Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls confirmed their spot in the semi-finals of the Vitality Netball World following another impressive performance in bettering Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago 89-26 in their second Pool G game in Cape Town, South Africa on Wednesday.

Romelda Aiken-George led the way on this occasion with 37 goals from 42 attempts, getting support from Shanice Beckford, who chipped in with 20 goals from 24 attempts early on.

Captain Jhaniele Fowler, who was only introduced for the third quarter of the match, added 17 goals from 19 attempts, while Rebekah Robinson had 15 goals from 17 attempts in the blowout win.

Afeisha Noel expectedly led Trinidad and Tobago with 20 goals from 22 attempts.

After celebrating the Reggae Girlz historic feat of progressing to the knockout stages of the Fifa Women’s World Cup at the expense of Brazil in Australia, the Sunshine Girls entered their contest brimming with confidence and that was on display from the opening whistle.

With another strong start, both in attack and defence, the number four-ranked Jamaicans, forced a number of early turnovers and at one point, opened an 8-1 lead in the early exchanges.

Their fast and fluent transitions, coupled with that defensive pressure proved too much for the number 11-ranked Calypso Girls, who struggled to maintain composure, resulting in the Sunshine Girls taking a 20-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was more of the same, as Trinidad and Tobago again struggled for rhythm. In fact, so high was the Jamaican tempo and flair that they scored 12 unanswered goals with the Calypso Girls only scoring one, in the first 10 minutes of the quarter.

They eventually found three more late on, but by then, the Jamaicans had raced to a 34-point gap, to enter the half-time break 44-10 up.  

Fowler entered the contest at the start of the third quarter and kept the scoring momentum going, so even though Trinidad and Tobago enjoyed their best scoring period with nine goals at that point, they found themselves 69-19 down and with too much to do heading into the final stanza.

As such, Sunshine Girls Head coach Connie Francis, used the opportunity to feel out a few other combinations, throwing rising sensation Crystal Plummer at centre and Adean Thomas back at wing attack to feed Aiken-George and Robinson, who scored at free will to complete the rout.

The Jamaicans, who last won one of their three bronze medals at the tournament in 2007, are aiming to not only break that drought, but to do so by winning the coveted gold medal and, by all indications, they are on course to do so.

Sunshine Girls assistant coach Shawn Murdock, believes the performance was a glimpse of how lethal the team can be when fresh and focused, as the brace for reigning champions and number two-ranked New Zealand in their Pool G top of the table clash on Thursday.

“We were so happy for the rest day to have the ladies rest and go again and the performance was proof of that recovery. We were actually using this game to prepare for the game against New Zealand tomorrow, so we wanted to get the ladies tuned in, limit turnovers and penalties to get ourselves ready for the game tomorrow,” Murdock said.

Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago’s captain Shaquanda Greene-Noel rued the lack of concentration from her team in another loss.

They are scheduled to take on Wales on Thursday.

“I don’t think we executed our game plan, I thought we had moments of brilliance, but indiscipline worked against us. It was a pleasure to come up against a Caribbean team, but we need to be better. We won some balls in defence which is good, so it is just to create more opportunities and put some shots up,” Greene-Noel said.

After a day of much-needed rest and recovery, Sunshine Girls Head coach Connie Francis is anticipating another solid performance from her team at the Vitality Netball World Cup, when they take on Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday.

The number four-ranked Jamaicans, who have won all four games contested so far at the tournament in Cape Town, South Africa, will be seeking to make it five-in-five, but the number 10-ranked Calypso Girls is not expected to make it easy.

Francis is very much aware of that given their history, so though her Sunshine Girls are enjoying a rich vein of form at present, she is taking steps to guard against complacency.

Jamaica’s most recent victory was a 61-49 scoreline against Uganda, while Trinidad and Tobago will be trying to bounce back from a 28-69 defeat to host South Africa.

The game is scheduled to begin at 9:00am Jamaica time.

“We are still on the right path of going for gold, the coaching staff has been rotating some players to ensure that when the big game comes around, we are able to get the job done. We are more than capable of putting on a good show when it comes to rest and recovery and as I always say, different combination gives you different games, so it was really good to get a day for them to unwind and come again,” Francis told Sportsmax.tv.

