分类： sports

The Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Senior Beach Volleyball Championship is set to kick off over the Labour Day weekend, running from May 1 to 3 at the iconic Buckeye Facility in Cul de Sac, and the official draw has already placed the tournament’s most dominant athletes in the spotlight. Three-time consecutive title holders Joseph Clercent and Sheldon Descartes, who are gunning for an unprecedented fourth straight championship, have earned their spot in Pool A of the men’s division. They will not have to wait long to face their first challengers, as the opening matches of the tournament will pit the defending champions against two hungry visiting teams: Darron Oxford and Jonell Phillip from St Kitts & Nevis, and Tahj Jno Jules and J’den Robinson representing Dominica, both eager to end the Saint Lucian duo’s multi-year winning streak.

Beyond the defending champions, two more Saint Lucian squads will compete for the top spot in the men’s draw, split across two separate pools. In Pool B, Peter Emmanuel and Lindan Clarke will share competition space with the tournament’s second-seeded Kittitian pair, Julian Bristol and Elkreen Morton, as well as Ronaldo Franklyn and Jamaar Cropper from St Vincent & the Grenadines. Over in Pool D, the local pairing of Diallo Albert and Levi Leonce will go head-to-head against three visiting teams: Cairon Davis and George Freeland of Antigua & Barbuda, Aiden Hazzard and Da’Quwan Fredericks from Anguilla, and Shreefkerk Jacob and Rajheem Meulens, the duo representing St Maarten.

Topping Pool C of the men’s division is last year’s runner-up pairing from Bermuda, Benjamin Barnett and Sean Tucker, who are one of the top favorites to dethrone the defending champions this year. They will be joined in their pool by Dominica’s Yahn Florent and Mervin Mingo, as well as Antigua & Barbuda’s Dwight Bonnie and Raenor Sharpe, all of whom are eyeing an upset run to the final rounds.

In the women’s division, last year’s bronze medallists, the top-seeded Saint Lucian pair Clio Phillip and Tenayestlgni Joseph, lead the line-up in Pool A. Two more local women’s squads will also compete: Denila Prospere and Amalia Louis are set to contest Pool B, while Tiannie Severin and Abigail Evans will look to fight their way out of Pool C and into the knockout rounds.

As an officially sanctioned event on the NORCECA (North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation) calendar, this year’s championship brings together competitive athletes from nine ECVA member island nations, offering them a critical platform to test their skills against the best regional talent and earn higher standing in international beach volleyball rankings. In an official statement, the ECVA framed the upcoming tournament as more than just a competition: it is described as “a celebration of skill, passion and sportsmanship, uniting experienced players and emerging talent in an exciting beach volleyball showcase” that brings the Eastern Caribbean’s tight-knit volleyball community together.

On April 24, the Saint Lucia Football Association Southern Zone Under-20 Men’s District Tournament concluded its championship match at the Phillip Marcellin Grounds, where visiting side Soufriere pulled off a memorable penalty shootout victory against hosts Vieux Fort South, dashing the home team’s hopes of claiming the regional title on their own turf.

The tightly contested final kept fans on the edge of their seats from the opening whistle. Coming into the match as the tournament’s top goal scorer with 11 total strikes to his name, Soufriere’s star striker Eymani Butcher was tightly marked and effectively neutralized by Vieux Fort South’s defensive unit throughout regulation play. The deadlock was broken just minutes before the halftime break, when Kailon Flavius slotted home a clinical finish to put Soufriere up 1-0. The hosts pushed hard for an equalizer through the second half, and their persistence paid off in the final minute of regulation: Keivin Sylvester found the back of the net in the 89th minute to force the match to a penalty shootout.

When the match moved to penalties to decide the champion, Soufriere held their nerve, converting five straight spot kicks to secure a 5-4 shootout win and claim the Southern Zone crown. The result marked a sweet revenge for Soufriere, who had fallen to Vieux Fort South in their earlier preliminary round matchup.

Vieux Fort South’s road to the final was marked by its own dramatic twists. After dropping a 2-1 preliminary round match to Choiseul, the side bounced back with a narrow 1-0 victory over Choiseul in the knockout stage to advance, then crushed Vieux Fort North by a dominant 6-0 scoreline in the semifinal to secure their spot in the final.

