• Third division basketball to conclude at Sports Hall
  • Wednesday, January 5th 2005
    The Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) semi-finals and final will be played at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall during the inter-ward basketball competition, which is expected to commence shortly.
    This was announced yesterday by president of the GABA, Chris Bowman.
    Bowman told Stabroek Sport that the three matches will be used as supporting games in the inter-ward competition.
    When played, Pepsi Sonics will challenge Disciples, while Ravens will face Bounty Colts, with the winners playing in the final.
    Bowman said a special meeting was to be held by the association on January 9, when Bruce Haynes was expected to be confirmed as the new secretary, filling the void left by past secretary Dwayne Fowler.
    That meeting, however, has been postponed to a later date because of the death of a relative of the treasurer.
    In February, however, the GABA is expected to organise a Mashramani first-division competition.
    Ten of the 12 teams in Georgetown will be part of that competition. The 10 teams, according to Bowman, are those recognised by the GABA under first-division classification.

  • Yohance Douglas basketball billed for March
  • By Faizool Deo - Saturday, January 15th 2005
    The second annual Yohance Douglas basketball knock-out tournament is set to commence in the first week of March at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, and will run for nine playing days.
    The tournament was started last year in memory of the former Emperors' player who was gunned down by police on March 1, 2003.
    This year, the tournament will be organised by the Jammers, the former Emperors basketball club.
    Secretary of the club, Vijay Panday, told Stabroek Sport that, like last year, along with the competition for the senior basketball team, there will also be competitions for the under-19 male teams, female teams and corporation teams.
    All, except the female competition, will be on knock-out basis. This is so since only three teams from Georgetown are set to compete - the Jammers, the Pepsi Sonics, and defending champions, the Courts Pacesetters. Panday related that, in order to make the female competition more exciting, the club is also looking to invite a team from Linden. He said given that the tournament is governed by the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA), the club will need the permission of the governing body, the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) ,for this to happen.
    Another hopeful chance this year will be the inclusion of more corporation teams and cash prizes for winners.
    When the competition was held the first year, the winners received sneakers and balls instead of prize money.
    This year, the club will invest $250,000 in the tournament, with the winners of the senior competition receiving $100,000 and the runners-up $50,000.
    For the juniors, $50,000 will be awarded to the winners, while the runners-up will receive $25,000. The females ,on the other hand, will be playing for a first place prize of $25,000.
    Panday said since trophies will be needed for the various winners, including the corporation teams, which will not play for cash, the club will be looking to solicit sponsorship. "We are hoping to get sponsors coming on board, since we need assistance with trophies, medals and advertisements."
    In terms of security, the club will use the services of the police and will also hire a private security firm.
    Panday said the competition is an important one for the family and friends of Douglas, and the club members. "It's a memorial tournament, to show the world that the players that he [Douglas] played alongside and the team that he represented have not forgotten him... and that he will live not only in their memories but also on the basketball court."
    Meanwhile, the club is calling on all members of the Jammers Basketball Club, male and female, to attend a special practice session and meeting at the Jammers' courts, Prashad Nagar, on January 17 from 17:00 hrs.

  • Rain forces postponement of inter-ward basketball
  • Sunday, January 16th 2005
    Heavy showers yesterday morning, which flooded the city, forced the postponement of basketball games last night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
    Preliminary round action in the Courts Pacesetters Inter-ward Basketball Competition is scheduled for tonight at the same venue.
    Chairman of the Courts Pacesetters Basketball Club, Dennis Clark, told Stabroek Sport that in order to start the semi-finals of the competition next week Sunday night, the competition committee decided to shift the original games set for tonight to next week Saturday, and to play last night's game tonight.
    Action will bounce off tonight with Bank of Guyana and Caricom taking on Guyana Red Cross Society in the supporting game. In inter-ward action, the undefeated East Bank will challenge the yet-to-score Alberttown/Bourda. In the feature game, 2004 national Inter-ward champions North Ruimveldt will meet Charlestown/Albouystown.
    The competition is set to continue on Wednesday night with North Ruimveldt taking on Atlanticville/Sparendaam and Kitty/Campbellville going up against East Bank.

  • North Ruimveldt in must-win situation tonight
  • By Faizool Deo - Saturday, January 15th 2005
    National Inter-ward champions, the star-studded North Ruimveldt Basketball Team, will have everything to play for tonight when they face off against Charlestown/Albouystown in the Courts Pacesetters Inter-ward basketball competition.
    The competition, which will resume at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall after a three-week break, will also see the undefeated East Bank going up against the winless Alberttown/Bourda, while in the supporting game, the combined team of Bank of Guyana and Caricom will take on Red Cross.
    In the competition, the top two teams from group A and the top two from group B will meet in the semi-finals, set to commence next weekend.
    In group A, the race is for the second spot between North Ruimveldt and Charlestown/Albouystown. Lodge/Meadow-brook booked their place in the finals, winning all three games that they have played.
    For the national champions to reach the semi-finals, they must win tonight and against East/West Ruimveldt.
    If Charlestown/Albouystown win tonight they will take the final spot in the group. In group B, it's a three-way run between Kitty/ Campbellville (two wins, no losses); East Bank (two wins, no losses) and defending champions Wortmanville/ Werk-en-Rust (two wins, one loss). A win for East Bank tonight will definitely put them in contention for the semi-finals.
    As before, East Bank will be led by their quick-hand guards Hoyadah Stewart, Britiel Younge, Ryan Stephanie and Earl Webster.
    Their `big men' are also known to make hustle plays. In the victory against Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust, centre Horace Hodges was one of the heroes, not only by scoring, but also by attacking the glass and forcing turnovers.
    At the other end of the court is Mark Trotz and his group from Alberttown/Bourda. The Courts Pacesetters' shooting guard has been a revelation in the first few games. Support, however, has been hard to get. If his team is to salvage some amount of pride for their ward, a victory tonight is imperative.
    In the group A match-up, North Ruimveldt, on paper the strongest team in the tournament, will need full support from the star-studded players.
    The long line-up of names for the side includes national captain Lugard Mohan, former 'Mr Dunk' Andrew Ifill, and MVP in the High Energy Basketball Tournament, Darcel Harris, along with Rudy James, Randolph Murphy, Joel Griffith, Kelvin Simon and Kerwin Blades.
    For Charlestown, the pressure will lie on the Linden pair of Dwayne Roberts and Alwyn Bellamy. And if some of the big names: Randolph Goodluck, Trevor McLeod, Marvin Hillman, Rodwell Fortune and Devon Persaud, can lend support, the game should be a thriller.

  • Linden association holds flood-relief basketball
  • Thursday, February 24th 2005
    Twelve teams will take to the Mackenzie Sports Club from tomorrow to compete in the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) flood relief tournament.
    All proceeds made from the tournament will go to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to assist in the national flood relief effort.
    LABA President Oswald Quamina said in a press release that the Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP) will donate the winning trophy of the competition.
    Assistant secretary of LABA Joe Chapman said the idea for the tournament came from vice-president Colin Aaron.
    Chapman related that LABA decided that, as a basketball association, it wanted to follow the initiative of the Eagles Football Club, which donated $50,000 from the money won in the Kashif and Shanghai football tournament.
    "As a sporting association, we felt that we should have done something. So we decided to follow the lead of the Eagles in Linden. We want basketball players who were affected by the flood to know that we are concerned, that we care."
    The LABA Knock-Out Christmas Basketball Competition which was expected to be concluded this year, has been cancelled. Chapman said the trophies from that competition will be used for the flood relief competition.
    LABA has written to the Mackenzie Sports Club for a waiver of fees to use the MSC hard court facility, where the tournament will be played.
    On the opening day of the competition, on Friday, Seventy-Sixers will challenge Karabow from 18:00 hrs, while in the feature game, Victory Valley Royals will tackle Silver Nets.
    On Saturday, Scheme Unit will go up against Wismar Pistons while Amelia's Ward's Falcons will oppose Blueberry Hill's Blazers.
    On Sunday, Alleyne's Retrieve Raiders will go up against the winner of the Sixers/Karabow game; this will be followed by Amelia's Ward's Jets meeting the winners of the Scheme Unit/Wismar Pistons game.
    The tournament, which will be played every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday night, if weather permits, is set to conclude on March 6.

  • Four-point plan announced for basketball development
  • Wednesday, February 9th 2005
    The Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) has committed to a four-point plan for the development of affiliated clubs.
    This commitment was made during a special meeting on Sunday when the executives of the association also appointed Pepsi Sonics Secretary Bruce Haynes as the new Secretary of the association.
    President of the GABA Chris Bowman related that Haynes was confirmed as the secretary unopposed and will fill the void left by former secretary Dwayne Fowler, who resigned in November last year because of work commitments.
    Bowman charged that, in order for basketball to move forward in Guyana, concrete foundations must be in place before growth can be accomplished. He said the four-point plan is essential for this to be established.
    The first commitment made was ensuring that each club gets a place to practise. This, Bowman said, is imperative to the development of the game. He stated that at the moment all of the clubs are depending on the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
    As a result of this, GABA is looking to improve facilities in schools and community groups to ensure that basketball courts are available; this would not only spread the game but also ensure that clubs have a base, Bowman said.
    The second commitment was helping all clubs to develop good basketball structures.
    It was related that this would be done by organising administrative seminars for the different executive members of the clubs.
    The third commitment is training local coaches and officials. Bowman said GABA asked clubs to identify potential coaches and officials, to provide training for them.
    The Georgetown basketball head said even though it's a GABA initiative, invitations will also be extended to officials and coaches from the East Coast, East Bank and Linden.
    The fourth commitment was ensuring that each club is able to attract a sponsor. That, according to Bowman, is also important, especially for the club's growth, proposing that the association will assist in every possible way to make this a reality.
    Bowman said along with the four-point plan the special meeting also saw agreement on proposed amendments of the constitution.
    Chief among these was creating an office of director of basketball operations.
    According to GABA head, the person in that position will take on the day-to-day function of running the association's office and doing the practical work of GABA.
    Tomorrow, a meeting with the full executive will be held, where the activities for the calendar year will be announced.
    (Faizool Deo)

  • GABA meets to look at new Constitution
  • Thursday, February 3rd 2005
    The Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) will meet on Sunday, at the Church of God Office, 246 Thomas and Church Streets, to review a proposal for a new Constitution and by-laws.
    According to a release from the association, at the meeting which will commence at 10 am, the executives will also appoint a new secretary, as well as plan its activities for the year 2005.
    All members are requested to attend.

  • Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust draw even
  • By Faizool Deo - Monday, March 21st 2005
    In what could be considered a case of the second-half blues, North Ruimveldt failed to complete a two game clean-sweep against defending champions Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust in their three-game final of the Courts Pacesetters and Smalta Inter-ward basketball competition, Saturday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
    After playing excellent basketball in the first-half, which they ended with an 18-point lead, the national Inter-ward champions, in the wee hours of yesterday morning, seemingly lost some of their energy and allowed Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust to record a come-from-behind win.
    Star player for the winners, Naylon Loncke, was very instrumental in his team's win, scoring four big three-pointers in clutch time, to finish with 27 points as his team triumphed 77-74.
    With both teams having won one game, a winner will be decided this Saturday.
    Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust opened the game with a two-point lead, then it was all North Ruimveldt, whose players really played hard in the packed Sports Hall.
    Former national captain Lugard Mohan ran the court in the first quarter creating hustle plays, and with the quick legs of point guard Darcel Harris, the defense of their opponents had little effect on the scoring.
    Mohan scored five points, including a fast break lay-up and a three pointer, to send his team to a 20-12 first-quarter lead.
    At the start of the second-quarter, Mohan continued where he left off and hit his second three-pointer, to carry the lead to 27-12 with just about nine minutes before the break.
    Harris, along with Andrew Ifill, were also creating plays, hustling in the middle. Ifill, who finished the half with nine points, was extremely aggressive in the first-half, dominating the paint both offensively and defensively. At the half, North Ruimveldt were up 46-28, with Mohan hitting five of seven from the field for his 12 points, while Harris shot three of five from the field for his seven points.
    Loncke was leading his side with seven points, having hit three of five from the field including a three-pointer, while Kurt Elias had six points.
    The third quarter saw a lot of dribbling but little penetration, and within the first three minutes, Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust went on a nine-nothing run which ended with a three-pointer from Mohan.
    For the rest of the quarter and most of the fourth, North Ruimveldt held on to their slim lead.
    With three minutes left in the game, power forward of Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust, Royston Siland, danced his way into the paint, scoring two points and drawing the foul. He completed the threepoint play from the free throw line. This carried the score to 68-69 and the crowd went wild. Loncke put the icing on the cake with a free throw and a basket, to give his team their first lead since the opening minute of the game. With Mohan on the bench due to foul trouble, no other player really took charge of the game for North Ruimveldt.
    Rondelph Murphy hit three of four from the free throw line in the last minute of the game. However, this was not enough as Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust, with crowd support, held on to clinch the victory and force a game three.
    Along with Loncke, Siland scored 21 points while he also grabbed three rebounds and five steals.
    For North Ruimveldt, Mohan finished with 18 points, Ifill 15 points six rebounds, and Harris 14 points, two assists and three boards.
    Prior to that game, East Bank defeated Lodge/ Meadow Brook 63-60. Small forward Hodayah Stewart scored 15 points while Oral Webster finished with 11.
    For Lodge/Meadowbrook, who played undefeated until the semi-finals of the competition, point guard Vanwick Felix led the way with 18 points, while Dane Kendal added 11 and Mortima Williams 10.
    In the opening game, Ravens blew away Sonics by 20 points, 87-67, to win the third-division competition. Point guard Ryan Stephanie led the way with 22 points and four assists for the winners while Yusif Edgill finished with 11 points, four assists and two steals. Garfield Granville scored 14 points, Kevin Azore 12 and Michael Cameron 11.
    For the Sonics, Ron Melville finished with 13 points, while Jason Warde and Carl Jackman scored 12 apiece.

  • North Ruimveldt crowned champions
  • Monday, March 28th 2005
    North Ruimveldt are now the undisputed inter-ward basketball champions after they defeated Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust Combined on Saturday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall to win the Courts Pacesetters-sponsored competition.
    The game, which was the third of the best- of- three finals, saw the North Ruimveldt team, crowned national inter-ward champions last year, blowing away their opponents 87 to 64.
    With the victory, the champions won $200,000.00 and the Smalta Trophy, Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust copped the DDL Mountain Dew Trophy and $100,000.00.
    Third placed winners East Bank won $60,000.00, while fourth placed Lodge/Meadowbook finished with $40,000.00.
    North Ruimveldt dominated the entire game. They ended the first quarter with a 24 to 15 points' lead, which increased to 48-29 at the half.
    Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust's star player Naylon Loncke could only manage six points in the game.
    For the winners, Andrew Ifill, Darcelle Harris and Lugard Mohan finished with 27, 19 and 16 points respectively.
    Kurt Elias 17, was the main contributor for Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust, while Royston Siland chipped in with 11.

  • Pepsi Sonics sponsorship renewed
  • By Faizool Deo - Friday, March 4th 2005
    DDL continues sponsorship: Management Trainee Rudy James hands over cheque to president of the Pepsi Sonics Club, Merle Jordon.
    Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL) yesterday renewed its sponsorship with Pepsi Sonics basketball team.
    At a simple ceremony, management trainee Rudy James handed over the annual cheque to President of the club, Merle Jordon.
    Jordon said her club was extremely grateful to the beverage giant. The money collected will be used to supply the club with stationery and other necessities, and the players with uniforms and gear. It was stated by Jordon that her club is expected to make a trip to Brazil during the Easter weekend, but it has not yet been confirmed.
    In times gone by, Sonics hosted Suriname and also held first division and third division tournaments.
    Pepsi Sonics is contemplating holding a club competition some time this year, but the finer details will have to be worked out by the Georgetown Amateur Basket-ball Association.

  • No trial for one Yohance Douglas murder accused - after committal quashed
  • Friday, March 25th 2005
    Acting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack yesterday found that there was not enough evidence to hold police officer Mahendra Baijnauth for the murder of university student Yohance Douglas.
    Reports said that Ali-Hack entered a Nolle Prosequi (an entry on record to the effect that the prosecutor will proceed no further with the suit) for Baijnauth on the grounds that there was not sufficient evidence for him to be charged.
    Baijnauth and his co-accused, policeman Gerald Alonzo, were both committed to stand trial for the murder of Douglas, following a Prelimi-nary Inquiry. Alonzo is still facing trial for the murder.
    The decision to free Baijnauth follows a motion that was filed in the High Court on his behalf by his lawyer, Bernard De Santos SC.
    The motion was seeking Chief Magistrate Juliet Holder-Allen, who presided over the preliminary inquiry, to show cause why her decision to commit the policeman to stand trial for the murder should not have been quashed. He was also seeking an order directing his immediate release from custody/ imprisonment and instructing the Chief Magistrate to reconsider the evidence led with a view to deciding whether a committal can be made for any other offence disclosed thereby.
    Mahendra Baijnauth
    In an affidavit in support of his motion, the officer had contended that he had been seated on the left side at the front of the vehicle on the day of the alleged shooting and had discharged a single round from his pistol in an effort to bring the vehicle [in which Douglas was travelling] to a halt after the driver [later established to be Ronson Grey, another UG student] had failed to heed his repeated verbal commands to stop."My said committal [for Douglas' murder] was therefore due to an error or law and/or a wrong, excessive exercise of jurisdiction by the learned Magistrate. I am advised by my attorney-at-law and do verily believe that the said order of committal is bad in law and ought to be set aside", Baijnauth said in the affidavit.
    The committal was subsequently quashed in the High Court but no order was made for Baijnauth's release, as other charges could have been instituted.
    De Santos subsequently filed a habeas corpus writ to have his client either charged or released and Ali-Hack's decision followed. "I never had any doubt in my mind that he should not have been charged," De Santos said in a brief reaction to the ruling last evening.
    Douglas sustained gunshot wounds on the morning of Saturday March 1, 2003 on Sheriff Street and he later died at the public hospital. His friend and driver of the vehicle, Grey was shot in the jaw. Two other young men who were in the car at the time were unharmed.
    According to reports, the boys were on their way home after a game of basketball. There was a huge public outcry in the wake of the shooting and there were student demonstrations and protest marches throughout the city until the officers were charged.

  • Kings and Retrieve Raiders to meet in finals
  • Sunday, March 27th 2005
    Kashif and Shanghi Kings and Victory Valley Royals, after recording victories in the semi-finals of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) eight-team tournament, will now clash in the best of three finals which commences this week.
    On Friday night the Royals defeated Amelia's Ward Jets 65 to 53.
    Dwayne Roberts and Alwyn Wilson each scored 16 points while Julius Carter with 10 points and Troy Jeffery, who hit six of six from the free throw line in his 13 points, lent good support.
    For Jets, Rawle Toney scored 11 points, Allister Webster 10 and Neil Simon and Denzil Brutus eight points each.
    The other game played saw the Kings defeating the Raiders in overtime 61 to 59.
    Auric Tappin scored 19 points for the winners while Nolan Johnson scored 10 points and Abdulla Hamid, Marvin Hartman, Dexter Bellamy and Seon Charles scored seven points each.
    For the Raiders, Neil Marks scored 16 points, dished out four assists and grabbed three rebounds. Louis James scored 12 points and took eight rebounds while Terrence Goddette scored six points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

  • Inter-ward basketball - North Ruimveldt draws first blood
  • Tuesday, March 15th 2005
    North Ruimveldt defeated last year's Inter-Ward champions, Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust, by nine points in the first of their best-of-three finals, in the Courts Pacesetters and Smalta Inter-ward basketball competition, on Sunday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. For the winners, Bounty Colts guard Rondel Murphy scored 19 points, while he also finishing with five steals and three assists. Point guard of the Ravens, Darcel Harris, secured 13 points.
    Joel Griffith came off the bench and had a spirited run, scoring 13 points while grabbing six boards. Also chipping in for the side was national captain Lugard Mohan, who scored 12 points. For Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust, small forward Naylon Loncke led the way with 22 points while also grabbing four rebounds. Other scorers included Kurt Ellias (12 points, 12 rebounds), Royston Siland (11 points, seven rebounds) and Devon Cameron (11pts, five boards, three assists).
    On Saturday night, the two teams are set to meet again at the same venue, and if a game-three is necessary, they will face off on Sunday night. Also, on Sunday night, Courts Pacesetters female team were crowned champions after winning their best-of-five series with Pepsi Sonics female team three nil.
    In their game, the Pacesetters' girls, led by 23 points from Natasha Alder, clipped a 54-52 points' victory. Alder knocked down five three-pointers while she also finished with 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

