August 3, 2022August 3, 2022

Track and field team ready to do big things in England

As of Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Coach Ravanno Ferguson with Jahmial Wilson.

Denisha Cartwright in Birmingham.

Kaiwan Culmer in Birmingham.

Kendrick Thompson relaxing in Birmingham as Donald Thomas jogs behind him.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#BIRMINGHAM, England — With some changes made to the original list of athletes named by the Bahamas Olympic Committee, head coach Bernard Rolle said he’s looking forward to some good performances from the athletes here for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

#The track and field competition will get underway today at 10am at the Alexander Stadium where the official opening ceremonies took place on Thursday night.

#Here representing the Bahamas in track and field are 100m hurdler Devynne Charlton, triple jumper Kaiwan Culmer, sprinters Tynia Gaither and Denisha Cartwright, long jumper LaQuan Nairn, high jumpers Donald Thomas and Shawn Miller Jr, 110m hurler Jahmial Wilson, decathlete Kendrick Thompson and quarter-miler Alonzo Russell.

#All members of the team, managed by Rudolph Ferguson, are in the Games Village at the University of Birmingham, according to Rolle, who will be assisted by Ravanno Ferguson and Peter Pratt.

#“I expect the team to do very well,” Rolle said. “We have experience to go along with some athletes who are here for the first time, so it’s a good mix. So I expect them to do their best. I’m looking for some good results. I’m not sure what we will get out of it, but we expect some good things from this team.”

#As the action gets underway today in track and field, Wilson will be competing in the preliminaries of the men’s 110m hurdles, along with the qualifying round of the men’s high jump with both Thomas and Miller Jr in addition to the qualifying round of the men’s long jump with Nairn.

#Later in the day, both Gaither and Cartwright will get their first taste of action as they compete in the heats of the women’s 100m.

#According to Rolle, all of the athletes are in good shape and are eagerly awaiting the start of the competition.

#Track and field will be the fourth discipline that the Bahamas will be competing in at the games.

#Already completing competition is Armando Moss in the triathlon and boxers Carl Hield and Rashield Williams. The swimmers will wrap up competition today, while wrestling, judo and cycling are still waiting to start their competitions before the games are done on Sunday.

August 3, 2022August 3, 2022

Davante Carey breaks his national record at Commonwealth Games

FROM LEFT: Davente Carey and Lamar Taylor congratulate each other; Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson and Katelyn Cabral.

As of Sunday, July 31, 2022

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#BIRMINGHAM, England: In a national record breaking performance in the men’s 50 metre backstroke on Sunday, Davante Carey became the second Bahamian to advance to a semi-final at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

#But, like co-national flag carrier Lily Higgs, who fell short in her second swim back in the women’s 50m breaststroke on Saturday, Carey could only muster an eighth place finish in his second swim in the evening session for 16th place overall in 25.98 seconds.

#Earlier in the day at the Sandwell Aquatic Centre, Carey emerged out of the heats with the 16th and final spot in the semi-finals in 25.88 to break his own national record that he established at the Bahamas Aquatics’ National Championships a few weeks ago at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex.

#“It was a great race. It was a little faster than I swam at Nationals so I’m really happy with that,” Carey said. “Sometimes, it just takes that one swim to get on a roll. I was hoping to swim a lot faster, but I’m happy with my PB (personal best).”

#Also in the event was Lamar Taylor, who won his heat in 26.12 for 20th place overall.

#“I felt good. I knew I was walking into that heat with the fastest time, but that doesn’t mean anything. Anyone could win the race,” Taylor said. “I just had to stay focus and swim my own race and try to get back for the semi-final.”

#He didn’t het back for the semis, but Taylor was back in another event where he placed third in his heat of the men’s 100m freestyle for 23rd overall.

#“It was a little off my best time, but it was still a pretty good swim,” Taylor said. “I really felt it my last 50m when my arm started to give up, but it was still a pretty good swim.”

#Two other Bahamians also competed on Sunday, but neither got out of their heats.

#Katelyn Cabral was fourth in her heat of the women’s 50m butterfly in 29.58 for 34th overall.

#“It was my only race of the day so I was focusing on it all night,” Cabral said. “I went in it with a good mindset to be aggressive and that was what I did,” she stated. “It wasn’t the time I expected, but I think I left it all in the pool, so that’s all I could ask for.”

