As of Tuesday, July 18, 2023

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#By LEESHAN MORLEY

#Tribune Intern

#NOW that the Bahamas Games are over, another tournament is preparing to grace the Bahamas shores.

#The Babe Ruth Caribbean Championship and Invitational is set to take off at 8am on Thursday and will continue until Monday the following week.

#The venue: The Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium and The Baillou Hills Softball Complex.

#Greg Burrows, commissioner of the Babe Ruth Baseball Caribbean Region, was able to elaborate on the number of teams coming and preparations being made for the championship games.

#A total of 18 teams are scheduled to start arriving today and four more teams are expected to come in on Wednesday.

#Burrows was also able to confirm that The Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium will be ready for this year’s championship after not having it completed from the following year.

#“I am proud to say yes they will be able to play baseball in our stadium.”

#The competition has been divided into two divisions. The first one being 16 and under division which is an invitational including teams from outside of the Caribbean.

#The second is the 12 and under division which is the road to the World Series.

#The champions of this division will be representing the region.

#In team member selection, all small countries were able to create an all-star team selecting the best of the best.

#Burrows is confident in the players selections. Burrows stated, “We have the strongest we believe that’s available from which we can select.”

#Zane Lightbourne, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training, spoke on how this event is more than just a competition. “It is more than baseball; this is life for many people, communities to come together, and the potential for our youths to get exposed so they can fulfil their full potential.” Lightbourne further went on to encourage Bahamians to come out and support the country in the championships. “I am encouraging our people in this country to get ready to come and support your people, support your country, support sports in this country.”

Danny Sumner, Joel Stubbs and Richard Demeritte talking about the Bahamas Bodybuilding Federation Nationals on Saturday. Photo: Austin Fernander/Tribune Staff

As of Tuesday, July 18, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#WITH so many of the top competitors earning their professional card and others opting not to compete anymore, the Bahamas Bodybuilding Federation is still pressing on to provide some top notch competitors for the future.

#On Saturday night in the Performance Arts Center at the University of the Bahamas, the federation hopes to showcase more than 50 competitors in its 50th National Bodybuilding Championships.

#The championships were originally scheduled to be a part of the sixth Bahamas Games that concluded over the weekend, but BBF president Joel Stubbs said they got the call from the International Bodybuilding Federation and they were given a citation not to participate.

#“We complied with all of the requirements from WADA (the worldwide anti-doping body), but that didn’t work out and so we were disappointed that we could not compete in the Bahamas Games,” Stubbs said. “Nonetheless, the 50th version of the Bahamas Nationals will be held on Saturday.”

#It will get started at 4pm with the youth arm of the federation, now headed by ‘Downtown’ Natasha Brown, for competitors between the ages of 7-15 in the various age groups.

#The nationals will follow, starting at 7pm when competitors will participate in the masters in bodybuilding, to the fitness male and female, women’s wellness, women’s figure, women’s physique, men’s physique, men’s classic bodybuilding, open men’s bodybuilding and women’s bikini.

#“We are anticipating a very competitive night,” Stubbs said. “All of our pros will be in our company as well. They will be competing with the amateurs in one round and then we will go into the other rounds of the nationals and novice categories.”

#Since they were not able to field a significant number of competitors to stage the Novice by itself, Stubbs said they have decided to combine the novice with the open nationals, providing three segments for the public to view.

#“We know that the pros will have a slight advantage in size, but this is just an opportunity for the public to see the pros, who have left the scene over the past couple of years after earning their pro cards and are not competing locally anymore,” he said.

#All of the titles will be given to the competitors competing in the national division only. The pro competitors will not be eligible as they compete at a different level than the amateurs.

#At the completion of the nationals, Stubbs said they will be selecting the national team from the competitors entered in the national divisions to represent the Bahamas at the Central American and Caribbean Bodybuilding Championships in Aruba September 20-21.

#“We are hoping that we can be in a place where we can carry a sizeable team to the championships,” said Stubbs, as he made an appeal for corporate Bahamas to join the Bahamas Government in assisting the federation in the costly venture.

#Clifford Dawkins said after enjoying weightlifting as a hobby for the past 4-5 years, he decided to step out on the stage and see what he is capable of doing in the novice bodybuilding category.

#“You can expect for me to be very enthusiastic and to see how well I match up against the other competitors,” said Dawkins, who noted that he is currently self trained.

#Speaking on behalf of himself and some of the others who are slowly departing the sport, Paul ‘Mighty Mouse’ Wilson said having spent the past 20 years, he’s been deterred by the lack of support from the country.

#“It takes money to compete in any sport, but bodybuilding is very expensive,” he pointed out.

#“It’s not subsidised as heavily as track and field and so when it comes to travelling, getting accommodations and registering for the event, most of it comes out of the athletes’ pocket.”

#It would have been nice if some of the athletes could have gotten some type of subventions from the government, but if he doesn’t see his way clear in the immediate future, he could be joining some of the others on the sidelines watching instead of competing.

#Also on hand for the press conference were one of the founding members of the federation, Richard Demeritte, and long-time executive Danny Sumner, who provided their support and encouragement to the federation.