  • McPherson re-elected as GABF president
  • By Faizool Deo - Monday, April 18th 2005
    Godwin McPherson was yesterday re-elected as president of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) when elections were held at the Critchlow Labour College.
    At the elections, only members from the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (two members), the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (two members), East Coast Amateur Basketball Association (one member), West Berbice Amateur Basketball Association (one member) and the Masters (one member) were present.
    Of the seven persons allowed the vote, the two from GABA, secretary Bruce Haynes and treasurer Raid Boyce, declined.
    The candidates were slate elected, and LABA president Colin Aaron nominated the executives whom he saw fit for the job.
    Of the seven, five accepted the nomination (GABA's representatives did not). When they were asked by returning officer Clifford Blackett who were not in favour of the nomination, no one lifted their hands.
    McPherson, is now at the helm of basketball in Guyana since 1990. Voted in as the three vice-presidents are David Patterson (in charge of operations), Floyd Levi (in charge of discipline) and Aaron who will also act as public relations officer.
    Dr. M. Parris-Aaron is the secretary, Reginald Williams is the treasurer (Williams is also the treasurer of the LABA), and Eon Andrews is the assistant secretary/treasurer.
    The changes from the last executive include Aaron replacing Joe Chapman as vice-president, Dr. M. Parris-Aaron replacing Mark Bender as secretary (Bender also acted as treasurer after Jonathan Beepat left the federation) and Andrews replacing Colin April.
    Upon resumption, McPherson instantly nominated former junior national selector Neil Omrow as technical director of the federation, this without objected from any individual present.
    His second motion was that of promising the associations that, on the 15th of May, the executives will hold a meeting where they will propose a new constitution. At the same meeting, a list of activities for the year will also be presented.
    Initially, GABA, through a letter to McPherson, had asked for the elections to be postponed until a number of things could be put in order, including that of revising the constitution.
    McPherson stated to the members present yesterday that if the elections were postponed then there was a likelihood that elections might not have taken place for another four years. He did, however, give secretary Haynes the opportunity to try and convince the other members that there were enough reasons for the elections to be postponed. Haynes did speak, but no one seconded the motion for the cancellation of elections.
    McPherson clearly stated that he was impressed with some aspect of GABA's development process.
    He also asked that they themselves put their house in order, referring to the revision of their constitution, to properly demarcate their boundary areas.

  • First-division basketball bounces off today
  • Wednesday, April 13th 2005
    The Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) eight-team first-division knock-out basketball competition will commence today with two games.
    The first game will be between Courts Pacesetters and Scorpions, while the feature match will see Ravens clashing with Pepsi Sonics.
    At the official launching of the competition yesterday, it was disclosed that Smalta and Wireless Connections are the sponsors. At stake will be $50,000 for the winner, while the second prize will be $25,000, along with trophies.
    President of the GABA, Chris Bowman, said that of the 13 teams in the association, the eight recognised teams were selected to play. One first-division team that was left out is the Windjammers.
    "Jammers recently changed from the Emperors to the' Jammers, they are having some challenges at their level right now, and we thought it best not to consider them for this tournament," Bowman said. The tournament is expected to conclude within a few weeks, Bowman said, adding that this was important since GABA has a tight agenda.
    "It is important that we stick with our agenda. We have a programme that was laid out for the year, and we must complete a number of tournaments including first and third-division league tournaments."
    The eight teams in the competition are: Bounty Colts, Courts Pacesetters, Ravens, Pepsi Sonics, Park Rangers (formerly Cyber City Rangers), Nets, Scorpions and Eagles.
    Along with the first-division games, during the best of three finals which are slated for this month end, the association is also looking to have female and masters supporting games. For the female encounter, GABA is weighing the possibility of a Georgetown/Linden clash, with a combined Georgetown team taking on a club from Linden. The masters games will be between a Burnham Court team and a team from the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Yesterday, also, the Beepat Scorpions handed over eight Spalding basketballs to the association. (Faizool Deo)

  • Sports Scope - Our Opinion - What about Junior CARICOM GABF?
  • Thursday, May 5th 2005
    Trinidad and Tobago will host this year's CARICOM junior basketball championships from July 2-9 at the University of the West Indies Sports and Physical Education Centre, St Augustine.
    Already, the Trinidadians have begun preparations. The tournament was recently launched at the UWI's Indoor Sports Hall by Clayton Blackman, president of the National Basketball Association of Trinidad, and a budget of TT$1.3m has been disclosed.
    In support of the national body, the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission has donated $15,000, while Sports and Games has donated $40,000 cash and a further $20,000 in equipment for the national teams.
    But what of Guyana? It is unlikely that Guyana will be participating, given the fact that since 2000, the national junior team has not participated in the bi-annual tournament. Since March of this year, 30 of the country's most talented junior basketball players have been undergoing weekly training sessions in the Georgetown Junior Elite Programme under coach Bobby Cadogan.
    But, it appears that the skills they learn under this programme will only be used at home.
    Is it that the GABF fails to realise that participation at this level will not only assist in raising the standard of the game locally, but will also allow talented youths to be seen by North American scouts, who attend these championships looking for a potential Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant?
    Does it not realize, more importantly, that such participation could also provide us with a tremendous opportunity to further promote regional integration?
    The financial problems faced by the GABF is common among national associations/federations.
    However, while some make genuine efforts to raise funds, most of the others rely on government funding, or resort to walking around with a begging bowl.
    One wonders, at times, if some association heads just accept positions to attend all- expense-paid congresses and draw down on other perks, or if they genuinely want to do good for athletes.
    This year's Caricom Junior Basketball Championships will see teams from the host country, along with Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Puerto Rico, St Kitts, US Virgin Islands, with Jamaica and the Netherlands Antilles also being possibilities, vying for top honours.
    We hope Guyana will be there.

  • Ravens face Pacesetters in basketball semi-final
  • Friday, May 27th 2005
    The Pepsi Sonics' Generation Next Knock-Out Basketball Tournament will continue this evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with a triple-header. Ravens will face Courts Pacesetters in the first semi-final of the first division competition. Bounce-off time is 9:30 pm.
    The third division opening game from 6:15 pm brings together Pepsi Sonics and Devastators. New York Veterans will tackle Georgetown Veterans in the main supporting game from 8 pm.
    Tomorrow evening, Pepsi Sonics females are down to face their counterparts from Courts Pacesetters at 6:30 pm. Bounty Colts men are scheduled to meet Courts Pacesetters men in a third division fixture.
    The first division feature game brings together Bounty Colts and Nets. Bounce off time is 9:30 pm.
    The two best-of-three finals are set for June 4, 10, 11.

  • Pacesetters for goodwill basketball in Linden
  • Wednesday, May 4th 2005
    Courts Pacesetters male and female basketball teams will engage their Victory Valley Royals counterparts in a goodwill basketball series on Thursday evening at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court.
    The first match bounces off at 6:30 pm.
    It is expected that the Linden team will pay a reciprocal visit to Georgetown soon.

  • Nets defeat Sonics in Generation Next basketball
  • Tuesday, May 24th 2005
    Nets' Mortimer Williams (with ball) takes a defensive rebound during his team's 79-74 victory over Pepsi Sonics in a third division fixture of the Pepsi Sonics' Generation Next Knock-Out Basketball Tournament at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Sunday night.
    Nets defeated Pepsi Sonics 79-74 in the feature game of the Pepsi Sonics' Generation Next Knock-Out Basketball Tournament on Sunday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
    Nets, spearheaded by the game's MVP, Triston Tulloch, led 36-34 at half-time, and went on to win 79-74 in the first-division match-up.
    Tulloch top-scored with 17 points, while Mortimer Williams contributed 15 and Fabin Johnson 14.
    For Pepsi Sonics, Jewel McKinnon scored a game- high 31, while Darren Gordon supported with 17.
    In the main supporting game (first division), Ravens thrashed Scorpions 90-46 after leading 46-27 at half-time. Kevin Lawrence led the way for Ravens with 21 points while Rudy James supported with 16. James was named MVP.
    Aubrey Smith top-scored for Scorpions with 11 points.
    In the opening game, Disciples beat Rangers 79-68 in a third-division fixture, after leading 36-30 at half-time.
    The top scorer for the winning team was E. Matthews with 30 points. John Fraser contributed 13. Matthews was named MVP.
    For Rangers, Lance Gouveia top-scored with 15 points. And in an exhibition game which saw New York Veterans tackling Georgetown Veterans, the former scored a 40-29 victory over the city team.
    Hilton "Bonzo" Weekes top scored for the visitors with 12 points, while Roy Williams and James Brusch scored 10 points each.
    Vijay Panday led the scoring for Georgetown Veterans with 10 points. M. Fitzalbert contributed six points.
    The tournament will continue on Friday evening at the same venue with three matches. Ravens will face Nets in the first semi-final of the first division competition. Bounce off time is 9:30 pm.
    The opening game (third division) from 6:15 pm brings together Pepsi Sonics and Devastators, while New York Veterans will tackle Burnham Court Veterans in the main supporting game from 8pm.

  • New York veteran basketballers coming to conduct clinics
  • Monday, May 16th 2005
    The Guyana New York Veterans basketball team will arrive Saturday for a one-week visit during which time they plan to give something back to the game in Guyana.
    Coordinator and former national captain Hewley Harry, said, "During the upcoming trip we plan to continue the charity work, conduct basketball clinics for kids, and play games against the veteran teams in Linden and Georgetown. We are also interested in conducting coaching clinics for junior players (including females), and/or players in the Junior Elite Program. Our main goal during our visit to Guyana is to expand the charity work. We are planning to visit the sick, and abandoned children at the Linden and Georgetown hospitals, orphanages, and conduct coaching clinics for high school kids in Georgetown, Linden, and maybe Berbice. We also plan to visit the Alpha House Orphanage in Berbice. Our primary intention is to ensure that the most benefit is gained by the kids and junior players. We have already shipped books, clothing, shoes, sneakers, baby bottles, baby cups, etc. for the children."
    In 2004, The Guyana New York Veterans donated items to Joshua House, the pediatric ward of the Georgetown Hospital and a development centre in Berbice, the Linden Hospital, the Children's Development Centre and the Centre for Disabled children in Linden.
    Said Harry: "Again, the aim is to accommodate 40 kids from Georgetown, 40 kids from Linden and 40 kids from Berbice for the basketball clinics. Arrangements are to be made for the kids to be available for the clinics according to our proposed schedule."
    Harry said donations are sought in the US for some of the items that are given to underprivileged children.
    "We use our organization's funds to acquire the rest."