With the Jamaicans determined to break a lengthy medal-less drought at the tournament dating back to 2007 when the won the last of their three bronze medals, Francis pointed out that they will also be using tomorrow’s contest to fine tune aspects of their game, ahead of the top of the pool clash with reigning champions New Zealand.

“Our defence continues to hunt balls which is good, so going forward against Trinidad we will have a different combination and then possibly rotate some of our starters in that game just to keep them as fresh as we possibly can so the mind and the body will be aware that we still need to play, especially as we look forward to that game against New Zealand,” Francis said.

“We know they play a very structured type of game, their defensive line up and their attacking line up are both good, but we are confident that all of our players are more than capable of counteracting what they have. So, our focus is really on these games based on how we attack and our all-round defensive effort. We are already playing at a high percentage rate, so we just need to keep that up and really give ourselves a chance for that gold,” she added.

Victory against Trinidad and Tobago will assure the Sunshine Girls of a semi-final spot and by all indications, they will have number one-ranked Australia or number-three ranked England to contend with at that stage.

This is another reason why Francis stressed the need to stay locked in from the start of each game going forward, if they are to reach their ultimate goal.

“When you put fresh legs and fresh combinations in, it kind of keeps the consistency going, so it's important to get other players on court competing, not just seven or eight players.  So going up against Trinidad we are confident but not overconfident, as we are focused on our possession game and taking care of the ball.

“So, we are going to send in a combination with some new players, not everybody will play, but it is an opponent to give more players longer playing time on court because we want it to be a case that any combination, we put out there, will be successful,” Francis ended.

Jamaica’s Senior Women’s Volleyball Team created history on Sunday after defeating seven-time defending champion Trinidad and Tobago in a nail biting 5 set thriller 3-2 [25-21, 15-25, 23-25, 25-19, 15-13] to win the 2023 CAZOVA Women’s Championship at the Anthony Nesty Sports Hall in Paramaribo Suriname.

This is Jamaica’s first ever championship at the senior Level.

The Jamaicans started strong by winning the first set 25-21 and lost the next two sets to the defending champions 15-25 and 23-25. The Jamaican’s then regained their momentum to win the fourth set 25-19 to force a decisive fifth set.

Anesia Edwards, who had three consecutive blocks in the fourth set to change the tide for the Jamaicans, sustained an injury in the final set but Jamaica maintained their composure to win 15-13.

Outside hitters Michael Vernon, Simone Asque-Favia and Captain Sashalee Thomas led the way for the Jamaicans in the fierce encounter.

It was sweet revenge for the Jamaicans who lost to Trinidad and Tobago in the final of the 2017 Championship at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Jamaica, the last time Jamaica participated at this level.

Jamaica has broken Trinidad and Tobago’s winning streak of seven consecutive CAZOVA titles and also went undefeated during the Championship.

Meanwhile, Barbados came back from behind to earn a 3-2 (19-25, 23-25, 27-25, 25-23, 15-12) win against host Suriname in their match for the bronze medal.

Barbados fought their way back from the brink of elimination after losing the first two sets.

The Barbadians got going in the third set and took over the game.

Trinidad and Tobago suffered a discouraging loss 34-74 to Uganda on Sunday at the Netball World Cup 2023 in Cape Town.

Despite a valiant effort from Afeisha Noel, who scored 29 goals, the Calypso Girls were no match for the She Cranes, who used their trademark physicality to dominate at both ends of the court.

Goalkeeper Muhameed Haniisha proved especially troublesome for the Trinidad & Tobago shooters for Noel and Joelisa Cooper, who only scored three times. After establishing a three goal lead at the end of the first quarter, Ugangda tightened their hold on game as Mary Cholhok and Irene Eyaru seemingly scored at will as their team extended their lead to 33-18 at the half-time break.

