Fruta Conquerors sign ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson
GREGORY ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson was yesterday announced as Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Elite League club Fruta Conquerors’ latest signing, as the Tucville-based club continues to beef-up its squad for the second half of the season.Conquerors finished behind champions Guyana Defence Force (GDF) last season, and had vowed to make the necessary changes needed to not only compete with the ‘Army’, but to stake their claim as the best club in Guyana.Richardson, touted as one of the most talented players of his generation, had taken the Elite League by storm in its inaugural season while playing for his foundation club, Pele FC.Bailout However, after Pele, along with Alpha United, Slingerz FC and the Georgetown Football Club (GFC), had pulled out of the Elite League in protest of the GFF’s expansion from eight to ten teams, calling the move “unconstitutional”, the club (Pele) found itself back at the ‘association’ level, playing under the Georgetown Football Association (GFA).Fruta Conquerors, headed by Guyanese-born Canadian football star Alex Bunbury, had made several notable signings this season, also adding National player Anthony Benfield, and Golden Jaguars National keeper Akel Clarke to their line-up.Richardson, 35, is the first Guyanese-born player to be signed and featured in the USA’s Major League Soccer (MLS), following his move to the Colorado Rapids in 2009.The forward, who sits behind Nigel ‘Powers’ Codrington (18) as the country’s second highest goalscorer on the international stage, (15) is well known for his ability to get goals and at Fruta Conquerors it will be expected of him to live up to his billing, even though he’s one step off the player he used to be.
A CLINICAL race by Team Evolution’s Paul DeNobrega saw him clinching the 8th edition of Digicel’s Cancer Awareness Cycling Meet ahead of a strong field, inclusive of in-form Jamaul John and Guyana’s national road race champion, Curtis Dey.It was a thrilling and well calculated ride by DeNobrega who initially was in the chasing pack while John, Michael Anthony, Briton ‘Screechie’ John and Hamzah Eastman made up the peloton for the most part of the race.However, with just about 8 laps left of the 35-lap main event, DeNobrega attacked and eventually broke away from the peloton; never to look back. He won the race in one hour, 41 minutes and 23 seconds to be crowned champion.Earlier, last year’s winner, Geron Williams dropped out of the race, after just a couple of laps with complications, which meant the title was wide open for the taking.After DeNobrega’s comprehensive and inevitable victory, the competition was heated for second and third places respectively; Briton John prevailed to cop second spot while Jamaul John had to settle for third ahead of Akeal Campbell (fourth), Hamzah Eastman (fifth) and Michael Anthony (sixth).
The overall winners pose for a photo opportunity as a Digicel representative presents the cheque to an official from the Guyana Cancer Institute. (Adrian Narine photo)Three prime prizes– two worth $5000 each and a third worth $20,000– were up for grabs; Anthony and Stephano Husbands pocketed one apiece while DeNobrega, in his late surge, grabbed the $20,000 prime.Earlier in the day, Quincy Punch held off Ozia McAulay for the Mountain Bike title while Mario King claimed third place.In the event for Novices, Paul Thomas copped first prize while Kurt Bunbury was second and Tyrone Conway third.Paul Cho Wee Nam copped the U-45 title ahead of Warren ‘40’ McKay (second) and Junior Niles (third); Cho Wee Nam was also the victor in the Over-45 category, beating out Ian Jackson and Amait Sankar, who placed second and third, respectively.Briton John was the top Junior rider, ahead of Emmanuel Gayral and Donovan Fraser while the BMX Boys and Girls 9-12 was captured by Jaheme Henry; Shaquel Dow finished second and Nchum Rigby third.The event, organised by Team Evolution Cycling Club, saw a great turn out of competitors and spectators; it was deemed a success by Andrew Arjoon of the club.A sum of $500,000 was presented to the Cancer Institute of Guyana at the presentation ceremony.