  • Former members outfit Ravens Basketball team
  • By Michael DaSilva - Tuesday, May 24th 2005
    Ravens Basketball Club's captain Lugard Mohan (left) accepts a set of uniforms and a Spalding basketball from Ray Williams (second right) a former Ravens' member, in the presence of other Ravens' members, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Sunday night
    Ravens Basketball Club received a quantity of gear and equipment on Sunday, from its former members who currently reside in New York, USA. According to Ray Williams, a former Ravens and national basketball player, when he was in Guyana last year on holiday, he was informed by Ravens captain Lugard Mohan that the club, which is the only one in Guyana without a sponsor, was also without proper playing uniforms. He said he promised Mohan that he would assist in acquiring a set of uniforms. Williams, who migrated to the US in 1998, said on his return to New York last year, he spoke with other former Ravens members and together they pooled their resources and bought new uniforms and a few balls.
    Williams said the uniforms were handed over to the club's members on Sunday night, prior to the team's First Division fixture against Scorpions, in the Pepsi Sonics' Generation Next first and third divisions Knock-Out Tournaments at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Probably inspired by the acquisition of new uniforms, Ravens went on to thrash Scorpions by a 90-46 margin.
    Williams represented Guyana at five Caricom basketball tournaments prior to migrating to New York in 1988. He toured Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Bahamas, and played his last Caricom championship in 1997 when Guyana hosted the tournament. Asked why they chose New York City Ravens' uniforms, Williams said, "We have New York Ravens, so why not Guyana Ravens uniforms? But this is just a start. This is the first of many contributions." Williams said plans are in train to bring a Guyana-New York Ravens Veteran team to Guyana next year to oppose a current Ravens line-up. Williams is part of a Guyana-New York Veterans team that is currently visiting Guyana to conduct several clinics for basketball players in Georgetown and Linden, as well as play a few matches against local teams.
    The visitors will be travelling to Linden tomorrow to take on a Linden Veterans team at the Mackenzie Hard Court. While there, they will also conduct clinics for players in that part of the country.
    On Friday, the New Yorkers will face a Burnham Court Veterans team at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, during the Pepsi Sonics' Generation Next Tournament that is currently underway.
    Other members of the New York team are former national players and coaches Mike Brusche and Hewley Henry and James Brusche. Williams said the clinics will target approximately 75 youngsters. The basic fundamentals of the game will be taught. "There are a lot of players here who can dribble a ball and shoot a few hoops, but they do not know the basics of the game, like pivoting and so on," Williams noted. Ravens started in the 1960s and is one of the oldest clubs in Guyana. "It originated at Christ Church Secondary School, which Hewley Henry and most of the other members attended. Henry was the PE teacher at the school.

  • Generation Next basketball: Ravens outpace Pacesetters
  • Sunday, May 29th 2005
    Photographer Lawrence Fanfair was on hand on Friday night to catch part of the action in the feature game (Courts Pacesetters versus Ravens) of the Pepsi Sonics' Generation Next Basketball Tournament at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
    Ravens Basketball Club, led by a game-high 23 points from K. Gomes, defeated Courts Pacesetters 77-66 when the Pepsi Sonics' Generation Next Basketball Tournament continued on Friday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
    According to a release from the organisers, Ravens surged to a 37-33 lead from the second session, after being held 21-21 at the end of the first quarter.
    Courts Pacesetters, however, bounced back to tie the score at 53-53 at the end of the third session, but a determined Ravens held out for a 77-66 victory.
    Top scoring for Ravens, Gomes bucketed 23 points, while Lugard Mohan and D. Roberts scored 16 and 11 points respectively. At the end of the night's proceedings, Mohan was named Most Valuable Player (MVP).
    Mark Trotz, with 19 points, top scored for Courts Pacesetters. Royston Siland (13) and N. Loncke (10) were the other principal scorers for Courts Pacesetters. In the other two matches played on Friday evening, New York Veterans edged Georgetown Veterans by a 62-59 margin after trailing 25-29 at the end of the first half.
    Hilton Weeks top scored for the New Yorkers with 27 points, while Rodo Chase contributed 10. For the Georgetown Veterans, Dale Phillips scored 16 points while Wayne Newton scored 14. In the opening game, hosts Pepsi Sonics beat Devastators by an 85-57 margin after leading 37-33 at the end of the first half.
    Cort Jackson scored a game-high 27 points, while his team mates Richard Braithwaite and Jason Warde supported with 21 and 16 points respectively.
    For Devastators, Michael Chase top scored with 14 points, while E. Joaquin scored 11 points.
    The MVP award for this game went to Carl Blackman.

  • Generation Next basketball:
    Colts, Ravens & Pacesetters win on opening night
  • By Donald Duff - Monday, May 23rd 2005
    Power forward Andrew Ifill of Bounty Colts goes for a finger-roll lay-up in the game against Eagles.
    Wins for Bounty Colts, Ravens and Courts Pacesetters highlighted the opening night of the Pepsi Sonics' Basketball Club's Generation Next knockout basketball competition which bounced off Saturday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
    In the first game, a third-division clash between Ravens and Scorpions, the Scorpions failed to sting and the Ravens flew away with the encounter 92-64 after leading 43-29 at half-time.
    Kevin Azore netted the game-high 28 points for the winners. He was supported by Jermin Reid with 20 points and Ryan Stephally 13. For Scorpions, Michael Richards scored 16 points.
    In the second game, a first-division clash between Bounty Colts and Eagles, Colts galloped away with the game 72-63. They led 20-16 after the first quarter, 38-29 at half-time, 54-48 at the end of the third and closed the game out in style 72-63.
    For Colts, utility player Andrew `Mr Dunk' Ifill had 27 points whilst pulling down 10 rebounds, four defensive and six offensive.
    The feature game between Courts Pacesetters and Park Rangers was a dog-fight, see-saw encounter with lots of drama.
    The game started at a hectic pace and finished in a frenzy. Courts Pacesetters were out the blocks quickly racing to a 10-3 lead with 5.51s remaining in the first quarter. However Park Rangers fought back to end the quarter in front 16-14. The second half was a repetition of the first, with the scores being knotted several times before Park Rangers went on a 6-0 run to end the half in front 32-28.
    Eager to extend their lead, Park Rangers took to the floor for the start of the third quarter. However, Courts Pacesetters were still receiving last minute advice from their coach. This led to them receiving a 'technical' from one of the referees for "delaying the resumption of the game."
    The coach of Courts Pacesetters then called off his players, who were now attempting to go on the court. The referee then abruptly left the venue. Now the organisers were in a quandary. Several spectators also left the venue.
    Eventually the game restarted with a substitute referee, but both sides questioned the officiating. To further compound the situation, there seemed to be a problem with the electronic scoreboard and the accuracy of the scoring was called into question several times.
    Then play was halted for several minutes while the stem of the ball, which came out, had to be pushed back in by referee Vijay Panday. At that stage, Park Rangers were leading 44-39 with just about five minutes remaining in the third quarter. The stoppages seemed to work in favour of Courts Pacesetters, who eventually tied the score at 44, and eventually went on to end the quarter 60-54.
    The final quarter was a virtual blow-out as Courts established the biggest lead of the game 87-75 before running out deserving winners.
    Ryan Gillien 24, Calwin Andries, 15, Royston Siland, 13 and Mark Trotz 10 were the main contributors for Pacesetters.
    Hodayah Stewart, 24, Britiel Young, 18, Darren Thomas, 16 and Dyson Gill 10 were the top shooters for Park Rangers.

  • Generation Next basketball Ravens outpace Pacesetters
  • Sunday, May 29th 2005
    Photographer Lawrence Fanfair was on hand on Friday night to catch part of the action in the feature game (Courts Pacesetters versus Ravens) of the Pepsi Sonics' Generation Next Basketball Tournament at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
    Ravens Basketball Club, led by a game-high 23 points from K. Gomes, defeated Courts Pacesetters 77-66 when the Pepsi Sonics' Generation Next Basketball Tournament continued on Friday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
    According to a release from the organisers, Ravens surged to a 37-33 lead from the second session, after being held 21-21 at the end of the first quarter.
    Courts Pacesetters, however, bounced back to tie the score at 53-53 at the end of the third session, but a determined Ravens held out for a 77-66 victory.
    Top scoring for Ravens, Gomes bucketed 23 points, while Lugard Mohan and D. Roberts scored 16 and 11 points respectively. At the end of the night's proceedings, Mohan was named Most Valuable Player (MVP).
    Mark Trotz, with 19 points, top scored for Courts Pacesetters. Royston Siland (13) and N. Loncke (10) were the other principal scorers for Courts Pacesetters. In the other two matches played on Friday evening, New York Veterans edged Georgetown Veterans by a 62-59 margin after trailing 25-29 at the end of the first half.
    Hilton Weeks top scored for the New Yorkers with 27 points, while Rodo Chase contributed 10. For the Georgetown Veterans, Dale Phillips scored 16 points while Wayne Newton scored 14. In the opening game, hosts Pepsi Sonics beat Devastators by an 85-57 margin after leading 37-33 at the end of the first half.
    Cort Jackson scored a game-high 27 points, while his team mates Richard Braithwaite and Jason Warde supported with 21 and 16 points respectively.
    For Devastators, Michael Chase top scored with 14 points, while E. Joaquin scored 11 points.
    The MVP award for this game went to Carl Blackman.