If the Trinidadians were hoping for a let-up from their opponents in the third quarter, those hopes were quickly dashed as Uganda upped the pressure even as the Calypso Girls tried to rally. The final quarter was a mere formality and Trinidad were unable to get a foothold in the game as they headed towards their second defeat in three games.

Meanwhile, Barbados suffered their third consecutive loss of the tournament when they went down 48-84 to Malawi.

The Gems were outplayed in every phase of the game but produced a sterling effort led by Kadeen Corbin, who scored 32 goals. Latonia Blackman scored 14.

However, their efforts were never going to be enough against the outstanding Suncorp Super League player Mwai Kumwenda who sunk 42 goals and Joyce Mvula, who scored 37.

After being humbled by reigning champions New Zealand in their opening Vitality Netball World Cup contest, Trinidad and Tobago’s Calypso Girls bounced back in style, as they bettered Singapore 49-36, but it was not the same for Barbados Gems, who suffered a second-consecutive defeat in a 44-53 scoreline against Scotland in Cape Town, South Africa on Saturday.

The Calypso Girls, who lost 27-72 to number two-ranked Silver Ferns on Friday, were always favoured to come up trumps against Singapore and that they did to keep their hopes of progressing to the business round of the tournament alive.

Co-captain Afeisha Noel lead from the front with 38 goals from 44 attempts, with Joelisa Cooper and Tiana Dillon contributing three and eight goals and from four and nine attempts respectively, as Trinidad and Tobago led from start to finish.

Amandeep Chahal 23 goals from 31 attempts and Kai Wei Toh, 13 goals from 28 attempts offered Singapore’s resistance.

With the win, Trinidad and Tobago moved to two points, same as Uganda who lost 44-54 to Pool D leaders and tournament favourites New Zealand, on four points.

The Calypso Girls Head coach Joel Young-Strong took heart from her team’s performance heading into their final contest against Uganda on Sunday.

“It is an awesome feeling, sometimes we were a bit off track with the goal and plan that we had and the things that we worked on and talked about. But it was good to see them correct the errors and go back to playing the way we wanted them to play which was good,” Young-Strong said in a post-game interview.

“We learnt from the first game that we had to be extra patient and we had to manage the ball even better and we did that in this game to some extent. We made some adjustments because we didn’t want to take anything for granted where Singapore is concerned and I am just happy for this win,” she added.

Barbados Gems were unable to say the same, as they found Scotland too good on the day, though both teams went to the half time break locked at 23-23.

Scotland, who had suffered an agonising defeat against Malawi in Friday's Pool B opener, capitalised on a number of unforced errors by the Gems at the backend of the game to secure a victory which positions them well to progress to the next stage.

Beth Goodwin 13 goals from 19 attempts, Niamh McCall 29 goals from 31 attempts and Emma Barrie 11 goals from 14 attempts, got the job done for the Scots.

Meanwhile, Latonia Blackman 20 goals from 22 attempts and Kadeen Corbin 24 goals from 27 attempts, lead the fight for Barbados.

The result meant the Gems are on the verge of being eliminated from contention and must win against Malawi on Sunday to remain alive. England, who defeated Malawi 62-39, head Pool B on four points.

Though again plagued by turnovers, Corbin believes it was a much-improved performance from the team.

“I thought we played really well, we just lost it at the last minute, but I think what we did positive in the first game, we improved on that today and we actually kept pushing and showing that we have the fight.

“We did lose a little bit of connection in attack at one point, but we spoke about it quickly on court and rectified that as soon as possible and once we got going, we kept on chugging away. But it was a bit too late and at the end it wasn’t enough,” Corbin shared.

“I give credit to all my teammates who fought on that court today. We got Malawi to come which is not going to be an easy game, we are going to have to fight to the last whistle. Hopefully, what we did positive today we can do better tomorrow and compete as best as we can,” she added.

Undefeated Jamaica advanced to Sunday’s final of the 2023 CAZOVA Women’s Championship after beating Barbados in straight sets 25-16, 25-21, 25-21.

Jamaica awaits the winner of the next semi-final between host Suriname and defending champion Trinidad and Tobago to determine their opponent in the final.