#Demeritte said he was surprised to hear the dilemma that the federation is currently going through.

#He noted that he will be willing to sit down with the executives and ascertain what could be done from the government perspective to get the sport back to its former and glory days.

#And while he provided an historic review of the sport since its inception in 1946 by Ben Welder in Quebec, Canada, Sumner revealed that the Bahamas Games was formed in 1962 and the nationals got started in 1973 to commemorate the Bahamas first Independence celebrations.

#Sumner, however, said the sport has grown by leaps and bounds for bodybuilding – male and female – and now there are more than 11 different categories to compete in.

#Having earned the distinction of serving along with Demeritte, Paul Wong, Jeremy Knowles and Donald Saunders as the first core of Bahamian judges, Sumner said the sport has progressed to the level where Stubbs has excelled as one of the top competitors to compete at Mr Olympiad and has been showcased throughout a number of international magazines.

#He noted that the federation is now in good hands with Leonardo ‘Nardo’ Dean assisting Stubbs.

#He noted that he hopes that the former bodybuilders would get the kind of recognition that they have done to get the sport to where it is today, celebrating its 50th year of existence with its national championships.

Lorraine LaFleur, in the centre, posing at the Orlando TY Pope Classic over the weekend.

As of Tuesday, July 18, 2023

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Lorraine LaFleur flexing her muscles at the Orlando TY Pope Classic.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#LORRAINE LaFleur emerged as the champion of the Orlando TY Pope Classic over the weekend in Orlando, Florida.

#One of two Bahamians competing in the event, LaFleur participated in three divisions and captured the titles in the novice, masters and open categories as she dominated the competition.

#It was LaFleur’s second appearance at the NPC event and she couldn’t be happier with all that she received as champion, including the crown, the slash, a ring, clothes, a bag full of supplements and most importantly, a reimbursement on some of the expenses she incurred to get to the event.

#“The competition was good,” said LaFleur, one of four ladies competing in her division. “When I go on stage, I’m prepared, so I go there ready for whatever comes my way.”

#And it showed in her performance.

#“This was by far my best condition that I was in going into the competition,” said LaFleur, a owner and personal trainer at Gains For Life with her male pro bodybuilder partner Jason Johnson.

#“For me this is my year as a pro. I was more relaxed and I had more time to focus on myself. So I was very happy with my performance.”

#Also travelling and competing in the championship with LaFleur was Aaron Mackey, who was third in the men’s Classic Physique and fourth in the Men’s Physique.

#Now that she’s back home, LaFleur said she will be on stage on Saturday night as she competes in the Bahamas Bodybuilding Federation’s National Championships at the University of the Bahamas’ Performance Arts Center.

#“They want all of the pros to step on stage and perform, so I have to do that,” said LaFleur as she gears up to compete in the open division this weekend.

#“I am coming to perform for the crowd and to have some fun.”

#Then come November, LaFleur said she intends to compete in the next NPC show that is scheduled to take place at the Atlantis resort as she closes out the year on a high note.

 Home|Sports|The Bahamas repeats as champions of NACAC Age GroupSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailJuly 18, 2023 84 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas has once again shown its might in athletics, winning the overall title at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Under-13 (U13) and Under-15 (U15) Age Group Championships in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, over the weekend.

The Bahamas repeated as NACAC Age Group Champions, winning the overall team competition with 27,984 points. Jamaica was second, finishing with 27,043 points and Cuba rounded out the top three, finishing with 26, 641 points.

In the under-13 girls pentathlon, The Bahamas came out on top, scoring 5,411 points. Jamaica was second with 5.065 points and the host nation Dominican Republic rounded out the top three, with 5,044 points. In the under-13 boys pentathlon, Cuba took the top spot with 5,940 points. The Bahamas was second with 5,927 points and Barbados rounded out the top three nations with 5,855 points.

The Bahamas finished third in both the under-15 girls and under-15 boys heptathlon events.

In the girls, The Bahamas scored 7,617 points to trail the Dominican Republic with 7,813 points and Curaçao with 7,620 points. In the boys division, The Bahamas finished with 9,029 points to trail the British Virgin Islands with 9,478 points and Jamaica with 9,126 points.

“We knew that we had an opportunity of winning it because we had a strong team – there were four kids out of Grand Bahama and four out of Nassau and they performed very well,” said Head Coach Sharon “Sherry” Francis on the team’s return to the country yesterday. “The kids had a cultural shock with the environment, but we told them to look beyond that and just go and do what they had to do. The facilities were not as good as what we have here in The Bahamas so the kids were a bit disturbed at first but after that they went out there and performed. They did an awesome job and we are very pleased with them. 

“This goes to show that the coaches here in The Bahamas are doing a wonderful job with the developmental stages of these young athletes. This is our feeder program and we have to concentrate on development. So far, it looks like we are doing a great job of developing these young kids. They went out there, performed to the best of their ability and came out on top. They continued to fight and I’m extremely proud of what they were able to accomplish. They left it all out on the track and came out with personal best times, distances and heights and we are very proud of them. They did their best and that’s all we could ask of them.”

