As of Friday, September 23, 2022

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KEVIN Colebrooke

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture is mourning the loss and reflecting on the life of its former senior officer Kevin Colebrooke, who also served at one time as the acting director of sports. He died at his home on Friday, September 16.

#Colebrooke, 68, was married to Cora Bain- Colebrooke, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. He has one daughter, Kristen Colebrooke, a member of Bahamas Aquatics.

#As a former track and field athlete, Colebrooke graduated from St Augustine’s in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1981 and joined the public service as a sports officer at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture on March 2. He served for 38 years eventually being promoted to deputy director of sports and subsequently sat in as the interim director of sports.

#Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg said Colebrooke honestly pursued the profession to which he aspired, and when he faced challenges in realising those aspirations, he painstakingly created the framework for achieving them in whatever the capacity of his service.

#Working under the supervision of the late Winston ‘Gus’ Cooper in the newly minted Department of Sports, Bowleg said Colebrooke consistently exhibited such a constructive approach throughout his years of productive service. “In such a regard, Kevin also proved himself to be another revolutionary figure in national development through sports. For in his extended tenure with my Ministry, he himself, serving as the liaison officer for a number of national core sport associations and federations, among which were golf, table games, rugby, swimming and the Royal Life Guard Association,” Bowleg said.

#“His ultimate focus centred on Swimming/Life Guarding however, no doubt a reflection of his keen interest in the propagation of that sport in a country two-thirds of which is comprised of water but as much two-thirds of its youth unable to swim.”

#Colebrooke’s passion for growing the sport of swimming is reflected in his joyous acceptance of his assignment to dedicate himself to representing the interests of the Department of Sports by understudying all aspects of the construction of the Betty Kelly Kenning National Swim Complex at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Center in 2010. “In assuming such a demanding task, he inhabited the construction site from start to finish, resulting in him becoming intensely familiar with all the many complexities of that facility’s three computerised infrastructure, all its systems of operation and all best practices in an ordained maintenance programme,” Bowleg said.

#“Equally as nationally notable is that Kevin was more than supportive of the decision by the late Betty Kelly Kenning, a genuine nationalist who maintained her pledge to construct the National Swim Complex, undeterred by the escalation in the cost of completing the project, from the initial $3.5 million to $5 million and then to $7.5 million.”

#Bowleg said Colebrooke’s determination to complete the project emanated from his personal experiences and exploits as a member of this country’s first national swim teams in the early days of the 1940s.

#“Likewise was Kevin in Kelly-Kenning’s confidence when she eschewed kinetic lobbying to instead construct the swim complex on a private school property some miles to the east, away from the densely populated centres surrounding the Queen Elizabeth Sports Center,” Bowleg said.

#“Conclusively then, in the course of his superlative career, Kevin played a major role in the organisation and execution of every Bahamas Games held in 1989, 1991, 1995, 1998, and in 2001, and was actively engaged with the planning of the Golden Jubilee Bahamas Games scheduled for 2023.”

#Colebrooke was also provided the impetus for the Bahamas to host the Junior Commonwealth Games in 2017. “Also, he implemented a number of developmental programmes at the National Swim Complex and provided the framework for many others, Bowleg said.

#According to Oria ‘Big O’ Wood, another senior sports officer in the Ministry, Colebrooke worked hard to ensure that a swim programme was initiated at the Betty Kelly Kenning swimming complex and carried out his duties to the best of his abilities. She remembered Colebrooke as being “stylist, playful, meticulous and blunt.”

#Timothy Munnings, who was then hired as the director of sports, said the Department of Sports at the ministry lost a valuable member of the team when he demitted office. He referred to Colebrooke as a dedicated public servant for over 30 years, whose knowledge and experience played an integral role in the operation of the Ministry as a whole. “Even in his retirement, Kevin remained willing and available to assist and joined the Bahamas Games organising committee to lend his expertise to this major national sporting event,” Munnings said. “Kevin was also a lover of the water and focused much of his energy in ensuring that both the Betty Kelly Kenning Aquatic Centre and the South Beach Pools facilities were functioning for all those that wanted to swim and was the driving force to attract international universities to the pools for winter training.”