Suriname women clinched their semi-final berth where they will face defending champion Trinidad and Tobago. The hosts beat Barbados 3-1 (25-17, 25-21, 24-26, 25-19) at the Anthony Nesty Sports Hall in Paramaribo. 

Outside hitter Ketura Margaret led with 22 points with team captain Sandrina Hunsel adding 15 points including two blocks and four spikes. Outside hitter Shonte Seale of Barbados had a game high 17 points.

Suriname coach Sergio Valdes praised her victorious team. “We played very good today. I am happy my team stuck to the plan. Now we will face Trinidad once again. We lost against them but it will be a much better game this time around.”

Trinidad and Tobago’s Calypso Girls and Barbados Gems were both brave in defeat despite being outclassed by reigning champions New Zealand and England in their respective opening games at the Vitality Netball World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa on Friday.

The number 10-ranked Calypso Girls, who were the first Caribbean team in action, went down 27-72 to number two-ranked New Zealand, while the 14-ranked Gems, succumbed to a 29-90 loss to number three-ranked England Roses.

Those results meant that both Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados will have to play catch up in their respective pools, if they are to make the top three to progress to the next round.

New Zealand head Pool D ahead of Uganda, who were 79-37 winners over Singapore, while England heads Pool B ahead Malawi, who registered a 55-49 win over Scotland.

Trinidad and Tobago, one of only three countries to win a World Cup title in the tournament’s history, knew they were always up against it against the Silver Ferns, but left their best on the court in restricting the champions to a score under 80.

Still, New Zealand were comfortable from the start going 23-2 in the opening quarter and 43-11 at half time, before asserting authority at the backend of the contest.

Grace Nweke scored a flawless 31 goals for New Zealand and Maia Wilson made 22 of 24 attempts, while Afeisha Noel and Joelisa Cooper, had 17 and 10 goals for Trinidad and Tobago.

The Calypso Girls are scheduled to face Singapore on Saturday at 11:00am Jamaica time.

Meanwhile, Barbados, despite the presence of experienced siblings Sasha and Kadeen Corbin, who both racked up over 70 caps for England before switching allegiance, struggled for consistency which proved their undoing against the Roses.

They Started positively by matching strides with, but a number of unforced errors paved the way for England to take command of the game at 20-8 going into the first interval and 42-18 at half time.

England rang the changes at the start of the third quarter and with Barbados being caught out by the long balls, it forced goal shooter Kadeen Corbin to take up the goalkeeping position. While the move gradually assisted in restricting the Roses, it also limited the Gems’ scoring chances across the last two quarters.  

Faye Agard, captain of the Bajan Gems took heart from her team’s performance heading into their second game against Scotland tomorrow at 9:00am Jamaica time.

“We know we had some really good passages of play, but we also had a lot of unforced errors that we need to work on. So, we know what we need to do, go back to the drawing board and fix some things for the next game,” Agard said.

Jamaica’s women remained undefeated during their preliminary round matches and have clinched a semifinal berth at the 2023 CAZOVA Championship being held in Suriname.

After defeating defending champions Trinidad and Tobago in their previous match, Jamaica blanked the Bahamas 3-0 [25-16, 25-21, 25-22] at the Anthony Nesty Sports Hall in Paramaribo. Outside hitter Mychael Vernon led with 14 points, joined by opposite and team captain Sashalee Thomas with 14 points.

On Wednesday, Jamaica outgunned the defending champions in a five-set thriller 3-2 (25-14, 25-23, 22-25, 15-25, 16-14).

The Jamaicans dominated the two opening sets but Trinidad and Tobago roared back to win the next two sets and force a decisive fifth set.

In a contest where both teams were equally matched, Jamaica capitalized on the unforced errors by Trinidad and Tobago to clinch victory. Outside hitter Mychael Vernon led with 24 points. Team captain Sashalee Thomas had 18 points.

Jamaica remains the only undefeated team in the Women’s championship.

Meanwhile, Jamaica's men progressed to the quarterfinals after defeating Bahamas, 3:2 [25-16, 25-19, 21-25, 27-25, 15-11] to end the preliminary round with two wins and a loss and will now face defending CAZOVA Men’s Champion and host Suriname in the quarterfinal.