#And Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson had to settle for seventh in her heat of the women’s 200m breaststroke in 2:51.09 for 13th overall. Still she was quitter pleased with the effort.

#“I’m pretty happy with the time, considering my training was predominantly freestyle,” she said. “I’m happy to see that I’m still able to put up a pretty good time. I’m, happy that I was able to compete for the country and still finish strong.”

#The quest for the first finalist and possible a medal will continue on Monday with a number of Bahamians will be back in action, including Cabral in the women’s 200m backstroke; Izaak Bastian and Luke-Kennedy Thompson, both in the men’s 50m breaststroke; Rhanishka Gibbs in the women’s 100m freestyle; Davante Carey in the men’s 100m butterfly and both Lilly Higgs and Gibbs in the women’s 100m breaststroke.

August 3, 2022August 3, 2022

Women’s national tennis team 6th overall in Billie Jean King Cup

As of Tuesday, August 2, 2022

#THE women’s national tennis team returned from the Dominican Republic over the weekend with a sixth place finish in the Billie Jean King Cup.

#After completing Group A in second place with a 2-1 win-loss record, the team of player/captain Simone Pratt, Sydney Clarke, Elana Mackey and Sierra Rodgers advanced to the playoffs where they lost 3-0 to Puerto Rico.

#The team had strong performances in the tournament which featured 17 nations in the Americas Group II.

#At the tournament’s end, Bolivia and Peru were promoted to Group II with wins over the Dominican Republic and Uruguay respectively.

#On Saturday, Team Bahamas played in the positional rounds against Puerto Rico.

#In the opening match, Mackey, the number two seeded player for the Bahamas, ended her tournament with a huge victory in straight sets over Julienne Bou of Puerto Rico 7-6 (4), 6-4 in one hour and 52 minutes.

#Mackey, who turns 20 on August 14, recorded three out of four singles match wins in the Billie Jean King Cup tournament.

#Clarke, the No.1 seeded player at 20, played a competitive three-setter match against Isabel Snyder of Puerto Rico, but came up short 2-6, 7-6 (1), 3-6 in a marathon match that lasted two hours and 18 minutes.

#With the matches split 1-1, it came down to doubles as Clarke and Mackey teamed up to face Puerto Rico’s Daniella O’Neil and Julieanna Bou.

#It took one hour and 30 minutes for Bou and O’Neil to beat Clarke and Mackey in another hard-fought match that finished around 9pm.

#The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association congratulated the team as president Perry Newton thanked Pratt, Clarke, Mackey and Rodgers for their performances in representing the nation.

#“This team had many firsts with Sierra Rodgers getting her first BJK team nomination and debut on the BJK court, Elana Mackey got her first BJK singles win, Sydney Clarke also got her first number one representation and Simone Pratt got her first BJK team captain position,” Newton said.

#“We thank God for their successful top six finish among 17 nations in the Americas. The team has returned safely home today. We also thank our BJK sponsor, Fidelity Bank and Trust Bahamas Limited. The team had a rewarding time at the 2022 BJK Cup.”

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/02/womens-national-tennis-team-6th-overall-billie-jea/?news

August 3, 2022August 3, 2022

Andrews breaks national record in 110m hurdles

ANTOINE Andrews yesterday set a new national record in the 110 metre hurdles at the World Athletics’ U20 Championships at the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium in Cali, Colombia.

As of Tuesday, August 2, 2022

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Team Bahamas began competition yesterday at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, and produced a new national record on day one.

#Antoine Andrews highlighted the performances for Team Bahamas with a new national record in the 110m hurdles yesterday at the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium.

#Andrews won heat three in the new record setting time of 13.36 seconds. His time surpassed the mark of 13.38 set by Shamar Sands in 2009 and the junior national record of 13.67 set by Sands in 2002.

#Christos Panagiotis- Roumtsios of Greece finished second to Andrews in heat three in 13.82 and Malik Mixon of the United States was third in 14.10. Andrews enters today’s semi-final as the second fastest qualifier in the 12-man field, just behind Matthew Sophia of the Netherlands who won heat one in a world leading U20 time of 13.10.