#The Tribune Sports Department extends its condolences to the Colebrooke family.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/23/former-senior-sports-officer-colebrooke-dies-68/?news

As of Friday, September 23, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#IT was the second straight lopsided victory for the Queen’s College Comets, but their senior girls’ softball team still feel they have not yet produced their best efforts so far in the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools 2022 season.

#The Comets, coming off a rout over the Kingsway Academy Saints in their season opener on Tuesday, pulled off their second abbreviated victory with a 13-1 decision over the St Andrew’s Hurricanes yesterday at their home field at Queen’s College.

#“We played as well as we could, but I felt we could have played better,” said catcher Jada Wallace, who batted fourth in the line-up for Queen’s College. “Our opponents got a lead on us, but I felt we could have made better plays in coming back for the win. I just think we could have done better than we did today.”

#St Andrew’s struck first in the top of the first inning when M Mayard got on base on the first hit of the game and scored on A Clarke’s run-producing single for a 1-0 lead.

#Shortstop Ciara Bowe, batting third, ripped a two-run single to plate second sacker Raashi Lyons and first sacker Shanaz Demeritte. Bowe then scored on Wallace’s grounder down the third base line. Wallace then stole second and third before she came home on an error for a 4-1 lead. The Comets went on to score five more runs to put the game out of reach at the end of the inning.

#After turning a double play to stop the Hurricanes from scoring in the second, third sacker G’Shan Brown came through with a fly ball to centre field for a lead off in-the-park home run. The Comets would go on to score three more runs to extend their lead to 13-1.

#Left fielder Jasmine Smith joined Lyons, Brown and Bain in scoring two runs apiece.

#Right fielder Atony Taylor and centre fielder Presconique Cooper also made their contribution by scoring a run. “We played good, but we just had a few funny hits here and there,” Brown said. “At the end of the day, we could have done better. But it’s still a good team. We will go back to practice and work on our mistakes.”

#With only one run on their ledger going into the third inning, the Hurricanes left two runners stranded on base as the Comets came up with the defensive stopper to halt the game via another 10-run rule.

#Mickiela Bain, who picked up the win on the mound, echoed the same sentiments as her team-mates.

#“Our team performed okay, but it wasn’t to the best of our ability today,” Bain said. “Some of our players were a bit shaky because of some mistakes we made at the beginning. Next week at NAC (Nassau Christian Academy) we hope to play much better.”

#Yiorgo Coyle, the head coach of St Andrew’s, said despite suffering their second straight loss, he was pleased to see some improvements from their opener against the St Anne’s Blue Waves on Tuesday. “This is a teaching year, not a coaching year,” Coyle said. “Two weeks ago, we were learning which hand to put the gloves on. This is quite positive. We had about six ladies on base and we scored a run in the first inning. It was positive.”

#Against the Blue Waves, Coyle said they faced a really good pitcher, but against the Comets, they had to deal with a well-rounded defensive team that put up a lot of runs.

#Riner Smith was the losing pitcher, but her batterymate Sara Claire had her share of problems, using the catcher’s shin guards that kept coming loose throughout the game.

#Coyle acknowledged that while they have some work to do, his team is just happy to be playing softball again. He noted that they were so excited that they were even taking team photos after the game.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/23/softball-qc-comets-senior-girls-win-2-straight/?news

LET’S Swim Bahamas coaching and support staff are pictured above. Photo: Rufiner Saunders

As of Friday, September 23, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#IN relaunching its water safety programme for primary school students, Let’s Swim Bahamas is eager to get more Bahamians learning the importance of being able to swim in an archipelago surrounded by water.

#Let’s Swim Bahamas, led by the husband/wife team of Andy and Nancy Knowles, showed a documentary to a number of invited guests on Tuesday night at Harry Moore Library at the University of the Bahamas.