They may be three Caribbean Islands with different cultures and different styles of play. But what Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados all have in common, is their unflinching desire to leave an indelible mark at the Vitality Netball World Cup.

All three teams will bow into action in Cape Town, South Africa on Friday with Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls up against Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago’s Calypso Girls squaring off against reigning champions New Zealand, while Barbados Gems, are up against England’s Roses.

The number 10-ranked Calypso Girls will be the first in action at 3:00am Jamaica time, with number two-ranked Silver Ferns expected to prove a handful for the Joel “Twiggy” Young-Strong-coached team.

And while Trinidad and Tobago boast the legacy of being the only other team to win the World Cup title, along with New Zealand and Australia in the tournament’s long history, captain Shaquanda Green-Noel is realistic about their expectations.

“I think we are very honest and realistic with what may be the end result of the game, so even though we are extremely competitive, we are just going in thinking about the small wins in terms of reducing the margin.

“The mood in the camp is a bit of excitement and nervousness, the senior players are more the ones excited to get on the court because the Netball World Cup is one of the biggest platforms to showcase our talent. The young players are a tad bit nervous, but also excited to make their Netball World Cup debut,” Green-Noel told Sportsmax.tv.

“The girls are also very prepared for what is to come, New Zealand are defending champions and we would have done research on what they have to offer and how they play, and I think it (this game) is a great way for us to test out the skills we worked on coming into the World Cup. The last time we played New Zealand, I don’t think we had a very good game, so this is a chance to improve,” she added.

Uganda and Singapore are the other two teams the Calypso Girls will face in Pool D.

Jamaica, the highest ranked Caribbean team at number four, are out to end their 16-year medal drought at the Netball World Cup, dating back to 2007, when the last won one of their three bronze medals. 

They will enter their opening Pool C contest against 15^th-ranked Sri Lanka as overwhelming favourites, especially on the back of their historic silver medal-winning performance at the Commonwealth Games last year.

Still, Sunshine Girls Head coach Connie Francis is not taking their opponents lightly, as she is well aware that it will require proper execution from her team to get the job done.

Match time is 11:00 am Jamaica time.

“The ladies are mentally and physically prepared and they want to do something special at this tournament which is to win a medal. But we don’t know much about the Sri Lankans and so we don’t intend to take them lightly,” said Francis.

Though the off-court security issue in which captain Jhaniele Fowler was robbed, is cause for concern, Francis pointed out that the team remains focused on the task at hand.

“Yes, it is bad and very disappointing that has happened on a stage like this, but the ladies remain focused on what they came here to do, which is to execute well and win a medal and that starts with tomorrow’s game,” she noted.

The Sunshine Girls will also have Wales and the host nation to contend with in Pool C.

Meanwhile, number 13-ranked Barbados Gems, have drawn a tough Pool B in which they have England, Malawi and Scotland to deal with.

They open against the number three-ranked Roses at 1:00pm Jamaica time.

While getting by the Roses will take some doing, the Gems are by no means expected to play dead, especially with the addition of sisters Kadeen and Sasha Corbin, who both switched allegiance from England to represent Barbados.

Number one ranked Australia, Zimbabwe, Fiji and Tonga will contest Pool A.

As the start of the much-anticipated Vitality Netball World Cup draws closer, Trinidad and Tobago’s competitive spirit is very much stimulated, as they are on a mission to regain their status as perennial title contenders.

In fact, the confidence exuded by Co-captain Afeisha Noel is just one indicator of the belief and unflinching desire in the Calypso Girls camp to not only achieve a rise in the ranking, but to go as close as possible to a podium finish on this occasion.

This, as the twin island republic remains one of only three teams to have lifted the Netball World Cup trophy in the tournament’s 60-year history. The other two are of course powerhouses Australia and New Zealand.

Trinidad and Tobago boast this unique distinction, having shared the title with Australia and New Zealand in 1979. Back then the tournament was played over two round-robin group stages with no play-offs, and after the three nations all finished with eight wins and one loss, they were declared joint winners.