  • Generation Next b/ball Colts, Ravens, Pacesetters win on opening night
  • By Donald Duff - Monday, May 23rd 2005
    Power forward Andrew Ifill of Bounty Colts goes for a finger-roll lay-up in the game against Eagles.
    Wins for Bounty Colts, Ravens and Courts Pacesetters highlighted the opening night of the Pepsi Sonics' Basketball Club's Generation Next knockout basketball competition which bounced off Saturday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
    In the first game, a third-division clash between Ravens and Scorpions, the Scorpions failed to sting and the Ravens flew away with the encounter 92-64 after leading 43-29 at half-time.
    Kevin Azore netted the game-high 28 points for the winners. He was supported by Jermin Reid with 20 points and Ryan Stephally 13. For Scorpions, Michael Richards scored 16 points.
    In the second game, a first-division clash between Bounty Colts and Eagles, Colts galloped away with the game 72-63. They led 20-16 after the first quarter, 38-29 at half-time, 54-48 at the end of the third and closed the game out in style 72-63.
    For Colts, utility player Andrew `Mr Dunk' Ifill had 27 points whilst pulling down 10 rebounds, four defensive and six offensive.
    The feature game between Courts Pacesetters and Park Rangers was a dog-fight, see-saw encounter with lots of drama.
    The game started at a hectic pace and finished in a frenzy. Courts Pacesetters were out the blocks quickly racing to a 10-3 lead with 5.51s remaining in the first quarter. However Park Rangers fought back to end the quarter in front 16-14. The second half was a repetition of the first, with the scores being knotted several times before Park Rangers went on a 6-0 run to end the half in front 32-28.
    Eager to extend their lead, Park Rangers took to the floor for the start of the third quarter. However, Courts Pacesetters were still receiving last minute advice from their coach. This led to them receiving a 'technical' from one of the referees for "delaying the resumption of the game."
    The coach of Courts Pacesetters then called off his players, who were now attempting to go on the court. The referee then abruptly left the venue. Now the organisers were in a quandary. Several spectators also left the venue.
    Eventually the game restarted with a substitute referee, but both sides questioned the officiating. To further compound the situation, there seemed to be a problem with the electronic scoreboard and the accuracy of the scoring was called into question several times.
    Then play was halted for several minutes while the stem of the ball, which came out, had to be pushed back in by referee Vijay Panday. At that stage, Park Rangers were leading 44-39 with just about five minutes remaining in the third quarter. The stoppages seemed to work in favour of Courts Pacesetters, who eventually tied the score at 44, and eventually went on to end the quarter 60-54.
    The final quarter was a virtual blow-out as Courts established the biggest lead of the game 87-75 before running out deserving winners.
    Ryan Gillien 24, Calwin Andries, 15, Royston Siland, 13 and Mark Trotz 10 were the main contributors for Pacesetters.
    Hodayah Stewart, 24, Britiel Young, 18, Darren Thomas, 16 and Dyson Gill 10 were the top shooters for Park Rangers.

  • Explosive double-header anticipated as International Goodwill Basketball Series continues
  • By Rawle Welch
    With a win apiece in their previous appointments against D.C. Jammers, the Guyana ‘A'/Trinidad & Tobago clash in this year's International Goodwill Basketball Series promises to be a scorching affair this evening when they face off in the feature of a double-header, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
    When the teams met two years ago the hosts prevailed, so this encounter has all the settings to be a sizzling match-up since the visitors will want to rewrite the script in their favour, while the Guyanese with home-court advantage and partisan support will no doubt relish the prospect of maintaining supremacy in the rivalry.
    Once again, Andrew Ifill is expected to spearhead Guyana's attack with support from Alwyn Wilson and Steve Neils Jr., while guards Darcel Harris and Darren Gordon must find ways of penetrating the Trinidadians' suffocating defence (which seemed well oiled against Jammers), something they failed to do in the opening game.
    Other players needing to make emphatic statements include Dwayne Roberts, Royston Siland and Jason Alonzo all of whom failed to live up to expectations in the first game.
    T&T's challenge will be led by the inspirational Steven Lewis, who has already shown to be a player with immense skill and fearless when driving to the basket.
    Guyana will have to employ robust defence to stop his penetrative incursions to the ‘hole'.
    Other quality players to watch are Wilt Vincent, Meghal Williams, Sheldon Christian and Terrence Mayers.
    Meanwhile, in the preliminary game, the visiting D.C Jammers, having already suffered two losses in as many matches will need to conjure up all their skills and experience, if they are to register their first win against a second string Guyana national team.
    With the benefit of two days off since their last engagement, the Jammers, though not being totally outplayed in either of the losses can ill-afford to underestimate the Guyana ‘B' unit which comprises a number of young exciting players who no doubt would want to showcase their immense talent and break into the senior line-up.
    The visitors, who have been struggling to get more than two players in double figures, require improved performances from centre Antrick Klaibor, Ike Ram, Lancelot Loncke, Dexter Martin, Kenny Avent, Darren Ainsworth to support the outstanding efforts of Antonio Webb and Sterling Ledbetter, their most consistent performers to date.
    On the other hand, the hosts will be relying on the quick and skilful point guard Jermaine McAllister to lead their quest for victory, along with additional support at the back from Kevin Sunich.
    McAllister, who has been the leading scorer in the currently run Inter-Ward competition is expected to provide a stern test for Webb and Ledbetter despite the size disparity.
    Also eager to put on a good showing will be Linden 's Nolan Johnson, Terrence and Louis James along with power forward Ryan Melville.
    Mark Richards, Sheldon Howell, Darren Thomas and Kwesi Heywood are among the other members of the Guyana team that will compete against the Jammers.

  • Sports suffering through delinquent associations
  • Sports view by Neil Kumar - Sunday, June 19th 2005
    Several National Sports Associations are delinquent. As a result, General Secretary of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), Ivor O' Brien, was forced to make strong statements against them at the Guyana Olympic Association's Awards Ceremony recently.
    O' Brien said one national sports association only responds to invitations to social activities, while there is another which does not respond to any correspondence from the GOA.
    It is sad to learn that the Guyana Amateur Basket-ball Federation (GABF) is accused of having bad governance. Recently, the George-town Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) moved a resolution refusing to recognize the validity of the GABF's election, which was held earlier this year.
    The GABA said there were no guidelines set out for the conduct of the election. Further, there were no agenda, reports, and financial statement or otherwise of activities of planning over a period of seven years and a Constitution that is severely flawed. The allegations made against this association are serious.
    Our young basketball players were yearning to compete in the 2005 Junior Caribbean Basketball Championships. These youths were training thoroughly and they were fully motivated to win.
    However, they were denied the opportunity because GABF owed a substantial amount of fees to the Caribbean Basketball Confederation.
    It is most opportune for us to call on this association to put itself in order in the interest of our poor children who are highly talented basketball players, fans and supporters.
    Seven years without holding any election and no accountability is bad. However, after seven years of non-functioning and then catapulting yourself into the leadership again is testimony to the fact that all some people want is to hold a position at all cost.
    In the interest of transparency, accountability and good governance, let's get on with the work in the interest of the GABF.
    A few important questions need to be asked:
    1. When was preparation started for Guyana's participation?
    2. What funds were raised?
    3. What contact was made with the NSC or the ministry, and when?
    4. What effort was made to get United States visas, if any?
    5. Should the public, spectators, supporters and sponsors accept the explanation given in the newspapers during the last week?
    Sponsors, corporate citizens, and people who are supposed to help in the development of this discipline will do so if there is good governance.
    Come on,  you could do it. Now make the changes, clean out the weeds and let the good seeds grow.
    It is imperative that this association comes clean in the interest of our children who are playing tennis in this country.
    Again there are parents and prominent personalities who are willing to give their support to this sports discipline.
    Sports needs good governance. People with good character, integrity, accountability and who are willing to give to sport must come forward and take the lead.
    Sports takes care of our people from the cradle to the grave. Even before pregnancy, it is imperative that both parents live a healthy lifestyle. After death our heroes live on as inspiration to our young athletes.
    Sports needs leadership of the highest quality.

  • Sports Letters Basketball court needs lights and security
  • Clive Fredericks - Saturday, June 4th 2005
    Dear Editor,
    Each day, going to and from work in the evening, I pass young men playing basketball in the dark on the court at Independence Park (Burnham Court).
    Independence Park, in my younger days, used to be the place where all our international matches were played. They had two stands and the lights were working and used to be maintained and protected. Today, there is no stand and no lights. I can clearly remember a few years ago the furniture store Courts had donated a set of lights for the basketball court and they had repaired a stand for the comfort of spectators. These facilities were vandalized in a short space of time because they were not protected.
    May I suggest that the Guyana Amateur Basketball Association seek support from corporate citizens and organisations and once again install lights at the basketball court so that our young people don't have to play in the dark? Security must be provided to protect these lights from vandals. I suggest that we fence the basketball court to keep out those who would want to destroy what our young people should be enjoying.
    Yours faithfully,

  • Ravens suffer mixed fortunes
  • Monday, June 6th 2005
    Ravens suffered mixed fortunes on Saturday night when play in the Pepsi Sonics' Generation Next Basketball Tournament continued at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with a triple-header card.
    Ravens' first-division team scored a 67-56 win against Bounty Colts in the best-of-three final while the latter's third-division team secured a 69-58 victory over the former in one of two semi-final matches.
    In the feature first-division game, Bounty Colts led 15-12 at the end of the first quarter, but Ravens tied the score 28-28 by the end of the second quarter.
    The third quarter saw Ravens surging ahead to lead by 48 to 43, before going on to win 67-56 at the final whistle.
    Darcell Harris scored a game-high 17 points for Ravens while Damien Liverpool supported with 13 points. Andrew `Mr. Dunk Ifill' led the scoring for Bounty Colts with 12 points, while Trevor McLeod contributed 10.
    The last time the two teams met in a final was earlier this year when Ravens won in two straight games. The first by an 11-point margin and the second by a 12-point margin.
    Ifill is currently leading the race for the tournament's `Most Valuable Player' award, having been named `Most Valuable Player' for two matches - Colts versus Eagles and Colts versus Nets.
    In the opening game (third division) on Saturday night, Ravens trailed 21-32 at the end of the first half.
    Quince Newton topscored for Bounty Colts with a game-high 23 points while Seon Dover supported with 18.
    Leading the scoring for Ravens was Ryan Stephney with 16 points. Kurt Sunich contributed 12 points to the team's losing cause.
    Bounty Colts will now meet Pepsi Sonics on Friday, in the final of the third-division competition.
    This match will precede the second game of the first- division final between Bounty Colts and Ravens.
    The other third-division semi-final on Saturday night saw Pepsi Sonics beating Disciples 69-59 after leading 35-23 at the end of the first half.
    Jason Ward top scored for Pepsi Sonics with 20 points, while Ryan Melville supported with 19 and Carl Jackman 13.
    Disciples' John Foster scored a game high 21 points, while Keon Daniels contributed 11 points.