#It provided an opportunity for sponsors, stakeholders and the general public to get a chance to view what has taken place in the programme since its inception in October, 2008 with the Thelma Gibson Primary School as its pilot project. Before taking a break because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the programme had already spread its wings to more than 10 schools and with its relaunch, the Knowles and its team is out to reach all of the government primary schools in New Providence.

#Zane Lightbourne, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, said the programme is super important for the development of the nation, especially considering the amount of drownings that took place during the summer months when the children were off from school.

#“This was the most active drowning season. I don’t know what is happening, but it seems as if every other week you tune into the news, you heard about someone drowning,” Lightbourne said. “So it tells us the need for people to water safety skills and be able to learn to swim because we are surrounded by water.”

#While they won’t be able to cater to all of the students, Lightbourne said they are making a stab at a big chunk of it. He said the young children in their schools look forward to the programme.

#“We have to catch them at an early age so they can develop the habit of learning how to swim before they get too old and venture into other things,” Lightbourne said. “It’s like riding a bike. Once you learn how to do it early in life, you can get to do it for the rest of your life.”

#Lightbourne said he was more touched over the testimony of Rufiner Saunders, a parent, who in the document claimed that she was fearful of getting into the water even when she took her children to the beach. He noted that like Saunders, who eventually got over her fears and did some swim lessons with Let’s Swim Bahamas, she is now assisting the programme, while her children continue to excel as swimmers.

#Bahamas Aquatics’ president Algernon Cargill, who was featured in the documentary, said they are just as excited about the programme because it not only teaches the youngsters how to swim, but it also serves as a feeder system for their national programme. “Andy and Nancy have done an excellent job over the years in teaching Bahamians to swim and Bahamas Aquatics fully endorses the programme and we support Andy and Nancy in their endeavours,” he stated.

#The programme has also benefitted the Bahamas Yachting Club, whose president Laura Lowe and her husband, Jimmy Lowe, were on hand to show their support of the Knowles and their crew of volunteers.

#“We’re absolutely supportive of Let’s Swim Bahamas because it gets more persons involved in swimming, but it also benefits our programme too because we already have one of the swimmers who was referred to our youth sailing programme.” Lowe said.

#“This programme is teaching youngsters how to learn how to swim and I’m loving it. It makes a big difference because we need to provide avenues for more persons to be able to learn how to swim.”

#Lowe said their summer programme is similar in nature in that they also cater to the majority of competitors from the public schools, at least 70 percent, so it’s a plus that they work together for the benefit of all involved. Lightbourne said the documentary was well put together as it showed the commitment of the organisers and the participants to excelling in the programme. He noted that he was even more keen to see that the children involved are more disciplined with their academic pursuits.

#Parents are only allowed to pay for their swim gear. All other aspects of the programme, including their transportation to and from their school to the swim facilities at the University of the Bahamas and St Andrew’s School, are provided free of charge as well as their one-hour lessons each week.

#The Knowles indicated that the documentary will be shown at a national level on television. However, persons interested in learning more about the programme can visit the website – www.letsswimbahamas.com – for more information.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/23/lets-swim-bahamas-relaunched/?news

Chisholm Jr gives update on injury

Miami Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

As of Friday, September 23, 2022

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#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Great Britain baseball has an opportunity to field its most talented roster of all time when it participates in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

#Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr confirmed his plans to return to the international stage and join Team Great Britain for the second time in his career next March when the best national programmes compete in the fifth edition of the event.

#The Miami Marlins All- Star infielder addressed future national team prospects and his injury status when he joined the Bally Sports broadcast team as the Marlins hosted the Chicago Cubs Wednesday night at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.

#“It’s going to be sick for me,” Chisholm said, “because you’re out there and you never really get a chance to ever play with anybody from your hometown or even family members at that. I’m about to get to experience it all.”

#Chisholm was one of nine Bahamians on the roster for Great Britain in the 2017 WBC Qualifiers in Brooklyn, New York.