#The semi-finals take place this afternoon at 4:10pm local time.

#In his last appearance at the World U20 Championships in 2021 in Nairobi, Kenya, Andrews ran 14.08 to finish no.23 overall in the field.

#Also on the track, Wanya McCoy and Zachary Evans failed to advance out of the opening round of the men’s 100 metres. Evans finished fourth in heat four in a time of 10.63.

#Sadray Davidson of Jamaica took first in 10.25, Hiroto Fujiwara of Japan was second in 10.41 as automatic qualifiers and Carlos Angulo of Colombia advanced as one of the next fastest qualifiers in 10.45. McCoy ran 10.67 to finish sixth in heat two.

#The top three finishers in the heat – Benjamin Richardson of South Africa (10.33), Reynaldo Espinosa of Cuba (10.41), and Nazzio John of Grenada (10.47) eventually advanced to the semifinal.

#Letsile Tebogo advanced as the fastest qualifier in the field with a time of 10.00, followed by Mud Azeem Fahmi of Malaysia in a new U20 National Record time of 10.09, and Puripol Boonson of Thailand finished in 10.20.

#Competition continues today with Javonya Valcourt in the women’s 400 metres and the duo of Paige Archer and Shatalya Dorsett in the 100 metres.

#Corrington Maycock is the head coach of the 11-member team that competes through August 6.

#“We have a strong team with very disciplined athletes,” Maycock said when the team was named.

#“My hopes is that each and every athlete participates for personal records. “They all competed at a high level all season, now it’s time to execute.

#Approximately 141 countries are competing, featuring 1,517 athletes in 24 modalities for men, 24 for women and one mixed – the 4 x 400 metre relay.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/02/andrews-breaks-national-record-110m-hurdles/?news

August 1, 2022February 5, 2024

Izaak Bastian finishes seventh in his 100 metre breaststroke heat

As of Saturday, July 30, 2022

IZAAK Bastian

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#BIRMINGHAM, England: With a day’s rest to watch to his compatriots compete in their individual events, co-flag bearer Izaak Bastian got his first dip in the pool at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

#Bastian, one of four competitors in action on Saturday, finished 23rd in the men’s 100 metre breaststroke after he got seventh in the fourth of five heats.

#“Personally, the swim for me didn’t go that well, but you move with every swim. You learn from it,” Bastian said. “You take what is good from it and carry it on the 50m breaststroke and take what is bad from it and try to figure out what we can do to correct it.”

#The 21-year-old’s performance came two days after he and Lilly Higgs carried the Bahamian flag during the parade of athletes during the official opening ceremonies of the games on Thursday night at Alexander Stadium.

#But while Bastian said he didn’t perform as well as he would have liked in his first event, he was pleased to see the other Bahamians competing again, all of whom would have gotten their first taste of competition at the games on day on Friday.

#Luke Kennedy Thompson, 20, was 26th in the men’s 200m freestyle, despite getting second in the second of five heats in a personal best of 1:55.44. Kennedy is competing at the games with his sister Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson, 17, who had the day off on Saturday.

#Also in action in the same event were Rhanishka Gibbs (a personal best of 26.85) and Katelyn Cabral (28.15) for 22nd and 46th respectively in the women’s 50m freestyle. While Gibbs, the youngest of Team Bahamas at age 16, was second in the sixth of nine heats, 18-year-old Cabral was eighth in heat five.

#On Sunday, Team Bahamas will be back in the pool with Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson in the heats of the women’s 200m breaststroke; Davante Carey and Lamar Taylor in the heats of the men’s 50m backstroke; Katelyn Cabral in the heats of the women’s 50m fly and Taylor will be back for his second swim of the day in the heats of the men’s 100m free.

#Bastian said he’s still ecstatic about carrying the flag with Higgs, who was the first on the team to make it to a semi-final on Friday. And Bastian said he’s eager to see how he and the rest of his teammates will perform over the next few days before the swimming competition wraps up.

#“I’m really looking forward to the 50m breast. I normally used to enjoy the longer races, but now I’m leaning a lot more to the shorter races,” he said. “I’m also looking forward to seeing my teammates have a good time at their first Commonwealth Games.”