They also placed second and third at the 1983 and 1987 editions but have lost competitive shape since then with their next best finish being a sixth at the 1995 staging.

However, Noel declared that they are now out to right that wrong, and a possible top four or top five finish, which would all but underline their resurgence for future success.

 “Being the only team from the Caribbean to have won a World Cup is really great and a legacy that me and my teammates represent. It's been nearly 50 years since that T&T win in 1979, and for some of that time, we were still at the top of world netball and we were still contenders, but that has changed and for a lot of reasons,” Noel said.

“We've found it difficult to get the whole team back to playing at that competitive level, and it's not for lack of trying. The slide didn't happen overnight, and it didn't happen with one team, or at one tournament. So, the comeback story won't be just one episode.

“So, we are heading into this World Cup as an underdog, but we will get back (to being title contenders), it may not be now, but that doesn't mean we won't give it our best shot. We will take every opportunity to step up that ladder back to the top of the podium. This World Cup is one of those steps in our journey back…or maybe even two...you never know,” she told Sportsmax.tv from the team’s base in Cape Town.

According to Noel, the Calypso Girls are now ready and raring to perform with much gusto and prove competitive throughout the tournament, having now adjusted to the conditions since their arrival in South Africa almost two weeks now.

Trinidad and Tobago, currently ranked at 10 in the world, is grouped in Pool D alongside Uganda, Singapore, and defending champions New Zealand.

“Things have fallen into place nicely. The first two days here in South Africa had the ladies a bit flustered and jet lagged, but we’ve overcome that. Being that we are Caribbean people, and are used to warm weather, we focus on working around and adapting to South Africa’s winter weather, so we are hyped and ready to get back on the court and have another productive session before game time,” Noel shared.

“We all have mixed emotions. Some are hyped and ready to go and there is some nervousness as well, but we're more excited than anything else. We have been grinding in our training sessions, but we are all in a good space heading into our first match up,” she noted.

That first match is scheduled for Friday against number two-ranked New Zealand, which will be followed by a clash against Singapore the following day, before they come up against Uganda on July 30.

Noel, who along with Shaquanda Green-Noel and Daystar Swift, are expected to lead from the front, pointed out that she is more anticipating a rematch with Uganda.

“The match up against Uganda is something of a personal one for me given that we lost to them at the Commonwealth Games last year. We went back over the tapes from that game and taking whatever lessons we can from our mistakes,” she revealed.

“As for Singapore, I’ve never played against them and even though it's obvious that they are ranked lower than us, we are not taking any team for granted because nobody came here just to shop for fridge magnets,” Noel ended.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and fellow opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul placed West Indies on a steady foundation, but they are still left with much to do, after Virat Kohli registered a 29th Test century to put India in full command at the end of day two action at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.

Brathwaite ended the day unbeaten on 37, with the Caribbean side at 86-1 in their first innings, still 352 runs behind the visitors, after losing Chanderpaul for 33 shortly before close in this, the 100th Test between the two teams. India lead the two-test series 1-0.

India resumed from their overnight score of 288-4 and though West Indies bowled with some amount of purpose, they couldn’t stop the opponents from posting a daunting 438 all out, just prior to the tea interval.

Kohli scored 121, his first hundred away from home in five years, while Ravendra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, both added half-centuries to what is massive total, give the feeble nature of West Indies batting.

Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican snared two of the last four wickets to end with 3-89 from 39 overs. He had support from veteran pacer Kemar Roach, who had 3-104 from 22 overs, and Jason Holder, who had 2-57 from 21 overs, as West Indies took the last four Indian wickets for a mere 43 runs.

West Indies started their reply in a solid manner, as Chanderpaul and Brathwaite withstood early pressure from India’s seamers, and later capitalised on the hard, easy-paced surface.

The openers hardly played a stroke wrong and had the bowling at their mercy until Jadeja, bowling his left-arm spin, had Chanderpaul caught at backward point, from an ill-advised lofted drive.