Individually, Symiah Strachan won a gold medal in the under-13 girls pentathlon, finishing with 2,733 points. Danelia Clarke, of Jamaica, was second with 2,691 points and Trinity Rolle, of The Bahamas, won the bronze medal, with 2,678 points.

In the under-13 boys pentathlon, Emmile Higgins was fifth with 2,986 points and Avonte Lotmore came in seventh with 2,941 points. Bryson Walters, of the British Virgin Islands, won the gold medal in this division with 3,080 points. Oslandys Domingue, of Cuba, won the silver medal, with 3,040 points and Marcado Williams, of Jamaica, secured the bronze, with 3,003 points.

Keyezra Thomas was special in the under-15 girls heptathlon, winning a silver medal with 4,355 points. Alexandria Komolafe had to settle for 19th, finishing with 3,262 points. Patricia Sine, of the Dominican Republic, won the gold medal in this event, finishing with 4,386 points. Thomas was second and Sharifa Fernandes, of Curaçao, captured the bronze, with 3,940 points.

The Bahamas got another gold in the under-15 boys heptathlon as Jachario Wilson took the top spot with 4,798 points. He finished just two points ahead of Othniel Gillings, of the British Virgin Islands, who finished with 4,796 points. The bronze went to Tarique Jackson, of Anguilla who finished with 4,766 points. The other Bahamian in that event, Kamron Henfield, was 21st overall, finishing with 4,231 points.

The under-13 girls and boys competed in five events over two days – the 60 meters (m), high jump, long jump, ball throw and the 800m for the girls; and the 60m, high jump, long jump, ball throw and the 1,000m for the boys.

The under-15 girls and boys competed in seven events over two days of competition on Saturday and Sunday. The under-15 girls did the 80m, 60m hurdles, high jump, long jump, ball throw, shot put and the 1,000m. The under-15 boys competed in the 80m, 80m hurdles, high jump, long jump, ball throw, shot put and the 1,200m.

 Coach Francis was assisted by coaches Kenrid Munroe and Mikhilo Strachan. The team doctor was Dr. Karlton Rolle and the chaperone was Sonia Black.

New Providence dominates track and field

The New Providence Buccaneers end the track and field sporting discipline with 28 gold medals and a combined team score of 590 in the win. Photo: Austin Fernander/Tribune Staff

As of Monday, July 17, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#The New Providence Buccaneers left the sixth Bahamas Games as track gold medal winners. With the competition starting on July 7, track was one of the last remaining sporting disciplines to enter the fray.

#On the final day of the Bahamas Golden Jubilee Games, the Buccaneers ended in the lead with 58 total medals, inclusive of 28 gold, 12 silver and 18 bronze. The Grand Bahama Lucayans finished in second with 32 medals with 14 gold, 13 silver and five bronze.

#The Andros Chickcharnies finished third with 12 gold medals, 11 silver and 11 bronze.

#TRACK

#After claiming a win for the Buccaneers in the girls 4×100 metre (m) open relays, Denisha Cartwright emerged victorious in the women’s 100m hurdles. She finished with a time of 13.34. The Lucayans’ Kaily Pratt notched second in 15.04 and MICAL’s Ivaneice Charlton came third.

#The Buccaneers’ Kenny Moxey amassed multiple gold medals in the Bahamas Games track and field sporting discipline.

#He earned his first medal in the under 17 boys discus throw on day one. Additionally, he secured gold in the under 17 boys high jump with 1.75m.

#Moxey then went on to win the 110m hurdles in the same age group. He crossed the finish line first, clocking 14.92.

#Exuma’s Quinton Rolle followed behind in 15.12 and Zion Munroe of the MICAL Flamingos ended in third.

#Sprinter Ian Kerr held off the Navigators’ Samson Colebrooke for first in the open men’s 200m finals. Kerr clocked 21.38 for the win and Colebrooke placed second in 21.53.

#Third place went to Grand Bahama’s Taejuan Spence. The 200m winner also earned a gold medal in the 4x400m open relay alongside Quinton Ellis, Joel Forbes and Stephen Newbold.

#Kerr talked about how it felt to earn gold for the Buccaneers. “It feels good to bring points back to the home team. I just wanted to go out there and execute to do the best that I could for the team, so bringing back the gold medal means a lot,” he said.

#After the Bahamas Games, his plans are to try and qualify for the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

#For the women, Printassia Johnson, who won the gold in the 4x100m open relays on Friday, got another in the 200m open dash. She ran a time of 24.48. CARIFTA bronze-medallist Quincy Penn clocked 25.35 for the Abaco Survivors. Breanna Pratt representing the Columbus Isles Arawaks finished third for bronze.

#In the long distance race, Breyteisha Kemp came away as the winner in the under 17 3000m run. She finished with a time of 12:53.21. In the 5000m open the Buccaneers grabbed gold and silver. Denzel Sawyer ended in 16:34.85 and fellow teammate Nathan Duncan Jr trailed behind with 17:06.04. The Survivors’ Antoine Russell wrapped up third in the event.