In the tournament’s third-place playoff held alongside the final, Vieux Fort North claimed bronze over Choiseul following another match that went to penalties. Regulation ended 2-2, and Vieux Fort North held on to win the shootout 4-2, matching their result against Choiseul from the group stage of the competition. In the third-place match, Keshawn Charles opened the scoring for Vieux Fort North in the 33rd minute, and the side extended their lead in the 54th minute when a misplayed clearance from Shakari Faucher went into his own net. Choiseul responded with an explosive two-goal run within 60 seconds: Christopher Montoute found the net in the 60th minute, followed by Devin Phillip just a minute later to level the score and force penalties.

Across the entire Southern Zone tournament, a total of 49 goals were scored by all participating teams, with Butcher’s 11-goal haul accounting for more than 22 percent of the tournament’s total goals, cementing his status as the competition’s most dangerous offensive weapon. Following the final whistle, Soufriere was presented with the Southern Zone U-20 championship trophy to cap off their comeback title run.

One of the most iconic and largest annual track and field gatherings in the region, the Penn Relays, welcomed a groundbreaking first-time participant this year: St Mary’s College (SMC), the very first secondary school from Saint Lucia to ever compete in the prestigious event. A five-member student squad represented the island nation at the meet, which draws more than 1,000 competing schools and athletic clubs from across North America and the Caribbean, and turned in a performance that observers have called exceptional for a debut team.

The team’s historic participation was made possible through a generous primary sponsorship from Hamilton Reserve Bank, which covered the costs of sending the squad and accompanying support staff to the event hosted at the University of Pennsylvania. Among the traveling party was Dr. Clarence Henry, a parent accompanying the team who has publicly shared his enthusiasm and pride for the young athletes’ results.

Against a stacked field of more than 600 high school 4x100m relay teams, SMC’s squad secured a win in their qualifying heat and finished 295th overall, landing firmly in the top half of all competing teams. In the 4x400m relay, the young Saint Lucian runners earned second place in their heat and notched a 355th overall finish out of 532 competing squads.

Henry emphasized that these results are even more impressive when accounting for the team’s lack of prior experience at the elite, large-scale event. “Most of the schools competing here are regular Penn Relays participants,” he explained. “They know what to expect from the track, they understand the unique pressure of this competition, and they have years of experience on this stage. Our boys were stepping onto this platform for the very first time.”

Against that backdrop, Henry said the team’s results exceed any expectations he held ahead of the meet. “Five incredibly talented young men got the chance to prove their abilities against the best competition in the region, and they rose to the challenge. To win your 4x100m heat, take second in your 4x400m heat, and place in the top half of hundreds of elite teams? That is an excellent performance, by any measure.”

While neighboring Caribbean nations including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have long sent multiple schools to compete at the Penn Relays, 2026 marks the first time a Saint Lucian school has earned a spot at the event. Beyond the immediate results, Henry says the debut has already opened new doors for Saint Lucian track and field, with local schools already lining up to participate in future years.

“This has been a goal of St Mary’s College for a long time, but it’s only now that it’s finally come to fruition,” Henry told reporters from St Lucia Times. “Now that this first barrier has been broken, doors are open for future teams. We’ve already gotten commitments to sponsor at least two or three Saint Lucian schools for future Penn Relays events.”

The historic debut has created far greater opportunities for competitive Saint Lucian runners to test their skills against top international competition, Henry noted, adding that the island’s top competitive high schools will almost certainly prioritize securing a spot at future iterations of the event, now that sponsorship support is lined up. He closed by thanking Hamilton Reserve Bank for its critical support of this landmark moment for Saint Lucian athletics, and expressed hope that more local corporate partners will step up to back future participation.

The Saint Lucia Premier League T20 delivered another action-packed weekend of cricketing drama as the tournament entered its highly anticipated Choiseul leg, with four enthralling fixtures played across Saturday and Sunday at the La Fargue Playing Field — a venue that hosted both day matches and floodlit evening contests.

The weekend’s opening clash on Saturday delivered instant tension, as the Soufriere Titans secured a last-over thriller against the Micoud Eagles by the narrowest of margins. Micoud won the toss and opted to bat first, posting a competitive total of 177 runs for the loss of seven wickets. Captain Mervin Wells laid a solid foundation for the innings, scoring a steady 48 runs from 40 deliveries, while Keygan Arnold stole the show with a blistering knock of 76 runs off just 45 balls, which included eight fours and four towering sixes to finish as the match’s top run-scorer. For the Titans, Djourn Charles delivered the most impactful bowling performance, claiming two wickets for 44 runs, while overseas recruit Kevin Sinclair put on a tight display of line and length, restricting the Eagles to just 13 runs from his four overs, picking up one wicket in the process.