#He had his best game of the qualifier when he finished 3-5, drove in an RBI, scored a run and stole two bases in a 14-0 win over Pakistan. Great Britain eventually suffered a 9-1 loss to Israel in the qualifying game.

#Great Britain recently qualified for the WBC, for the first time in programme history, with its undefeated performance at last week’s qualifier in Regensburg, Germany.

#The tournament will be hosted March 8-21 across several venues. Pool A will compete at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan, Pool B and tournament quarterfinals will take place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, Pool C at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, and finally Pool D, quarterfinals, semifinals and championship will take place at Chisholm’s home stadium – loanDepot Park.

#Great Britain will compete in Pool A against Chinese Taipei, Netherlands, Cuba and Italy.

#After a three-year gap between the first two installments of the tournament, plans were made for the World Baseball Classic to be repeated every four years following the 2009 event. The third installment of the Classic was held in 2013, and the fourth was held in 2017. The fifth, originally scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

#The tournament is being expanded from 16 to 20 national teams, with all teams that participated in the 2017 edition automatically qualifying, plus four additional spots.

#Sixteen teams had already secured a berth in the 2021 WBC – Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, United States and Venezuela.

#Great Britain and the Czech Republic earned two of the most recent tournament berths following their success at the Pool A qualifier in Germany.

#The final two teams in the field will be the winners out of the Pool B qualifier, September 30 to October 5 in Panama City.

#Chisholm’s last appearance on the field in a Marlins uniform was June 28. He originally suffered the back injury early in the season on a slide and eventually re-aggravated the injury in late June, which forced him out of the lineup.

#Due to a back strain, Chisholm has been on the injured list since June 29. He underwent a CT scan on July 21 that revealed a stress fracture in his lower back. The Marlins officially ruled him out of a return for the remainder of the season. Chisholm also revealed that he played this season with a torn meniscus which he suffered prior to the season.

#MLB.com reported that Marlins manager Don Mattingly and general manager Kim Ng announced that Chisholm Jr would not return from the injured list for the remainder of the 2022 campaign. He recently underwent surgery to repair the torn meniscus but has already said that he is walking under his own power without the use of crutches.

#“We went and got an MRI. It came back that I tore my meniscus. I asked the doctor, ‘Hey, can I play this season? Because I feel like I’m really gonna tear it up this season. So can I play?’ And he was like, ‘You can but you’re gonna be dealing with a lot of swelling every day and all that stuff.’ I was like, ‘I’ll just take care of that and that’d be fine.’ And going on, I ended up playing the whole season and just planned to get the surgery after the season,” Chisholm said.

#“I went through a lot of swelling and a lot of changing my mind in the middle of stolen bases, kind of slide in different ways. Most of the times I got thrown out was because of my knee and how I was getting into the bag.”

#Chisholm is the first-ever Bahamian-born MLB All-Star.

#Through 60 games he had a .254 average with 14 home runs, 54 hits, 45 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and scored 39 runs.

#“We could probably push Jazz to be able to come back and DH or something. I think the risk/reward on that — he has a stress fracture in his back. It’s something you could say, ‘Well, it’s healed, but is it all the way?’ It just doesn’t seem to be worth it,” Mattingly told MLB.com.

#“I think Jazz would like to play, he would like to have played. I think the organisation basically made that decision for him, that we were going to just let this thing go, keep strengthening all year long, so we know going into the winter that he’s healthy, he’s ready, he’s doing everything, he feels great. So again, I think an organisational decision.”

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/23/jazz-says-hell-suit-great-britain/?news

 Home|Sports|Heat returning to The BahamasSports

NBA team set to host training camp at Baha Mar next week

Sheldon LongleySend an emailSeptember 22, 2022 336 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Miami Heat has announced that they will be returning to The Bahamas to host training camp, set for Tuesday September 27 to Saturday October 1, at the Baha Mar resort. The training camp is presented by Baptist Health.

