分类： sports

The 2026 Kevin Denny Open Chess tournament wrapped up its multi-day competition over the weekend, with two standout winners emerging from the event’s two competitive divisions. Held in honor of legendary 13-time Barbadian national chess champion International Master Kevin Denny, the tournament also served as the second qualifying event for the 2026 National Open Chess Championship, drawing roughly 40 competitors across its rated and unrated sections.

In the FIDE-rated division, veteran FIDE Master Dr. Philip Corbin pulled off a dramatic late-tournament comeback to secure his first tournament victory in several years, capping off a week of intense, high-stakes play. The title fight came down to the final round, with Jeremiah Farley entering his last match holding a fragile half-point lead over both Corbin and current women’s national champion, Woman FIDE Master Hannah Wilson.

Farley squared off against Justin Kirton in the final round, while Corbin faced Wilson in a matchup that would ultimately decide the overall standings. In a tense, hard-fought game, Farley held his own through the opening and early middle game, but lost critical pawns in the late middle game, allowing Kirton to clinch a win. Meanwhile, Corbin launched a relentless central attack against Wilson’s king, steadily cramping her position and building overwhelming pressure. When Corbin positioned himself to capture a key piece, Wilson conceded the match via resignation.

These final round results pushed Corbin past Farley in the overall standings, finishing atop the division with 5.5 total points. Farley ended the tournament with 5 points, claiming second place on tie-breaks. Kirton, Ronaldo Rochester, and Justin Parsons also finished the competition with 5 points apiece, all having secured wins in their final round matches. Parsons outperformed the other two on tie-breaks to take third place, earning the final qualifying spot for the 2026 National Open Chess Championship. Additional final round wins were recorded by Othneil Harewood, Jefferson Farley, Cyprian La Touche, Rebekah Lashley, Sameera Jaikaran, and Paul Thompson. After the tournament, Dr. Corbin received his first-place trophy from Erskine Simmons, Secretary General of the Barbados Olympic Association, in a ceremony hosted by the Barbados Chess Federation.

In the novice unrated division, competition was even tighter than in the rated section, with three players finishing the tournament with a perfect 6 points. Junior Corbin, who is not related to Dr. Philip Corbin, claimed the division title after tie-breaks, edging out runner-up Raef Clarke and third-place finisher Kevin St. Hill. All three leaders entered the final round tied at 5 points, and each managed to secure a win in their final match to hold their positions at the top of the leaderboard. Other successful competitors in the unrated division’s final round included William Allen, Miguel Mings, Kendrick Corbin, Nia Snow Clarke, and James Alleyne.

Tournament organizers with the Barbados Chess Federation deemed the 2026 Kevin Denny Open a major success, noting strong participation and high levels of play across both divisions. Following this event, the next major competition on the Barbados chess calendar is the 2026 Primary Interschool Team Chess Championship, scheduled to take place June 18-19.

As the highly anticipated Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars Under-19 tournament approaches, Robin Parris, head coach of the defending champion Barbados squad, has voiced unwavering confidence that his team can hold onto their crown when competition kicks off in Antigua from July 9 to 23. Gadson Bowens, a core leader of the squad, has been tapped to captain the 14-member team through the two-week tournament, with the full roster and support staff officially announced recently.

In an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY following the squad unveiling, Parris painted a picture of a cohesive, balanced roster that blends tested experience with promising emerging talent. He highlighted the key players that form the team’s experienced backbone: starting with captain Bowens, Justin Parris who comes off a strong showing on an ‘A’ team tour, R’Jai Gittens fresh off representing the West Indies at the recent U-19 World Cup, and all-rounder Rafael Lovell.

Parris noted that the squad features a mix of players with multiple years of youth competitive experience, split between athletes based in Barbados and those plying their trade in domestic cricket systems in England, all of which has contributed to a steadily developing, competitive unit. The head coach singled out the team’s fast bowling group as a particularly potent strength that is expected to deliver strong results on Antigua’s pitches. With five talented, young fast bowlers still honing their craft and three consecutive tournament titles under Barbados’ belt, Parris said the ongoing winning legacy is a testament to the foundational work laid by previous coaching staff and the overall strength of youth cricket development across Barbados.

Far from feeling pressured by the weight of Barbados’ outstanding track record in the tournament, Parris framed past successes as a motivating source of inspiration for the current squad and coaching team. “For me, it’s about upholding the long-held standards of Barbados youth cricket, living up to the benchmarks set by the coaches who came before us, while also pushing ourselves and our players to grow,” Parris explained. Alongside assistant coach Roddy Estwick, the coaching staff’s core priority extends beyond winning: they are focused on building strong foundational habits and preparing young athletes to step up to higher levels of competitive cricket in the future.

“Our approach is straightforward: take it one match at a time, put in the work in preparation, build strong team chemistry, and leave every bit of effort out on the pitch when we compete,” Parris added.

