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 21, 2022 102 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Sydney Clarke and Elana Mackey will face each other for a second consecutive year in the women’s final of the Giorgio Baldacci Open National Championships. They easily won their semifinal matches yesterday at the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) National Tennis Centre. The men’s quarterfinals also took place with four players winning their matches to head to the semifinals which are set for today.

By advancing to the final, Clarke and Mackey secured their spots on Team Bahamas’ roster for the Billie Jean King Cup that is set for sometime in 2023. Both said they are happy to be back on the team where they intend to represent The Bahamas to the best of their abilities on the regional stage.

After a three-set match in the quarterfinals against Simone Pratt on Monday, Clarke was locked in against BreAnn Ferguson in the semis as she won 6-0 and 6-0. Clarke, the defending national women’s champion, said her composure was different yesterday.

“Today (Tuesday) I felt I played really calm,” Clarke said. “I could have added a bit more energy, but overall I felt that I improved on mistakes that I made yesterday (Monday) and I just practiced some new things in preparation for today. The match Monday put me in a mindset to be in go mode and not take anyone for granted.”

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) student-athlete said it is good to be in another matchup against Mackey.

“It’s always good playing Lana. We grew up together. We are always back and forth with each other, so it’s nice. When we get on the court, there’s always a fight, so I’m very excited. I just have to bring just like I’ve been doing it for each round and just not take anybody for granted.”

Mackey went up against Grand Bahamian Jalisa Clarke and won 6-2 and 6-1 to advance to the final. The Mars Hill University student-athlete looked comfortable in the victory.

“The match was a little bit rougher than the one I had yesterday, and also it was very windy today, so I had to play more consistent and go less for power,” Mackey said.

Looking ahead to the final against Sydney Clarke, Mackey said she will be looking to cut down on her mistakes. The final is set for Thursday.

“I think that it will be a very good match. I just have to play my game and not let her dictate the points. I think it will be very competitive,” Mackey said.

Over on the men’s side, Denali Nottage made light work of Savano Hanna, winning his match 6-0 and 6-0. This is his second consecutive year in the tournament. He was knocked out of the semifinals last year and is happy to be back in the semifinals this year.

The number one seed on the men’s side, Kevin Major Jr., easily took care of Dentry Mortimer, winning 6-0 and 6-0. Veteran Marvin Rolle dominated Anthony Burrows, 6-1 and 6-1. Rodney Carey secured the other semifinal spot when he won a three-setter over Jacobi Bain, 1-6, 7-5 and 7-6(6).

The men’s semifinals will be played today. The first matchup starts at 9 a.m.

https://thenassauguardian.com/clarke-mackey-reach-final-again/

 Home|Sports|Ayton records double-double in his returnSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 21, 2022 98 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian DeAndre Ayton returned from a two-game absence and notched a double-double to help the Phoenix Suns easily take down the Los Angeles Lakers, 130-104, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on Monday night.

Ayton finished the night with 21 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes of play after missing the previous two games with a left ankle injury. He was scorching hot from the field when he finished 9-for-11 including knocking down his only attempt from deep. Ayton suffered that ankle injury last week Tuesday against the Houston Rockets. Fortunately, the Suns were able to win both of the games he missed.

The win on Monday  gave the Suns a 19-12 win/loss record on the season while the Lakers, who did not have forward LeBron James and center Anthony Davis, dropped to 13-17 on the season.

The Bahamian was a menace in the first quarter as he put the Lakers frontcourt on notice that the injury is behind him and that he was ready to get to work. He got the Suns on the scoreboard with 11:18 left in the first quarter with a four-foot hook shot. The Lakers led 3-2 at that point. Ayton then made his next two field goals. On this fourth and final attempt of the quarter, the center went into his bag of tricks and showed off his footwork with a 10-foot turnaround fadeaway jump shot. That put the Suns up 32-18 with 3:15 left in the first quarter. He finished the quarter with nine points.

The Suns went up 38-24 at the end of the first quarter after shooting at a 66.7 percent clip from the field. They had a 16-1 scoring run in the first quarter that moved the score from a 10-13 in favor of the Lakers to a 28-14 Suns lead.

At the half, the Suns led 68-44, taking control of the game. Ayton had a good chunk of his points in the first half as he finished with 14 in the first 24 minutes of play. He also had 10 rebounds in 16 minutes on the floor.

