Two Barbadian youth table tennis squads competing at the Caribbean Regional Youth Table Tennis Championships have fallen short of pre-tournament expectations, with head coach Nicole Alleyne attributing their underperformance to unaddressed pre-competition jitters and unfamiliar playing conditions. Speaking exclusively to Barbados TODAY from the tournament host nation the Dominican Republic, Alleyne shared the event’s early team rankings: the Barbadian Under-15 side finished fifth overall, while the older Under-19 squad claimed sixth place. Alleyne, who has led the program through months of preparation for the regional competition, noted that visible nervousness was apparent from the opening matches, though the young athletes gradually grew more comfortable as the tournament progressed. “The environment here is completely different from what these players are used to back home in Barbados,” she explained. “The arena is larger, the crowd is bigger, and the level of competition is far more intense than what they encounter in local matches. It takes time to acclimate to that kind of pressure, and the nerves held them back early on.” Pre-tournament projections from the coaching staff set far higher goals for both squads. For the Under-19 team, Alleyne said the target was a top-three finish. Even with two rookie players making their regional debut, the Under-15 squad was expected to land between third and fourth place, a result that remained out of reach despite late improvements. Even with the lower-than-hoped rankings, Alleyne emphasized she remains satisfied with the young players’ effort and resilience through the challenging opening rounds of the competition. The tournament will shift to individual play on Thursday, with singles matches getting underway for all competitors. The Barbadian Under-15 roster is made up of Maleeq Aimey, Nyal Bushell, Noran Chan and William Allen, while the Under-19 team includes Mikail Mark, Queshawn Smith, Mdjai Collymore and Jashon Smith. Both rosters will now look to turn their late-tournament momentum into strong results in the upcoming singles draws.
分类： sports
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U17 footballers ranked second in English-speaking Caribbean
The under-17 men’s national football team of Barbados has pulled off a stunning climb in the latest Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) rankings, a leap that the program’s head coach Marlon Harte calls a landmark step forward for the country’s regional football standing.
In the updated regional rankings, Barbados notched a seven-spot jump that landed the side at 13th place overall. The dramatic ascent pushed Barbados ahead of several long-established regional foes including Guatemala, Cuba, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, a fellow Caribbean side that has historically outranked the Barbadian program. Currently, Jamaica holds 11th place, making it the only other English-speaking Caribbean nation that ranks above Barbados in the U-17 standings.
The impressive ranking shift comes on the heels of Barbados’ recent World Cup qualification run, where the young side came uncomfortably close to securing a spot in the global tournament. Throughout the qualifying group stage, played against a competitive field of regional opponents, Barbados secured a second-place group finish. The team notched a standout 1-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago, followed by two dominant victories against St. Maarten – a 7-1 win and a 6-1 win in separate matchups. The only group stage defeat came against regional powerhouse Mexico, the eventual group winner, who defeated Barbados 4-1.
In an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY, Harte shared effusive praise for his players and program support staff, while emphasizing that the new ranking is just an intermediate milestone, not the end goal for the developing program. “Moving up seven places to 13th in the Concacaf U17 rankings reflects the commitment of the players, staff, and the wider football community,” Harte explained. “It shows that we are making progress and closing the gap within the region, especially to be ranked ahead of teams like Trinidad and Tobago.”
“At the same time, we see this as motivation, not a destination,” Harte added. “Our focus remains on continued development, improving standards daily, and ensuring that this group is competitive at the highest level when it matters most.”
Topping the current Concacaf U-17 rankings is the United States, followed by Mexico in second and Canada in third. Panama and Costa Rica complete the top five positions in the regional table.
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Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association Mourns Passing of Jennifer Anthony
The Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association (ABCA) is in mourning this week following the passing of Jennifer Anthony, a longstanding figure widely respected across the island nation’s cricket community. In an official statement released to the public, the governing body for cricket in Antigua and Barbuda celebrated Anthony’s deep and lasting impact on the local sport, emphasizing that her contributions and warm presence within the fraternity will never leave the collective memory of those who worked alongside her. The association noted that Anthony’s death leaves an enormous void that will be felt by every person who had the opportunity to know her, both within cricket circles and beyond. As the cricket community comes to terms with this heartbreaking loss, the ABCA has officially extended its deepest condolences to Anthony’s family, close friends, and the broader network of cricket stakeholders across the country, asking for privacy for the Anthony family as they navigate this difficult period of grief.