#The Lucayans collected gold medals in three out of four 4x400m relays. The team of Sasha Ferugson, Rizpah Thompson, Zion Musgrove, and Shania Adderley clocked 4:11.13 in the under 17 category. The Lucayans’ under 17 boys followed suit and won with a time of 3:25.89 leaving the Long Island Sheep Runners and Abaco Survivors to fend for silver and bronze. In the women’s 4x400m open, the Lucayans did it again with the team of Treasure Burrows, Janaiyah Rolle, Alfrenique Knowles, and Cassidra Thompson.

#Grand Bahama also captured a win in the under 17 4x100m mixed relays. Meanwhile, the Chiccharnies came out on top in the 4x100m open mixed relays.

#FIELD

#Rhema Otabor, collected another gold medal for the Buccaneers in the open women’s javelin throw. She threw at a distance of 45.35m at the Bahamas Games. Vanessa Sawyer of the Survivors finished second with 34.18m and the home team’s Davanna Collie secured bronze.

#Kenyce Scavella won the under 17 girls discus throw with a distance of 28.90m. Abaco’s Ramiyah O’Brien notched 23.31m and the Lucayans’ Jasmine McKinney finished with 22.76m for bronze.

#The Chiccharnies came up big in the field events. Andros’ Holland Martin and Nastario Williams collected gold and silver in the men’s open long jump. NACAC under-23 qualifier Keyshawn Strachan won the gold for Andros with a throw of 62.94m and CARIFTA gold medallist Kaden Cartwright earned bronze for the Chiccharnies in the same event with 52.74m.

#For the Eleuthera Adventurers, Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) bronze-medallist Shaun Miller Jr finished tied with fellow teammate Kyle Alcine with 2.06m in the men’s open high jump.

#The Bahamas Games concluded on Saturday night and is set to return in three years for 2026.

Grand Bahama Lucayans secure silver, NP Buccaneers win bronze

Andros Chickcharnies members get their gold medals from Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper, Craig Flowers and David Slatter.

As of Monday, July 17, 2023

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Grand Bahama Lucayans got the silver medals.

New Providence Buccaneers had to settle for bronze medals.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE Chickcharnies will carry the sixth Bahamas Games team gold medal home to Andros.

#After leading from Thursday’s day one of the competition at the Ocean Club on Paradise Island, the Chickcharnies wrapped up their feat on Saturday with a 25-point margin over their nearest rivals the Grand Bahama Lucayans.

#Andros topped the field with 568 points for the gold, Grand Bahama got the silver with 543 and the New Providence Buccaneers settled for the bronze with 541.

#Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper, Games’ counsellor Craig Flowers, David Slatter of RF Bank and Lloyd Jones, the assistant general manager of the Ocean Club, were all on hand to assist the Bahamas Golf Federation’s executives Gina Gonzalez-Rolle and Georgette Harris in the presentation of medals.

#The event turned out to be a really good showing, especially for the younger competitors, who all seemed to have made the difference on their respective teams.

#“As a team, I’m happy that we won,” said Gibson, who decided to represent his mother’s side of the country in Andros after he wasn’t selected from his father’s side for Eleuthera.

#“I think we did a pretty good job. I think no matter what the circumstances, you could always do a little better,” he said. “We won, so I’m pleased with the performance. This is my first time playing in the games so I’m happy that we won it.”

#Gregory Bowe, the manager for the Lucayans, said he was pleased, although he expected a little more from Grand Bahama.

#“The overall performance from the team was good. The juniors did exceptionally well. In the big picture, we did fairly well,” Bowe said. “It was a pleasure to be participating in the games, especially in the ladies’ division because we brought two ladies out of retirement and they held their own.”

#The Liucayans also had a great performance from their youngsters, according to team manager Oswald Moore.

#“The young girls and the juniors carried the weight of the team,” he said. “They did excellent and that allowed us to take the bronze. The competition went very well.

#“The golfers made a lot of friends and that is what the games is all about in addition to the competition.”

#Team overall – Andros – 568 (186-194-188); Grand Bahama – 543 (183-178-182); New Providence – 541 (182-186-173); MICAL – 516 (164-168-174); Long Island – 464 (143-162-159); Exuma – 446 (146-152-148); Eleuthera – 397 (136-150-111); Bimini & Berry Island – 285 (118-83-84); Abaco – 242 (80-82-80).

#Adult Females – New Providence – 129 (40-46-43); Grand Bahama – 117 (39-39-39); Long Island Sheep – 97 (32-34-31); Andros – 77 (22-29-26); Eleuthera – 77 (23-29-25); Bimini – 74 (23-24-27); Exuma – 69 (22-21-26)

#Adults male – Andros – 158 (54-55-49); Abaco – 151 (48-54-49); Grand Bahama – 145 (48-47-50); Long Island – 142 (45-50-47); MICAL – 133 (46-42-45); Exuma – 133 (44-44-45); New Providence – 124 (45-41-38); Bimini – 113 (39-39-35); Eleuthera – 71 (34-37-0).

#Junior boys – Grand Bahama 149 (53-49-47); New Providence – 144 (46-50-48); Eleuthera – 137 (47-50-40); Andros – 136 (44-48-44); MICAL – 123 (42-37-44); Long Island – 114 (32-40-42); Exuma – 88 (30-31-27).

