Invaders beat Hurricanes ahead of BVI softball playoffs

TORTOLA - As Allen Smith paced the third-base line, his East Invaders capitalized on the Hurricanes' bevy of first-inning errors, leading to a 5-0 advantage.

Though he came on in relief of Dwight Brooks in the third and gave up the three runs to make the game exciting and had two runners on base in the bottom of the sixth, Smith struck out Sheldon John to quell the threat to knock out the defending BVI Softball Association Eva Simmonds League champions from the ranks of the unbeaten, 5-3.

The win came ahead of the regular season ending this weekend.

"I haven't been pitching much, so this one feels good," said Smith, who had Brooks start the game. "Starting him was my whole game plan because I'm trying to build the team not to be dependent on me, and they can take the team and just pitch being comfortable with anybody."

Smith said while he can still do his thing, there are plans to build a national team. There's no one coming after him, so it was a chance for them to learn.

The Hurricane's Neville Smith, who took the loss, said his squad played good enough to win.

"But in the first two innings, there were four, five errors," he said. "And that was the end of the game right there. You can't let a team like this go up by five runs and try to come back on them."

The Invaders' Tramore Frazer was 2-for-3, and Devon Bedford homered in three at-bats and scored a run. The 'Canes' Sylvester Johnson went 2-for-3. In four at-bats, Jamaal Allen homered to scored the third run.

The Braves forfeited their game to the Street Ballerz.

In women's play, the Hawks beat the Amazons, 12-5. Adina Nibbs took the loss. The Hawks' Judith Harrigan had a 3-for-3 game with three runs scored and two runs batted in.

Kathleen Fahie fired a two-hitter, as the West End Warriors whipped her daughter, Shoniqua Fahie, and the Elmore Stoutt High School Rams, 14-4. Kathleen helped her cause with a double and a triple in three at-bats. She scored twice and drove in one. Shoniqua topped the Rams with two hits in two at-bats. She also had three RBIs.

BVI sending 10 to El Salvador for CAC Jr. Championships

The BVI will be sending 10 athletes to the CAC Junior Track and Field Championships on June 29-July 1 in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Carifta Games U-17 Girls javelin throw gold medalist Tynelle Gumbs will head the team for the three-day competition, along with her twin sister, Trevia, who nabbed Carifta Games silver in the shot put, and Nelda Huggins, who snatched an U-17 Girls 100-meter silver medal

Tynelle Gumbs heaved the newly implemented 500g spear 41.46 meters, while Trevia tossed the 3Kg shot put out to 13.57 meters during the Leeward Islands Junior Championships. Huggins ran a wind-assisted 11.77 seconds at Carifta, and has several 12-second marks to her credit, as well as 24.57 seconds in the 200 meters this season.

Kala Penn is the youngest on the squad at age 14 but has leaped to No. 7 on the territory's all-time Top 10 list in the long jump with a leap of 5.41 meters and to No. 4 in the triple jump with her mark of 11.26 meters.

Carifta Games 300-meter hurdles finalist Jonel Lacey will tackle the 400 meters before heading to the IAAF World Junior Championships July 10-15 in Barcelona, Spain.

Among the boys, J'Maal Alexander, who will join Lacey in Barcelona after sprinting 10.56 seconds during the ESHS Championships to qualify for the event, will also compete in the 200, in which he has improved his National Junior Record to 21.62 seconds this season.

Newcomers Khari Herbert, who ran 47.98 in the Florida High School Championships in the 400, easily won the Leeward Islands Junior Championships in 49.29, will lead the U-20 contingent.

Coming off meet records in the discus and shot put, Eldred Henry will tackle both events in which he has marks of 45.08 meters and 14.53 meters.

Brandon Andrew will contest the 110-meter hurdles and long jump with marks of 14.90 meters and 6.60 meters.

Kyron McMaster, a 2011 CAC Age Group Championships high jump silver medalist, is coming off clearing a personal best of 1.86 meters to win the event at Leewards, is the lone male U-18 competitor on the team.

Officials include coaches Winston Potter and Ralston Henry, athletic trainer Shaun Williams and chaperone Delva Thomas.

BDO School Football League wraps up on Sunday

The 2012 BDO Schools Football League will end on Sunday with several exhibition matches. Activities are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. on Sunday at A.O. Shirley Recreation Grounds.

Enid Scatliffe Blue will face Seventh-day Adventist in an Under-7 exhibition match. The Under-9 finals will feature First Impression vs. Cedar Blue. And First Impression will face Cedar in the Under-12 final.

After the championships, BDO will dole out awards, including jackets, caps, trophies, medals, golden booths and MVP awards for each team.

The championships, in which BDO - one of the world's top five accounting firms invested $20,000-has unearthed a bevy of talent, new players and among high school girls, have surpassed expectations with more than 60 athletes from three schools coming out to play.

There were 11 Under-7 teams, nine Under-9's, 14 Under-12 teams and Under-14 high school teams in three male and three female divisions.

"We have never really had such a big sponsor for the league, and I must say 'thanks' to BDO and Mr. Bickerton," said coach Cassandra Gregg. "I think the sponsor is what brought out most of the parents to the games to see their kids play. We are the only association that gives the players everything they need to play for free."

Coach Vincent Samuel also thanked BDO and said the BDO sponsorship allowed them to put more resources into the national teams.

"It is a tremendous sponsorship, and Mr. Bickerton and his staff have been a tower of strength for us. Not only the sponsorship but the manpower, the use of Facebook and the scores coming out, everything was handled professionally, and it has given us more mileage than we have ever had," Samuel said. "It has gone to the point where people are knocking on the door, calling and sending emails, asking for us to run the league again in September. So we are working on putting a development league for September for the Under-7's and Under-9's."

BVI Olympic hopefuls seeking qualifying times in Jamaica

Karene King walked away from the Bahamas Olympic Games Trials last weekend with another consistent 200-meter performance, but she's still in search of an Olympic Games qualifying mark. As a result, she's now set to join Ashley Kelly and Chantel Malone in this week's Jamaica Olympic Games Trials.

King was third in the 200 in 23.47 seconds after running 23.63 in the prelims to advance. The territory's No. 2 all-time performer in the event has a best of 23.43, which is .13 seconds off the Olympic Games' B qualifying mark.

Athletes have until July 8 to book their tickets to London for the Games, which will be preceded by a training camp and two competitions in Wales.

Also at the Bahamas Trials, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott ran for the first time since early May in Puerto Rico, when she aggravated an earlier injury. The territory's 100-meter standard bearer had a series of technical issues in the race and finished with an 11.92 seconds time.

- Dean Greenaway is a Daily News correspondent based on Tortola.

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