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Williams cops gold at Velocity Fest
Barbadian track and field star Sada Williams, a decorated Commonwealth Games gold medalist and holder of multiple national records, has delivered another confident early-season performance, securing a hard-fought 400-meter victory at Jamaica’s Velocity Fest meeting.
The Olympic competitor and World Championship bronze medalist crossed the finish line with a time of 51.38 seconds, outpacing Jamaican sprint star Shericka Jackson to take the top spot on the podium. The result marks a key milestone in Williams’ pre-championship preparation, as the athlete builds toward a stacked 2024 calendar headlined by the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
In post-race comments, Williams offered a candid assessment of her performance, acknowledging a tactical misstep that kept her from an even faster time. “I pushed far too hard through the back stretch, and that left me with insufficient energy to power through the final 100 meters,” she explained. Even so, Williams emphasized that competing against Jackson — her regular training partner — delivered valuable ahead of major events. “It’s always a positive to race against her. We’re training partners, so this is just good, friendly competition that pushes both of us to get better,” she added.
For Williams, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow carries extra personal and national stakes: she earned her career-defining gold medal at the previous edition of the games, and she is hungry to repeat that success for her home nation. “To repeat that gold, to give Barbados another top medal finish at the games, that would be absolutely incredible,” she said.
Looking ahead, Williams is confirmed as one of the headline competitors for the upcoming Barbados Grand Prix, scheduled to take place July 4 at the Usain Bolt Complex, where fans will get another chance to see the sprinter test her form ahead of the Glasgow games.
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NEBL Condemns Player Altercation, Vows Disciplinary Action
A high-stakes National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) match in Belize has been marred by an ugly on-court brawl that has drawn strong condemnation from league leadership, and set the stage for strict disciplinary penalties for involved players. The violent confrontation broke out Friday night at the Orange Walk Sporting Complex, during a scheduled matchup between two league rivals: the Belize City Defenders and the host Orange Walk Rebels.
According to initial accounts of the incident, the conflict ignited after a Rebels player completed a dunk over a Defenders defender on the opposite end of the court. Rather than returning to defensive position immediately after the play, the Rebels player remained standing over the fallen Defenders athlete, escalating tension through verbal taunting. The taunting quickly provoked retaliation: fellow Defenders players rushed onto the court to confront the Rebels player, and within seconds, all players from both teams’ sideline benches poured onto the court, sparking a full-scale brawl that unfolded in front of a packed crowd of paying fans.
In an official statement released shortly after the game, NEBL Commissioner Leroy Banner harshly criticized the entire incident, labeling the chaotic violence a clear and serious violation of the league’s core standards for discipline, mutual respect, and professional conduct. Banner emphasized that this type of unsportsmanlike behavior has no place in the NEBL, and will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
“Every person found responsible for instigating or participating in this altercation will be held fully accountable for their actions,” Banner confirmed. “Appropriate disciplinary measures will be enforced in full alignment with our league bylaws.” The commissioner also extended a formal apology on behalf of the NEBL to fans, corporate sponsors, and loyal supporters, acknowledging that the league failed to deliver the safe, family-friendly game environment that it promises to the public.
Both franchise owners have publicly distanced their organizations from the players’ violent conduct, while openly acknowledging the severity of the incident. Troy Gabb Jr., owner of the Orange Walk Rebels, described the brawl as an impulsive, spur-of-the-moment escalation, but acknowledged that significant penalties are unavoidable for any players who left the bench to join the fight.
“It happened at our home court on Friday night, and we can’t deny that it occurred,” Gabb said. “I work constantly to emphasize discipline among my players, and you can see that even in the chaos, one of my players never threw a single punch — that’s the standard we expect, because this kind of violence is unacceptable.”
John Marsden, Marketing Director for the Belize City Defenders, echoed that sentiment, sharing that the franchise shares the league’s disappointment over the incident. “From the initial provocation to the overreaction from some of my own players, this entire incident was completely uncalled for,” Marsden said.
League officials are currently reviewing game footage of the altercation to identify all instigators and active participants in the brawl. Official announcements of player suspensions and financial fines are expected to be released publicly in the coming days, once the review process is complete and penalties are finalized in accordance with NEBL rules. Full updated details on the disciplinary outcome will be broadcast during News 5 Live’s 6 o’clock evening broadcast.
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CARIFTA Games Grenada 2026 souvenir magazine
The Grenada Athletic Association (GAA) has launched a new digital flipbook magazine, hosted publicly on the Heyzine platform at the link https://heyzine.com/flip-book/5c42962ef1.html, making its official content accessible to athletics fans and industry stakeholders across the globe. The publication centers heavily on GAA’s core operations and upcoming key events, with a prominent focus on the CARIFTA Games, a premier regional youth athletics competition that draws competitors from across the Caribbean.