#Junior girls teams – New Providence Chickcharnies 144 (51-49-44); Andros Chickcharnies – 137 (46-45-46); MICAL Flamingoes – 135 (41-48-46); Exuma Navigators – 103 (30-35-38)’ Eleuthera Adventurers 86 (28-31-27).

#Adult female individual scores – Tynesha Tynes (New Providence) 129 (40-46-43); Michelean Poitier (Grand Bahama) 117 (39-39-39); Nordaina Martin (Grand Bahama) 96 (26-34-36); Kyshna Radnetter (Long Island) – 92 (32-29-31); Valron Grimes (Long Island) – 89 (24-34-31); Payton Haye (Eleuthera) 77 (23-29-25); Daphne Haines (Andros) 77 (22-29-26); Thaddia Simms (New Providence) 75 (25-23-27); Agatha Delancy (Bimini) 74 (23-24-27); Ethelyn Davis (Andros) 70 (22-24-24); Vanria Munnings (Exuma) 69 (22-21-26); Pauline Sherman (Bimini) 62 (20-20-22); Katie Roach (Exuma) no score.

#Adult male individual scores – Richard Gibson (Andros) 158 (54-55-49); Keathen Stuart (Abaco) 151 (48-54-49); Raymond Gibson (Long Island) 142 (45-50-47); Broderick Pinder (Grand Bahama) 141 (48-43-50); Kelsey Rolle (Andros) 137 (42-46-49); Gregory Bowe (Grand Bahama) 135 (43-47-45); Shane Gibson (MICAL) 131 (45-41-45); Edroy Williamson (MICAL) 127 (46-42-39); Michael Reynolds (Exuma) 126 (44-44-38); Oswald Moore (New Providence) 124 (45-41-38); Rodney Miller (Exuma) 124 (42-37-45); Edney Sherman (Bimini) 110 (36-39-35); Jimi Thompson (Long Island) 107 (34-37-36); Dwight Tinker (New Providence) 104 (37-33-34); Demetrio Hepburn (Abaco) 91 (32-28-31); Austin Knowles Jr (Eleuthera) no score; Vesco Hanna (Eleuthera) no score; Elijah Delancy (Bimini) no score.

#Junior boys individual scores – Adrian Stan-Busuioc (Grand Bahama) 149 (53-49-47); Alexander Dupuch (New Providence) 144 (46-50-48); Zion Taylor (Eleuthera) 137 (47-50-40); Camdyn Forbes (Andros) 136 (44-48-44); Luke Grimes (MICAL) 123 (42-37-44); Christopher Callendar (Long Island) 114 (32-40-42); Tomeco Knowles (Grand Bahama) 108 (33-35-40); Denahj Mortimer (Long Island) 101 (32-35-34); Andrew Benjamin (New Providence) 99 (31-32-36); Juan Wilson (Exuma) 92 (30-36-26); Maximilian Landry (Exuma) 87 (29-31-27); Percival Ferguson (Andros) 86 (25-29-32); Torrin Sands (Eleuthera) 59 (21-19-19).

#Junior girls individual scores – Tyesha Tynes (New Providence) 144 (51-49-44); Haley Hall (Andros) 137 (46-45-46); Maddison Carroll (MICAL) 135 (41-48-46); Chemari Pratt (Andros) 125 (41-42-42); Kayleigh Rolle (Exuma) 103 (30-35-38); Taylor Sands (Eleuthera) 86 (28-31-27); Gabrielle Pratt (MICAL) 82 (25-31-26); Caci Major (Exuma) 38 (19-19-no score).

TOP: The Exuma and Ragged Island Navigators won the women’s basketball division at the 6th Bahamas Games. ABOVE: The Eleuthera Adventurers earned a one-point victory over the New Providence Buccaneers to become the men’s basketball division winners in the sixth Bahamas Games. Photos: Tenajh Sweeting/Tribune Staff

As of Monday, July 17, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#THE Exuma and Ragged Island Navigators along with the Eleuthera Adventurers brought gold to the Family Islands after winning the basketball segment of the Bahamas Games.

#The Navigators won against the Abaco Survivors in a crowd-pleasing thriller at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium on Saturday night. Also, in the marquee match of the day, the Adventurers narrowly edged out the New Providence Buccaneers in their quest to capture gold in the men’s division.

#Adventurers vs Buccaneers

#In one of the competition’s most highly anticipated matchups, the Buccaneers went up against the Adventurers.

#Both teams collected blowout wins and created their own highlight reels en route to their championship showdown in front of a full crowd on Saturday night.

#Ultimately, the Adventurers walked away with bragging rights and gold after narrowly defeating the home team 72-71.

#The game was evenly matched from the opening tip to the final buzzer, the lead changed 21 times and the biggest lead was six by the Adventurers.

#French Nationale Masculine League 2 player Domnick Bridgewater led the Adventurers in points with 21 along with 5 boards, and 3 dimes and steals.

