分类： sports

Signal Hill Secondary made a significant leap in the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) premier division standings with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over St Mary’s College on November 6. The match, held at Signal Hill grounds in Tobago, saw J’meke Watkins deliver the decisive goal in the second half, ensuring a triumphant result for the home team. This win propelled Signal Hill from tenth to seventh place in the standings, overtaking St Mary’s, Queen’s Royal College, and Arima North Secondary. All three teams are now tied with 19 points, but Signal Hill holds a superior goal difference. Despite having six matches postponed earlier in the season, Signal Hill remains optimistic about their chances of breaking into the top three if they secure victories in their remaining games. Meanwhile, St Mary’s College slipped to tenth place with 18 points, leaving them with only one match to salvage their season. The current league leaders include St Benedict’s College (33 points), followed closely by Naparima College and Presentation College San Fernando, both with 31 points. Defending champions Fatima College trail in fourth place with 29 points. As the season nears its conclusion, the competition intensifies, with several teams vying for the top spots in this highly contested league.

The West Indies cricket team is leaving no stone unturned in their preparations for the upcoming three-match Test series against New Zealand, scheduled from December 2 to 22. A high-performance camp, currently underway in Antigua, is bringing together a select group of regional players to fine-tune their skills and strategies. The camp, which runs from November 4 to 18 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground, is spearheaded by Ramesh Subasinghe, head of the West Indies Academy, and assistant coach Rohan Nurse. They are joined by CWI senior talent manager Jamal Smith and former Windies wicket-keeper/batsman Shane Dowrich, who is serving as a pathway coach. The focus of the camp is on technical and tactical refinement, match simulation, and mental readiness. CWI director of cricket Miles Bascombe emphasized the importance of the camp, stating that it is designed to address the specific challenges of playing in New Zealand. Batsmen will work on areas of vulnerability and adapt to local conditions, while bowlers will focus on managing workloads and identifying effective lengths and areas. The camp also includes wellness oversight and gym-based strength and conditioning programs, aligned with CWI’s high-performance protocols. Notable participants include veteran pacer Kemar Roach and Trinidadian seamer Anderson Phillip, alongside batsmen Kevlon Anderson, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kavem Hodge, and wicket-keeper Tevin Imlach, as well as fast bowlers Johann Layne and Ojay Shields. Roach, who last played for the West Indies in January during their Test tour to Pakistan, is a strong contender for the New Zealand series due to injuries to frontline seamers Alzarri and Shamar Joseph.

The Trinidad and Tobago (TT) women’s football team is intensifying its preparations for the upcoming 2025/26 Concacaf Women’s Qualifiers with a series of practice matches and exhibition games. On November 8, the team will participate in an exhibition game against the Mayaro XI, a men’s team, at the Mayaro Resource Centre. Although the TT team is not competing in the Mayaro Football League, this match serves as a crucial opportunity to fine-tune their skills ahead of the qualifiers. The team recently faced a 4-1 defeat against Jamaica in a practice match on October 28, despite a promising 1-1 tie at halftime. Jinelle James, the TT Football Association’s director of women’s football, revealed that the team has scheduled additional practice games against boys’ Secondary Schools Football League teams and is working to arrange matches against regional opponents. The qualifiers will kick off on November 30 with an away game against Barbados. TT is placed in Group F alongside El Salvador and Honduras, with matches scheduled against Honduras on March 4 and El Salvador on April 17. The top six group winners will advance to the eight-team Concacaf Women’s Championship, joining pre-seeded teams Canada and the US. Meanwhile, the team’s coaching situation remains under review, with Densill Theobald and Damian Briggs currently serving as co-coaches following the unexpected resignation of former coach Angus Eve last month.

Trinidad and Tobago’s (TT) men’s Under-20 football team has been drawn into a challenging group for the Concacaf Men’s Under-20 qualifiers, set to take place from February 23 to March 4, 2026. The team, led by coach Randolph Boyce, will compete in Group E alongside Barbados, Bermuda, Costa Rica, and Sint Maarten. The qualifiers, which include 32 Concacaf member nations, are divided into six groups, with the winners advancing to the 2026 Concacaf Under-20 Championship. This championship, scheduled for July 25 to August 9, 2026, will feature 12 teams, including six pre-seeded nations: Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and the United States. The tournament will not only determine Concacaf’s representatives for the 2027 FIFA Men’s Under-20 World Cup but also serve as a qualifier for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Costa Rica, one of the host nations for the qualifiers, is expected to be the strongest contender in Group E. TT, placed in pot two based on the Concacaf Under-20 men’s rankings as of August 5, 2024, will need to overcome this formidable opponent to progress. Last year, the team, then coached by Brian Haynes, was eliminated in the first round after finishing second to Canada. With Boyce now at the helm, TT aims to improve on their previous performance and secure a spot in the championship.

In a nail-biting encounter at Eden Park on November 6, New Zealand narrowly defeated the West Indies by three runs in the second T20, leveling the five-match series at 1-1. The match was a high-scoring spectacle, with New Zealand setting a formidable target of 207/5, thanks to a blistering 78 off 28 balls by Mark Chapman. The West Indies, despite a valiant effort from their middle to lower order, fell just short, finishing at 204/8. Rovman Powell (45) and Romario Shepherd (34) spearheaded a late surge, but the visitors couldn’t cross the line. Mitchell Santner (3/31) and Ish Sodhi (3/39) were pivotal in New Zealand’s defense. Shepherd, reflecting on the loss, emphasized the team’s resilience and batting depth, while looking ahead to the next match at Saxton Oval on November 8. The series remains finely balanced, with both teams eager to gain the upper hand.