It is the third time in a decade that the Heat will make the 30-minute flight to The Bahamas for their training camp. They were last in The Bahamas in 2016, and before that, they came in 2013. Several Heat players including Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry have made trips to The Bahamas to work out and also bond before the 2021-2022 playoffs got underway.

“We are honored to be chosen as the host destination for the Miami Heat’s 2022 Training Camp and thrilled to be entering a multi-year partnership with the three-time NBA Champions,” said Graeme Davis, president of Baha Mar.

This trip will come on the heels of the team’s media day, set for Monday September 26 inside their home arena, the FTX Arena.

According to the Heat’s official release, the team will have two practices per day, Tuesday to Friday. After the first practice each day, the team will be available to the media. The training camp is closed to the public.

On the Saturday of the camp, the team will conclude its trip to The Bahamas with one final practice session that will be open to invited guests and young players under the wing of the Bahamas Basketball 

Federation (BBF).

The previous two training camps that were held by the Heat in The Bahamas were done at Atlantis, Paradise Island. There will be about 20 players who will make the trek to The Bahamas, including Butler, Lowry and Bam Adebayo. The only player on the roster who has been to the first two training camps in The Bahamas is veteran Udonis Haslem who is entering his 20th season in the league – all with the Heat who drafted him in 2002.

“I enjoy the people. I enjoy the culture, the food. Everybody’s nice. The weather is great. There are a lot of Miami Heat fans there. It’s just like being home,” Haslem said.

The 2013 training camp featured Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh – the former ‘Big Three’ of the Heat who led them to two National Basketball Association (NBA) titles.

Last season, the Heat advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals but fell short 4-3 to the Boston Celtics. The Heat, who are coached by Erik Spoelstra, finished regular season play as the number one seed in the Eastern Conference with a 53-29 win/loss record – two games ahead of the Celtics who entered the playoffs as the second seeded team. The Heat are looking to return to the NBA Finals this upcoming season, beginning with training camp in The Bahamas next week.

The team will head back to Miami, Florida, on Saturday October 1, to start preseason action. They will tip off the preseason with a home matchup at the FTX Arena against the new-look Minnesota Timberwolves that now features Rudy Gobert alongside franchise player Karl-Anthony Towns. That game is set for Tuesday October 4.

https://thenassauguardian.com/heat-returning-to-the-bahamas/

 Home|Sports|Bahamian Ashley Michel named ICCAC Athlete of the Week Sports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailSeptember 23, 2022 272 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) has named Bahamian Ashley Michel, a sophomore for the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Bears women’s golf team, as the ICCAC Athlete of the Week for women’s golf for the week of September 12 to 18. She is the first DMACC women’s golfer to be honored this season.

Michel captured her second individual championship this season when she won the DMACC Invitational on September 16 at Cedar Pointe Golf Course in Boone, Iowa. She posted a five-over-par 77 in winning the title.

Michel also won the North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) Fall Invitational on September 8 at the Mason Country Club in Mason City, Iowa, shooting her first five-over-par 77 of the season.

The DMACC women’s golf team finished second in both tournaments.

Michel’s two wins match her tournament wins from the 2021-22 season. In addition to winning two tournaments in 2021-22, Michel had three runner-up performances during that season. The Bears played 11 tournaments in 2021-22 with Michel finishing fifth or higher five times and 10th or better 10 times.

She will lead the Bears at the Waldorf Invite September 25 and 26. The tournament will be played at the Wedgewood Cove Golf Club in Albert Lea, Minnesota, on September 25 and at the Rice Lake Golf and Country Club in Lake Mills, Iowa, on September 26.

https://thenassauguardian.com/bahamian-ashley-michel-named-iccac-athlete-of-the-week/

 Home|Sports|Wildcats take 1-0 lead over Truckers as playoffs get underwaySports

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 23, 2022 296 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The New Providence Softball Association (NPSA) got its 2022 playoffs underway on Thursday and the women’s defending champions Sunshine Auto Wildcats got their title defense off to a good start as they took a 1-0 lead over the Johnson’s Lady Truckers in their mini best-of-three semifinal series. They won 13-3 last night on the Bankers Softball Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

It was the beginning of the first NPSA playoffs series since 2019, because of the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic which forced the league to shut down for three years.

