As of Monday, December 19, 2022

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#SOME exciting matches are scheduled today as The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) kicks off the Giorgio Baldacci Open Nationals at the National Tennis Centre until December 22.

#The Bahamas’ top athletes will compete to not only be crowned national champion but to also be a part of the 2023 Davis Cup (men) and the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup (BJK women).

#This year promises to be another exciting year as tennis players (juniors and adults) will vie for the championship title.

#The cast includes some of our top juniors, college players and former Davis Cup and BJK Cup players.

#The event is open which allows anyone over the age of 14 to compete.

#The tournament is named in honour of former president Giorgio Baldacci.

#Currently, there are no players on the ATP or WTA circuit that meet the criteria of top 800 (Davis Cup and BJK Cup exemption criteria) and so all players must participate in the Open Nationals should they wish to represent their country in 2023.

#This year the Bahamas was able to remain in both the Davis Cup Americas III and BJK Cup II Groups, staving off relegation to another group.

#At the end of the Giorgio Baldacci Open Nationals tournament, two finalists will automatically be named to the Bahamas BJK and Davis Cup teams. An invitational is expected to be held in 2023 to fill the remaining spots on the team. All players must complete the tournament to obtain ranking positions (men positioning up to 17, women positioning up to 8).

#The tournament is sponsored by RMS Insurance Agents and Brokers and Fidelity Bank & Trust Bahamas Limited.

#We look forward to some competitive matches as the Road to the 2023 Davis Cup and BJK Cup gets underway today at 9am. Let the matches begin.

As of Monday, December 19, 2022

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#INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, Julius Randle made six free throws in the final minute and the New York Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers 109-106 yesterday for their NBA-best seventh consecutive victory.

#The 19th and final lead change came in the final minute, when Randle made two foul shots with 45.6 seconds remaining for a 105-104 lead. After the teams exchanged turnovers, Randle hit four more free throws in the final two possessions. The Pacers missed a shot from just inside half-court at the buzzer.

#“Right now, New York is as good as any team in the NBA,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.

#Randle finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds. RJ Barrett added 24 points.

#“To win on the road and like this, it was tough,” Randle said. “It was a hard game, but we got it done.”

#Brunson, who was 11 of 22 from the field with three 3-pointers, started a fourth-quarter comeback from a 104-98 hole with a 3-pointer and then a steal and a layup in a span of 24 seconds.

#“We just kept fighting,” Brunson said. “We’re confident, but we know we’ve still got a lot of work to do. We’ve just got to stay focused. We can’t relax. We can’t have bad days. We’ve got to stay focused.”

#Randle and Barrett have carried the Knicks during the winning streak. Randle averaged 27 points, 11 rebounds and 4.2 assists in the previous six games. Barrett averaged 22 points and 6.8 rebounds.

#“Win streaks don’t mean anything. This game won’t mean anything in our next game,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “You’ve got to start all over, put the work in preparation and when the ball goes up, be ready to go.

#“Obviously, it’s always better to win. But to think you’re going to win the next game because you have a win streak, if you start skipping over the steps to prepare for a game, then there’s going to be slippage and then you’re going to get knocked down. And I don’t want us to get knocked down. I want us to be ready for the next game.”

#Buddy Hield and Aaron Nesmith each had 23 points for Indiana. Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Haliburton each added 15.

#“Great basketball game; highly, highly competitive,” Carlisle said. “It came down to the razor-thin margins of plays at the end of the game. They made some big plays and we were unable.”

#The Pacers, No. 1 in bench scoring at 41.9 points per game, had a 35-14 edge in reserves points.

#A first half with seven lead changes and five ties ended with the Knicks ahead 54-53 after the Pacers’ Buddy Hield had a last-minute 3-pointer changed to two points. By the end of the third quarter, there were 13 lead changes with the Pacers ahead 85-84.

#TIP-INS

#Knicks: Randle’s second 3-pointer moved him past Nate Robinson for ninth on the team’s career list at 415. He also passed Walt Bellamy for 28th on the scoring list with 5,083 points.

#Since December 4, the Knicks lead the league in fewest points allowed at 97 per game.

#Pacers: PF Jalen Smith, a 27-game starter, came off the bench for the third time in two weeks as coach Rick Carlisle went with a smaller, quicker lineup. Reserve G Chris Duarte (left ankle sprain) saw his first action since November 4. Mathurin received his Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award before the game.