Tagged topics tied to the magazine include local athletics leadership, represented by Haron Forteau, and the Kirani James Athletics Stadium, Grenada’s flagship athletics venue named after the country’s Olympic and world championship gold medalist. The magazine also references affiliations with the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC), the regional governing body for the sport. A key note from the hosting platform’s local affiliate NOW Grenada clarifies that the organization does not take responsibility for opinions, statements or third-party contributed media published within the magazine, and provides a channel for users to report content that violates platform guidelines in cases of abuse. The design of the digital magazine is highlighted through its aqua design branding, aligning with GAA’s visual identity for public-facing materials.
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Gros Islet triumph in Northern Zone football
On Sunday, April 19, at Marchand Grounds, Gros Islet etched its name into local football history by securing the championship title of the Saint Lucia Football Association’s Northern Zone Under-20 Men’s District Tournament, delivering a commanding 2-0 defeat to final opponent La Clery.
The winning side found its breakthrough early in the first half, when forward Rickelme Lionel slotted home his 11th goal of the entire tournament in the 15th minute, a finish that capped off a tenacious attacking build-up from winger Shevon Byron. The score stayed 1-0 through halftime, and La Clery thought they had pulled level late in the second half, only for the assistant referee to rule the effort out for an offside infringement, robbing them of the equalizer. Gros Islet put the result beyond all doubt in the dying moments of regulation, when Dervaj Edward hammered home a spectacular long-range strike in the 89th minute to seal the clean sheet victory.
Following the final whistle, Gros Islet’s assistant coach Darren Gaspard praised his squad’s relentless effort and commitment throughout the competition. “I must give kudos to the guys,” he said. “They came in there with the heart and the desire to fight for this victory. They have been putting in the work in training week in week out.”
Gros Islet’s dominant run to the title was reflected in their overall tournament statistics: the side netted an impressive 31 goals across all matches while conceding only four times total. Their only defeat of the campaign came in the preliminary round, a narrow 2-1 loss to the same La Clery side they beat in the final. For La Clery, the final defeat marked their first loss of this year’s tournament, after winning four consecutive group stage matches and advancing through the semi-finals undefeated.
Reflecting on the earlier loss to La Clery, Gaspard noted the gap in lineup and preparation between that preliminary match and the final showdown. “The first encounter with La Clery, it was just a lack of concentration, where we conceded two goals within three minutes,” he recalled. “So we knew that coming to the finals would have been a different kettle of fish. We had a few of our key players out with the national team [for the preliminary match]. So we know with all those four players coming in, it will not be easy coming up against us on this ground.”
Gaspard also highlighted how the match venue at Marchand Grounds played into his side’s strategic strengths. “Also, this ground suits our style of play. It’s a bit wider compared to Grande Riviere… So we know that we had more width, and this suited our playing style. We attack from the wide areas. Our game plan was to dominate the midfield and keep them under constant pressure, a high-intensity game, quick pressing.”
In the tournament’s third-place playoff, Babonneau pulled off a impressive comeback after a lopsided 10-0 semi-final defeat, edging out host side Marchand in a penalty shootout to claim the third position in the tournament standings.
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Three Jamaican U15 girls secure bronze at DR Youth Championships
KINGSTON, Jamaica — In a promising display of growing competitive strength, three young Jamaican table tennis prospects secured bronze medals at the Dominican Republic Youth Table Tennis Championship on April 20, marking a notable milestone in the island nation’s ongoing youth development program for the sport.
Christina Royes, Kira Scott and Taherra Allison landed on the podium in third place, finishing behind top squads from Puerto Rico and the host Dominican Republic. Throughout the multi-match tournament, the teen athletes showcased measurable improvements in their core competitive skills: they maintained sharper ball control during high-stakes rallies, made smarter tactical decisions under intense pressure, and sustained a far more consistent rhythm across every game they played.
Leadership figures from the Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) have lauded the young athletes’ performance, framing the result as a clear indicator of long-term, steady progress within the association’s development pipeline. Aubyn Henry, JTTA’s chief development and strategy officer, emphasized that the medals reflect far more than a single competition win—they signal key growth in the players’ overall understanding of the sport.
“Allison, Royes, and Scott have shown real, tangible progress over recent months,” Henry noted. “This result comes from them beginning to understand matches better, and applying their training in a more complete, cohesive way when they step onto the court. It’s a strong step forward for all three young competitors.”