Ayton played just under 10 minutes in the third quarter and did not log any minutes in the final quarter as the result was a foregone conclusion.

It was a great game statistically for the Suns. They have now won three straight games after dropping five in a row. They shot the ball at a 50 percent clip and made 20-of-39 three-point shots, shooting a sizzling 51.3 percent from the deep. The Suns turned the ball over eight times compared to 16 turnovers for the Lakers.

Veteran point guard Chris Paul led the Suns with a season-high 28 points. All the starters scored at least 15 points. They were missing six players including guard Devin Booker.

The Suns were back in action last night, taking on the Washington Wizards at home, but the result was unavailable up to press time. They will return to action Friday when they host the Memphis Grizzlies at 9 p.m. That game will be televised live on ESPN.

https://thenassauguardian.com/ayton-records-double-double-in-his-return/

 Home|Sports|Mariposa Gold Drops wins BIEL showSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailDecember 21, 2022 99 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas Interscholastic Equestrian League (BIEL) swung back into action last weekend, holding a show at Mariposa Stables. A total of four teams comprised of 20 young riders from different schools participated in the competition, which was won by the Mariposa Gold Drops.

Finishing second was the Mariposa Monarchs. The Camperdown Equestrian Centre (CEC) Sand Dollars and the CEC Blue Marlins, both hampered by the fact that they were short a rider, placed third and fourth, respectively.

Founded in 2017, the BIEL have staged competitions that have been a perennial favorite among junior riders because of the team emphasis and the unique format, based on collegiate competition rules, in which riders and horses are matched by random draw.

“The horse draw is exciting,” said Hannah Ritchie, a member of the CEC Sand Dollars team. “It’s a challenge to ride a totally unfamiliar horse in the show ring.”

Equestrian Bahamas President Cathy Ramsingh-Pierre expressed relief that the BIEL shows are continuing to draw interest from riders.

“BIEL was formed as part of our mandate to provide affordable competitions on a leveled playing field for all riders. Last year we partnered with the US-based Interscholastic Equestrian League (IEA) with great success but, unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, this partnership is in hiatus. So, we are continuing to hold the shows at the local level only, but with the same spirit of teamwork and sportsmanship. It’s nice to see that the trainers and athletes continue to buy into the concept.”

Last year, 14 riders qualified through BIEL competitions to ride at the IEA Zone 4 Finals in Tryon, North Carolina, with four riders winning ribbons and one – Ella Saidi – qualifying to ride at the National Finals in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, ultimately placing second.

“We hope to be able to work with the IEA again at some point,” Ramsingh-Pierre said. “In the meantime, the federation continues to actively explore opportunities to expose our athletes to international competition.”

The Bahamas Interscholastic Equestrian League stages a series of three competitions, culminating in a national championship. The next BIEL competition will be held at Camperdown Equestrian Centre in February, 2023.

https://thenassauguardian.com/mariposa-gold-drops-wins-biel-show/

As of Tuesday, December 20, 2022

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#THE Bahamas Interscholastic Equestrian League (BIEL) swung back into action last weekend, holding its first show of the year at Mariposa Stables.

#Four teams comprised of 20 young riders from different schools participated in the competition, which was won by the Mariposa Gold Drops.

#Second place went to the Mariposa Monarchs.

#The Camperdown Equestrian Centre (CEC) Sand Dollars and the CEC Blue Marlins, both hampered by the fact that they were short a rider, placed third and fourth respectively.

#Founded in 2017, BIEL competitions have been a perennial favourite among junior riders because of the team emphasis and the unique format, based on collegiate competition rules, in which riders and horses are matched by random draw. “The horse draw is exciting,” said Hannah Ritchie, a member of the CEC Sand Dollars team and a 10th-grader at Saint Augustine’s College.

#“It’s a challenge to ride a totally unfamiliar horse in the show ring.”

#Equestrian Bahamas president Cathy Ramsingh-Pierre expressed relief that the BIEL shows are continuing to draw interest from riders.

#“BIEL was formed as part of our mandate to provide affordable competitions on a level playing field for all riders.

#“Last year we partnered with the US-based Interscholastic Equestrian League (IEA) with great success, but unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control this partnership is in hiatus.