#UP NEXT

#Knicks: Host Golden State on Tuesday night.

#Pacers: At Boston on Wednesday night.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/dec/19/knicks-rally-beat-buddy-hield-and-pacers-7th-strai/?news

 Home|Sports|Team Bahamas wraps up competition in MelbourneSports

Five national short course records set

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 19, 2022 110 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Team Bahamas wrapped up competition at the 16th FINA (World Swimming Federation) Short Course (25m) World Championships, held at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) in Melbourne, Australia.

Representing The Bahamas at the meet were Rhanishka Gibbs, Victoria Russell, Luke-Kennedy Thompson and Lamar Taylor. Taylor set three national 

records and Thompson set two in the distance races.

Head coach Travano McPhee was proud of the quartet and mentioned how dedicated they are to the sport.

“The team performance was outstanding with multiple national records being broken by Taylor and Thompson. It says that Bahamian swimming continues to excel or improve on the international level and is moving in the right direction. The athletes are putting in extreme amounts of time in and out of the water to ensure that swimming reaches high levels and continues to grow and improve,” McPhee said.

Thompson, who already set a national record in the 400m free earlier in the meet, was the lone swimmer in the water yesterday for The Bahamas when he was in action in the men’s 200m freestyle. He was able to place 40th overall after swimming in a new national record time of 1:51.31 out of lane five, heat one. It was better than his entry time of 1:55.44. Holding the national record before was Jeremy Knowles, who did it in 1998 with a time of 1:53.34.

Clocking the fastest time in that race on Sunday was Great Britain’s Tom Dean, who swam 1:40.98.

McPhee is hoping to see the team get bigger, so it can enter full men’s and women’s relay teams.

Saturday saw Russell in action out of lane three in the third heat in the 50m breast. Russell was able to better her entry time of 33.68 seconds when she touched the wall in 32.54 seconds. That time placed her 39th overall, as Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte swam the fastest time in the heats in a time of 29.10 seconds.

Friday was a busy day for The Bahamas as it was featured in three races – one relay and two individual races.

After placing 41st overall at last year’s edition, Taylor came back stronger and set the national record in the men’s 50m free. He was able to finish 28th overall with a national record time of 21.45 seconds. It was his third national record set at this year’s championships. He lowered Allan Murray’s 26-year-old record of 21.97 seconds.

Gibbs was in the women’s 50m free race which saw her placing 35th overall after clocking 26.16 seconds out of lane seven heat four. She lowered her entry time of 26.68 seconds. Polish swimmer Katarzyna Wasick swam 23.74 seconds to come away with the fastest time in the heats.

The quartet placed 16th overall in the mixed 4x50m free relay. They clocked 1:36.95. Taylor swam the first leg with a split of 21.65 seconds. Thompson and Gibbs swam their legs with a time of 23.30 seconds and 25.79 seconds, respectively. Russell anchored the team with a time of 26.30 seconds.

France clocked 1:29.69 to finish with the fastest time in the heats.

https://thenassauguardian.com/team-bahamas-wraps-up-competition-in-melbourne/

 Home|Sports|Team Fox wins Don’t Blink Home Run DerbySports

Team Fox wins Don’t Blink Home Run Derby

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 19, 2022 77 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Team Fox walked away with the team competition and for the first time in the event’s five-year history, there was an All-Bahamian finals and a Bahamian winner in the individual competition at the Don’t Blink Home Run Derby. The event went back home to the Montagu Foreshore on Saturday, for the first time since 2020.

The event was a part of a four-day lineup put on by friends, current Major League Baseball (MLB) player for the Washington Nationals Lucius Fox Jr. and former professional baseball player Todd Isaacs Jr.

The Chicago Cubs farm system’s Bertram Murray Jr., who played for Team Fox, made history as the first Bahamian to win the “Home Run King” title. He was in the finals against Bahamian and the Los Angeles Angels farm system’s Trent Deveaux.

Deveaux, who was on Team Isaacs, was up first and hit seven home runs. Murray was up and found a rhythm and managed to get to seven home runs. Knowing that he had one more home run to get the title, he looked a little shaky but after two pitches, he was able to send one flying into the water and get his eighth home run and the win.

“I felt comfortable in the finals. It feels good to get the win. It is always good and friendly competition between me and him from we were young, so it was fun going up against him,” Murray said.

He added that it was fun to be able to do it in front of his people and his friends.

Deveaux said he got a little too 

comfortable after the first few swings.