JTTA President Ingrid Graham underlined the transformative impact of international competition for emerging young athletes, pointing out that cross-regional tournaments provide invaluable experience that cannot be replicated in domestic training or local matches. “This result reflects the steady development we’re building within our national youth programme,” Graham explained. “The experience gained competing at this international level is critical for their continued growth as elite competitors.”
General Secretary Sean Wallace connected the team’s bronze medal achievement to the upcoming global celebration of the sport, noting that the win arrives just three days ahead of World Table Tennis Day on April 23. “As we approach World Table Tennis Day, this bronze medal earned in the Dominican Republic reflects the steady progress taking place across every level of the JTTA,” Wallace said.
Now, all attention within Jamaica’s table tennis community is shifting to the April 23 World Table Tennis Day celebrations. The young athletes’ regional podium finish stands as a powerful reminder of how targeted development and consistent dedication can elevate Jamaica’s emerging young talent on the regional competitive stage, laying the groundwork for future success at higher levels of international play.
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Rosenior blasts Chelsea flops after ‘unacceptable’ Brighton defeat
BRIGHTON, UK – The tension around Chelsea Football Club reached a fever pitch on Tuesday after the Blues suffered a demoralizing 3-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium, a result that left interim manager Liam Rosenior fuming at his squad and put both their Champions League qualification hopes and his managerial future in serious jeopardy.
Goals from Brighton’s Ferdi Kadioglu, Jack Hinshelwood and Danny Welbeck consigned Chelsea to a fifth straight Premier League defeat without a single goal scored – a grim milestone the club has not hit since 1912, stretching back more than a century. The Blues’ abysmal recent form stretches across all competitions: seven losses in their last eight outings, and just one win from nine previous league matches. That poor run has left Chelsea mired in seventh place in the league table, seven points adrift of fifth-placed Liverpool, the position that currently guarantees a spot in next season’s Champions League. Worse still, if the slump continues, Chelsea could miss out on European football entirely next campaign.
By the final whistle, sections of the travelling Chelsea supporters were chanting for Rosenior’s sacking, and the manager did not push back on their anger in a scathing post-match press conference, instead placing full blame for the collapse at the feet of his players. “I have defended the players at times when it was the correct thing but I can’t defend that performance,” Rosenior told reporters. “It doesn’t represent this football club, it doesn’t represent anything I ask from the group and that has to change.”
The manager, who only took the job in January after moving from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca, said the defeat left him numb with rage, and rejected any suggestion that the poor result was down to tactical mistakes. “Tonight was not tactical. This was about desire, spirit, courage and I did not see enough of that,” he said. “I feel numb I’m so angry. I always speak on what I see and that was unacceptable. The goals we conceded were unacceptable and that is something I have to hold my hands up to. Nowhere near good enough and we have to improve that.”
Pressed on how he plans to reverse the club’s nosedive in form, Rosenior insisted he would not make excuses for the performance, and said he would be holding every member of the squad accountable for drastic changes. “I have my own ideas, I am not here to make excuses. That was unacceptable from everyone involved, with me at the head of it. That needs to change,” he said. “It was nowhere near the levels. Tackles, duels, intensity, spirit, energy, passion all lacking and that is the reason we lost. I will look at the team, will look at individuals and I will look at a team I can trust to do the basics of football. It is something we have to adjust very quickly. It is accountability.”
In a sign of the internal friction building at the club, senior defender Trevoh Chalobah publicly contradicted Rosenior’s assessment of the squad’s work ethic, offering a far different explanation for the defeat. Chalobah argued the poor result stemmed not from a lack of effort, but from widespread fatigue across the squad. “I thought personally that the boys were running their socks off. Everyone in the changing room is tired. It’s nothing to do with effort. We gave it our all, we just got beat,” Chalobah said. “We ran today. You can say the stats this, the stats that, but I can see the boys are tired.”
Chalobah added that the squad shared the frustration of the manager and the fanbase, and urged the club to avoid falling into a cycle of negativity. “As players we have to be accountable for the performance. We know how much the fans have been behind us and we know they are disappointed with the results. We have to stay positive. Negativity is not going to help. Us being negative, us dwelling on the past is not going to help the situation,” he said.
Despite the growing toxicity around Stamford Bridge, Rosenior this week reiterated that Chelsea’s ownership group has continued to back him through the slump, describing their support as “magnificent”. Co-owner Behdad Eghbali has also publicly stated the club remains optimistic about long-term success under Rosenior’s leadership.