It brought Jamaican debutant Kirk McKenzie to the middle and the young left-handed batsman displayed confidence throughout his half-hour knock which included a lofted drive over long-off for six off Ashwin’s off-spin. He will resume on 14 alongside his captain on Saturday’s third day in which they will be targeting at least 239 to avoid being asked to follow-on.

Earlier, Kohli raised a well-deserved century, partnering with Jadeja in a 159-run fifth wicket stand that pushed India past the 350-run mark.

Kohli’s 76th milestone knock came from 180 balls and included 11 boundaries.

Jadeja reached his 50 from 105 balls, before West Indies grabbed a breakthrough when Kohli was run out by Alzarri Joseph.

Further success came for the hosts five overs later when Roach got Jadeja caught behind for 61 after reviewing a negative verdict from South African umpire Marais Erasmus.

West Indies maintained steady bowling in tough conditions after the visitors continued from their lunchtime total of 373 for six, and it paid dividends, though Ashwin defied them to carve out 56.

Holder had Ishan Kishan caught behind for 25, and after being frustrated by Jaydev Unadkat and Ashwin, they eventually made inroads when Warrican had the former stumped.

The spinner then accounted for Mohammed Siraj for a duck, before Roach brought the innings to a close when he had the last laugh in against Ashwin, who smashed three boundaries off in the same over in is 75-ball 50.

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal all scored half-centuries as India reached 288-4 at stumps on day one of the second Test against the West Indies on Thursday.

The hosts won the toss and decided to bowl first at the Queen’s Park Oval.

Based on proceedings on day one, that seemed like the wrong choice as India started the day with a 139-run opening partnership between first Test centurions Jaiswal and Sharma.

Jaiswal, who hit a magnificent 171 on debut in Dominica, made a 74-ball 57 while Sharma, India’s Captain who hit 103 in the last Test, fell for 80 off 143 balls with the score on 155 in the 39^th over.

Jaiswal’s knock included nine fours and a six while Sharma hit nine fours and two sixes.

Shubman Gill (10) and Ajinkya Rahane (8) were the other Indian batsmen to fall before the end of play.

Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja will be at the crease when play continues tomorrow.

Kohli, who hit 76 in the first Test, will resume on 87* searching for his 29^th Test hundred while Jadeja will resume on 36*. Kohli has, so far, faced 161 balls and hit eight fours.

Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Jomel Warrican and Jason Holder have each taken a wicket for the West Indies.

On what was an action-packed opening day at the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Junior Championships on Saturday, most of the medal favourites safely progressed to the next round, setting up even more mouth-watering prospects for sports enthusiast, heading into Sunday’s second day of action in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

In boys’ Under-17 action, Jamaica’s Thomas Overton defeated Barbadian Armaan Suleman in straight sets, 11-3, 11-3, 11-8; Shiloh Asregado of Guyana bettered Trinidad and Tobago's Yohann Marchock 3-0, after posting 11-1, 11-6 and 11-7 scores in the three games.

Luke Wilson of Barbados also came out tops 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 in his contest against Trinidad and Tobago’s Sanjiv Mungal, while Guyana’s Demetri Lowe got the better of Trinidad and Tobago’s Marcus Camps-Campins 11-5, 11-9, 8-11, 8-11, 11-8 in a hard-fought contest.

 However, when it came down to second round action, it was Guyana’s Louis da Silva, who earlier had a bye, Daniel Henderson, Luke Wilson, Vincentian Jaydon Williams, Andrew Cox, Elias Carpol, Jamaica’s Lucas Thomson and Mohryan Baksh, also of Guyana, that will contest the third round.

 Da Silva will square off against Henderson, Wilson against Williams, Cox against Carpol, while Thomson and Baksh, will lock horns.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Christophe Bovell is among those that secured their spots in the next round in the boys’ Under-15 category, following a 11-13, 11-6, 11-12 and 14-12 win over Bermuda’s William Frith.

Guyana’s Richard Rodrigues also progressed after bettering Vincentian Dru Sanuel 12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 11-1 in a match that lasted 24 minutes, while Bermuda’s Charlie Makin scored an 11-6, 11-4, 11-8 win over Avian Wade of Guyana in a 16-minute contest.