“I started off very good. My swing was starting to feel good. I then got too anxious and I started to open up a little bit but then my rhythm came back. It is all about not getting too big and anxious and making sure I stay closed all the way through the ball.”

Deveaux wanted to win but he was glad to be a part of the first All-Bahamian final. Fox and his team were able to exact their revenge after losing the last edition.

“I had a whole year to sleep on that loss that I took last year. When I drafted my team, I knew that I had the right pieces and guys to pull this victory off. I am happy that the guys showed up and helped us to accomplish the job,” Fox said.

He was happy to see Murray get the win and keep the trophy in The Bahamas.

Although his team did not get the win, Isaacs felt it was a win for the Bahamian fans.

“It is a win in my book. My team didn’t win and I didn’t win, but for the whole Don’t Blink and baseball community and The Bahamas, it was a win for all of us together. We came off the Caribbean Baseball Cup last week and transitioned to another baseball event here in The Bahamas. We brought our friends down from the United States, like C.C. Sabathia and Curtis Granderson and they showed us so much love. For Bahamian fans to come out and show us so much love, we appreciate it. I am looking forward to next year’s event,” Isaacs said.

Fox spoke about the move back to Montagu.

“There is no place like Montagu,” Fox said. “It is truly the perfect setup for us. We have the blueprint for Montagu and we feel that it offers us everything that we need in terms of space. There is the beautiful ocean, and we are going to stay at Montagu. We are happy to be back here.”

As for next year’s edition, Isaacs said they want to grow the event and ensure they are consistent and let The Bahamas know about baseball.

The four-day lineup also featured a celebrity softball game, kid’s clinic and a gospel concert, featuring recording artist Todd Dulaney.

https://thenassauguardian.com/team-fox-wins-dont-blink-home-run-derby/

 Home|Sports|UAB holds off RedHawks to win Bahamas BowlSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 19, 2022 60 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Blazers’ Reynard Ellis stopped the Miami University RedHawks’ Jalen Walker at the one yard line on the final play, as the Blazers held on 24-20 to win the Prime Minister’s Trophy in the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl on Friday.

It was the second consecutive bowl win for the Blazers and their 50th win since returning in 2017. This game kicked off the bowl season.

Playing at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, the Blazers head coach Bryant Vincent made a gutsy play call to go for the fourth and one yard on the RedHawks’ 12-yard line. The RedHawks were up 20-17 with 1:35 left in the game. Vincent called a timeout and instead of going for the field goal for a chance to tie the game, he went for it.

He trusted Blazers junior running back Jermaine Brown Jr. with the task and two seconds later, Brown found a hole in his offensive line and ran to the end zone for the touchdown, to put his team up 23-20 before the extra point attempt was good to give them the 24-20 lead.

Brown ended the game with 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His quarterback Dylan Hopkins finished with 204 passing yards and one touchdown.

“We believe that if it is a yard or less, we have the offensive line, tight ends, quarterbacks and running backs that we can get that yard. It does not matter who we are against. If it is a yard or less, we are going for it because we believe in what we stand for and the players that we have.”

Winning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) on the offensive side of the ball was senior wide receiver Trea Shropshire, who tied Western Michigan 

University Corey Davis with 183 yards for the Bahamas Bowl record for most receiving yards. He also had one touchdown.

“If it was not for my teammates, I would not have been here. I want to thank the coaches for believing in me. The win means a lot to the program and it is a blessing to win the MVP award,” Shropshire said.

Securing MVP on the defensive side of the ball was the Blazers redshirt junior defensive end Michael Fairbanks, who had seven tackles.

The Redhawks marched the ball down the field thanks to a UAB penalty that moved the ball 15 yards with less than 10 seconds left. The RedHawks’ quarterback Aveon Smith made a good pass to Walker before the latter was brought down at the one yard line. Smith finished the day with 162 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Vincent was confident that his defense was going to come up big in the fourth quarter.

“The way this season went, I would not expect anything less. We lost five games on the road by less than a possession. As the season went, we started to finish games. To finish Miami here at the end and to be able to come through and finish them is something that our team has been built on for years. One of the things that we talk about is that we want to finish our opponents in the fourth quarter,” Vincent said.

