Caribbean Sports Roundup

By NAN Sports Editor

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Nov. 15, 2019: Here are the top headlines making news on the Caribbean sports scene this week.

West Indies Continue Winning Streak

Despite news of ball tampering and a four-match suspension for left-handed batsman Nicholas Pooran, the big news for Windies fans is the continued winning streak of the West Indies cricket team.

On Thursday, the West Indies’ men again won against Afghanistan, this time in their first T20I match-up.

Playing in front a crowd of close to 15,000 fans at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, West Indies rattled up 164-5 off their 20 overs thanks to 68 from Lewis and 32 not out by Pollard at the end. They then restricted the host to 134-9 off their 20 overs – Williams had 3-17 off his four overs and Pollard chipped in with 2-17 off three overs – to earn the Man-of-the-Match award.

The win comes on the heels of the ODI series win – the first since their victory over Bangladesh in 2014 and after a gap of 15 bilateral series.

In his first series back with the team, Coach Phil Simmons highlighted the discipline and attention to detail as key component in the 3-0 series sweep over Afghanistan at the vast Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. West Indies had wins by seven wickets, 47 run and five wickets to showcase their class and pedigree.

“The joy of all West Indians was immense, the good wishes and the congratulations – it just makes us ‘one’ as a region and a people – it makes you want to do it again,” Simmons commented. “It is indeed a joy and a pleasure to be coming back to the West Indies set-up to go to the T20 World Cup as the defending champions. I’m looking forward to make sure that we build up to it. Hopefully with 20-odd T20 matches in the build-up to the big event we can get there and peak around that time.”

The Windies will now face Afghanistan in another two Twenty20 International (T20I) match-up on Saturday night. First ball is 7 p.m. (9:30 a.m. Eastern Caribbean Time/8:30am Jamaica Time). The T20Is will be followed by a one-off Test series which commences from November 27th.

Caribbean Roots Soccer Player Named Coach Of Montreal Impact

Former French top soccer player, Thierry Henry, whose roots extend to the French Caribbean, has been named the new head coach of MLS side Montreal Impact.

The former Arsenal and France star has signed an initial two-year deal, with the option of a third. It is Henry’s first coaching job since a troubled 20 games in charge of former club Monaco in Ligue 1 last season.

“We are extremely happy to announce the nomination of this legend of the game,” said Impact president and CEO Kevin Gilmore via the club’s website. “Henry will bring a new energy to our club. He shares our vision to elevate this club and will help us achieve our goals on and off the field. He is a competitor and a leader who has proven himself at the highest level throughout his career. He now brings these qualities with him to Montreal, a place he wants to be.”

Henry, 42, said: “It’s an honour to coach the Montreal Impact and return to MLS. It’s a league I know well, in which I had some very nice moments. To be in Quebec, in Montreal, which has an enormous multicultural heritage, it’s extraordinary. I’ve always kept an eye on the club and now I’m here.”

Henry spent four years with New York Red Bulls after leaving Barcelona in 2010, winning the Supporters’ Shield in 2013 after helping his side finish top of the Eastern Conference. After taking a coaching role with the Arsenal academy following his retirement in 2014, Henry then enjoyed a successful two-year spell as assistant to Roberto Martinez with Belgium. He took charge of Monaco in October 2018 after the dismissal of Leonardo Jardim, but he was sacked in January this year after managing only four wins in his brief tenure.

Henry’s father, Antoine, is from Guadeloupe and his mother, Maryse, is from Martinique.

DC United To Play Bermuda On St. Croix

Four-time championship team D.C. United will play a postseason match against Bermuda’s national team today, Friday November 15th, at the Bethlehem Soccer Complex on St. Croix, the only FIFA-certified pro turf pitch in the Caribbean.

The exhibition game, which kicks off at 7 p.m., is part of D.C. United’s five-day post season tour of the Territory being coordinated by the Office of the Governor; the Department of Tourism; the Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation; the U.S. Virgin Islands Soccer Association; and Events DC. The roster for the postseason tour presented by Events DC will be announced in the coming days.

On Saturday November 16th, the team and their families will explore the island on a guided tour before leaving the next day.

Tickets for the soccer game are $20 and will be available from Friday, November 8 at Le Baron Men’s Clothier in the Sunny Isle Shopping Center, Jane’s Bridal Boutique across from Plaza Extra West, and the One Love Service Station in La Grand Princesse on St. Croix. On St. Thomas, patrons can visit Urban Threadz for tickets.

Entrance is free for students accompanied by a parent or guardian.

World Series Of Poker In Aruba

The annual World Series of Poker event opened at Hilton Aruba yesterday, November 14th and will run through Nov. 24th.  The 11-day event will include 10 Ring events, a series of Mega Satellite and limited/no limit games hosted at Hilton Aruba’s onsite Casino. he Casino Aruba at Hilton Caribbean resort will be hosting the circuit stop with an action-packed schedule of 10 WSOP Ring events, including the $1,700 main event featuring a guaranteed prize pool of $250,000.

The winner of the WSOP Aruba Main Event and the winner of the leader board for the Ring Events will each receive an extra ticket to the WSOP Global Casino Championship worth $10,000. During this tournament, all WSOP International Circuit Main Event winners compete for a guaranteed prize pool of $1,000,000.

Top Caribbean Athletes Up For First PANAM Sports Award

Several top Caribbean athletes are among the top nominees selected for this year’s inaugural PANAM Sports Award based on their performances in Lima.

In the top Male Athlete category, Grenada’s Anderson Peters is up along with Nicholas Paul of Trinidad and Tobago and Mijain Lopez of Cuba.  Jamaican Olympian Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the lone Caribbean athlete in the female category and she has also been nominated in the Changemaker category.

Meanwhile, coach Stephen Francis is a nominee for the Best Coach. More than 40 athletes and coaches have been nominated in nine categories and part of the selection process will involve voting by the public.Vote now at panamsports.org/vote

Golf Classic Bahamas

The 2020 The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic is already counting down to the big tourney but will be moved to Royal Blue Golf Club at Baha Mar due to Hurricane Dorian’s impact on Great Abaco.

The Korn Ferry Tour tournament, which features 132 professionals vying in the year-long series to earn their PGA TOUR card, will be played Jan. 16-22 in its traditional role as the second event of the new season, following The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic, which is played the week before at Sandals Emerald Bay.

The Royal Blue Golf Club at Baha Mar is the first and only Jack Nicklaus design in The Bahamas. Spanning nearly 7,200 yards, Royal Blue Golf Course’s front nine features water-lined fairways and glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean, while the back nine navigates dense jungle until the island green at the par-3 16th hole on Lake Cunningham.

With the change, the event will officially be called “The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at Baha Mar” and in addition to the global exposure, proceeds from the event will be donated to relief efforts in Abaco.

Bahamas Showcase Basketball

The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase, an NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, is set for Nov. 22-24, 2019 at the Baha Mar Convention Center.

The eight-team tournament, now in its third year in Nassau, was relocated given that the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium has been serving as a shelter for a number of people from Abaco and Grand Bahama who were displaced by Hurricane Dorian. Baha Mar also recently played host to the Memphis men’s basketball program in August, as it played games there on a foreign exhibition tour.

The tournament’s first-round action on Friday, Nov. 22, will feature Liberty vs. Morgan State, Rice vs. Milwaukee, UMKC vs. George Washington and Evansville vs. East Carolina. The semifinals and consolation will follow on Saturday with the championship, third-place, fifth-place and seventh-place games on Sunday.