#“So we are continuing to hold the shows at the local level only, but with the same spirit of teamwork and sportsmanship. It’s nice to see that the trainers and athletes continue to buy into the concept.”

#Last year 14 riders qualified through BIEL competitions to ride at the IEA Zone 4 Finals in Tryon, North Carolina, with four riders winning ribbons and one – Ella Saidi – qualifying to ride at the National Finals in Harrisburg, ultimately placing 2nd.

#“We hope to be able to work with the IEA again at some point,” said Ramsingh-Pierre.

#“In the meantime, the federation continues to actively explore opportunities to expose our athletes to international competition.”

#The Bahamas Interscholastic Equestrian League is a series of three competitions, culminating in a National Championship.

#The next BIEL competition is scheduled to be held at the Camperdown Equestrian Centre in February, 2023.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/dec/20/mariposa-gold-drops-win-first-horse-show-year/?news

Yearhttp://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/dec/20/eagan-neely-crowned-athlete-year/?news

As of Tuesday, December 20, 2022

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#ALL of the sacrifices and hard work paid off for Eagan Neely as he was crowned the Red-Line Athletics Club’s 20022 Athlete of the Year.

#The honour was bestowed upon the 14-year-old sprinter during the club’s Christmas party and awards ceremony that was held at the National Training Agency on Sunday.

#After receiving the biggest trophy presented during the ceremony, Neely said it was something that he envisioned after running a lifetime best of 22.94 seconds in the 200 metres and 52.17 in the 400m.

#“I worked hard and practiced as much as possible,” said the 13-year-old eighth grader at St Augustine’s College. “I just wanted to put God first because he’s everything to me.

#“I appreciate what the coaches saw in me because my mother always pushed me and she encouraged me to rely on God. She always told me to run for time and not to worry about anybody else. My season was very successful. I had a very good season and I hope to do it again next year and hopefully I can make the CARIFTA team.”

#Neely, the youngest recipient of the award, follows in the footsteps of previous winners Megan Moss, Shimar Bain and Lacarthea Cooper. He thanked coaches Tito Moss and Michael Armbrister, the rest of the coaching staff and his mother Tanya Gray for pushing him.

#The coaches’ award went to Morgan Moss, a 16-year-old grade 11 student at SAC. “I feel good. I didn’t expect it. But I’m glad that I won it because I worked hard this season,” Moss said. “I had a good season, although I missed CARIFTA. I just hope that I can do it again and this time make the CARIFTA team, especially since it’s going to be at home.”

#Winning the Michael Armbrister Leadership Award was 400m/400m hurdler Shimar Bain, who has his bags packed and ready to head out to Tiffin University in Ohio on January 4 where he wants to leave his mark as a record holder and a NCAA Division II champion in both the 400 and 400m hurdles where he has ran personal best times of 48.34 and 52.83 respectively.

#“Receiving this award means a lot to me,” said Bain, a 2022 graduate of SAC. “It shows to me that I’ve done my part as a senior member of the club, making the younger athletes look up to me as they show them the path to go.

#“I’m glad that coach Armbrister saw the leadership that I displayed and he saw it fit to name me as the recipient.”

#The female scholar of the year was Jade Hudson and the male scholar was Tyler Frazier, both 14-year-old ninth graders at SAC.

#“I’m excited, but I know I couldn’t do it without the help of my mommy and God,” said Hudson, who posted an accumulative grade point average of 3.98. “I just need to trust God and do my best. Hopefully next year, I can lower my times and keep my grades up.”

#For Frazer, who produced an accumulative GPA of 3.69 and has ran PRs of 11.7 in the 100m and 23.8 in the 200m, his efforts was inspired by his parents, who stuck with him through the whole experience.

#“They reminded me to do my work and just stay with the course. I couldn’t do it without them and with God’s help,” Frazier said.

#“It was really hard, but after practice, I go right home and get my homework done and just study.”

#Jazmyn Demeritte was named as the female newcomer of the year, while the most improved athlete was Sean Marshall.

#The female collegiate was Megan Moss and the male collegiate was Showalter Johnson.

#National Team Awards – Shimar Bain, Quinton Rolle, Tumani Skinner, Nya Wright, Adrian Curry and Megan Moss.