Shortstop Larikah Russell was consistent for the Wildcats, going a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate. She scored three runs and had one run batted in (RBI). She got help from winning pitcher Thela Stevens who scored two runs and had eight strikeouts from the mound.

Despite scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning, the Wildcats did not look like their usual dominant selves. It was not until the third inning when they came alive offensively. In the bottom of that inning, the Wildcats scored six runs to take a 12-3 lead.

After the Lady Truckers came up empty in the top of the fourth inning, the Wildcats needed just one run to put the mercy rule in play. Left fielder Tyrice Davis scored the winning run for the Wildcats on a pass ball, giving them the 13-3 victory. It was her second run of the night.

The Wildcats were also this season’s pennant winner, finishing with a 9-3 win/loss record. They are going after a fourth straight championship title. The RAB Operators also finished with a 9-3 record but the Wildcats won the tiebreaker due to a 2-1 advantage in their head-to-head matchups. They earned the right to take on the fourth-place Lady Truckers (5-7). The Wildcats won all three regular season matchups against the Lady Truckers. They won the first matchup 11-6, the second one 11-1, and the third one by default.

Game two of this series will be held on Saturday at 7 p.m.

The second game of the doubleheader last night featured a matchup between the number two and three seeded teams in the men’s division. The number two seeded Cyber Tech Blue Marlins (10-2) battled the Atlantis Titans (4-7) but no score was available up to press time.

The Titans and the Chances Mighty Mitts had identical records but the Titans won the tiebreaker for the third seed after sporting a 2-1 record in their head-to-head matchups. The Blue Marlins swept their regular season meetings against the Titans, 3-0, winning 9-1, 10-2 and 7-0.

The playoffs continue tonight with the men’s defending champions C&S Hitmen (11-1) taking on the Mighty Mitts at 9 p.m. The Hitmen swept the Mighty Mitts in the regular season, 3-0. They won their games 6-3, 8-5 and 13-12.

The women’s division game between the second-seeded RAB Operators and the improved third-seeded University of The Bahamas Mingoes (6-6) is set for 7 p.m. The Operators won the regular season head-to-head matchups, 2-1. The Mingoes won the first game 10-8. However, the Operators won the final two regular season meetings, 20-9 and 11-4.

The Renegades (1-11) in the men’s division and the Black Scorpions (1-11) in the women’s division did not make the playoffs.

https://thenassauguardian.com/wildcats-take-1-0-lead-over-truckers-as-playoffs-get-underway/

SHOWN, from left to right, 5th place finalist Hannah D’Aguilar and Last Call, Kimberly Johnson, trainer (CEC), rider Ella Saidi, Erika Adderley, trainer (Mariposa Stables), 12th place finalist Isabella Coello and Schokolade Sea.

As of Wednesday, September 21, 2022

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#EQUESTRIAN athletes Hannah D’Aguilar, Isabella Coello and Ella Saidi may ride at different barns at home in Nassau, but they were a united and formidable presence this past weekend at the 2022 Marshall & Sterling Insurance League Finals.

#More than 500 North American riders gathered at the world-class facility in Saugerties, New York, to compete at all levels and showcase the rising talent in the hunter, jumper and equitation rings.

#Hannah D’Aguilar, who rides at Camperdown Equestrian Centre, and Isabella Coello and Ella Saidi, who ride at Mariposa Stables, travelled with their trainers Kimberly Johnson and Erika Adderley respectively, to compete in the event.

