分类： sports

One of the most celebrated figures in the history of global cricket, National Hero Sir Garfield Sobers, is being laid to rest on Friday in a state funeral held at his beloved Kensington Oval, where crowds have gathered to pay their final respects to the icon who shaped the sport for decades.

The day of remembrance began with a quiet, solemn procession that wound through the streets of Bridgetown, starting from the grounds of the Barbadian Parliament before making its way to the iconic cricket ground widely known as the mecca of Caribbean cricket. Fans, fellow athletes, political leaders, and community members lined the procession route to catch a final glimpse and honor the life and contributions of the legendary all-rounder.

Sir Garfield, formally titled The Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers, breathed his last on July 17 at the age of 86, leaving behind a monumental legacy that has transcended the boundaries of sport. Widely regarded by cricket analysts, fans, and fellow players as one of the greatest cricketers to ever step onto a pitch, he redefined the role of the all-rounder, setting new standards for batting, bowling, and fielding that remained benchmarks for generations of emerging players across the globe.

Beyond his on-field achievements, Sir Garfield remained a deeply beloved figure in his home country of Barbados, where he served as an ambassador for the nation and a source of national pride. His work mentoring young cricketers and supporting community development initiatives cemented his status not just as a sports star, but as a national icon whose influence extended far beyond the boundary rope. Today’s ceremony at Kensington Oval, where he played many of his most iconic matches, offers a fitting final tribute to a man who put Caribbean cricket on the global map.

Barbados is advancing its years-long effort to earn formal international acknowledgement for its homegrown sport of road tennis, with a seven-person official delegation set to depart the Caribbean island nation Wednesday for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. This trip marks a critical milestone in the country’s campaign to introduce road tennis to a global audience and secure its place as an internationally recognized competitive sport.

Leading the delegation is Dale Clarke, widely known as the Road Tennis Czar who has spearheaded the global expansion push for the sport. The core mission of the visit is to put on a live demonstration of professional road tennis for top leaders of the Commonwealth Sport Secretariat, alongside influential sports stakeholders from across the Commonwealth bloc who have gathered in Glasgow for the Games.

In comments ahead of the departure, Clarke emphasized the unique value of this high-profile opportunity. “This lets Commonwealth sports leaders see top-tier professional road tennis in person, played by our very best local athletes,” he explained. “It opens the door for productive dialogue and lets us introduce this one-of-a-kind Barbadian sport to every member nation of the Commonwealth.”

Clarke also shared that the global expansion effort has already garnered significant traction, with growing interest coming from every corner of the globe. Interest has been registered from multiple countries across Africa, Europe and South America, while a formal development program is already underway across North America. Looking ahead, the next major phase of growth will focus on regional expansion across the Caribbean, a priority Clarke says is long overdue. “It makes no sense for a Caribbean-born sport to stay confined to our borders when we have so many neighboring nations right here in the region that could help it grow,” he noted.

The delegation includes a mix of top athletes and sports administrators to cover both demonstration and outreach work. Joining Clarke is Mark “Venom” Griffith, a three-time reigning men’s champion of the Barbados Road Tennis Open, rising teenage star Jael Greaves, sibling players Jessica and Jalesa Holder-Vaughan, Shawn Burke, chair of the Barbados Road Tennis Open Committee, and Taahir Bulbulia, a senior adviser to Barbados’ Minister of Sports Charles Griffith. After completing their showcase and meetings at the Commonwealth Games, the full delegation is scheduled to return to Barbados on Monday, August 3.

On the opening day of track and field competition at the 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Scotland, Barbadian sprint athletes delivered a mixed set of outcomes that left some celebrating progression and others packing their bags early. In the men’s 400-meter opening heats, Desean Boyce emerged as the lone Barbadian to advance to the next round, clocking a solid time of 46.55 seconds to secure a second-place finish in the opening heat of the day. His compatriot Kyle Gale was not as fortunate, finishing fifth in the fifth heat of the discipline with a time of 47.41 seconds, a result that fell just short of the mark needed to claim a semi-final spot.

In the 100-meter sprint discipline, two more Barbadian athletes saw their campaigns come to an end in the semi-final round. Kuron Griffith, competing in the men’s side of the bracket, crossed the line in eighth position in his semi-final heat with a time of 10.26 seconds, which was not fast enough to earn a spot in the final. On the women’s side, Kishawna Niles turned in a personal season-best performance of 11.44 seconds in her 100m semi-final heat, but still finished fourth, missing out on a place in the coveted final round by one position.