The Blazers represented Conference USA and the RedHawks represented the Mid-American Conference.

https://thenassauguardian.com/uab-holds-off-redhawks-to-win-bahamas-bowl/

 Home|Sports|BAAA Odd Distance Meet set for this SaturdaySports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailDecember 16, 2022 211 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

There is quite a bit of excitement brewing about the 2022-2023 local track and field season which gets underway this Saturday with the staging of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) Odd Distance Track and Field Meet.

The meet, a staple event on the calendar over the years, is set for 12-6 p.m. on Saturday at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium. The young athletes have been gearing up all through the fall months and are now ready to go.

Track events from the 60 meters (m) to the 1000m will be contested in all age divisions – from under-seven to open. In the field, the javelin, shot put, discus, long, triple and high jump events will be contested from the under-15 to open divisions.

Close to 400 young athletes are expected to compete at the one-day event, and admission is set for $5 general section and $10 for VIP.

Initially, there was some talk about electronic timing being done for the meet, but that option was deemed not feasible at this particular time, particularly with the meet not serving as an official qualifier for track events for the CARIFTA Games.

“The executive board considered the views of the coaching community as it relates to the usage of electronic timing at the upcoming BAAA Odd Distance Track and Field Meet. Since the inception of this meet, the general position has been that there is little benefit to using electronic timing since track events would not serve as a qualifying event,” as stated in a BAAA communication. “We have considered allowing long approaches in the horizontal and vertical jumps and throwing events since these events are qualifying events for the CARIFTA Games.

“We forecast that approximately 350 athletes will be competing at a cost of $12 per athlete, generating registration income of $4,200 of an overall estimated competition cost of $13,000. The objective of this event is to transition athletes from offseason training to competition and to establish a benchmark of where your athletes are currently positioned. At the same time, we intend to make the highest and best use of our limited resources now and into the remaining season. It is therefore intended that performances at future BAAA meets would be electronically recorded.”

As mentioned, the odd distance meet is the first track and field event on the 2022-2023 local athletics calendar.

In the new year, the BAAA will stage its annual church service on Sunday January 8, 2023. The first meet of the new year will be the T-Bird Flyers Track and Field Classic, set for January 13-14 at the Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

https://thenassauguardian.com/baaa-odd-distance-meet-set-for-this-saturday/

 Home|Sports|National records broken in MelbourneSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 16, 2022 209 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian swimmers Lamar Taylor and Luke-Kennedy Thompson both broke national records at the 16th FINA (World Swimming Federation) Short Course (25m) World Championships that is currently being held at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) in Melbourne, Australia.

Taylor broke the short course national record in the 50 meters (m) backstroke on Thursday, clocking 23.58 seconds which was also a personal best time for him. He was second in heat number three and 20th overall – four places from qualifying for the semifinals. The collegiate swimmer broke the Bahamian national record of 26.10 seconds that was set by Chris Vythoulkas in 2006.

“It feels amazing to break the national record,” Taylor said. “Coming into the race I wanted to have a high confidence level and have fun. That was the point for me coming to Australia – to have fun and try to drop times. I have been feeling good this entire season.”

Taylor said he was working on putting on weight in the offseason so he could be stronger with his strokes. He went into the race yesterday with an open mind and had a preview of it in the mixed 4x50m medley relay in which he clocked a split of 24.19 seconds.

“When I got out the blocks, I knew I could have swam faster than in the relay. I made sure I worked on my rotations and swam my own race to see how fast I could go,” Taylor said.

Swimming the fastest in the heats was Polish swimmer Kacper Stokowski with a time of 22.78 seconds.

The 19-year-old is confident heading into the 50m free today in which he will be featured in lane two in heat six.

“My goal is to make the semifinals. If that do not happen, I want to drop time. I feel that I have a good chance at doing something big in that race. I am looking to stay focused and have fun,” Taylor stated.

Thompson lowered Jeremy Knowles’ record of 3:57 in the 400m freestyle distance race when he clocked 3:56.22. He placed 28th overall in the heats and third overall in heat one.

“I was truly honored to have the opportunity to swim this race at this level. Going into the 400m free, I wanted to ultimately break the four-minute goal I set for myself. Knowing all the preparation that I’ve been putting in, this was a goal I knew I could accomplish. Being able to break the record set by the son of the coach who taught me how to swim is truly humbling to say the least,” Thompson said.

American Kieran Smith had the fastest time in the heats when he posted 3:36.91.

Thompson has one more individual race – the 200m free that is set for Sunday. He hopes to put up a personal best and represent The Bahamas to the best of his abilities.

