Caribbean Sports Round Up...

Published Thursday, August 16th, 2007

THE opening day of the Sherwin Williams Women's Football League was tainted by a post-match brawl involving defending champions Harbour View and Olympic Gardens at the Cling Cling Oval on Wednesday, August 15th.  Harbour View won the game 5-0 through goals from Shakira Duncan, Kimmia Parker, Taneisha Grant (penalty), Natasha Douglas and Astacyia McIntyre.  However, it was at the end of the game that the biggest scenario of the day unfolded, with former Olympic Gardens player Claudette Walker and Olympic Gardens' goalkeeper Lataya Reid coming to blows, leaving the latter nursing facial injuries at the end of the slug-fest.  Eyewitnesses claim that Walker entered the field of play with a knife in her sock, which she discreetly removed from her gear before using it to attack Reid at the end of the match.  Reid's wound was evidently cause by a sharp object, which left blood oozing from her forehead.  A fracas then ensued as players from both sides became involved in a heated exchange of blows, with match and club officials trying desperately to restore order.  "It was awful, it was ugly and I wish incidents like this don't happen, especially in female football," said Olympic Gardens' coach Michael Peart.  "I heard Claudette Walker had a knife in her sock. She went into a tackle with the goalkeeper and she (Claudette) was hit in her face," he added.  It is understood that at the final whistle both players walked towards each other, apparently hurling verbal insults.  Although it is uncertain who threw the first blow, Reid was left nursing a cut to her forehead. This led to players from both teams getting involved in a physical confrontation, with the field being transformed into a virtual battle ground for some 10 minutes after the match.

West Indies captain Ramanaresh Sarwan says he is back in training and ready to lead the regional side in September's Twenty/20 World Cup in South Africa.  The Guyanese middle order batsman, who injured his shoulder during the second test against England in June, says he is getting back into the swing of things. Sarwan who captained Guyana to victory in the Stanford Twenty/20 championship last year in Antigua explained that he will see some competitive action before the Twenty/20 world Cup.  The 15-man West Indies squad includes the recalled pacer Pedro Collins and batsman Narsingh Deonarine.   Guyanese batsman Narsinghe Deonarine says his recall to the West Indies team for the Twenty/20 World Cup is long overdue.  Deonarine, who is now in England, last played when the West Indies, toured Sri Lanka in 2005 with a weakened side due to a contract dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board and the West Indies Players Association.

President of the MVP track club, Bruce James, is dissatisfied with the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA), for not including MVP athletes, sprinter Sherone Simpson and hurdler Bridgette Foster-Hylton in Jamaica's team to the IAAF World Championships of Athletics in Osaka, Japan.   Bruce says strategically  Sherone's inclusion as a sixth athlete could only work in Jamaica's favor.  The JAAA had announced that all athletes had until August 13th to prove their fitness, if they were to be included in the team to the championships. However to that date, neither Simpson nor Foster-Hylton were able to prove their world ranking form.    

 

The Reggae Boy Marlon King is worth 60 million pounds according to his Watford coach Adrian Boothroyd.   Boothroyd says the top premiership clubs will have to dish out that sort of money to get him.  King has been linked with a move to Derby and feels he has a score to settle with top flight football after missing so much of Watford's unsuccessful 2006/07 premiership campaign due to a knee injury.  Boothroyd sold Hameur Bouazza to Fulham earlier in the summer and allowed Ashley Young to join Aston Villa in January, but he insists he will not allow King to quit Vicarage Road.  The 27-year-old has made no secret of his desire to return to the top division, but now appears to face at least one more year in the Coca-Cola Championship.