Over in the swimming pool, Barbadian swimmers also took to the blocks across multiple events, with none managing to advance past the opening heat rounds. In the men’s 50m Butterfly, Victor Ashby notched a fifth-place finish in the fourth heat, stopping the clock at 27.26 seconds. Christen Kelly followed in the fifth heat of the same event, turning in a time of 25.54 seconds to claim fourth place in his heat. In the women’s 50m freestyle heats, Toria Alleyne finished fourth in her fourth heat with a time of 27.69 seconds. Rounding out the day’s action for the Barbadian delegation, Jaiya Simmonds competed in the opening round of the women’s 200m individual medley, finishing sixth in the third heat with a final time of 2 minutes 29.83 seconds.

A thrilling opening Test match between West Indies and Pakistan at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy has ended in a storybook result, with the Caribbean side sealing a 90-run victory one full day ahead of schedule. This unexpected early triumph clears the way for every Barbadian player and member of the West Indies coaching and support staff to travel home to attend the state funeral of cricket icon Sir Garfield Sobers, scheduled for Wednesday at Bridgetown’s historic Kensington Oval.

Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley shared the details of the last-minute arrangements during an appearance on the popular Mason and Guest Cricket Show, confirming that all logistics have been finalized to bring the squad home in time for the service. “The good news is that we’ve just completed the arrangements, and if all goes well the players and coach Floyd Reifer should all be coming in, so we look forward to them being here for the state funeral tomorrow,” Mottley told listeners.

The Prime Minister recounted a lighthearted moment that preceded the match, revealing an acquaintance had joked that the team would deliberately wrap up victory in four days to make it to the funeral. “When they said it to me, I smiled at the time and I said I wish, and last night when I saw what had happened, I said, OK, OK, this can go either way, and I said a little prayer,” she shared.

Mottley also extended public praise to West Indies captain Roston Chase, highlighting his thoughtful leadership through what has been an emotionally charged week for the team and the entire Caribbean cricket community. “Roston was very clear and I mean it was a wonderful conversation, and I really want to salute him, his steadiness, his purpose, his commitment, and his understanding of the significance of the moment for the people of this nation and for the people of this region and of course the wider team,” she said.

Thousands of mourners and cricket fans from across the globe are expected to gather at Kensington Oval to honor Sir Garfield Sobers, widely regarded as one of the greatest all-round cricketers in the history of the sport, with the West Indies squad now set to join the tribute after their timely on-field victory.

The 202X Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games hosted in the Dominican Republic has delivered a milestone moment for Team Barbados, as tennis pairing Stephen Slocombe and Kaipo Marshall secured the nation’s first podium finish of the competition, taking home a silver medal in the men’s doubles event.

The young duo advanced through multiple rounds of competition to reach the gold medal match, where they ultimately fell in straight sets to the experienced El Salvadoran pair of Cesar Cruz and Diego Duran by a score of 6-1, 6-4. Despite falling short of the top spot, the pair earned widespread praise for their grit and composure throughout the match, which was played under brutal, energy-sapping heat that tested every athlete competing on the outdoor courts. Speaking exclusively from the CAC Games Village to local outlet Barbados TODAY, Barbados’ Chef de Mission Dr. Adrian Lorde commended the pair for their standout performance, emphasizing that they delivered high-level tennis even when facing overwhelming physical challenges from the extreme weather conditions.

The milestone silver medal is far from the only positive news for Team Barbados at this year’s Games. Pro surfer Chelsea Tuach has already booked her spot in the Women’s Short Board final, guaranteeing the nation at least one more medal to add to its tally heading into competition on Wednesday. Tuach pulled off a strong semi-final win against Venezuela’s Rosanny Alvarez, posting a winning score of 6.87 to advance to the championship round. She will now face Costa Rica’s Rachel Aguero in the gold medal match, with a chance to bring home the island’s first gold of the competition. Dr. Lorde noted that Tuach overcame unexpected adversity to reach the final, revealing the athlete had dealt with a minor medical issue on the morning of her semi-final but still pushed through to secure her spot in the title bout. “We are upbeat after our first medal and we are now on the medal board and we’re quite happy that those guys gave it their all. The heat was terrible but both sides had the heat to deal with. Chelsea had a little bit of a medical problem this morning, but she overcame that to get into the finals, and it shows her resilience and willingness to not give up,” Lorde said.

