The two best Barbadian players over the past decade, Karen Meakins and Shawn Simpson, were both pushed hard but ultimately prevailed in their respective finals as the curtain came down on the  36th annual National Squash Championships  at the Barbados Squash Club on Saturday. The women’s top seed and Caribbean No. 2, Meakins, duly claimed her tenth straight national squash title by beating reigning Caribbean Under-19 champion Cheri-Ann Parris 11-4, 8-11, 11-2, 11-6  in a pulsating encounter. Both players started a little nervously but the veteran Meakins settled down quicker and,  helped by several unforced errors from  her powerfully built teenaged opponent, wrapped up the first game swiftly. The second-seeded Parris, however, was not fazed and increased her pace of shot, sucking Meakings into a power-hitting game before pulling away to win that second game to the delight of the spectators, who had never before seen Meakins drop a single game  in ten years at the national championships.But Meakins responded in kind, concentrating  on placement instead of power and as her length  and width improved, the athletic Parris could not dominate the rallies like before. The third game was over in a flash and the fourth game followed the same pattern, as Meakins, visibly relaxed, grew more confident while placing her shots precisely into the corners to win in four games. The men’s final was just as exciting as the top seed and Caribbean No. 3, Shawn Simpson, was pushed to the very brink before holding on for a  9-11, 11-9, 11-4, 14-12 victory over Bryant Cumberbatch.After Cumberbatch claimed the first game, Simpson tried to keep the rallies longer and played a bit more conservatively, but the second was always close  with no player taking a significant lead until Simpson claimed the final two points to take it 11-9. Cumberbatch then played a loose third game and made quite a few unforced errors allowing Simpson  to cruise to his sixth national title.

by Justin MarvilleTHEY MAY SHARE Cleveland’s name but these Cavaliers’ title hopes are definitely  still aliveCorey Williams and Kevin Sealy combined to score all but two of Mpact Station Hill Cavalier’s baskets in overtime as Premier League basketball’s reigning double-crowned champs survived a 29-point outing from Corey McDonald before outlasting First Works Warriors  in Sunday’s  86-81 thriller  at the YMCA.Just days  after their NBA counterparts  were knocked  out of the  post-season, the resurgent Cavs improved their standing in the tight play-off race  by winning a fifth straight game  to leapfrog both Warriors and an idle Pinelands  for second place.But the possibility of recovering to a 7-2 mark looked highly unlikely when Station Hill lost their season opener to the lowly Cougars, while dropping two of the first four contests of the year.And they very nearly dropped  a third after squandering an  11-point third-quarter lead (52-41) that came on the heels of Williams’ brief spurt from behind the arc.Those efforts, and the subsequent lead, were all laid  to waste, as the torrid McDonald found perfect foils in Andre Pierre and Kirk Shaw to cut the deficit to one (61-60) early in the fourth.That initial rally was cut short following four successive points from Kelvin Patterson, before rookie swingman Darren Hunte added a pair of backdoor lay-ups that sandwiched a Junior Moore jumper, to restore a Cavs’ 74-67 cushion with 1:45 remaining.But Warriors weren’t done just yet, as Kevin John rattled  off 11 of their last 14 points,  prior to McDonald’s dramatic game-tying three-pointer,  that locked the scores at 74  in the dying moments.Station Hill still had one last chance to win outright in regulation, but McDonald’s stifling defence on an over-dribbling Patterson prevented them from even getting off a last-second shot.However, what the Cavs couldn’t do in the last 20 seconds of regulation, they did in the first  30 of overtime.Before Warriors could even settle, the champs had four quick points to start the extra period, behind a pair of well-executed backdoor cuts in succession from Patterson and Sealy.Seasoned veteran Andrew Alleyne then increased the lead  via a subsequent basket and Williams punched the seams of Warriors defence for a driving lay-up to give Station Hill  a comfortable 82-76 inside  the final minute.However, Warriors were  nearly given another reprieve after McDonald goaded  opposite number Jason Smith  into fouling him on an ensuing three-point attempt.But the former MVP missed  two of the subsequent free throw attempts, while Sealy scored  an uncontested basket to provide the final margin. Patterson finished with  a double-double of 18 points and ten boards, Williams scored  14 and Alleyne netted 11. For Warriors, Pierre and John had  15 and 14 points, respectively, while Shaw scored 12.The night’s second game between Act II Popcorn Clapham Bulls and Roll-A-Way St John’s Sonics was postponed after rain interrupted the team’s warm-up before tip-off.