#The result was a triumph for the Bahamian contingent, with two riders finishing in the ribbons for the first time ever. Equestrian Bahamas president Cathy Ramsingh-Pierre praised the riders and trainers for their notable accomplishment. “We have had riders qualify for, and place in, the Marshall & Sterling Finals before,” she noted, “but we have never had two Finalists finish in the ribbons in the same year. It is a phenomenal testament to the abilities of our coaches and riders.”

#The weekend began propitiously when 16-year old Hannah D’Aguilar, a 12th-grader at Queen’s College here in Nassau, rode Valley Crest Stables’ Last Call to 8th place out of a field of 70 in the Hudson Children’s Equitation Classic.

#However, the class was merely preparation for the main event of the weekend: the Marshall & Sterling Children’s Medal Final, in which riders compete by invitation only.

#D’Aguilar, Coello and Saidi were among the 74 riders who had worked for the past year just to qualify to ride in the event, and now gathered at the Grand Prix Stadium to test their equitation skills.

#D’Aguilar (again on Last Call) was the first of the Bahamian riders to enter the ring. She laid down a nearly perfect trip which was reflected in a score of 82.5 (out of 100).

#The high score not only put her in 3rd place but was good enough to fend off dozens of the riders who followed, all vying to be one of the top 12 finishers who would qualify for the final testing.

#Next to go was Ella Saidi, riding Megan Gore’s Normandy. Saidi distinguished herself earlier this year at the Interscholastic Equestrian Association Hunt Seat Finals in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

#But this time it was not to be. Her score in the low 70s essentially placed her out of the running.

#Finally came 15-year old Isabella Coello, an 11th-grader at Windsor School, riding Schokolade Sea, owned by Greystone Stables.

#Coello rode a smooth and competent round, scoring over 80 which was good enough to make the final 12.

#Having finished in the top 12, D’Aguilar and Coello were invited back into the ring with 10 other riders to perform a technically demanding test over jumps set by the judges.

#Final placings shifted as the test score was added to the score from the original round.

#The eventual winner of the class was Grace Monobianca riding Carboni 3. Ultimately, D’Aguilar and Last Call placed 5th while Coello and Schokolade Sea finished 12th.

#Trainer Kimberly Johnson summed up their performance with a single sentence and a big smile: “They were awesome.”

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/21/equestrian-athletes-take-spotlight-marshall-sterli/?news

MAIN PHOTO: Centrefielder Anfernee Seymour, shown here training prior to playing for Great Britain, collected two hits and stole two bases in the victory. Photo: Great Britain Baseball INSET: Tahnaj Thomas (left) and D’Shawn Knowles.

As of Wednesday, September 21, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Tahnaj Thomas got the win in relief on the mound and D’Shawn Knowles and Anfernee Seymour provided a 1-2 offensive attack for Great Britain as they sealed a come-from-behind 10-9 win over Spain yesterday to book their ticket to the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

#Great Britain, with Albert Cartwright as the first base coach and five players on the team representing the Bahamas, remained undefeated in the three games played so far in the Regensburg Qualifier in Germany at the Armin-Wolf-Arena.

#Trailing 9-8 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, Jaden Rudd cracked a game-tying home run to right field off Spain’s Rhiner Cruz to send the game to extra innings.

#Thomas came in relief for Donovan Benoit in the top of the 10th inning and held Spain at bay to earn the win on the mound after Alex Crosby lifted a walk-off sacrifice fly to left field in the bottom of the frame to send Great Britain to the World Baseball Classic.

#Knowles, playing left field, was 3-for-5 with three runs batted in (RBI) and two runs scored, including a two-run home run in the seventh inning that scored Alex Crosby to cut Great Britain’s deficit to one, 9-10.

#Seymour, playing next to Knowles in centre field, was 2-for-3 with a base on balls (walk) and a hit by pitch. He also stole a pair of bases and came home twice.

#The other players from the Bahamas on the team are pitcher Chavez Fernander and catcher Ural Forbes.

#Great Britain routed France 14-4 in their first game of the tournament on Friday. They came back and got their second win on Saturday with a 9-1 decision over Germany.

