Sports

The bumping, setting and spiking which defines volleyball will be on display once again on June 8th as the interim committee responsible for Volleyball presents its business Volleyball league. The league which is being sponsored by the Anguilla Development board is premised on getting fit and enjoying the health benefits of sports.

In an attempt to achieve enjoyment and excitement many children turn to sport and through their participation they learn important life skills. Sport offers the opportunity to experience the rewards of personal achievement and golf in particular teaches self-discipline, co-operation and respect. Twenty- two children between 8 to 16 years of age have just finished a month long Spring Golf Clinic hosted by Temenos Golf Club.

Lil Soldiers are the new C.C.B. Female Football League Champions. They dethroned the defending champions Shining Stars by edging them out on goal difference. Shining Stars needed only a draw in their final game against Gazelles to retain their championship, but they went under 1 goal to nil in a very exciting encounter. Both Lil Soldiers and Shining Stars ended on 17 points but Lil Soldiers had a superior goal difference of 12 compared to a goal difference of 7 for Shining Stars. This meant that the final standings read: First place Lil Soldiers (C.C.B. League Champions 2007), second Shining Stars, Gazelles slip one place to third, Youngsters fourth andSuper Stars in fifth position. It was Lil Soldiers first hold on the C.C.B. League trophy.

The Anguilla Tae Kwondo Club held its second bi-annual grading exams this year at the Road School on Sunday 13th May 2007. The exams were presided over by Grand Master Shin. Two students Cody Coburn and Alex Horsford were promoted to the rank of 1st Dan Black Belt, an Honorary 1st Dan Black Belt was conferred on Birnie Stephenson-Brooks for her sterling contribution to the Club here in Anguilla she was the holder of a red belt before her retirement from the sport. 31 Students were promoted from White Belt to Yellow Belt and 18 students were promoted from Yellow Belt to Green Belt, 1 student Michelle Herbert Harrigan was promoted from yellow belt to purple (skipping green belt) and 14 students were promoted from Green Belt to Purple Belt and 7 students were promoted from Purple to Red Belt whilst 5 students were promoted from Red Belt to Red Belt with one stripe, 5 students were promoted from Red Stripe to Brown belt and 4 students were promoted from brown belt to brown belt with one stripe and 3 students from Brown with 1 stripe to Brown with 2 Stripes. Two 1st Dan black belt students did their stage test to be promoted to 2nd Dan black belt. A total of 104 students took the exams.

Over the past days, NAPA Auto Parts in Anguilla has made presentations of six footballs to various schools on the island aimed at promoting the sport of football and developing the playing skills of the children.

Cricket in the schools in Anguilla is being given a boost with the provision of a quantity of playing gear purchased by the island’s Cricket Association from funds made available by the Stanford Group.

The Anguilla Tae Kwon Do Club under the Instruction of Emmanuel Laud participated in the ITF Open Championship Tournament, which was held in Jamaica. There were 13 students in attendance.

Styler’s Tae Kwondo Club, had their second promotion test for belt grading on Saturday May 5th 2007 at the Soroptimist Centre.

Fritz Bus of St Maarten is the 2007 Optimist Triathlon Individual Serious winner. Bus had placed third in the 2006 Triathlon.

The fifth annual Anguilla Regatta will take place on May 11, 12 and 13 in the beautiful sheltered harbour of Road Bay Anguilla. Many yachts are expected to participate from neighbouring islands including St. Martin/St. Maarten, St. Barths, Antigua and the BVI. Other participants include sailors flying in from the USA and Europe to crew on various boats with crew needed.

Action heated up last week in the CCB sponsored female football league. On Wednesday Shining Stars defeated Super Stars by a score of 2 goals to 1. Glenicia Richardson and Morihinzi both scored for Shining Stars while Melissa Carty scored the lone goal for Super Stars. Khadeema Gumbs was adjudged player of the game for her superb defensive work. The second round kicked off on Friday 20th April with the league leaders and defending champion Shining Stars going under to Lil Soldiers by the score of 3 goals to 0. Keturah Caines, Geralisa Bardouille and Melesa Anderson were on target for Lil Soldiers with Ambhar Romney winning the M.V.P. of the game.

Matches continued in the 2007 CCB sponsored Senior Male Cricket League saw ALHCS (School) take on the defending champions Farrington Blue Jays. School won the toss and put the Blue Jays in to bat. The Farrington Team cumulated a meager total of 152 off 27 overs failing to utilize their full allotment of 30. The Adams brothers contributed most of the runs to the Blue Jays total with Alex hitting a spanking 71, which included 7 fours and 3 sixes, while Terry supported him with a quick 45, smashing 6 fours and a massive six.

The C.C.B. Female Football League was alive and kicking last week. On Wednesday Lil Soldiers crushed Super Stars by a score of 5 goals to 1. Melesa Anderson scored 4 goals and Shelissa Williams netted the other goal for Soldiers while Melissa Carty scored the lone goal for Super Stars. Melesa Anderson was named M.V.P. for her outstanding performance in the midfield.

The 2007 Caribbean Commercial Bank sponsored 35 over cricket season commenced on April 14th 2007 at the Ronald Webster’s Park with an exciting match between Cap Juluca and the Blue Jays of the Farrington. Cap Juluca batted first, with the excellent batting of Omari Banks and Rhon Rogers earning the team 64 runs and 28 runs respectively. By the end of the match the team was able to amass 142 runs from 20 overs.

U-13 Male National Team

On Saturday 7th March 2007 the U-13 male national team travelled to St. Martin to participate in the Alberic A. Richards Memorial Football Tournament. The participating teams were Anguilla, St. Kitts, St. Martin and St. Maarten. Anguilla placed second in this competition with St. Martin awarded first place and St. Kitts 3rd place.

U-13 Male National Team

The Anguilla U-13 football Team returned from a successful tour of St. Kitts on Monday. They participated in a friendly quadrangle tournament with St. Kitts teams one and two and Nevis. In the first encounter Anguilla narrowly defeated St. Kitts by score of one (1) goal to nil (0), with Captain Mensah Richardson scoring the lone goal. Anguilla went under to Nevis 2 goals to 0 in the second game, but stormed back to beat St. Kitts #1 by a score of 2 goals to nil. Both teams were dead locked at 2 goals a piece at the end of regular time, but Anguilla’s boys held their nerves and outscored St. Kitts by 2 goals to nil (0) on penalty kicks.

At a special assembly of the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School campuses A and B, at the Ronald Webster Park, on Monday March 26, Nagico and Cable and Wireless pledged support for the annual Inter-House School Sports.

This year’s boat-racing season started with a church service, a ribbon cutting ceremony and a B Class boat race. Speaker of the House of Assembly, David Carty, praised the new boat racing committee for formalizing the national sport in this way.

The Annual Primary Schools Road Race, sponsored by Tropical Shipping, took place on Friday March 23rd in The Valley. The Race was run in two categories: juniors (under ten years) a distance of one and a half miles; and seniors (ten years and over), a distance of three miles. The results were as follows:

The Webster Park Annex was sizzling with excitement last weekend as Female Football took center stage on Saturday in the second Annual Backyard Olympics, Lil Soldiers ruled supreme as they outscored their opponents in some exciting and enjoyable activities which included target shooting, donkey race, long distance shoot out, juggling and relay races.