#Athletes honoured for being named to the Bahamas national teams were Shimar Bain, Quinton Rolle, Tumani Skinner, Nya Wright, Adrian Curry and Megan Moss.

#Outstanding athletes awards for the various categories included – Under-7 girl – Jazmyn Demeritte; under-9 girl – Jayda Butler and Kailee Knowles as honorable mention; Under-11 boy – Jaden Allen; under-13 girl – Deveigh Farrington and Demetria Major as honorable mention; under-15 girl – Madison Moss and Azarria Marshall as honorable mention; under-15 boy – Eagan Neely and Quincy Rolle as honorable mention; under-17 girl – Nya Wright and Kennedi Knowles as honorable mention; under-17 boy – Quinton Rolle and Tumani Skinner as honorable mention; under-20 girl – Ezthia Maycock and Shanai Sweeting as honorable mention and under-20 boy – Shimar Bain and Jaydin Plakaris as honorable mention.

#Male Newcomer of the Year- Quinton Rolle

#Athletes earning the scholar awards were Ezthia Maycock, Jade Hudson, Kennedi Knowles, Kaelen Knowles, Jonathan Fowler, Jayden Allen, Jazmyn Demeritte, Kennedy Hanna, Tyler Frazier, Jayda Butler, Kemora Gibson, Bayli Major, Nya Wright, Daveigh Farrington, D Angelo Collie, Xandria Williams, Kevan Saunders, Eagen Neely, Kailee Knowles, Armani Blanc and Jaden Clarke.

#Moss also awarded his coaching staff that inluded Earl Rahming, Kryshell Rolle, Kyle Higgs, Michael Armbrister and Rachante Colebrooke, while his wife, Nekeva Moss, Mark Knowles, Shanique Russell and Thalise Maycock were honoured as the support staff.

#And acknowledged for their contributions and support in receiving the parents awards were Desra Price, John Clarke, Anastacia Johnsoin, Jacquel Demeritte and Melissa Major.

#Tito Moss, the head coach of Red-Line Athletics, said the awards presented was just an indication of the hard work turned in by their athletes during the course of the season on and off the track.

#“Last year we had an awesome season. We had a number of athletes like Shimar Bain, Nya Wright, Tumani Skinner, Quinton Rolle, Megan Moss and Adrian Curry all making the national teams,” Moss said. “Red-Line is the club of choice and we want to continue to build on what we started. This is going into our fifth year and we just want to continue to grow and have an even more successful 2022/2023 season like we did in the 2021-2022 season.”

#With the club grown by an additional 25 members, Moss said they want to continue to mold and groom them as they become acclimated with the old members.

#As a new member of the executive team of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations, serving as the vice president for technical operations, Moss said he has his work cut out for him, but he believes that the club is in good hands.

#Armbrister, who will be relied upon to pick up some of the slack left behind by Moss, said they have a solid coaching staff that will be able to weather any storm and to get the best out of the athletes.

#“We see the chemistry growing over the years and we hope that it will continue,” Armbrister said.

#“We know that coach Moss is a hard worker and although he’s now on the BAAA executive, he will continue to lead this club.”

#Clinton Laguerre, speaking on behalf of the class of 2023, stressed that while they have not yet “purchased a gift for him,” they “trust in coach Moss” to get the best out of them as they “trust the process.”

#After getting their season started on Saturday at the BAAA Odd Distance Track Meet, Moss said his Red-Line Athletics Club is looking forward to the 2023 season with the first of their two meets to be staged on January 28.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/dec/20/eagan-neely-crowned-athlete-year/?news

As of Tuesday, December 20, 2022

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#COLLEGIANS Sydney Clarke and Elana Mackey, the top seeded players, led the charge for the ladies during day one of the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s Giorgio Baldacci Open Nationals at the National Tennis Centre yesterday.

#Top seed Clarke, a senior at the University of Arlington at Birmingham, pulled of a hard fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win over Simone Pratt, while Mackey, the No.2 seed, easily secured a 6-0, 6-0 triumph over Saphirre Ferguson.

#Today in the semifinals of the tournament, Clarke will be back in action when she faces Breann Ferguson, who won 7-5, 6-1 over Caila Bowe and Mackey goes up against Grand Bahamian Jalisa Clarke, who earned her berth with 6-2, 6-0 win over Genesis Missick.

