Caribbean Sports Roundup

By NAN Sports Editor

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. April 5, 2018: Here are the top stories making Caribbean sports news for the week ending, April 5, 2019:

Can West Indies Make History 40 Years Later?

It’s been 40-years since West Indies men’s cricket team lifted the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup trophy. That was 1979 but now current captain, Jason Holder, says he is confident his Caribbean side can repeat history.

“I’m very optimistic,” Holder told Sportsmail. “I think we’ve got what it takes to win the World Cup. It’s just a matter of the [kind of] cricket we play. We’ve potentially got match-winners on any given day and we can beat any side in the world. We’re confident that once we formulate our plans and execute them, we’ll be up there lifting that trophy at the very end.”

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Opening Party is set to take place on the iconic London Mall on the evening of May 29th. The first match of the tourney will get under way between hosts England and South Africa, who meet at The Oval, London on May 30th.

West Indies takes on Pakistan at Trent Bridge in the first match of the tourney on May 31st.

Caribbean Scores Gold with CONCACAF Match

Not a whistle has been blown yet, but the Caribbean region has already struck gold – CONCACAF Gold that is.

For the first time in the tourney’s history, a double header match will be played in a Caribbean nation. The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) will play two matches during this year’s edition of the national team tournament in Jamaica. The matches in Jamaica, which will kick off Group C play on June 17th, will feature the group’s top seed Honduras, as well as Jamaica.

The games at the National Stadium in Kingston will mark the first Gold Cup matches to be played in the Caribbean. Other Group C matches will be played at BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, and Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles. This summer’s expanded Gold Cup, set to commence on June 15th, will be the largest in history.

The Jamaica announcement marks the latest effort by Concacaf to expand the reach of the Gold Cup.

“This is a historic day for football in Jamaica, bringing the Concacaf Gold Cup to our country will change the entire landscape of the game in this country,” said Jamaica Football Federation president Michael Ricketts. “The competition will inspire the growth of the sport and youngsters to play football.”

The complete groups and schedule for the 2019 Gold Cup will be unveiled on April 10th at an event in Los Angeles.

Jamaican Athlete For Doha

Jamaica’s Danielle Williams, who preceded Sally Pearson as the world champion in Beijing in 2015, is among top global athletes set for Doha next month.

Williams will run in the 100-m hurdles at the 2019 IAAF Diamond League, which takes place at the state-of-the-art Khalifa International Stadium on May 3rd. “It gives us great pleasure to announce that some of the leading names in the track and field world will be seen in action on May 3 2019. Qatar feels proud to host the names that matter in the track and field world,” said Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF) President and Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Dr. Thani Al Kuwari.

Countdown On To Penn Relays

This year the Penn Relays will celebrate its 125th anniversary even as Team Jamaica Bickle, the Caribbean Diaspora organization assisting Caribbean athletes at the relays, turns 25.

Tickets are already on sale for Penn, which returns to Franklin Field on April 25 -27.

Meanwhile, TJB, which stated in 1994 as a hospitality service to cater to the basic needs of athletes from Jamaica participating at the Penn relays, is gearing up to again host hundreds of Caribbean athletes at Penn this year including from Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana and St. Vincent & The Grenadines.

Athletes receive three hot meals daily, ground transportation, chiropractic and some medical services as well as mentorship. To support this non-profit sports initiative log on to https://www.teamjamaicabickle.org/donate/