#Professional basketball player Jaraun ‘Kino’ Burrows complemented the efforts of the younger Bridgewater with 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the win.

#In the statistical categories, both teams were neck and neck on paper. The Adventurers had 11 second chance points meanwhile, the Buccaneers had 10.

#Additionally, Eleuthera came away with 13 fastbreak points compared to the home team’s 10.

#However, the slight difference maker was in the paint. The winning team amassed 40 points near the bucket on 54 per cent shooting but the Buccaneers had 28 points on 36 per ent shooting.

#Despite the tough loss, the Buccaneers got good performances from Dylan Musgrove and Kemsey Sylvestre.

#Musgrove poured in a game-high 25 points along with 5 boards and 3 steals. Sylvestre turned in a 15 points and 13 rebounds double double.

#Dexter Cambridge, head coach of the Adventurers, reflected on how it felt to get the win for Eleuthera.

#“It feels great after competing in five Bahamas Games as a player, three bronze, a silver, and now I am going home with a gold. This one feels great,” Cambridge said.

#He added that it was a tough game from start to finish and despite some challenges with the officiating, his guys fought hard and stuck with the game plan to come out victorious.

#With the Adventurers team consisting of a mix of veteran national players and younger talent, Most Valuable Player (MVP) Burrows talked about the timely win.

#“It was a tough game. We knew our hands were full, they are gonna be a problem for years to come but this was our time [and] we all decided to come home and represent Dexter ‘Smiley’ and the greats that came before us,” he said.

#Navigators vs Survivors

#The women’s division battle between the Navigators and Survivors set the tone for both gold medal matches to wrap up basketball for the Bahamas Games.

#The Navigators snuck away with a jaw-dropping win against the Survivors 65-64, another one-point win differential in the finals.

#In the first half of the game, both teams came out ready to win but Abaco won the first half 35-30.

#The team got out to a 50-37 lead in the third quarter and wrapped up the period with an eight-point lead. However, the tides shifted in the fourth quarter when former Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) player Waltiea Rolle fouled out.

#Rolle was a difference maker in the paint – she got to work with 8 points, a team-high 19 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.

#Despite the Navigators climbing back into the game following Rolle’s timely exit, the Survivors remained within 3 points in the final 12 seconds of the game.

#With the score favouring the Navigators 64-61 after the team’s Cedricka Sweeting-Badmus split the pair of go ahead free throws, the Survivors looked for a three to push for overtime.

#Aisja Strachan dropped a big three on the fastbreak to tie the game following an assist from teammate Valerie Nesbitt.

#The game seemed to be headed into an extra period of play but in a split second Strachan committed an intentional foul on Sweeting-Badmus giving the opposing team a one-point advantage after she iced the game by splitting the free throws.

#The Navigators turned in a great performance with three players notching double doubles.

#MVP honours went to Leasha Grant who dropped 19 points and 20 rebounds in the Bahamas Games win.

#Grant said they had a great team with a mix of young girls and veterans and it was simply a good win for Exuma.

#Abaco’s Rolle talked about the gut-wrenching loss. “All around I think we played a pretty good game with good defence. The critical error at the end, we cannot blame her for that because she made the three to tie the game, mistakes happen, you just gotta keep going for the next games,” she said.

#BRONZE

#In the women’s division, Bucs defeated Adventurers 104-62. For the men, the Lucayans edged out the Survivors 94-91 for bronze.

Men’s marathon slugfest highlights Bahamas Games softball title games

TOP: Grand Bahama Lucayans women softball gold medallists. ABOVE: Eleuthera Adventurers men’s softball gold medallists of the 6th Bahamas Games.

As of Monday, July 17, 2023

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Grand Bahama Lucayans men softball silver medallists.

New Providence Buccaneers women softball silver medallists.

MICAL women softball bronze medallists.

Long Island men softball bronze medallists.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#WHILE the ladies’ three-hour affair for the 6th Bahamas Games softball gold medal was won by the grit and determination of a 13-year-old, the men’s marathon slugfest was secured on the strength and power of six home runs.

#The Grand Bahama Lucayans, behind high school pitcher LeBrea Sands, nipped the New Providence Buccaneers 9-8 in a long-time rivalry to claim the ladies’ gold medal late Saturday night at the Bankers Softball Park.

#But even after that long and drawn out contest was completed, the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex remained filled to capacity as the Eleuthera Adventurers pounded the Lucayans 21-15 in the final game of the men’s games that ended shortly before midnight.

#Lucayans 21,

#Adventurers 15

#With the closing ceremonies complete, Eleuthera added one final gold to their tally as they rode a pair of long balls out of the park from left fielder Terran Wood and one each from centrefielder Sheldon Neymour, designated hitter/relief pitcher Norman Bastian, catcher Jeff Bethel and shortstop Gee Bethel.

#Gee Bethel blasted a grand slam homer to start an avalanche in s nine-run sixth inning that was followed by a solo blast from Neymour. a two-run shot from Wood and another two-run dinger from Bastian to push Eleuthera’s lead to 20-7.

#“Everyone was excited to just smash whoever was on the mound and did just that,” Gee Bethel said. “We were pretty confident coming into the tournament and we just did what we intended to do.”