  • Keen battle expected in Ravens /Colts clash tonight
  • By Michael DaSilva - Saturday, June 4th 2005
    Bounty Colts will don new uniforms for tonight's first game of the best-of-three basketball finals against Ravens. In this Lawrence Fanfair photo, Colts' coach Phillip George (second right) accepts one of the new uniforms from a Bounty Farm manager, Garfi
    A keen battle is anticipated this evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall when Ravens tackle Bounty Colts in the feature game of the Pepsi Sonics' Generation Next Basketball Tournament.
    Basketball fans are expected in their numbers to witness the first of the best-of-three first division finals, involving two of the country's best teams.
    Bounty Colts, who will don new colours for this important final, will be spearheaded by shooting forward Andrew Ifill, who is expected to get valuable support from power forward Dane Kendall, shooting guards Rondel Murphy and Clarence Bennett, and point guard Trevor McLeod, among others.
    The team yesterday received a set of new uniforms from their sponsors, Bounty Farm. Ifill is currently leading the race for the tournament's `Most Valuable Player' award, having been named `Most Valuable Player' for two matches - Colts versus Eagles and Colts versus Nets.
    He will, however, have to be wary of Ravens' captain Lugard Mohan, who also copped the `Most Valuable Player' award when his team played Pacesetters.
    Mohan, a point guard with the Ravens' team, will have as his support fellow point guard Darcel Harris, centre Rudy James, shooting forward Kester Gomes and power forward Dwayne Roberts.
    For Ravens to pull it off, a lot will depend on how Roberts and James coordinate in the inside plays, even though Mohan, who is much superior to his opposition, can play at any part of the court. Bounty Colts' coach Phillip George told Stabroek Sport he was not predicting a victory, "but we going out to win."
    George said he will not be depending on any one man to do the job since, in basketball, one man is not a team.
    Asked how he planned to keep Mohan out of the game, George said, "We will not keep him out, we will play our normal game." The last time the two teams met in a final was earlier this year when Ravens won in two straight games: the first by an 11-point margin and the second by a 12-point margin.
    Garfield Wiltshire, a Bounty Farm representative, said his company will continue to support Bounty Colts for as long as possible. "Their results are good, so we are happy to be associated with them. They have shown us tremendous success over the past eight years that we have been sponsoring them," Wiltshire stated.
    The opening game tonight, which bounces off at 6:30 pm, brings together Bounty Colts and Ravens in the first semi-final of the third-division competition, while the game from 8 pm will see Pepsi Sonics battling with Disciples in the other third-division semi-final. The feature game bounces off at 9:30 pm.

  • First-division basketball: Colts, Ravens tied in best-of-three final
  • Sunday, June 12th 2005
    Bounty Colts' Andrew Ifill (right) goes up for the block against Ravens' Darcel Harris' lay-up, in game two of the Pepsi Sonics' Generation Next best-of-three basketball final at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Friday night (Lawrence Fanfair photo).
    A determined Bounty Colts made a great comeback against Ravens in game two of the best-of-three final, in the Pepsi Sonics' Generation Next First-Division Basketball Tournament at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Friday night.
    Bounty Colts lost by a 56-67 margin in the first game one week ago, but they took to the court in a determined mood on Friday night, making their intentions known from the inception, and ended up winning 85-56.
    With the series tied 1-1, the deciding game was scheduled for last evening at the same venue.
    The Bounty Farm-sponsored team led 21-13 at the end of the first quarter, but Ravens bounced back to level the score 34-34 at the end of the second quarter.
    However, the game's eventual Most Valuable Player (MVP) Clarence Bennette, with support from Andrew Ifill and Kerwin Blades, ensured that the best-of-three final would go into a deciding third game.
    Colts stole the third quarter with a 55-46 lead and extended it to a 29 points' margin victory when the final whistle blew. Bennette scored a game high 19 points, while Ifill and Blades supported with 15 points each. Dane Kendall contributed 12 points.
    Rudy James (13) was the top scorer for Ravens, while Lugard Mohan and Yusif Edghill supported with 12 and 10 respectively.
    In the third-division final, which was played on Friday evening also, Pepsi Sonics beat Bounty Colts by 10 points to claim the title after trailing 32-35 at the end of the first half.
    The final score read: Pepsi Sonics 73, Bounty Colts 63.
    Ryan Melville who scored 15 points in the game was named MVP. R. McKennon (18), Melville (15), Richard Braithwaite (14) and Jason Warde (10) were Sonics' principal scorers.
    Bounty Colts' Quincy Newton scored a game high 19 points. He was supported by Seon Dover (13) and Brentnol Gordon (11).
    In the opening game, Kashif and Shanghai `Queens' beat Pepsi Sonics by a 50-37 margin, after leading 26-13 at half time.
    Nyota Peters scored a game-high 18 points for the winners, and was subsequently named MVP for her team, while Delicia Mayers scored 16 points for Pepsi Sonics, and she, too, was named MVP.

  • Semyon Fung is junior shoot-out champion
  • By Ian Wills - Tuesday, July 19th 2005
    The Juniors put on an equally exciting show on the second night at the Beepat's All-Star Weekend. In what can be considered an equally, if not more, exciting, 3-point shoot-out final, Semyon Fung of the "Passa-Passa" basketball club (a club name given to him by spectators) was the main attraction of the shoot-out. The young Fung, facing elimination in the second round when he could only make 6 shots, the lowest score to go through to the next round, recovered remarkably in the final round to effect a thrilling performance that had hands flying high and hearts beating fast. The 13-point round that saw him make about seven straight shots including the "Money Ball", a coloured ball valued two points, was enough to crown him 2005 Junior Shoot-Out Champ.
    The lad, a student of the University of Guyana, expressed his pleasure at the victory, explaining that he was a late addition to the shoot-out but never felt threatened by his opponents. He explained that he recently joined the Beepat's Scorpions Club and had never played for a club before.
    In the Dunk competition, the juniors opened a "flight school" as all the dunkers exhibited leaping ability that could have required air traffic control. Dunk after dunk, every contestant had the crowd "ooohing! and aaahing!" with their acrobatic displays of high flying action. Carl Jackman, with his first dunk, did a two-handed 360 degree dunk that rocked the crowd and gave him a perfect score, 30. Jason Warde, younger brother of past dunking sensation Jermaine Warde, was not to be ignored as he executed his second-round dunk, a 360 degree windmill from about seven feet away, from the ring, securing himself a perfect score, 30.
    The final round of the Dunk-Out didn`t see clean execution of dunks, but creativity and flare were definitely present. "Tomahawks, through the foot, reverses and 360's" were all attempted in the final round. Jason Warde even attempted to do a windmill dunk, leaping over four men kneeling in front of the ring. However, "when the fat lady sang," Carl Jackman was the lone man standing. Having defended his title successfully, the 2004 Junior Slam-Dunk Champ now has the 2005 crown to add to his collection.
    In keeping with the earlier excitement and adrenaline surges, the Senior All-Star Game completed a weekend of clean, breathtaking action. A game punctuated by "Dunks and And-1 plays", had the crowd between loud laughter and exciting cheers as Kester Gomes, Rudy James, Jermaine Warde and Kurt Elias dominated the "above the ring" plays with dunk after dunk. Jermaine Warde executed a dunk in the crowd over a helpless Trenton Woolford that almost tore down the stadium. Darren Gordon's And-1 dribble through a lost Naylon Loncke's legs had people in the stands rolling with laughter. However, the MVP performance came from Dwayne Roberts (28 points, 19 rebounds and one steal).
    The busy Ravens club member who seemed to be in every play, hustling, rebounding and attempting numerous above the rim plays en route to his team's victory, earned himself the 2005 MVP title, and his team a successful defence of their 2004 title.
    Just as the first night's game demonstrated that the junior teams were almost equally talented, the senior game went into overtime. A game initially contested for $45,000 saw intensity, seriousness and accuracy increase as the sponsors decided to increase the top prize to $89,000 at 13.44 minutes, score (47 - 51) in favour of the West team.
    End of regulation time score 73-73 required that extra time be played, and the East team who fought hard in the last period to recover from a 9-point deficit, had what it takes to repeat their last year's performance, securing the 2005 All-Star game title to go with their 2004 crown.

  • Slam-dunk champion promises high-flying action
  • Saturday, July 16th 2005
    Defending slam-dunk champion Kester Gomes has promised that he will treat the fans to spontaneity, explosion and high-flying action when the Beepat All Star Weekend Basketball extravaganza bounces off tonight at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. However, six-footer Jomo Augustine and newcomer Rodwell Fortune promise to interfere with his spotlight.
    The three-point shootout, a more refined display of the game, dominated by smaller more accurate players, will see 2004 defending champ Andrew Ifill try to retain his crown against 2003 champ Sheldon Braithwaite. Naylon Loncke of the Loncke triumvirate of Rawlwin `Blackie' Loncke and Lancelot Loncke, both former national players, will make his intention clear as he shows why he is an all-star shooter tomorrow night.
    The Junior game, highlighted by young school stars, promises to be equally exciting as the team from the East intend to avenge their defeat at last year's all-star weekend.
    The organisers of this weekend's event promise strict security. They said that a private security firm will be hired for the safety of the fans and their vehicles. They informed that in excess of 12 security personnel would be present nightly.