#From the tournament, the BLTA will take the first step to selecting the team to represent the Bahamas at the Billie Jean King Cup for ladies and the Davis Cup for the men for 2023.

#In what turned out to be the toughest match played on the ladies’ side, Clarke said she was thrilled by the way she came through in the end.

#“I’m very happy with the way I played,” Clarke said. “I didn’t panic. I just went out there mentally to get the job done. When I was down and when I was up, I just kept my composure. I knew I had to press the gas and move on.”

#In facing Ferguson, Clarke said she’s looking forward to playing her.

#“With this tournament, it’s just me believing in myself,” said Clarke, the defending champion of the tournament. “I’ve been playing this for so long so once I believe in myself I will be alright.”

#Ferguson, a 14-year-old home-schooled student, said it was a tough match against Bowe and she felt she could have played a lot better.

#“The first set, I was shaky and then I was able to close it out. In the second set, I got my rhythm back and I was able to pull it off,” Ferguson said. “I’m looking to playing Sydney Clarke and to see how well I can play against her.”

#Pratt, who won the initial Open Nationals in 2012, said it was a good match for her to get her feet wet.

#“I wished I could have won so I could play a little more matches,” said the 26-year-old Pratt, who hopes that she still gets a chance to make the Billie Jean King Cup team. “I haven’t played in a competitive match in a long time, so I just wanted to have fun.”

#In a rematch with Ferguson in last year’s tournament when she won 6-1, 6-0, Mackey said she was prepared for the showdown, although she hasn’t played any match in college as yet as the season won’t start until February.

#“Last time I was a bit nervous, but I was looking forward to it,” said Mackey, who is also competing on their cross country and track team.

#“I was looking for more women coming out and participating like Kerrie Cartwright and even Larikah Russell, but they are not participating.”

#Jalisa Clarke, a 15-year-old ninth grader at Sunland Baptist Academy, said she felt she could have played better, but because she hasn’t played in a little while, she didn’t know what to expect coming into the tournament.

#“I will just go out and play my best,” said Clarke about taking on Mackey.

#The action is set to begin at 9am today.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/dec/20/blta-nationals-sydney-clarke-elena-mackey-lead-cha/?news

As of Tuesday, December 20, 2022

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#PHOENIX (AP) — Chris Paul scored a season-high 28 points, Deandre Ayton added 21 points and 11 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns rolled past the Los Angeles Lakers 130-104 last night.

#The game was almost more notable for who wasn’t playing instead of the action on the court. The Lakers were missing their All-Star trio of LeBron James (left ankle soreness), Anthony Davis (right foot soreness) and Russell Westbrook (left foot soreness).

#The Suns were missing six players, including three-time All-Star Devin Booker (right groin soreness), who scored a season-high 58 points in Saturday’s win over the Pelicans.

#Paul had his best scoring game of the season in Booker’s absence, shooting 9 of 18 from the field, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range. The 12-time All-Star had a slow start to the year, coming into the game averaging a career-low 11.1 points per game, but he’s been more productive over the past few weeks since returning from a heel injury.

#The Suns have won three straight games, bouncing back after dropping five in a row. All five starters scored at least 15 points.

#Phoenix also has a six-game winning streak over the Lakers during the regular season.

#Phoenix led by 26 points early in the third quarter, but the Lakers cut that advantage to 91-77 late in the third.

#The Suns responded with back-to-back 3-pointers from Ish Wainright and Landry Shamet and took a 99-77 lead into the final quarter.

#Dennis Schroder led the Lakers with a season-high 30 points. He shot 12 of 19 from the field.

#The Suns jumped out to a 38-24 lead, shooting 66.7% in the first quarter. Paul scored 14 points. Torrey Craig made a wide-open 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to give the Suns a 68-44 advantage.

#TIP-INS

#Lakers: G Austin Reaves (right ankle sprain) and G Juan Toscano-Anderson (right ankle sprain) were not available.

#Suns: Ayton returned after missing two games. … Along with Booker, F Cameron Johnson (right meniscus tear), F/C Jock Landale (concussion), G Cameron Payne (right foot strain) and G Duane Washington Jr. (left hip muscle strain) were not available. … Hosted a 43rd consecutive sellout crowd. … Craig scored 17 points on his 32nd birthday.