The full 14-player Barbados squad for the tournament is: Gadson Bowens (captain), Asher Branford, Kelani Clarke, Kemar Dixon, R’Jai Gittens, Jordan Graham, Zarell Harding, Jahidi Hinds, Raphael Lovell, Justin Parris, Rajeev Parsooram, Jakeem Pollard, Seth Smith, and Damarko Wiggins. Joining head coach Robin Parris and assistant coach Roderick Estwick on the management team are manager Dwayne Best and physiotherapist Kwayne Dalrymple.

Twenty-five years after lifting his first two-wheel-drive (2WD) crown, veteran rally driver Barry Mayers of M&M Racing has etched his name deeper into the history books of Barbados’ most prestigious motorsport event, securing an unmatched seventh 2WD trophy.

Steered through the challenging stages of last weekend’s BCIC Rally Barbados alongside co-driver Moishe Steinbok in his trusted Ford Fiesta, Mayers finished 11th overall and claimed first place in the competitive SuperModified 2 division. Already the sport’s most decorated 2WD competitor with six championship wins dating back to his first title in 1999, Mayers has now extended his record ahead of his brother Roger, a five-time 2WD champion who missed this year’s event to recover from an ankle injury. This victory marked Mayers’ third 2WD title behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta, pushing his career total to the historic seven-win mark.

Reflecting on the grueling four-day competition, Mayers acknowledged the effort that went into his win: “It’s been a long weekend. The car held together well so we were able to push on Sunday morning and keep ahead of Declan from Ireland. He is quick!” The veteran driver also noted a late-race setback that kept him just outside the overall top 10: “It’s a pity that this is the first 2wd win without a top 10 result, but we had a broken rose joint in the final Cherry Grove stage, lost 20 seconds and slipped back from 10th.”

Mayers went on to thank his team and sponsors, who he said made his historic achievement possible: “M&M Racing could not achieve what we have without the support of our sponsors, so my thanks to Chefette, Frosteez, Kooyman, Hankook, BSC Essex Freight, Sign Depot and Milwaukee Tool.”

In a surprising post-race announcement, Mayers revealed he will step away from the iconic Barbados rally for at least one to two years, and that his championship-winning Ford Fiesta is now up for sale. Citing the growing physical and mental toll of competing in the grueling event, he explained the break is intended to help him reconnect with his love for the sport he has dominated for decades: “This gruelling event is taking a toll on me and I have found it’s more stress than fun. I want to fall back in love with it, so I’m taking a one or two-year break from it so I’m really happy to be here with this winning result.”

Beyond his rally career, Mayers carries deep roots in Barbados motorsport as a former champion and current chairman of the Barbados Karting Association (BKA). He is also currently nurturing the next generation of racing talent in his own family, overseeing the early careers of his two children, Jacob and Ava, both of whom got their start in karting. Jacob, the 2024 BKA champion, is set to make his jump to senior competition later this year in the BimmaCup series.

The race for the 2WD title saw dramatic shifts in leadership over the weekend. Mark-Anthony Hinkson, driving a BMW M3, clocked the fastest 2WD time at Friday’s Riddara SuperSpecial stage, where intermittent rain showers created unpredictable, slippery track conditions at Bushy Park. However, Hinkson lost his lead early Saturday morning to Rhett Watson, also competing in a BMW M3. Ireland’s Declan Gallagher, behind the wheel of a Starlet, won the opening Padmore stage on Saturday and repeated the win at the end of the day, but Mayers’ consistent performance across seven winning stages left him 15 seconds clear of Gallagher by the close of the day’s racing.

Watson’s challenge collapsed on the final two night stages, when he lost both two spotlights and his distance lighting, allowing the gap between him and Gallagher to widen from just one second to 15 seconds. His campaign ended for good on Sunday’s second stage, when a suspension failure forced him to retire from the event entirely. Mayers extended his lead over Gallagher to a comfortable 37 seconds through a string of seven consecutive fastest stage times on Sunday, a buffer large enough to absorb the 20-second time loss from his late-stage mechanical issue and secure the historic win.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2024-25 NBA playoff run came to a devastating close in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, where a 4-3 series defeat at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs ended their bid for a back-to-back championship. For two-time reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the early exit does not just mark a disappointing end to the campaign — it qualifies the entire season as a failure.

In the wake of the hard-fought loss, Gilgeous-Alexander opened up about his high personal standards, saying that he fell short of the goal he set at the start of the season. “I failed at my goal,” he explained. “I didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve. But I learn the most about myself and make the greatest amount of growth in my career when I fail and don’t get what I want. I look at this no different. I didn’t get where I wanted to go this season. There’s a reason for that. Now I have to examine that reason and work to make sure this outcome never happens again.”