Athletes who are hoping  to compete at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Junior Championships have less than one month to get in shape and impress the selectors for the July 2  to 4 meet in the Dominican Republic.The Barbados Olympians Classic, which will be held on June 12 and 13, will be the last chance to meet the qualifying standards which were set several months ago.“The major selection meet for  the juniors will be the Olympians Classic because nationals are  too close to the actual competition  to use that as a selection meet,”  Amateur Athletic Association president Esther Maynard told NATIONSPORT in a recent interview.“The juniors will have to put their qualifying performances in by the  12th and 13th of June. That is the meet they will have to compete at and go head-to-head at because the next meet  is too close to the actual travel date.”Maynard said approximately  25 athletes had met the qualifying standards following the conclusion of last month’s CARIFTA Games, but that  was not enough to guarantee selection.“It is not only qualifying  performance that merits it. It is the shape that you are in at the time  of selection,” she reiterated.The president expressed concern that some of those who had qualified had  not returned to competition since the CARIFTA Games which were held  in the Cayman Islands at Easter. She believes that many of the athletes were preparing for examinations and that was the reason why they had been absent.Maynard said that to date only six seniors had qualified for the August 22 to 28 CAC Games in Puerto Rico, based on the information they had received.She identified 110 metres hurdles World champion Ryan M. Brathwaite; national record holders Justin Cummins in the javelin, Henderson Dottin in the high jump and Kierre Beckles in the  100-metre hurdles; as well as Keisha Walkes in the shot put and Latoya Griffith in the 400-metre hurdles. Shane Brathwaite has qualified for the regional Under-23 championships in the 110  metres and 400 metres hurdles, respectively, while Griffith and Beckles are also eligible and Stephen Headley with 10:48 in the 100 metres.“I think we may have some other performances from some of the other hurdlers, but until we get confirmation, of things like wind reading and so on, those are the ones that I can [say] off hand.”Maynard said Barbados would like  to have “our best team out”, numbering between 15 and 20 athletes.This year’s National Championships will be held on the weekend of June 25 through 27.

Two old records were broken, two new ones were set, and one was equalled as the curtain came down on the Tenth Austin Sealy Invitational Trac Classic last Sunday night at the National Stadium.Matthew Wright of Elite Distance shattered his own time of 9 minutes, 01:33 seconds in the men’s 3000 metres with a new time of 8.48:08. He lapped most of the field, with Jerome Blackett of the BDF second in 9.50:12, holding off the late sprint by Pacers’ Anthonio Mascoll (9.50:42).The lone record in the field came from Pacers’ Charles Greaves, who followed up his best in the triple jump on Saturday with 6.52 metres in the Under-17 Boys’ long jump, adding six centimetres  to the mark posted  by St Kitts’ Troy Rogers three years ago.The Haddock twins also completed the double by setting the standard to beat in the Under-9 division’s new events. Leilani won the 150 metres in 22:92 seconds from the CUT’s Rishaunna Padmore (23:63) and Arielle Cook-Ashton (24:07); while Ajani won the boys’ race in 22:25 seconds from BC Trac’s Jahlarni Toney (23:38)  and his West Terrace teammate Tristan Scantlebury, who clocked 23:77 seconds. Leah Barker of Elite Distance equalled Shadir Greene’s three-year record of 25:95 seconds in the Under-15 Girls’ 200 metres and Tré Adamson of Rising Stars dipped below 24 seconds with 23:92 to win the boys’ race.There were no more records in the 200 metres, but there was a lot to talk about after 12-year-old Tristan Evelyn of Rising Stars beat the Under-17 field with a time of 25:35 seconds, Shakera Hall of Elite Distance was second in 25:60 and BC Trac’s Alisha Harris third  in 26:39.Deon Hope did the double in the Under-17 division, crossing the line in a comfortable 22:03 seconds, followed by Jason Moore of Elite Distance  in 22:53 and Jerrad Mason of Rising Stars in 22:66.Mara Weekes of Quantum Leap was unchallenged in winning the women’s race in 24:53 seconds, while Pacers’ Fallon Forde lived up to his billing as the fastest qualifier to win the men’s race in 21:68 seconds. The expected showdown never occurred with neither Shekeim Greaves nor Elroy Agard facing the starter, and all eyes were on Greggmar Swift to do the double. He faded coming out of the turn, as Forde passed Jamil Jones (21:77) and Dario Alleyne of Rising Stars (21:86).In the Under-11 division, Rosette Hoyte  of Rising Stars (29:31) also did the double, while her clubmate Fabian Leon (27:72) turned the tables on CUT’s Shaquille Ifill (27:78) and 100-metre champion Jamahl Burke (27:81) of West Terrace  in the timed finals.CUT’s Jaria Hoyte won the Under-13 Girls’ race in 27.42 seconds and Pacers’ Jevon Hunte, with a style reminiscent of Kemar Hannaway, won the boys’ race in 25.98 seconds.In other events, Parkinson’s Sonia Gaskin won the Under-17 Girls’ 800 metres and Shani Adams of Elite Distance took women’s event. Brandon Parris of VSec won the boys’ race and Ibrahim Hinds won the men’s race. Tia-Adana Belle and Zeco Best  of Elite Distance were  the winners in the  Under-15 division.In the field, twin sisters Winmalecia (8.23 metres) and Winmarie (8.19 metres) of Springer Memorial won the  Under-15 Girls’ shot put, while BC Trac’s Shannon Greene had the best put  of 9.22 metres among the Under-17 girls and Angela Jackson (10.16m) among the women.  (SAT)