#UP NEXT

#Lakers: Travel to face Sacramento on Wednesday.

#Suns: Host Washington tonight.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/dec/20/ayton-has-double-double-suns-roll-past-lakers-130-/?news

As of Tuesday, December 20, 2022

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#THE Bahamas’ five-member team at the 16th FINA (World Swimming Federation) Short Course (25m) World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, posted five national records with Lamar Taylor inking his name on three and Luke-Kennedy Thompson got a pair.

#The team, coached by Travano McPhee, also featured Rhanishka Gibbs and Victoria Russell as they competed at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.

#Thompson, 21, closed out competition for Team Bahamas on Saturday when he placed 40th overall in the men’s 200 metre freestyle in a time of 1:51.31 to shatter Jeremy Knowles’ national record of 1:53.34 that he posted in 1998.

#Thompson’s other national record came in the 400m free.

#Also on Saturday, Russell clocked 32.54 for 39th overall in the women’s 50m breast.

#One of Taylor’s three national records came on Friday in the men’s 50m free when he finished 28th overall in 21.45 to erase Allan Murray’s record of 21.97 that he established in 1996.

#Also on Friday, Gibbs was 35th overall in the women’s 50m free in 26.16, improving on her personal best time of 26.68. The team of Taylor (in a split of 21.65), Thompson (23.30), Gibbs (25-79) and Russell (26.30) was 16th overall in the mixed 4x50m free relay.

#Taylor also broke Chris Vythoulkas’ national record of 26.10 from 2006 in the 50m backstroke on Thursday when he clocked 23.58 for 20th overall.

#Thompson got his first national record in the 400m freestyle in 3:56.22 for 28th place overall, removing Jeremy Knowles’ previous time of 3:57.

#Tariq Kelly, who served as a member of the medical staff for Team Bahamas at the 2022 CARIFTA Swimming Championship in Wildey, Barbados, attended the meet as well as a massage therapist/athletic trainer for Team USA.

#Kelly is a former competitor for The Bahamas in swimming and water polo.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/dec/20/fina-5-national-records-posted/?news

As of Tuesday, December 20, 2022

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#After knocking off collegian Donte Armbrister in a three-set thriller, high school sensation Michael Major Jr didn’t have anything left in the tank as he went down in two straight sets to number one seed Kevin Major Jr.

#With a couple players opting out of competition, Major Jr was the only player to have to play a pair of matches yesterday as the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association kicked off the 2022 Giorgio Baldacci Open Nationals at the National Tennis Centre.

#The Open Nationals is the first step for the BLTA to select the team that will represent the Bahamas at the Davis Cup competition for men and the Billie Jean King Cup for women.

#Major Jr, coming off a trip to Jamaica to play in a series of matches over the weekend, pulled off a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win over Armbrister, who is home on a break from college. But in his later match, he suffered a 6-1, 6-0 defeat at the hands of Major Jr.

#Major Jr, back in the Open Nationals for the first time since he won the title in 2019, said while he had a lot of injuries, he found a new lease of life in the tennis world in Tampa, Florida, and he’s now back on the tour, having played in Colombia, Mexico and Bolivia as he learns how to be a professional tennis player on the circuit.

#“It’s bitter-sweet because I haven’t won in a while and there’s a lot of background pressure for me to win,” said the 27-year-old Major Jr. “This is something I always wanted to win. I always want to win at home. I love playing in front of the Bahamian people. “I’m looking forward to playing all of the guys in the tournament. The younger guys have blood in their eyes, but I just want them to know that I’m ready to take on any and all of them.”

#Before being the first player to lose to Major Jr in his return to the NTC, Michael Major Jr said he was delighted to have played such an amazing match.

#“I went out there with the mindset that if I have to be on the court all day, I will be on the court all day,” he said. “I’m happy that I pulled it off. Donte is a good player, He’s already been on the Davis Cup team, so I’m glad that I pulled this off.”

#For 21-year-old Armbrister, who is playing tennis at Hampton University, he said it was good to be back home.

#“He played good in the first set, and I was able to bounce back in the second set,” Armbrister said.

#“In the third, I started off shaky holding serve, but I was able to rally back. He just wanted it a little more than me.”