Blake Edwards ensured will have another representative in the next round, as he easily brushed aside De’ron Lewis 11-6, 11-2, 11-3.

Jayden George of St Vincent and the Grenadines was given a bye, along with Barbadian Daniel Sealy, Bermuda’s Owen Rosorea and Zevieh Abraham of British Virgin Island.

Meanwhile, byes were the order of the day in the opening round of the boys’ Under-19 category, but when they got to the second round is where the true quality came to light.

Nicholas Verwey of Guyana outclassed Barbadian Aidan Parris 8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-3 in a four-set match that lasted a half-hour. Verwey will next tackle Jamaica’s Alex Chin, who defeated British Virgin Islands Louis Day in straight sets, 11-6, 11-6, 11-1.

Barbadian Alex Stewart and Jamaica’s Tobias Levy are also set to lock horns after both registered comfortable three-set wins over Russell Forrester and Neil McComb respectively, while another Jamaican Arjan Trehan and Guyana’s Michael Alphonso, will meet in the other contest.

On the girls’ side of action, Jamaica’s Katherine Risden defeated Darci Reich of US Virgin Island 11-3,11-3, 11-2 in a 14-minute match, to book her spot in the next round of the Under-19 category. She is set to face Sumairaa Suleman of Barbados, who was given a bye.

Another Jamaican Savannah Thomson bettered Vincentian Nadira Morgan 11-5, 11-9 and 11-1 in a 17-minute match. She awaits her opponent which will either be Trinidad and Tobago’s Sigourney Williams or Guyana’s Kirsten Gomes.

In Under-17 category, the Barbados pair of Eboni Atherley and Sarrayah Yearwood and Jamaica’s trio of Elle Wilson, Mehar Trehan and Sanjana Nallapati, are those who were safely through to the next round at the time of writing.

Trinidad & Tobago took gold in the men’s 4x400m relay on Friday’s final day of Athletics at the 2023 CAC Games in San Salvador.

The team of Che Lara, Renny Quow, Machel Cedenio and Jereem Richards combined to run 3:01.99 for gold. The Barbados quartet of Kyle Gale, Rasheeme Griffith, Rivaldo Leacock and Desean Boyce ran 3:02.12 while the Dominican Republic took bronze in 3:02.19.

In the field, Jamaica’s Adrienne Adams threw 55.43m for bronze in the women’s discus throw. Cuba’s Silinda Morales threw 61.95 for gold while Mexico’s Alma Pollorena threw 55.58m for silver.

Jamaica’s netballers created history at the 2023 CAC Games on Friday when they defeated Trinidad and Tobago 50-36 to win the first ever gold medal in the sport at the games.

The squad comprised of mainly next-generation players outscored their Trinidadian opponents 12-10, 11-6, 15-11 and 12-9 in what was perhaps the Jamaicans’ most competitive match of the competition.

Simone Gordon scored 41 goals from 43 attempts for the gold medallists with Rebekah Robinson scoring 11 goals from her 13 attempts.

Afeisha Noel sank 24 of her 26 attempts. She was supported by the sterling efforts of Joelisa Cooper, who was perfect from the circle with her 12 goals.

The Jamaicans were dominant throughout the tournament defeating Barbados 62-34 and then demolishing the Cayman Islands 116-10. They scored more than 100 points against the Dominican Republic who were swamped 110-7 before trouncing St Vincent and the Grenadines in their penultimate match of the series.

Trinidad and Tobago, meanwhile, defeated the Dominican Republic 108-10, Barbados 50-47, and the Cayman Islands 90-12 before suffering their first loss against the Jamaicans.

In the play-off for the bronze medal St Vincent and the Grenadines edged Barbados 51-50.

Mary-Ann Frederick topped the scoring for the bronze medallists with 40 goals with Shellisa Davis adding the other 11.

Jada Smith led the scoring for Barbados with 26 goals while Latonia Blackman adding 24 in the valiant effort.

The Cayman Islands defeated the Dominican Republic 51-33 in the playoff for fifth and sixth.