  • High-flying Gomes is Mr. Slam Dunk
  • By Ian Wills - Monday, July 18th 2005
    HIGH-FLYER: Kester Gomes mystifies the crowd as he executes his winning dunk at the Beepat's All-Star weekend. Team mate Aubrey Smith looks on jubilantly after supplying Gomes with an off-the-board ally-hoop pass, which required that he leapt over the ball
    As promised, defending slam dunk champion Kester Gomes entertained an almost packed Cliff Anderson Sports Hall to high-flying, exciting slam-dunk action as he outclassed his opponents to retain his Beepat's All-Star Slam-Dunk title.
    From the go, the tall, lanky player made his intention clear as he recorded a perfect score of 30 from his first dunk. Gomes seemed to have had a firm grip on the competition throughout, even though the diminutive left-handed Rodwell Fortune (aka Kobe) had more of the crowd's support as he amazed them with his high-flying ability, almost like defying gravity.
    In an invited comment, Gomes stated that he wasn't well prepared for this year's competition and was a bit watchful of Rawlston Williams, who he claims has "mad hops."
    He told Stabroek Sport that he has "a few tricks in store for tomorrow's (last night's) All-Star game."
    In the first event of the night, the three-point shoot-out, the crowd was equally entertained in all three rounds of shooting. In the first round, it seemed like the competition was going to be a low scoring one before Stephon Gillis managed to record a 15-point round. Later that round, past champions Andrew Ifill and Sheldon Braithwaite managed to score 11-point rounds along with Kevin Lawrence, all securing places in the next round with Darren Gordon (10) and Aubrey Younge, who had a shoot-out with Naylon Loncke for a place in the second round.
    From there on it seemed like smooth sailing for the 2003 champion Braithwaite who claimed the title in the last round without even using all the available balls.
    Braithwaite later explained that this year's title made him realise that he wasn't as prepared for last year's competition. He said that in his spare time at home he would practice shooting, and he didn't use the back board as much this year. The maximum score possible for that competition was 28 points.
    Then three lucky fans received chances to win cash. The first spectator event saw Devin Monroe (National Hockey player), get a chance to score as many balls as possible from the three-point line in one minute for a possible $G2800. Monroe unfortunately scored only two shots, which earned him $G300. The next contestant, a seasoned basketball player, scored seven points, earning himself $700 dollars, and the last lucky person, looking as if it was the first time he has held a basketball, managed a mere one point for $100. The main crowd event, three half-court shots by one lucky fan for $G100,000, saw a young man come teasingly close to having a dream night, but it
    wasn't to be, as he missed all three shots.
    The final event of the night (The Junior All-Star Game) was equally exciting as the young lads, in uniforms that sported their call names (false names) brought the crowd to its feet on numerous occasions. Funny looking dribbles, no-look passes, blocks, three-point shots and slam dunks highlighted the game from jump ball. Young Peas Soup (Garfield Granville) seemed intent on showing off his star qualities and he made no-look passes and even passes to himself early in the game. But the highlight of the first-half belonged to Carl Tel (Carl Jackman), who on an outlet pass up court, elevated from about six feet before the ring to throw down what was definitely an all-star dunk. A left handed dunk that had quality for the dunk contest, electrified the crowd. As if that wasn't enough, Richards (#4) collected an ally-hoop pass and converted it into a dunk that had the crowd on its feet again.
    Like the first-half, the players demonstrated that they were almost equal, as neither team managed to gain more than a four-point lead until 15:24 in the second half when the East Team managed to gain a nine-point lead (47-56). Within minutes, the score was 57-58 and remained close for most of the game. When the scores were 61-62 with about 13 minutes left in the game, a downpour of rain came which definitely created some concern because of the porous roof at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Luckily, there were no stops in the game, and once again, with five minutes left in the game, the scores were tied at 69-69. That the scores were deadlocked (75-75) at the end of regulation time, forcing the game into overtime, says how closely matched the two teams were. However, at the end of extra time, the West Team had managed to secure a four-point lead, securing them victory.
    Ryan Melville (Show Time) who lived up to his name throughout the game, was adjudged most valuable player even though his team couldn't successfully defend their 2004 title.

  • Revamp constitutions - says Ramsaroop
  • By Steve Ninvalle - Monday, July 18th 2005
    President of the Guyana Table Tennis Association, Peter Ramsaroop, is urging a revamping of the constitutions of local sports associations to allow presidents no more than two terms in office.
    Ramsaroop said that it is easy for the head of associations to become relaxed and complacent after being in office for extended periods.
    "I honestly think that two terms in office is enough. That is the maximum. We have to make sure that the people elected are there to serve and to benefit themselves," Ramsaroop said.
    The GTT official, who is also an executive of the Guyana Women's Cricket Association, did not give examples of local associations with long-serving heads, but the Guyana Football Federation, headed by Colin Klass, and the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation, whose president is Godwyn McPherson, spring to mind.
    Klass is arguably the longest serving president in Guyana, having been at the helm of the GFF for over 15 years. "There is a need for an infusion of new ideas. By implementing the two-term plan it will implore on those in power to be more transparent," the businessman said.
    Ramsaroop also repeated a challenge for a national sports strategy and applauded the call by the Peoples' National Congress/Reform for a review of sports management.
    Ramsaroop said he is also urging a reorganizing of the National Sports Commission which, he claims, is failing to fulfill its mandate.
    "It has failed in working with the sporting fraternity to bring out the best of both," Ramsaroop said. "The associations have also failed in getting themselves in line. That is why we need a national development programme that will demand that associations get their houses in order."
    In a past interview with Stabroek Sport last month, Ramsaroop had called for a national plan that ties together education, sports and economic development.
    He insisted that this should be on the front burner if Guyana is thinking seriously of making an impact in international sports.
    The GTTA president also lashed out at Director of Sport Neil Kumar for a recent article in which he labelled several associations delinquent.
    Ramsaroop said that he is disappointed by Mr. Kumar's comments and his lack of support for the sporting industry.
    "I think that Mr. Kumar should be spending his time advocating for the sporting fraternity. If he cannot perform this function, he should resign," Ramsaroop said.
    He added: " Mr. Kumar should be an advocate of the sporting world and ensure that tax payers' money is distributed fairly." Ramsaroop reminded that the $4M infusion into Georgetown Football League by President Bharrat Jagdeo is yet to be matched in other sports or other parts of the nation.
    Ramsaroop contended that politics is now involved in the NSC, and argued that the general belief is that those not supportive of the hierarchy are the least likely to get assistance.
    He noted that it's been over a month now since the GTTA's new executive was elected but there has been not a single acknowledgement from the NSC or the Ministry.
    The businessman applauded the PNCR's joining the call for the review of sports management (SN June 25th,). He agreed with the call for the refurbishing of the school grounds "in order to have our young children enjoy their breaks and after-school activities."
    Also the economic adviser to the Guyana Football Federation, Ramsaroop disclosed that he and the GFF have been struggling to get off the ground in distributing footballs in the schools because of lack of support by the Education Ministry.
    In order to get things off the ground, the businessman said, he will start with the private schools.

  • Second Division basketball tournament starts today with double-header at Linden
  • Tuesday, August 23rd 2005
    The Linden Amateur Basketball Association's (LABA) Go-Moseley-sponsored 'In the Mix' Second Division Basketball Tourna-ment will commence today with a double-header at the Mackenzie Hard Court.
    The opening game from 6pm brings together Silver Nets and Blueberry Hill Blazers, while the feature game will see Karabow facing Scheme Unit from 8pm.
    According to a release, a meeting was held yesterday at the Mackenzie Sports Club pavilion on Sunday at which issues such as the debarring of players was discussed between executives of LABA and the 10 participating teams.
    Three venues - Mackenzie, Christianburg and Amelia's Ward Hard Courts - will be used for staging the competition.
    Action in the competition will continue on Thursday at the Christianburg Hard Court, where Silver Nets will meet Half Mile Bulls and Karabow face Wismar Pistons.
    On Saturday, at the Amelia's Ward facility, Amelia's Ward Jets will take on Blueberry Hill Blazers from 2:30pm, while, from 4:30pm, Amelia's Ward Falcons will meet Scheme Unit.
    The notable absentees from this competition are Linden's senior champions Alleyne's Retrieve Raiders who are on suspension, 76'ers, and Canvas City Cavs, who are yet to get affiliated for the 2005 season.

  • Inter-ward basketball restarts next Saturday
  • Saturday, January 8th 2005
    The Courts Pacesetters Inter-ward basketball competition will restart on January 15 with three matches from 7.30pm at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, the organisers disclosed Thursday.
    Alberttown/Bourda will face East Bank, while in the feature game, North Ruimveldt will challenge Charlestown/Albouystown.
    The opener will see the combined team of Bank of Guyana/Caricom battling the Guyana Red Cross Society (GRCS) in the first of the corporation games. Also playing in the corporation competition will be the Leo Club.
    President of the Pacesetters Club, Dennis Clark, told Stabroek Sport he is confident the competition will run smoothly.
    With reference to the shortage of referees, which affected the Christmas night games, Clark said the men in charge have been beefed up.
    "We are bringing two referees from Linden, which will make it seven [referees] in all to officiate at the games," Clarke said.
    On Sunday January 16, Lodge/Meadow Brook will play East-West Ruimveldt, while in the feature game Wortmanville/Werk-en- Rust will challenge Kitty/Campbellville. The opener of the night will also be a corporation game, with Leo Club tackling GRCS.
    The five-game female series between Courts Pacesetters and Pepsi Sonics, and the conclusion of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) third-division basketball competition, will also be played as supporting games.
    Pacesetters female team has won both games played so far.Winner of the inter-ward competition will receive $200,000, a trophy and replicas; second place will receive $100,000, a trophy and medals; third place $60,000 and a trophy and fourth place $40,000 and a trophy.
    The main sponsor of the tournament is Ansa McAl Smalta. Other sponsors include DDL, Horizon Telecom, Nigel's Supermarket, Becks Trading, Trophy Stall Bourda Market, Insurance Brokers Guyana Ltd, Courts Guyana Inc, Blue Iguana and Fusion Express.

  • Guysuco Training Centre plugging variety of sports competitions
  • Tuesday, August 30th 2005
    Guysuco Training Centre at Port Mourant is engaging in a variety of sports competitions to promote sports and foster healthy life styles among youths in the surrounding communities.
    According to Levi Nedd, student affairs officer of the training centre, in addition to numerous activities the training centre has been engaged in recently, it is currently playing a tri-series basketball tournament against the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club.
    Nedd disclosed that two of the three scheduled matches have already been contested, and the series is now tied at one game each. The first game was played at the Guysuco Training Centre on August 21.
    And Training Centre won by a two-point margin (60-58). The other game, which was played at Rose Hall Town, saw Rose Hall reversing their fate as they defeated the Training Centre by a 13-point margin (60-47).
    The final game which will determine who carts off the Berbice Businessmen Trophy will be played on Sunday at a neutral venue.
    Meanwhile, on September 3rd at 3pm, a team comprising Rose Hall Town and Guysuco Training School players will challenge Defenders "B" in a volleyball game at the training school.
    Nedd, who is currently the national volleyball coach and the most qualified coach locally, disclosed that the volleyball game is part of an annual exchange programme which the training school uses to help develop their volleyball.

  • Second-Division Basketball League action today at Christianburg
  • Thursday, September 29th 2005
    Play in the Go Mosley Productions-sponsored nine-club second-division basketball league will continue today at the Christianburg Hard Court. In the opening game from 6.30 pm, Blueberry Hill Blazers will take on Half Mile Bulls, while from 8.30 pm Amelia's Ward Jets will face Kashif and Shanghai Kings.
    On Saturday, Silver Nets will oppose Karabow, while Scheme Unit tackles Wismar Pistons at the same venue.
    Meanwhile, Victory Valley Royals are currently heading the points standing with seven points from three wins and a loss.
    Wismar Pistons and Kashif and Shanghai Kings are occupying the second spot jointly with six points each. They have both registered three victories from as many matches.
    Jets with four points from two victories and one loss by walk- over are next in the points standing, and they are followed by Bulls and Silver Nets who both have four points and two defeats each.
    Karabow are next with three points and three defeats, Blazers and Scheme Unit are in the cellar with two points and two losses each.