Other than Taylor, Rhanishka Gibbs will be in the pool swimming in the women’s 50m free today. She will be swimming out of lane seven in heat four. She has an entry time of 26.68 seconds.

There is also the mixed 4x50m free relay that features Thompson, Gibbs, Taylor and Victoria Russell.

Also on the trip are Head Coach Travano McPhee, Team Manager Gena Culmer-Taylor and physiotherapist Cordero Bonamy.

https://thenassauguardian.com/national-records-broken-in-melbourne/

UAB Blazers to battle the Miami University RedHawks

Simba FrenchSend an emailDecember 16, 2022 196 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Blazers and the Miami University of Ohio RedHawks got their final practices and walkthrough sessions in at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium yesterday, in preparation for today’s Hometown Lenders Bahamas Bowl, that will be take place at the same venue. They will battle for the Prime Minister’s Cup, starting at 11:30 a.m. today. The game will be aired live on ESPN. Admission is free to Bahamian residents.

The game is the first of the 2022 bowl season in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the only current bowl game outside of the United States.

The Blazers (6-6, 4-4 C-USA) will be representing Conference-USA (C-USA) and will be making their seventh bowl appearance. This is their second trip to The Bahamas. The RedHawks (6-6, 4-4 MAC) will be participating in their 14th bowl game and they represent the Mid-American Conference (MAC). They will be playing their first game outside the continental US since a road game in 2001.

Both teams were at a press conference at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium yesterday to discuss today’s game. Head Coach for the RedHawks Chuck Martin said that he will look to stop the run as the Blazers are very good on the ground.

“UAB really likes to run the ball, they’re fifth in the country in rushing this year. If we don’t stop the run that’s going to play in their favor. We have to do a good job, we cannot give up big plays. They have a very stingy defense, but we have to get big chunk of plays in the pass game and when we do, we’ve been good. Both teams kind of want to do the same thing,” Martin said.

As mentioned earlier, this is not the first time that the Blazers have traveled to The Bahamas, having done so in 2017. They lost that game 41-6 to the Ohio University Bobcats. Interim Head Coach for the Blazers Bryant Vincent said that his team is very experienced.

“We’ve got 21 seniors on this football team who have played a lot of football for UAB, and who have won conference championships, the only two conference championships in school history. We’ve got 21 seniors who have been a part of the only two bowl wins in school history, so there’s been a lot of history here that this team has been a part of,” Vincent said. “They’re excited about the opportunity to play and win that third bowl game, but the focus with this football team has been phenomenal. The leadership, the character, the perseverance when it’s time to relax and enjoy themselves in The Bahamas, we’ve been able to do that, but they also understand what they’re here for. They’ve been able to switch gears. When it’s time for business and it’s time for practice and meetings, everybody’s been on time. Everybody’s been locked in.”

Redshirt freshman quarterback Aveon Smith said the team has come to The Bahamas to win a bowl game.

“It was cool to get the experience, as I got to spend time with my coaches and my teammates, whether it was playing on the slides or just hanging in the lobby. At the end of the day, we came here to win the bowl game, so when it’s time to log back in, we will do that.”

His teammate, linebacker Ryan McWood, said they are ready for the game.

“Yesterday (Wednesday) we got back into the game planning and practicing, just having that switch inside you to say we got practice for two hours today, let’s lock in for that. It’s been awesome to have a lot of guys buy into that, so we’re ready to go,” McWood said.

It’s no secret that the teams have watched hours of film on each other. Blazers’ redshirt junior offensive linesman Will Rykard said they know that the RedHawks play defense hard.

“Defensively, they play hard, they play good football,” Rykard said. “They’re disciplined up front. We know we’re going to come out, play hard and play good, but at the end of the day like every game, we think about us. We go there, we handle what we’re supposed to handle and do what we’re supposed to do, and it will be alright.”

Both teams are staying at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island and said that they have enjoyed the amenities and hospitality of the resort since they arrived in the country.

The 2021 Bahamas Bowl featured Middle Tennessee of C-USA and the University of Toledo of the MAC. Middle Tennessee won that game 31-17 after scoring 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

https://thenassauguardian.com/bahamas-bowl-set-for-today/

ANDREW MUNNINGS, left, and Maruyama Joshiro, of Japan.

As of Friday, December 16, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#AFTER returning home from a two-month training session in Osaka, Japan, top Bahamian male judoka Andrew Munnings said he’s so pleased with his performance that he definitely feels that he will be able to compete at a higher level in the future.