All eyes now turn to Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United at Wembley, where a defeat could push Rosenior to the exit door just four months into his tenure at the helm of one of the world’s most high-profile clubs.
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Former Premier League champions Leicester relegated to third tier
LONDON, AFP – It is a downfall that has shaken English football: a decade on from one of the most extraordinary underdog triumphs the sport has ever seen, former Premier League champions Leicester City have been relegated to England’s third-tier League One, marking only the second time the club has dropped this low in its 140-year history.
The fateful result came on a tense Tuesday night at the King Power Stadium, where Leicester hosted Hull City needing all three points to keep their faint survival hopes alive. The script unfolded with heartbreak for the Foxes faithful: Hull took an early lead through Liam Millar’s 18th-minute strike, before a 52nd-minute penalty from James Justin drew Leicester level. Two minutes later, Luke Thomas put the hosts ahead, sparking fleeting hopes of a dramatic great escape. Those dreams were snuffed out just 11 minutes later, when Oli McBurnie netted Hull’s second equalizer to secure a 2-2 draw.
With just two matches remaining in the 2024-25 Championship season, second-from-bottom Leicester sit seven points adrift of safety, confirming their drop to League One – the club’s first appearance in the third tier since the 2008-09 campaign. The milestone caps a stunning three-year decline for a side that defied 5000-1 odds to lift the Premier League title in 2016, one of the most iconic fairy-tale achievements in modern football.
In the immediate aftermath of the relegation confirmation, interim manager Gary Rowett called on the club to confront the scale of the failure and learn from its mistakes. “We have to learn. I think the club have to accept this is the horrible part of the journey of a football club,” Rowett told reporters. “This club won the Premier League not too many moons ago. That was an incredible high at the time for the fans, for everyone associated with the club. I think everyone saw that as an amazing achievement. I think we can be equally as disappointed with how poor this moment is.”
This relegation marks Leicester’s third drop in four seasons: the club exited the Premier League in 2023, slipped from the top flight again in 2025, and now faces the unpalatable prospect of facing lower-league sides including Bromley, Mansfield Town and Wycombe Wanderers next term. The 2016 title triumph, masterminded by Claudio Ranieri with a squad led by Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kanté, was followed by a run to the Champions League quarter-finals in 2017 and an FA Cup title in 2021 – a golden era that now feels like a distant memory.
“The bigger picture is you don’t get relegated over three or four games, you get relegated over a season,” Rowett added. “The club has to rise again but it has to learn its lessons because it’s certainly been a season of an awful lot of regret.”
Analysts and fans point to a string of missteps on and off the pitch that led to the club’s historic collapse. Relegation from the Premier League in 2023 was widely expected to act as a wake-up call for Thai owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha and under-fire sporting director Jon Rudkin, but the club’s hierarchy failed to address critical structural flaws in the squad and business model.
Compounding on-pitch struggles, Leicester’s ruinous financial management resulted in a six-point deduction this season for breaching the EFL’s spending rules. The departure of Jamie Vardy at the end of last season severed the final remaining link to the title-winning 2015-16 squad, leaving the side without the talismanic leadership that had carried it through years of top-flight football.
The club’s management chaos only compounded their problems. Marti Cifuentes was hired in the summer to mount a promotion push, but struggled to right the ship of an unbalanced, inexperienced squad and was sacked in January. Interim manager Andy King was unable to reverse the club’s slide, with relegation fears turning to near-certainty after Leicester blew a 3-0 first-half lead to lose 4-3 to promotion-chasing Southampton.
By the time Rowett, a former Leicester defender, was appointed in February, the Foxes were already two points adrift of safety, and he has managed just one win from 12 matches in charge. A pattern of boardroom misdecision stretches back years: Ranieri, the architect of the 2016 title, was infamously sacked just months after lifting the trophy, and successive managers including Craig Shakespeare, Claude Puel and most recently Brendan Rodgers – who delivered the 2021 FA Cup and two top-five Premier League finishes – were unable to stem the long-term decline before also being dismissed.
Elsewhere in Tuesday’s Championship action, Coventry City secured the league title with a resounding 5-1 victory over Portsmouth. Frank Lampard’s side already sealed promotion back to the Premier League on Friday, ending a 25-year absence from the top flight. Millwall climbed into second place with a 3-1 away win over Stoke City, while fourth-placed Southampton’s bid for automatic promotion was hit by a 2-2 draw against Bristol City.