Alongside the positive medal news, the Games have brought mixed results for other Barbadian athletes competing across multiple disciplines. In Group B women’s hockey, the Barbadian national side suffered a 7-1 defeat at the hands of Cuba. Taekwondo athlete Chioke Holder was knocked out of the men’s 87kg competition in the quarterfinal round, dropping a 2-0 decision to his opponent. In the pool, Heidi Stoute placed fourth in the fourth heat of the Women’s 50m freestyle with a time of 26.60 seconds, while Amani Millar earned a second-place finish in the second heat of the men’s matching event, clocking in at 24.28 seconds. On the golf course, men’s individual competitor Xzavier Wiggins finished 13th out of 14 athletes after the conclusion of the final round of play.

Off the field of play, Team Barbados will pause competition on Wednesday to honor the legacy of one of the nation’s most iconic sporting figures: Sir Garfield Sobers. Dr. Lorde confirmed that the Barbados national flag will be flown at half mast across the team’s accommodation in the Games Village, and a short commemorative ceremony will be held Wednesday morning to mark Sobers’ passing. A minute’s silence will also be observed ahead of Wednesday’s women’s hockey match between Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, to allow athletes and attendees to pay their respects to the legendary cricketer.

On Tuesday, Kensington Oval opened its gates to a continuous stream of mourners, ranging from cricket’s most iconic figures to senior public officials and traveling fans, all gathering to pay their final respects to Barbadian national hero Sir Garfield Sobers one day ahead of his official state funeral. What started as a small, quiet trickle of visitors in the early hours of the morning swelled into a steady, patient procession, as people from across the globe came together to honor a man who rose from humble origins to leave an indelible mark on world cricket.

As final preparations continued for Wednesday’s state funeral, which will be hosted on the same iconic ground where Sobers built much of his legendary career, venue staff worked to put the finishing touches on the event space. Crews pressure-washed walkways and spectator areas, trimmed the outfield grass, and readied the fully erected main stage, transforming the historic ground into a fitting space to host thousands of expected guests for a celebration of Sobers’ extraordinary life.

A formal guard of honor stood watch around the flag-draped casket, which was sheltered in a large marquee erected on the playing field. Among the first to pay their respects was fellow cricket great Sir Wesley Hall, who paused in quiet reflection beside the casket from his wheelchair. Outside the venue, crowds of fans gathered to snap photographs beside the three iconic statues that stand at the oval’s entrance: those of Hall, Sir Charles Griffith, and the late Sir Garfield Sobers himself.

A host of other former West Indies cricket stars joined the solemn procession throughout the day, including Dwayne Smith, Philo Wallace, and Ryan Hinds, the former captain of the Barbados national side. Cricket figures and administrators from across the world have already traveled to Barbados to attend Wednesday’s funeral service, among them legendary former West Indies captain Brian Lara. Lara famously broke Sobers’ 36-year-old record for the highest individual Test score in 1994, when he hit 375 not out against England in Antigua; Sobers had set the original 365 not out record against Pakistan in 1958.

Legendary West Indies opening batsman Sir Gordon Greenidge shared his reflections on Sobers’ legacy with reporters outside the viewing tent. “I think he had a great innings. Batted well, bowled well, fielded well, what is left to be said about the great man?” Greenidge said. “It’s just one of those sad moments where unfortunately we all have to encounter at some stage in our lives, but we never think it was going to go the way it went or so soon. He will be missed by everyone.”

Greenidge emphasized that while Sobers was a beloved son of Barbados, his fame and impact stretched across every corner of the globe. “Wherever he went or wherever you mentioned the name Sir Garfield Sobers, everyone knew who he was and wanted to talk about the man. What I think people will miss most about the man is his presence. I’m one of those who always wanted to be in the company of Sir Gary because when he spoke, especially about cricket, you listened. I can say no more, but may he rest in peace.”

Dame Sandra Mason, President Emeritus of Barbados, was among the high-profile dignitaries that took part in Tuesday’s viewing, pausing for a moment of quiet respect before departing with her delegation. Veteran Barbadian cricket coach Roderick “Roddy” Estwick, who counted Sobers among his greatest influences, also made the trip to Kensington Oval to say goodbye. “We had to do it right, obviously he’s done so much for the country, you know, he put Barbados on the map when he played and was the greatest cricketer that ever lived,” Estwick said.

“When you look at his figures, you see what an outstanding cricketer he was, but for me he was more of a gentleman. He always had a kind word, always had advice. He would always try to point you in the right direction, so I only felt fitting to be here this morning.”