In their chase, the Titans got off to a disastrous start, losing Sinclair for a first-ball duck before Dwight Thomas was trapped leg before wicket just a few overs later. Middle-order batter Mateo Boulogne stepped up to steady the innings, hitting a quickfire 48 from 34 balls to keep the Titans in the hunt. While multiple batters got starts, consistent wickets from the Eagles bowlers meant the result would go down to the final over. The Soufriere-based side, nicknamed the men from Sulphur City, crossed the winning line with one wicket remaining and four balls left to spare, securing a hard-fought two-wicket victory.

The second fixture of Saturday saw the Mon Repos Pioneers claim a 16-run win over the South Castries Lions. Batting first, the Pioneers were bowled out for 168 runs — a modest total that proved challenging enough for the Lions to chase. The total was almost single-handedly built by opener Sabinus Emmanuel, who smashed an explosive 76 runs off just 30 deliveries, hitting seven fours and seven sixes in a devastating display of power hitting. Apart from Emmanuel’s opening partner Gian Benjamin, who contributed 27 runs, the rest of the Pioneers batting line-up failed to make significant contributions, leaving the side with a smaller total than Emmanuel’s knock promised.

The South Castries Lions’ key batters never got going in their chase. Star batter Johnson Charles fell for a first-ball duck, while Andre Fletcher, batting at four, managed only five runs. Bolton Sayers produced the standout performance for the Lions, scoring a well-crafted 51 off 27 deliveries with seven fours and two sixes, and Ephron Charles added a useful 38 runs lower down the order. Their late contributions were not enough to turn the tide, however, as the Lions were bowled out for 152, handing the Pioneers a comfortable victory in the end.

Sunday afternoon’s contest between the Babonneau Leatherbacks and the City Blasters was dominated from start to finish by the central Castries-based side. Batting first, the Blasters piled up a mammoth total of 247 runs for the loss of four wickets, taking advantage of good batting conditions to hit at over 12 runs per over. Amari Goodridge led the charge with a brutal knock of 74 runs from just 23 deliveries, including 10 maximums and two fours. Kensley Paul (64) and Ryshon Williams (51) both contributed well-compiled half-centuries to build the huge total. For the Leatherbacks, Nyeem Rosemond’s one wicket for 28 runs was a standout effort on a day batters dominated, while Khan Elcock finished as the side’s most successful bowler with two wickets for 20 runs.

The massive total proved far too much for the Leatherbacks, who were all out for 178 in reply. Joshua Mann produced a defiant fightback, scoring 72 runs off 37 deliveries, and captain Shervon Joseph chipped in with 35 runs. Beyond those two contributions, the batting line-up struggled to gain momentum, and the side fell to a 69-run defeat. Pacer McKenny Clarke was the star of the Blasters bowling attack, claiming four wickets for just 22 runs, including the key wicket of Mann, who he dismissed via a caught-and-bowled effort.

The weekend’s final fixture saw Choiseul Craft Middle batter Junior Henry produce the performance of the tournament so far, as his record-breaking knock guided his side to a 28-run victory over the Soufriere Titans in a hotly contested local derby between neighbouring communities. Henry hit an astonishing 143 runs off just 61 balls, smashing 13 fours and 12 sixes to post the highest individual score of the 2026 tournament to date. With supporting contributions from his teammates, Henry’s knock powered the Craft Masters to a total of 236 runs from their 20 overs.

Choiseul’s bowlers made early inroads into the Titans batting line-up, striking at regular intervals and putting the side firmly on track for a comfortable win. However, number 10 batter Shanii Mesmain produced a late counter-attack, blasting 64 runs from 28 deliveries to pull the Titans back into contention and launch a late surge. Despite his spectacular knock, the Titans fell short of the required target, handing the hosts a well-earned victory.

Following the weekend’s action, City Blasters retain their position at the top of the tournament standings with 16 points. Soufriere Titans sit in second place with nine points, while Babonneau Leatherbacks and South Castries Lions are tied on seven points, with the Leatherbacks holding the higher position courtesy of a superior net run rate.