#This is the third time that the Bahamian players have teamed up to play with Great Britain.

#Cartwright and Antoan Richardson were the first to do so in 2013.

#The two, along with Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm, Kyle Simmons, Ali Knowles, Todd Isaacs, Champ Stuart, Chavez Young and Reshard Munroe, played again in 2016.

#The tournament was to be played in 2020, but was called off due to COVID-19. With the return of the tournament this year, it marked the first time that Great Britain has qualified for the World Baseball Classic.

#The Bahamas was unable to field a team for the classic because it has not participated in any World Baseball/Softball Confederation in quite a while and therefore the ranking is not up to par to play on its own.

#Bahamas Baseball Association secretary general Teddy Sweeting said they will begin making progress to fielding a team from the Bahamas by hosting its first major international tournament in December to christen the new baseball stadium, which is expected to be completed by the end of November.

#Despite losing to Great Britain, Spain will still have a chance.

#Spain plays the Czech Republic today, with the winner of that game earning the final spot in World Baseball Classic 2023 from Pool A.

#Spain beat the Czech Republic 21-7 in their first meeting of the tournament.

#Germany and Panama serve as the two respective sites of the qualifiers this fall.

#Each location will host a six-team pool, with the top two teams from each qualifier advancing to the main event in March 2023.

#The Pool B Qualifier is scheduled for September 30 to October 5 in Panama City and includes no. 13 Panama, no. 15 Nicaragua, no. 25 Brazil, no. 27 Argentina, no. 31 Pakistan, and no. 46 New Zealand.

#The newly expanded 20-team, top-tier global tournament serves as the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s official pro-level National Team World Championship.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/21/stunning-comeback-team-great-britain-advances-its-/

 Home|Sports|Three goals for NicholasSports

Bahamian collegiate water polo player excelling for the Mountaineers

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 21, 2022 65 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian collegiate water polo player Nicholas Wallace-Whitfield scored three goals for his team, the Mount Saint Mary’s Mountaineers, as they evenly split a four-game slate at the Bucknell Invite at the Kinney Natatorium in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, over the weekend.

Bahamian Saequan Miller’s team, the Salem University Tigers, were in action as well, but the graduate student was not available to play. They also split their four games.

Wallace-Whitfield and Miller’s teams met again in the pool after the Tigers got the best of the Mountaineers two weeks ago. It was the same result this time with the Tigers winning, 20-9. Wallace-Whitfield scored two goals in this match but it was not enough as the Tigers scored a combined 14 goals in the first and fourth periods.

The sophomore said that it was a tough loss and they have to put it behind them.

“The Salem game was a tough loss. It is something we must put behind us and focus on the future. I know that isn’t the end, we most likely will get a chance to play them again at conference championships and must be ready for that,” Wallace-Whitfield said.

He also had a goal on Saturday, helping the Mountaineers take down McKendree University, 11-10.

“I was extremely happy,” Wallace-Whitfield said. “It gave me a sense of confidence knowing I can be someone on the team to score when needed.”

The Mountaineers’ two losses came against two Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MWPC) teams – the Tigers and Fordham. They lost the game against Fordham, 17-13. They were able to end the weekend on a good note with a 17-13 victory over Mercyhurst University. They now sport a 4-3 win/loss record on the season.

“Our team, which is still relatively young filled with mostly freshmen and sophomores, is still building team chemistry and we are finding out how to play with each other. We know what we can do and the ultimate goal for the end of the season is to be conference champions. We must all make that our number one priority,” Wallace-Whitfield said.

Miller’s Tigers’ next victory came against Mercyhurst, 21-12. Their losses came against Wagner College, 18-14, and then to Fordham University, 24-12.

Up next for the Mountaineers and the Tigers is a four-game slate this weekend in Erie, Pennsylvania, for the MWPC Crossover on Friday and Sunday. Miller is hopeful that he will be available to play this time.

https://thenassauguardian.com/three-goals-for-nicholas/