  • Kings and Wismar Pistons register wins
  • Sunday, September 4th 2005
    Kings and Wismar Pistons registered wins in the first set of matches played in the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA)/ Gomoseley second division basketball competition on Tuesday at the McKenzie Sports Club (MSC) hard court.
    Led by 19 points from Desmond Chin in an overtime encounter, Kings managed to eventually get the better of Half Mile Bulls, 64-57 in a game that was tied 50-50 at the end of regulation time. Also supporting well in the scoring department was Junior Angel who contributed 15 points to the winning effort.
    Leading the way for the Bulls were Damian Niles who had 18 points and Kurleigh Austin who contributed 11.
    In the Wismar Pistons/ Victoria Valley Royals game, Pistons got past Royals by two points to record a 49-47 victory. Allister Bynoe led the winning charge with 13 points as Seon Harris contributed 12 in a losing effort.
    In other games to be played in the competition: Karabow vs. Wismar Pistons (6pm) and Victory Valley Royals vs. Scheme Unit (8pm) were scheduled for yesterday at the MSC Hard Court.
    - Bulls vs. Jets (6pm) and Blueberry Hill Blazers vs. Pistons (8pm) are scheduled for MSC Hard Court on Tuesday.
    According to the format of the competition, teams will be awarded two points for a victory, one point for a loss and zero points for not turning up for a game (walk over). Also, no finals nor semi-finals will be played in the competition, so whichever team accumulates the most points in the competition will be the winner.
    Meanwhile, LABA has made a decision not to play any other games at the Amelia's Ward Court because home teams Jets and Falcons failed to turn up for their home games last Saturday. Falcons also failed to turn up for their Thursday game which makes them ineligible to continue in the competition according to the rules of the competition.

  • Half Mile Bulls rout Silver Nets 100-48
  • Tuesday, September 20th 2005
    Half Mile Bulls beat Silver Nets 100-48 when the Go Moseley Productions 2nd Division basketball tournament continued on Saturday.
    Curly Austin scored a tournament high 32 points, while Domain Allen (24), Justin Inverary (19) and Ryan Hillman (18) were the other principal scorers.
    For the Nets, Keon Byass (10) and Orville Mitchell (8) were the lead scorers.
    In other results, Kashif and Shanghai Kings defeated Karabow 81-36, after leading 39-18 at the halfway mark.
    The lead scorers for Kings were Desmond Chin (24), Hugh Wade (20), Jonfdell Singh (15) and Thorton Wilson (12), while for Karabow, Kerwin Abrams top scored with 12 points and Lincoln Simon scored eight.

  • Third division basketball to conclude at Sports Hall
  • Saturday, September 17th 2005
    Director of Sports Neil Kumar yesterday knocked out the proposed Bounty Colts 1st and 3rd Division Basketball Classic which was scheduled to get underway this evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
    According to a release, Kumar informed Stabroek Sport that no permission was sought and none has been given for Bounty Colts to stage the competition at the facility.
    Kumar was responding to an article which appeared in yesterday's edition of the Stabroek News under the headline "Car plus $500,000 up for grabs this weekend" stating that the Bounty Colts Basketball Club would be staging a competition starting tonight at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
    The story was sourced to a release from the organizers of the event.
    Kumar wishes to bring to the attention of the public, particularly basketball fans, that no permission has been granted for the staging of this event.
    However, when contacted by telephone yesterday, Bounty Colts' vice-president Kevin Simon said a request for the use of the facility was sent to the NSC.
    In the release, Kumar said, "In light of unprofessional planning and organising of the final of the recently-concluded Omai Gold Cup Futsal competition, where rules and conditions were blatantly violated, the National Sports Commission is working in close collaboration with the Guyana Police Force to ensure proper and well-organised staging of sporting events at the facility or rather at all our facilities."
    Kumar said the public is alerted that the competition publicized in the Stabroek News will not be played at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
    Dane Kendall, a Bounty Colts' player said he does not think Kumar's actions are fair, since the people who follow football are not the same type of people that will attend a basketball match.
    According to a Bounty Colts' release, the $500,000 would have been up for grabs in the two tournaments, while spectators would have had a chance to win a car with a half court shot at half time.

  • East Bank Basketball Championship: Bagotstown whip Soesdyke 73-34
  • Tuesday, October 25th 2005
    Bagotstown defeated Soes-dyke 73-34 when the Ansa Mc Al sponsored East Bank Basketball Championship continued on Sunday at the Burnham Court.
    Kwesi Roberts led Bagostown to victory with a game-high 26 points.
    Roberts also registered two steals, while team mate Trevor Smith contributed 10 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
    Kevin Loncke top scored for Soesdyke with 11 points. He also recorded three steals, while N. Roberts scored 10 points and eight rebounds.
    In the other game played on Sunday also, Prospect defeated Herstelling 53-31 after leading 25-22 at half time.
    Mark Richards top scored for the winners with 22 points.
    He recorded 10 rebounds and two steals, while Lance Gouveia and Troy Jeffrey supported with 10 points each. Gouveia also registered seven rebounds and two steals.
    Orel Webster scored 11 points for Herstelling. He also recorded four rebounds and three steals.
    Prospect, the defending champions who are heading Group `B' points standing, will now face Group `A' second place team Soesdyke in the first semi-final on Sunday at the same venue from 2.30pm.
    The other semi-final will be contested by Group `A' winners Bagotstown and Group 'B' runners-up Barama, on Sunday also, from 3.30pm.

  • Ansa Mc Al Basketball Championships: Prospect defeats Barama 45-39, Bagotstown foils Agricola 53-51
  • Tuesday, October 18th 2005
    Prospect defeated Barama 45-39 over the weekend when play in the Ansa McAl-sponsored East Bank Basketball Championship continued at the Burnham Court, Georgetown.
    Mark Richards led the scoring for Prospect with 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Lance Gouveia supported with 12 points.
    Trevor Profitt was Barama's leading scorer. He scored 17 points, nine rebounds and two steals, while Byron Pearson contributed 12 points and two rebounds.
    In other results, the undefeated Bagotstown came from behind to defeat Agricola 53-51, after trailing 21-30 at half time.
    Leading the scoring for Bagotstown was Kwesi Roberts with 12 points and five rebounds. Darren Thomas supported with 11 points and 15 rebounds, while Ush Stewart contributed 12 points and three rebounds.
    Travis LaRose scored 12 points, four rebounds and five assists for Agricola, while Michael Richards and Kevin Azore registered 12 points each.

  • Mocha Arcadia, Soesdyke and Barama record wins
  • Tuesday, October 11th 2005
    Mocha Arcadia, Soesdyke and Barama recorded wins when the Ansa Mc Al sponsored East Bank basketball championships continued on Sunday at the Burnham Court.
    Mocha Arcadia defeated Supply 40-34 after leading 22-16 at half-time. Shawn Haynes top scored for the winners with 17 points and had seven rebounds, two steals and two assists. For the losers Delon Gurrick contributed 10 points.
    Soesdyke edged Agricola 37-34 after leading 13-12 at half-time.
    The top scorers for the winners were Lance Barker with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals and Nashon Roberts, who had 10 points, three rebounds and two steals.
    For the losing team, Michael Richard scored 10 points and had three rebounds and two steals.
    In the day's closest match Barama defeated Herstelling 39-37 in overtime after the teams were deadlocked on 33 at the end of regulation time. For the winners Kevin Greene scored 13 points and had three rebounds and two steals while Trevor Profitt chipped in with nine points, eight rebounds and three steals. For the losers, Orel Webster top scored with 15 points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals.
    The tournament continues Sunday at the same venue with Prospect versus Barama at 2.30 pm and Agricola versus Bagotstown at 3.30 pm.

  • Kings to be crowned Second Division basketball champions
  • Friday, October 28th 2005
    The Kashif and Shanghai Kings are assured of winning the GoMoseley Second Division basketball league championship being staged at the Mackenzie Sports Club and Christianburg hard courts, for teams affiliated to the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA).
    Kings are unbeaten after playing seven of their eight scheduled matches, and the remaining game in the competition will see them against Wismar Pistons.
    Even if they lose, they will end with a better record than closest rivals Wismar Pistons, who have lost twice, and Victory Valley Royals, with three losses.
    On Tuesday, Pistons lost their match against Half Mile Bulls 58-57.
    For Bulls, Damian Alleyne scored 20 points and Terrence James contributed 14.
    Pistons' Nevin Grenville registered 14 points, and Allister Bynoe and Kelvin Boston eight points each.
    Also Tuesday, Amelia's Ward Jets completed their matches with victory over Scheme Unit (72-54). Javon Nelson scored 20 points and Calvin Slowe 18 for the winners.
    Trevor Blair had 15 points and Mark Semple 12 for Scheme Unit.
    In maintaining their perfect record, Kings had previously halted Victory Valley Royals 44-40, with Thornton Wilson netting 15 points, along with Jondel Singh's 11.
    For Royals, Marlon Tyrrell got 21 points and Dwight Cooper 13.
    After some initial tough games, the Kings improved their game and they now stand to be crowned as Second Division champions.
    Before taking on Royals, the Kings had whipped Blueberry Hill Blazers 121-70, which is the highest winning score of the competition. Desmond Chin scored a game-high 30 points, Singh 27, Wilson 15 and Hugh Wade 10.
    They also registered an impressive win against Silver Nets (99-65), as Wade had 26 points, Singh 22 and former national Abdulla Hamid added 18.
    In other scores, Jets gave Pistons their first loss (57-47) with Neil Simon and Delbert Caesar each scoring 18 points, Allister Bynoe 15 and Ron Wilson 10 for the Pistons.
    Also, Scheme Unit got past Half Mile Bulls, 65-62, with Byron Pearson's 20 points and Mark Semple with 17 leading the way for the winners.
    Terrence James who registered 28 points and Kurleigh Austin 12 were the best players for Bulls.
    Blueberry Hill Blazers stopped Scheme Unit, 43-41, through Colin Benjamin who scored 14 points and Henry Allen nine.
    For Scheme Unit, Trevor Blair got 15 points and Byron Pearson eight.