#But as officials had to call in the Royal Bahamas Defence and Police Forces to prevent the fans from rushing back on the field to celebrate, Grand Bahama made a dent in the lead, trimming it to 20-13 in the bottom of the frame.

#“I can’t say anything but good things about my team. In the scale of things, we were not supposed to be here,” said Grand Bahama’s manager Brandon Jones. “We came down, got silver. We wanted gold, but we will take it.”

#Sheldon Pinder, playing in his major national event, got the win. Although he struggled a bit and had to be relieved for an inning by Norman Bastian in the sixth, he said he was thrilled to be a gold medallist.

#“I came a long way with plenty of sore muscles, but I was confident that my team was going to hit the ball,” Pinder said. “I tried my best to hold them down. I wasn’t ready to take a break. I missed a pitch and they got a home run. But it’s all good. I’ve never won anything like this, so I’m pretty happy.”

#Quinton Cooper was tagged with the loss, despite getting some help in relief from Michael Sweeting and Darren Mortimer in the fifth and sixth respectively.

#Lucayans 9,

#Buccaneers 8

#Adonia Rolle, pinch running from lead off hitter, Jasmine Scavalla, scored the game’s winning run with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh on a fielder’s choice to break an 8-8 tie and seal the gold for the Grand Bahama women.

#Scavalla ended up going 1-for-2 with a run scored, Tamika Davis had three RBI and scored a run, Larikah Russell went 1-for-2 with a RBI and run scored and Kenya Forbes was 2-for-3 with a run scored.

#Skai Albury was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored and Ataya Fowler was 1-for-3 with two runs scored for New Providence.

#LaBrea Sands gave up four hits, struck out nine and walked eight for the win.

#“I feel really good. I worked so hard just to get here to help Grand Bahama,” said Sands, who will be going into grade eight in high school in Florida.

#“It was amazing. When we went down, I was losing my patience, but I just had to put it in God’s hands. We had a great team and great bats, so I just had to throw the ball. It’s just amazing to win it. I’m going to go to the movies to celebrate.”

#Thela Johnson got the loss on five hits, six walks and six strikeouts, although Ramona Hanna came in to relieve her in the fifth. Johnson came back to pinch hit in the seventh and completed the game

#Grand Bahama, who opened with 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning, went up 8-3 in the bottom of the fifth, but New Providence came back with three in the sixth and two in the seventh to tie the score and take the game down to the wire.

#“I want to thank Jehovah for allowing us to reach this far. Unfortunately we came out on the short end of the stick,” said Darren Stevens, who managed the New Providence women’s team.

#“The girls fought right to the end, but we faced a young pitcher from Grand Bahama, who pitched well. We just came up on the short end of the stick. We had one or two opportunities where we ran ourselves out of scoring positions and it hurt us in the long run.”

#Sheep Runners 17,

#Buccaneers 2

#Dante Cartwright belted a grand slam home run and Jeiter Miller exploded for a pair of homers as Long Island routed the New Providence men to claim the bronze medal.

#Cartwright, playing left field, had a perfect 4-for-4 day with five RBI and two runs scored, while Miller was 3-for-3 with five RBI and three runs scored. The duo took advantage of New Providence’s decision to walk catcher Garfield Bethel.

#“I didn’t expect them to walk me as much as they did,” said Bethel, who played with some of the guys from New Providence. “I expected one or two times depending on the situation on the field. It was kind of disappointing from a hitter’s perspective.”

#While they contained Bethel, the Buccaneers couldn’t slow down Miller, who had a solo homer in the fourth for a 3-2 lead for the Sheep Runners.

#Cartwright then hit a grand slam and Keano Cartwright added a two-run homer in the seven-run fifth to push their lead to 10-2.

#The Sheep Runners added seven more runs in the sixth, highlighted by Miller’s two-homers.

#Thomas Davis got the win and Dion Wood suffered the loss.

#Aaron Wood was 3-for-3 with a RBI and Stephen Russell was 1-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored to lead New Providence. Austin Hanna was 1-for-3 with a run scored.

#Flamingos 11,

#Chickcharnies 2

#Ruthann Simms went 1-for-2 with an RBI and scored a run and was joined by Alouionee Hall and Tyler Miller, who both went 1-for-2 with two runs scored to help MICAL secure the women’s bronze medal.

#“MICAL feels good. Everybody counted us out, but we did it,” said Renee ‘Sunshine’ Davis, a member of the Games Secretariat, who managed the MICAL ladies’ softball team.

#Brendia Ferguson was the winning pitcher on a three-hitter with five strikeouts and Chailyn Thompson got tagged with the loss on four hits with five strikeouts as well.

#Andros had to settle for fourth place.

#Playoffs Friday

#Lucayans 11, Chickcharnies 8: Kenya Ferguson was a perfect 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored to pace Grand Bahama ladies to victory as they advanced to the gold medal game.

#Morrell Wildgoose was the winning pitcher and Tishura Evans was tagged with the loss for Andros, who dropped to the bronze medal game.