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/jul/30/izaak-bastian-finishes-seventh-his-100-metre-breas/?news

August 1, 2022August 1, 2022

Carl Hield stopped in first round at Commonwealth Games

Carl Hield speaking to the media after his loss.

As of Sunday, July 31, 2022

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#BIRMINGHAM, England: Before he could get started in his fifth appearance at the Commonwealth Games, Carl Hield was done. His opening match on Saturday at the NEC Hall didn’t last past the first round.

#The 35-year-old Hield, looking to improve on his bronze medal win in 2010 in Delhi, India, was stopped in the first round in his light middleweight bout at 67-71 kilogrammes by Nigeria’s 26-year-old Abdul-Afeez Osoba on Saturday at the NEC Hall.

#Just like that, one half of the Bahamian boxing team is done.

#“The fight was alright at the beginning. I was landing more punches. You could see that he was missing. If he hit, he was hitting my hand,” said Hield of what transpired. “The first hit I got, when I dropped, he came off the rope and hit me and the referee told me to stop turning around.”

#Again Osoba continued the assault as he went after Hield. When he got him for the second time, Hield turned and his feet got caught on the ropes. As he regained his footing, Osoba again kept the pressure on.

#This time, after he got hit from Hield, Osoba countered with a right to Hield’s face that dazed him as the referee stepped in. The ring doctor was called and the fight was subsequently stopped, much to the displeasure of Hield.

#“I should have gotten a caution first and then an eight count,” Hield stated. “It wasn’t like I was on the ground and out of it or I was wobbling all over the place. They just stopped the fight. I’m just disappointed. If you look at the fight, I was winning the fight.”

Carl Hield taking photos with some of the youngsters after his fight.

#It was Hield’s first stoppage in any of his global fights since he’s been representing the Bahamas. Despite his loss, Hield was comforted after the fight by fans who came over to either shake his hand, seek an autograph or take a photo with him.

#Vincent Strachan, president of the Bahamas Amateur Boxing Federation, said while it was a disappointing loss for Hield, his opponent made the difference.

#“Carl was in good shape. He was training for the past three months in the United States,” Strachan said. “But in boxing, one clean shot could end your night and that was what was Carl’s situation, one shot.

#“I’ve seen the best get stopped in one round. It doesn’t mean that it’s the end of your career. There’s always an opponent to come back. He didn’t win the fight and he didn’t go the distance, but I still salute him for what he did out there today.”

#On Sunday, the other member of the Bahamas’ boxing team, Rashield Williams, is expected to fight Jonas Jonas of Namibia. But the 32-year-old Williams indicated on Saturday that he’s still having some problems making the weight after he was entered into the light welterweight division rather than his normal welterweight division.

#Strachan, who submitted the entries, said Williams is preparing to fight and he anticipates that he will “do well”.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/jul/30/carl-hield-stopped-first-round-commonwealth-games/

August 1, 2022August 1, 2022

Davante Carey breaks his national record at Commonwealth Games

FROM LEFT: Davente Carey and Lamar Taylor congratulate each other; Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson and Katelyn Cabral.

As of Sunday, July 31, 2022

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Also in the event was Lamar Taylor, who won his heat in 26.12 for 20th place overall.

#He didn’t het back for the semis, but Taylor was back in another event where he placed third in his heat of the men’s 100m freestyle for 23rd overall.

#“It was a little off my best time, but it was still a pretty good swim,” Taylor said. “I really felt it my last 50m when my arm started to give up, but it was still a pretty good swim.”

#Two other Bahamians also competed on Sunday, but neither got out of their heats.

#Katelyn Cabral was fourth in her heat of the women’s 50m butterfly in 29.58 for 34th overall.

#And Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson had to settle for seventh in her heat of the women’s 200m breaststroke in 2:51.09 for 13th overall. Still she was quitter pleased with the effort.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/jul/31/carey-breaks-his-national-record-commonwealth-game/

August 1, 2022August 1, 2022

Rashield Williams loses on points after shedding pounds to make weight class

Rashield Williams and Carl Hield in Birmingham.

As of Sunday, July 31, 2022

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#BIRMINGHAM, England: Despite having to overwork himself to shed 11 pounds to make the weight, Rashield Williams gave it a gallant effort in his light welterweight match at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but was a little too weak to withstand Namibia’s Jonas Jonas.