#Munnings, who left town on October 8, returned home on Tuesday night. While he was there specifically for training at the Tenri University, he participated in the Tokyo Grand Slam where he got to make some improvements.

#There was also an international training camp in which Munnings got to train with a number of international competitors who also came to Japan for the camp.

#He said this allowed him to hone his skills as he got to improve on some of the mistakes he made in the past.

#“The experience was really good,” Mullings said. “They had just won the All- Japan competition, which made them the number one ranked university. So, the training was above average. Even the international athletes, including grand slam champion and Olympians, when they came there, they were also shocked at how hard they were training.

#“So, it was definitely an eye opener for me, just to see the level the human body can go to. It really helped to make me a stronger athlete on the whole. So, I was really proud of my experience there.”

#Before COVID-19, Munnings had the opportunity to train with some of the Japanese judokas at the Tenri University, so when he reached out to them about his decision to return to Japan, they welcomed him. He got to renew some old friendships and also developed some new ones in Japan.

#Having enjoyed his time in Japan, Munnings said he’s looking forward to reaching out to some of his other friends in Israel with the view of going over there to train in preparation for the Pan American Championships in April and the Pan American Games in August, while gaining some points at the various open and grand slam competitions to qualify for the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, in May.

#Munnings expressed his gratitude to the Bahamas Olympic Committee for assisting him financially and to Bahamas Judo Federation president D’Arcy Rahming for his assistance in securing the funding that he got, along with the assistance from his family and friends for their support.

#The 24-year-old Munnings was coming off first-round losses at both the Bogota Panamerican and Panamerican Oceania Senior Championships earlier this year.

#He also competed at the World Judo Senior Championships in Hungary in 2021 where he made a first-round exit.

#Before the pandemic struck in 2020, Munnings participated in the Osaka Grand Slam and the Rome European Open in 2019, the World Junior Championships in 2018, the World Senior Championships in Budapest and the Fort Lauderdale Junior Pan American Cup in 2017, the Junior PJC Cup in Santo Domingo in 2016 and the World Junior Championships in 2014.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/dec/16/andrew-munnings-returns-home-training-japan/?news

As of Friday, December 16, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#IN the spirit of the holiday season, the New Providence Public Primary Schools Sports Association found themselves on the giving and receiving end of gifts during their year-ending celebrations on Wednesday at Claridge Primary School.

#With school already closed for the students, the associations took the time out to get their physical education teachers together to participate in a breakfast fest and a time to share their experiences on the return of their sporting activities in the aftermath of the COVID- 19 pandemic.

#During the event, the NPPPSSA also took the time out to honour Carl Lynch, the assistant secretary general of the Bahamas Football Association and Tribune sports reporter Brent Stubbs for their dedication to the association.

#They were both presented with a certificate and a fruit basket for their contributions.

#In return, Lynch presented the association with a new logo on a banner for them to use during the duration of their games. Stubbs offered some words of encouragement as they look forward to the rest of the season following the Christmas holiday.

#NPPPSSA president Latoya Sturrup-Bain expressed the gratitude of the association to both Lynch and Stubbs.

#“This is our meeting for the year and so in this time of giving and sharing, we just wanted to share our love to you guys to let you know how much we appreciate you,” Sturrup- Bain told both Lynch and Stubbs.

#“We appreciate your support.

#“Anytime we call on you, you all are there. You never told me no.”

#Coming off the Christmas break, the NPPPSSA will gear up for its basketball tournament, starting on January 28. Then it’s volleyball in March and the year will close out with track and field in April.

#“The general public will also see our presence in the community when we continue our breakfast initiative and giving our grocery bags,” said Sturrup-Bain of a programme they started during the pandemic.

#“We have given out over 1,300 breakfast and about 250 grocery bags and clothing. It was sure a positive event going into communities like Bains & Grants Town, Nassau Village and Fox Hill. We want to be able to continue by going back into areas that we didn’t visit before.”

#Depending on the donations they receive, Sturrup-Bain said they could return to some of the areas they visited before.

#“We know that there is still a need out there in the community and so we will be assisting in whatever way we can,” she said.

#Claire Hepburn, representing the Ministry of Education, was also on hand and she endorsed the proceedings for the day. She also commended Lynch and Stubbs for their support to the NPPPSSA.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/dec/16/npppssa-honours-lynch-and-stubbs/?news