#Number three seed Marvin Rolle, who never won the event, but played in two finals in 2013 (losing to Devin Mullings) and last year (to Spencer Newman), returned and also had to go to a third set before he won 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) over Philip Major Jr, the runner-up when the tournament was first held in 2012.

#Rolle said as they were preparing for the tournament, they were hoping that they would have played some of the younger guys, but they also joked about the possibility of facing each other instead.

#“PJ is an experienced player. He’s been on the Davis Cup team, so I expected it would be a good match,” Rolle said. “Credit to him. It’s unfortunate that we played each other in the first round. But if I could do as well as I did against him, I feel I can play well against anybody out here.”

#Rolle, the veteran Davis Cupper as a player and captain, said at the age of 39, it’s surprising that he can perform as well as he’s doing.

#“I’m just out there to have some fun,” said Rolle, who is about 10 years older than most of the players in the tournament.

#“I love the game. I love beating these guys. I was hoping to play MJ, but maybe next time. I was getting ready to play guys like him.”

#For Major Jr, who made his return as well after a three-year hiatus, it was a moral victory in his defeat.

#“To play Marvin Rolle in the first round and to lose in three sets says a whole lot for me,” said Major Jr, who is now the director of tennis at Atlantis.

#“I feel pretty motivated to continue and if there’s another trials, I think I will be in better shape, playing a lot more matches.

#“But it was a lot of emotions out there, having not played in any competitive matches in three years. In the end for me, I felt like I won.”

#In two other matches played, Grand Bahamian Denali Nottage won 6-3, 6-1 over Sharano Hanna.

#Meanwhile, Dentry Mortimer pulled off a 6-0, 6-0 win over Cailan Bowe.

#Jacobi Bain won by walk/over against Baker Newman.

#Anthony Burrows won by W/O over Rudy Williams.

#And Rodney Carey got a W/O over Jody Turnquest.

#“My match was good. I was just trying to find my rhythm,” Nottage said.

#“I’m excited every year they have it. I was looking forward to playing some of the older guys because I’m no longer a junior, so I have to prepare myself to play these guys.”

#The tournament is scheduled to continue today at 9am.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/dec/20/blta-nationals-major-rolle-advance/?news

 Home|Sports|Golf tournament exceeded fundraising goalSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailDecember 20, 2022 65 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

On Sunday, December 12, a total of 118 golfers played in the 2nd Annual Baark! International Potcake Golf Tournament on the Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island.

What started off as a rainy day turned into a glorious day for a round of golf and fun for all. Loyal golfers and Baark!’s 38 volunteers were not dismayed by the weather and the event exceeded this year’s fundraising goal.

In addition to the players, the new Baark! mobile clinic was on-site at hole six, performing 19 spay and neuter surgeries for local cats, allowing players to witness the great work being done in the clinic in real time.

Alexander Peterkin and Jarad Nixon, winners from this year’s tournament, won a three-night stay in Hope Town, Abaco, at Firefly Sunset Resort with airfare for four people on Bahamasair to Marsh Harbour and a golf cart rental from Hope Town Cart Rental.

Finishing second was David Knowles and Patrick Arthur. Darren Roberts and Patrick Stevenson came in third.

Other prizes included an iPhone 14 from Aliv, rounds of golf at Ocean Club, Albany, Baha Mar and Lyford Cay, gift certificates to Kyma, Sapodilla, Titan Hospitality, Social House and Chives, overnight stays to Kamalame Cay, McDuffs in Norman’s Cay, Island House, Atlantis, and Comfort Suites, plus fabulous gifts from Hope Town Canvas, Bahama Handprints, Goodfellow Farms, Coin of the Realm, Morley for Men and more.

The tournament was headlined by the title sponsor Aliv for the second year in a row and Aliv President John Gomez committed to sponsoring next year’s tournament as part of the company’s continued mission to support local programs that contribute to the overall betterment of society.

Baark! thanks all who came out to support this great event and looks forward to next year’s being even bigger and better.

The year 2022 has been a record year of spay and neuters for Baark! and the funds raised will go toward Baark!’s mission to end the unnecessary suffering of dogs and cats in The Bahamas through spay/neuter and education.

https://thenassauguardian.com/golf-tournament-exceeded-fundraising-goal/