#One day after the other team member Carl Hield was stopped in the first round of his boxing bout, Williams went the distance, but lost 5-0 on points to Jonas on Sunday at the NEC Hall. It was match he felt he could have easily won if he was at full strength.

#“It was a good fight. He was a tough guy. He was the former champion. He did his part and I did my part,” said Williams, who had to fight back in the last two rounds after losing the first of three minute three round bout.

#“Although I had to lose the weight because I was put in the wrong weight class, I did my best. I’m proud of myself.”

#The 32-year-old Williams said he spent the past three days starving himself from eating food and drinking water, while dehydrating using the sauna and running as much as he could. Unfortunately, the 21-year-old Jonas was much better prepared.

#“I didn’t want to just make this a vacation trip, so I had to go out there and do my best,” Williams said. “I’m okay now because I can eat. I’m satisfied with my performance. I’m glad I came out healthy and no damage was done to my body.”

#As the shorter of the two competitors, Williams found himself in a tough situation where he had to hold off the attack of the taller Jonas. Although he took the fight to him, he didn’t have the stamina to stay toe to toe with him and it caused him the decision.

#Still reeling from his disappointing first round stoppage on Saturday, Hield discovered Sunday morning when he got up that his left ankle was swollen from a slip in the ring during his bout and had to be treated by the polyclinic in the games village at the Hilton Hotel.

#The 35-year-old Hield’s ankle was bandaged and he revealed that he will have to continue treatment at the clinic until he leaves the games at the end of the week.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/jul/31/rashield-williams-loses-points-after-shedding-poun/

July 29, 2022July 29, 2022

Higgs signs with pro club in Spain

Home|Sports|Higgs signs with pro club in SpainSports

Simba French Send an emailJuly 28, 2022 175 2 minute readFacebook Twitter LinkedIn Share via Email

Bahamian professional women’s basketball player Lashann Higgs has signed to play for a new team, remaining in Spain for the 2022-2023 season. She will suit up for Honzo Global Jairis in Alcantarilla, Spain.

Higgs will be playing in the Liga Femina Challenge league that was formed in 2021. She spent most of last season playing for Lointek Gernika Bizkaia in the Liga Femina Endesa. Prior to that, Higgs played two games for Rutronik Stars Keltern in the Damen Basketball Bundesliga league in Germany.

She will be playing under the guidance of Coach Lucas Fernandez who spoke highly of the Bahamian.

“Higgs is a player who, within her humility and effort, has a great capacity to generate advantages from her one-on-one skills, with the ability to finish, to assist and with great physical capacities in defense. She is a player who from the beginning has shown us great enthusiasm for joining our team, and I am sure she will work hard to offer us the best version of herself,” Fernandez said.

In a report, a club representative spoke highly of Higgs on the team’s website when the guard was introduced.

“She arrives to reinforce the perimeter of Jairis. She is a very physical and explosive player, extraordinary in the open court and on the run and with a good shot from the perimeter. She is also very versatile, being able to play the positions of shooting and point guard,” the report said.

Last season, Jairis finished second in its regular season standings with a 24-6 win/loss record. They won the championship, clinching the title with 69-55 victory over Zamarat.

Harbour Island native Higgs played in 25 games for Gernika. She averaged 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. She played 21.4 minutes per game and was able to shoot 40.5 percent from beyond the arc. Higgs reached the 20 points plateau twice last season and her team finished seventh in the league with a 14-16 record. They advanced to the playoffs but was eliminated in the first round.

This upcoming season will be Higgs’ third as a professional basketball player after graduating from the University of Texas in 2020.

The 5’ 9” guard debuted professionally for Embutidos Pajariel Bembibre PDM which plays in the Liga Femenina Endesa in Spain. She was a standout player for that team as she led them in scoring with 15.8 points per game – good enough for third in the league. For a guard, she shot at a high clip of 53.6 percent from the field. She was also able to average 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game that season.

Higgs received the player of the week award twice that season but her team struggled, finishing the season with an 8-21 record. They failed to advance to the playoffs.