Throughout the regular season, Gilgeous-Alexander turned in a historic individual performance, averaging 31.1 points per game on 55.3% field goal shooting and 38.6% three-point shooting. But his signature elite efficiency dipped sharply across the seven-game series against San Antonio, where he dropped to 25.9 points per game on just 40.9% shooting from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc. Even so, the MVP delivered a vintage performance in the do-or-die Game 7, pouring in 35 points on 21 attempts and nearly lifted an injury-depleted Thunder squad to an upset series win.

San Antonio’s defensive game plan was built entirely around slowing Gilgeous-Alexander, funneling all his drives toward anchor Victor Wembanyama at the rim to force the MVP into high-contest midrange jumpers instead of the high-percentage looks he typically generates. “There’s a guy on their back line that is a little bit different,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of Wembanyama. “They funnel everything to him. It’s a really good defense. But it’s not impossible to score. I just think it’s very different.”

Beyond the Spurs’ game planning, the Thunder were crippled by key injuries to their supporting cast that left Gilgeous-Alexander without his usual offensive help. Second-leading scorer Jalen Williams aggravated a nagging left hamstring injury early in Game 2, and was limited to just 54 total minutes across the entire series. He made a brief, rusty appearance in Game 6 before being sidelined entirely for the deciding Game 7.

Williams made no secret of his belief that his absence changed the series’ outcome. “Obviously I think I could have made an impact,” Williams said. “I think we could have won if I played. We went to seven with them without me playing. I don’t think I make us worse. That’s really my answer to that. But it’s also hats off to them. What do you want them to do about me being hurt?”

The Thunder also lost replacement starter Ajay Mitchell for most of the series. Mitchell had been a breakout star in the team’s second-round sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 22.5 points per game in that matchup, but suffered a strained right calf in Game 3 against San Antonio that ended his season prematurely.

With the Thunder eliminated, the San Antonio Spurs will advance to the 2025 NBA Finals, where they are set to tip off against the New York Knicks on June 3.

Monday’s Women’s T20I clash at Dublin’s Castle Avenue delivered a dramatic, rain-soaked chapter in Irish cricket history, as the home side secured their first ever victory over the West Indies thanks to the DLS rain rule, after an untimely downpour left them just one run ahead of the required par score when play was called off permanently.

The match had been built on a shaky foundation for Ireland from the moment they began their chase of a 142-run target. In a stunning opening collapse, promoted openers Alana Dalzell and Arlene Kelly both fell to seamer Shawnisha Hector in the very first over, leaving Ireland reeling at 3 runs for 2 wickets before the innings had truly begun. What followed was a masterclass in captaincy and resilience, led by Irish skipper Orla Prendergast.

Prendergast joined forces with Rebecca Stokell to rebuild the innings, putting together a steady 57-run third-wicket stand that dragged Ireland back into contention. When Stokell was dismissed for 12 in the ninth over with the score at 60 for 3, another collapse followed: Leah Paul and Alice Tector fell in quick succession for just 1 and 2 runs respectively, meaning Ireland had lost three wickets for only five runs, leaving their victory hopes hanging by a thread at 65 for 5.

But Prendergast refused to crumble. The captain crafted an unbeaten innings of 71 runs from just 46 deliveries, marking her 11th T20I half-century for Ireland, hammering 11 fours and one six to keep the chase on track. By the 15th over, Ireland had reached 99 for 5 after 14.1 overs. All-rounder Louise Little hit a boundary off the first delivery of the next over, a four that nudged Ireland one run clear of the DLS par score set for the point the match had reached. Moments later, heavy rain swept across Castle Avenue, forcing players off the field, and no further play could be restarted. The result was called, handing Ireland the historic win.

The outcome of the match had been shaped by solid Irish bowling earlier in the day, after West Indies captain Hayley Matthews won the toss and opted to bat first. The decision backfired almost immediately: Ava Canning removed Matthews for just one run in the third over, before Leah Paul pulled off a stunning low diving catch at square leg to dismiss all-rounder Deandra Dottin for 12, leaving the West Indies wobbling at 21 for 2 after just four overs.

Wicket-keeper Christina Coulter-Reilly matched Paul’s catch with a diving dismissal of Qiana Joseph for 12, handing Canning her second wicket of the innings and pushing the Caribbean side down to 33 for 3. Jahzara Claxton was run out for 11 in the ninth over, leaving the Windies at 49 for 4, and veteran batter Stafanie Taylor was forced to retire hurt after managing only 9 runs from 18 deliveries, compounding their troubles.

A late 46-run partnership between Shemaine Campbelle, who scored a gritty 21, and Jannillea Glasgow, who notched a defiant top score of 36, steadied the West Indies innings, but the damage had already been done. The visitors could only post a total of 141 for 8 from their allotted 20 overs, giving Ireland a modest but challenging target.

The landmark win pulls Ireland level with the West Indies at the top of the Tri-Nations series standings, which also includes Pakistan. Up next, the West Indies will face Pakistan on Wednesday, before Ireland wrap up their campaign against the South Asian side on Thursday.