by EZRA STUARTA SHOW of faith by the West Indies selectors!In spite of below-par displays in the just ended World Twenty20, both Denesh Ramdin and Andre Fletcher have been retained for the pair  of Twenty20 and  One-Day International matches against South Africa in Antigua.And there is still no recall for Dwayne Smith, Carlton Baugh or Lendl Simmons, while the  big-hitting under-achiever Kieron Pollard gets another chance to replicate his Indian Premier League form in West Indian colours.The only casualty from the unsuccessful World T20 squad, which lost two of three matches in the Super Eights round  and failed to reach the semi-finals, is veteran  left-handed batsman Wavell Hinds.The two T20s will be played tomorrow and Thursday, while the first two ODIs are on Saturday and Monday at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, outside of St John’s. The matches were shifted  to Antigua because of general elections in Trinidad and Tobago.Despite the shortcomings of Ramdin and Fletcher, the selectors continue to bypass Jamaican wicketkeeper Baugh, who made two  in his only T20 international against  New Zealand in 2008.  That match ended in a tie before the Windies triumphed in the  “super over”. Ramdin has a batting average of 16.84 in 22 T20s, while Fletcher, who is seen primarily as  a top-order batsman, is averaging 13.30 after  12 T20 internationals. In 76 ODIs, Ramdin averages 19.65 and Fletcher 18.07 in his  14 matches. The last of Baugh’s 30 ODIs in which he has averaged 14.86, was in Abu Dhabi in 2008.Smith, still only 27 years old, was made the scapegoat for the Windies’ defeat against Zimbabwe in his last ODI in Guyana when he was discarded after he was bowled, essaying a cross-batted shot in the final over.Smith, who wasn’t selected in the World T20 squad, has only played in eight T20 matches for the West Indies and was unfortunately run out in his first three innings.A three-dimensional player, Smith’s useful medium pace swing bowling and outstanding fielding are often overlooked while his lower order batting and method of dismissal, repeatedly come under scrutiny.A case in point was in only his second T20 against England in 2007.After being run out for six, Smith significantly ran out both Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood and had the impressive figures of 3-0-24-3, taking the wickets of openers Alaistair Cook and Matt Prior, as well as Owais Shah to help the West Indies win by 15 runs at The Oval.His best score is 29 off just seven balls when he went to the crease in the 18th over and smashed four sixes and a four off Bangladesh before he was out off the final ball.On the West Indies’ One-Day tour of Australia last year, Smith performed creditably with scores of 7, 43, 59 not out and 21. He also performed capably with the ball, so much so that he has 56 ODI wickets at an economy rate of 4.92. While Smith has been cast aside, Darren Sammy has seized his opportunity, while vice-captain Dwayne Bravo, despite lean times in recent series and in the World T20 when he made 18, 23, 1 and 6, is regarded as the No.1 all-rounder in a team, which also includes Pollard, whose World Cup T20 returns were 8, 0, 9, 17 and 13, keeping his overall T20 average in 18 matches at 11.61. In 25 ODIs, Pollard’s average is 18.36.Maybe, Smith, Baugh and the Jamaican all-rounder David Bernard, who has taken 14 wickets at an economy rate of 4.95 in his 18 ODIs and has only been given a solitary T20 international, will get their chances on the Dominica leg.SQUAD: Chris Gayle (captain), Dwayne Bravo (vice-captain), Sulieman Benn, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor.

DHAKA, Bangladesh  – Left-handed stroke-maker Darren Bravo carved out his second century in a week as West Indies “A” made a strong start to their four-day “Test” against Bangladesh “A” yesterday.The 20-year-old Trinidadian scored an attractive 102 to fire the Caribbean side to 285 all out after they won the toss and chose to bat first at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.At the close, Bangladesh “A” had reached 22 for one, still 263 runs off first innings lead.Bravo was the day’s main attraction, continuing his rich vein of form, which also brought him an unbeaten 107 against South Africa “A” last Tuesday, in the preceding Tri-Nation Limited Overs Series.His knock was needed after West Indies “A” slipped to 60 for two, as he combined with captain Travis Dowlin in an outstanding 142-run, third-wicket stand to revive the innings.Bravo faced 137 balls and struck 12 fours and a six in just under three hours at the crease, while the right-handed Dowlin hammered 75 with eight fours in an innings spanning 144 balls and 221 minutes.When left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo, who finished with six for 124, bowled Dowlin at 202 for three, Bravo and fellow left-handed batsman Brendan Nash added another 42 for the fourth wicket.Nash, the Australia-born Test left-hander, hit 44 off 73 balls with two fours and a six and held the innings together after Bravo fell.West Indies “A” suffered a late innings decline, however, losing their last six wickets for 41 runs as off-spinner Mahmudul Hasan chipped in with two for 53.The visitors then secured a scalp before the close when good work by Imran Khan accounted for the dangerous left-hander Shahriar Nafees run out for three, with the score on four in the fourth over of the innings. (CMC)