#Adventurers 6, Sheep Runners 4: Shaquille Delancy was 1-for-1 with two RBI and a run scored and Terran Wood was 1-for-2 with a RBI and a run scored as Eleuthera won their men’s game to earn their berth into the gold medal game.

#Sheldon Pinder was the winning pitcher and Pedro Marcello got the loss for Long Island, who ended up in the bronze game..

#Buccaneers 5, Sheep Runners 0: Apryl Davis went 1-for-1 with two RBI and a run scored and Thela Johnson was 1-for-1 with a RBI and a run scored to lead New Providence ladies into the gold medal game.

#Johnson helped her own cause for the win, while Brendia Ferguson was tagged with the loss for MICAL as they fell into the bronze medal game.

As of Monday, July 17, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#AS they prepare for the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August, national champions sprinter Anthonique Strachan and high jumper Donald Thomas got in some competition at the Chorzow Diamond League Meet.

#In the final event to close out the meet yesterday, Strachan placed sixth in the women’s 100 metres in a time of 11.005 seconds. Strachan, coming off her 100m victory at the BAAA National Championships a little over a week ago, was short of her lifetime and season’s best of 10.92.

#American Sha’Carri Richardson took the title in 10.76, just shy of her personal best of 10.71 she also ran this year. Strachan’s training partner Jamaican Shericka Jackson came in second in 10.78 as Eva Swoboda was third in a personal best of 10.94.

#In the men’s high jump, Thomas finished seventh with a best of the day of 7-feet, 5 1/4-inches or 2.27 metres, which was below his season’s best of 7-5 3/4 (2.28m) and well behind his lifetime best of 7-9 1/4 (2.37m).

#The world’s best high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar took the victory in a meet record of 7-8 3/4 (2.34m).

#Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy, the co-Olympic gold medallist with Barshim, was second and Tobias Potye of Germany got third, both with 7-8 (2.34m).

#Meanwhile, in Canada at the 40th Harry Jerome Classic at Langley Township in British Columbia, Shakeem Hall-Smith, competing for Allstarz MGMT, won the men’s 400m hurdles in a personal best of 49.25. Roxroy Cato out of Ontario was next at the line in 50.02.

As of Monday, July 17, 2023

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Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#AS the curtain came down on the sixth Bahamas Games, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg said he was pleased with what he saw from the nine days of competition.

#“This was a great Bahamas Games,” said Bowleg, who was in attendance for the final event on Saturday night in the men’s softball gold medal game in the Bankers’ Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

#“The games started off pretty slow, but as the momentum started to build, we started to see the development of sports in the length and breadth of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.”

#Although it was a showdown between the Grand Bahama Lucayans and the New Providence Buccaneers for the most medals accumulated, Bowleg said he was pleased to see the parity from the other islands participating.

#Unofficially, Grand Bahama collected 91 gold, 59 silver and 41 bronze for a total of 191 medals. New Providence had 77 gold, 74 silver and 60 bronze for 211 medals.

#The Abaco Chickcharnies got 25 gold, 31 silver and 27 bronze for 83 medals, Columbus Isles Flamingos had 21 gold, 20 silver and 37 bronze for 78 total and the Long Island Sheep Runners followed with 17 gold, 17 silver and 17 bronze for 51 total.

#In softball where the Eleuthera Adventurers claimed the men’s gold over Grand Bahama, Long Island stunned New Providence for the bronze and Grand Bahama took the women’s gold over New Providence with MICAL snatching the bronze over Andros.

#Bowleg, who just came from watching Eleuthera also win the men’s gold in basketball, said he was able to notice how the talent was spread across the islands in the various disciplines.

#“I’m hoping that all federations and associations would see the diamonds in the rough and be able to develop them,” Bowleg said. “These games are uniting the nation through sports. “But it also gives us an opportunity to see some of the talent that we haven’t seen before and hopefully that can help us to remain as one of the top sporting disciplines in the world.”

#With the seventh Bahamas Games already pegged for 2026, Bowleg said they intend to introduce the regional games where there are northern, southern and central games where the islands can be better prepared for the actual games.

#“We want these islands to know that we haven’t forgotten about them,” Bowleg said. “We will continue with the development of those islands, just as we just completed the facilities in Cat Island.

#:We will be in Abaco, Eleuthera, Exuma, Andros and all of the other major islands and we hope by the next games, all of these islands will have the proper facilities so that they can improve on their performances at these games.”

#Despite the fact that everybody focuses on the overall champions, Bowleg mentioned the fact that teams from Eleuthera, Columbus Isles, Andros and Exuma were among the different winners.

#As for the games itself, Bowleg said he saw a lot of excitement from the family and friends of the athletes competing. The support, according to Bowleg, was fantastic by the general public.

#“As we continue to be united through sports, we will be able to move upward, forward and onward to continue to make this nation great over the next 50 years.

#“And then we put on the aquamarine, gold and black colors to represent the country at the international level, we can truly mark our bearings as a sporting nation.”

#In reviewing what transpired on and off the playing fields, ‘Bowleg said the GamesSecretariat through his Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture will ensure that whatever went wrong this year will be corrected and improved upon for 2026.