In her final season playing for Texas, Higgs averaged nine points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game to lead them to a 19-11 win/loss record. In her career for the Texas Longhorns, Higgs averaged 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. In addition, she helped lead the Longhorns to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament for four straight seasons. They reached the Elite Eight in 2016 and the Sweet 16 in back-to-back years of 2017 and 2018.

https://thenassauguardian.com/higgs-signs-with-pro-club-in-spain/

July 29, 2022July 29, 2022

A trio of youth baseball teams set to represent The Bahamas

Home|Sports|A trio of youth baseball teams set to represent The BahamasSports

Sheldon Longley Send an emailJuly 28, 2022 176 3 minute readFacebook Twitter LinkedIn Share via Email

The Bahamas will be represented at major Cal Ripken tournaments this summer as a couple of 12-and-under (12U) teams are set to travel to the Cal Ripken Major70 12U World Series in Branson, Missouri, and players primarily from the national coach pitch champions (8-and-under – 8U), Freedom Farm, will head to the Cal Ripken 8U Machine Pitch World Series in Ocala, Florida. Both tournaments are a division of Babe Ruth Baseball.

For the 12U tournament, The Bahamas is set to send two teams – the host team that won the Babe Ruth Caribbean Region 12U Championship at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex a couple weeks ago and another team consisting mainly of the tournament team who won the bronze at the same Caribbean regional tournament.

The Cal Ripken Major70 12U World Series is set for August 3-14 at Ballparks of America in Branson, Missouri. Players from several countries in different regions around the world, and from all over the United States (US), are expected to compete in this year’s world series classic.

In its first game, on Friday, August 5, The Bahamas’ host team from the Caribbean classic will take on Aruba at 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). That game will be played on the Chicago Field at the complex.

The other team from The Bahamas’ first game will face Australia at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, August 5. That game will be played on the Kansas City Field at the complex.

Also, the Freedom Farm Baseball League will be taking an 8U all-star team to the Babe Ruth Cal Ripken Machine Pitch World Series. That tournament will be held from July 29 to August 7 in Ocala, Florida.

A total of 10 teams from four states in the US have qualified by winning their respective regional tournaments and will be in action in Ocala. Last year, Freedom Farm competed in the tournament and finished third. The majority of the players on the team played on Freedom Farm’s 8U team at the recently held Bahamas Baseball Association (BBA) National Championships in which they went undefeated in tournament play and captured the gold medal with an impressive record of scoring 75 runs and giving up just one.

The team will be managed by Coach C.J. McKenzie who will be assisted by Trevere Saunders, Dario Robinson, Timico Smith, Romel Sands and Garvin Newball. Players named to the team are Elisha Sands, Graycin Newball, Khairos Robinson, Javari Edgecombe, Christian King, Diego Hutchinson, Tyler Smith, Diondre Thompson, Andrew Seymour, Jarrod Clarke, TaKaryi Butler, Ayden Curry and Davon Gibson.

In the Caribbean classic in the 12U division two weeks ago, behind a dominating pitching effort, The Bahamas’ host team shut out Cuba, 3-0, to capture the regional title. That team will enter the 12U world series tournament in Branson as the Caribbean representative and the number one team out of The Bahamas. The Bahamas’ tournament team, which won the bronze in the Caribbean Championship, is actually the gold medal team from the BBA National Championships in June. However, in the Caribbean classic, pitching was key, and it was the host team’s effort from the mound that stood out the most.

Chrishad Thompson Jr. was masterful in the championship game of that Caribbean classic for the host team, surrendering just one hit in four innings of work. Relief pitchers Chrispin Rodgers and Leslie Sands Jr. closed the door on the Cubans who had knocked out The Bahamas’ tournament team, 7-2, in the semifinals.

Set to compete in Branson is what is regarded as the best 12-year-old baseball players in the world. Each of the teams would have qualified to be there, either winning regional tournaments or qualifying through prior accomplishments. Hundreds of young, talented baseball players from around the world will be in action.

A team from The Bahamas came out on top in this tournament just once, winning the 2010 championship and earning the title of Cal Ripken Major70 12U World Champions. This year, a total of 28 teams will compete for that title.

The win in 2010 represented the first and, to date, the only world series title for The Bahamas on any level. It is also the first global championship by a Bahamian squad in a team sport.

https://thenassauguardian.com/a-trio-of-youth-baseball-teams-set-to-represent-the-bahamas/