STARKVILLE – Richie Brown has fond memories of the triple option offense. The last time the Mississippi State linebacker faced it was his senior season at Long Beach.Brown finished with 30 tackles.“It was high school,” the sophomore said. “Just running to the ball. (Defensive lineman) Nick James was out there with me too.”Both will take the field Dec. 31 in the Orange Bowl, facing Georgia Tech’s triple option attack. In Brown’s 30-tackle game against Pearl River, his team lost. He’s looking for a different outcome this time around.“It’s all kind of similar,” Brown said. “They don’t do a whole lot of stuff. You know what they’re going to do. It’s just a matter of executing it. And they execute at a very high level.”To prepare for Georgia Tech’s triple-option, MSU relies on its scout team. Freshman quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who ran the option in high school, has been the scout-team quarterback.He’s been asked to simulate the Yellow Jackets’ Justin Thomas. The quarterback leads the team with 965 rushing yards. He’s also thrown for 1,594 yards.Georgia Tech averages 56 carries per game. Only Air Force rushes the ball more per game. The Yellow Jackets’ 333 rushing yards per game rank third in the country.MSU can’t forget about the passing game though. Georgia Tech’s averages 17.2 yards per completion, which leads the country.“For us defensively, we’re going to put a great plan together to make sure we’re sound and get those matchups,” MSU coach Dan Mullen said.The sixth-year coach hasn’t faced an option-based offense since his first year in Starkville. The Bulldogs lost to Georgia Tech 42-31 in 2009. The Yellow Jackets passed for 266 yards, completing 11 of 14 attempts, an average of 19 yards per completion. They also ran for 213 yards.In this year’s matchup, Mullen will have to prepare without his defensive coordinator. Geoff Collins accepted the same position at Florida on Tuesday. Graduate assistant John Haneline will coach the linebackers in the bowl game. Mullen hasn’t named a defensive coordinator for the Orange Bowl.“Geoff leaving is just going to put a little bit more work on my plate,” Mullen said.Mississippi State succeeded in slowing down the run all season, but it struggled in its loss to Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl. Three big plays led to 205 yards on the ground and an average of 6.6 yards per carry.“We still have to do a great job tackling in the open field, I think that’s going to be a real critical deal,” Mullen said.There may be no better player to help Mississippi State with that than Brown.“Our coach is doing a really good job of doing what we need to look forward to in the triple option,” Brown said. “We’ve watched some film. We know what we’re getting into.”Contact Michael Bonner at mbonner@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @MikeBBonner on Twitter. Orange Bowl 7 Mississippi State vs. 12 Georgia Tech Dec. 31, 7 p.m., ESPNSun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
At the end of August, however, the previously planned World Cup in 3 × 3 basketball for U-18 teams will not take place, on Tuesday the decision of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) is announced by the Latvian Basketball Union (LBS).The escalation of the Covid-19 pandemic in many countries has led to increased restrictions on travel and public events, continuing to negatively affect the life of basketball. Taking care of the players’ health, FIBA has canceled the U-18 World Cup in 3 × 3 basketball, which was scheduled for August 26-30 in the Hungarian city of Debrecen.“The right to start in the U-18 World Cup was given according to the rating. There was also a chance to start for the Latvian U-18 boys’ team, ”LBS quotes Naura Metnieks, the 3 × 3 basketball coordinator. “Six candidates were selected to train and participate in the stages of the Top Gun tournament.”The cancellation of the World Cup will not change the immediate plans – already at the end of this week the juniors will play in the fourth stage of “Top Gun” in Liepaja. Of course, it is a pity that this year will not be an opportunity to play in official international tournaments, but I hope that the experience gained will be useful in the future. ”At the end of August, the first stage of the World Tour 2020 season was also scheduled in Debrecen, followed by two tournaments in Bucharest (September 5/6 and 11/12).From September 24 to 26, the European Championship is planned in Antwerp, for which Latvian men’s and women’s teams are preparing.The men’s team (Agnis Čavars, Edgars Krūmiņš, Kārlis Lasmanis, Nauris Miezis) won the second stage tournament of the Latvian championship – “Top Gun” – in Saldus and last week celebrated its success in the Estonian championship tournament.The women’s national team (Baiba Eglīte, Kristīna Petermane, Liene Stalidzāne, Rūta Stiprā) has won three “Top Gun” tournaments.
Midfielder Denis Granečný left Ostrava. The 22-year-old footballer went to Emmen, the Netherlands, for a one-year guest appearance. Baník informed about it today on his website, stating that the transfer option is a part of the agreement.
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As part of ESL’s master brand refresh in February, the company has rolled out a sharp new visual appearance for its Pro League. In addition to the ninth season of the ESL Pro League swaggering a fresh look, the tournament series had made a drastic change to its format which has yielded a steep increase in viewership.The redesign of the Pro League is all about the clashing moments between teams competing towards being the world’s finest; this, illustrated by the ESL camouflage splintering across the screen displayed in the colours of those in contention with one another. SEE ALSO: Ubisoft and ESL announce Six Masters 2019 in MelbourneChief Marketing Officer of ESL, Rodrigo Samwell, spoke to Esports Insider exclusively on the motivation behind the league’s rework: “For us, it was important to bring the teams to the front seat like no one has done before. “The integration of their colours into the ESL world, the choice of materials, depth built into visual ID and movement created this spectacular effect of the teams clashing in the world of the ESL Pro League in a very authentic way.”In an effort to elevate the competition of the Pro League and optimise teams’ schedules (especially in today’s oversaturated Counter-Strike vista), ESL had opted to take Season 9 entirely offline. Not only was ESL’s decision to double down on this new format met with great praise from both fans and players, but metrics from the ESL Pro League since its renovation has also shown explosive growth in viewership.The new ESL Logo Photo credit: ESLSEE ALSO: ESL appoints Thomas Schmidt as Chief Commercial OfficerWeeks 1-4 of the Pro League has shown a 104% increase in hours watched with 6.61 million over last year’s 3.25 million, while video plays are up by 59%. “We invested a lot of time and resources to listen to the teams’ feedback and making sure we come up with the best format for the teams that bring to life the concept of esports at its purest,” Samwell attested. “The impressive viewership numbers show the format is working and the team’s feedback has been very positive and aligned with all stakeholders involved so far.”Esports Insider says: Although the ESL Pro League’s switch from online to LAN was somewhat of a chancy financial investment, the lofty increase in viewership has proven to be worth every penny. This along with the league’s polished new look is something every Counter-Strike enthusiast can get behind.
The London Olympics organisers investigate why some venues have had empty seats, as the sports focus turns to swimming, tennis and volleyball.Games chief Jacques Rogge says bosses are “getting to grips” with the issue.Empty seats were also seen at Wimbledon, the Basketball Arena, the volleyball at Earl’s Court and the gymnastics at the O2.While areas of seating where tickets have been sold to the public appear to be packed, at some venues “Olympic family” areas – often with the best views – have been emptier.Mark Adams, the spokesman for International Olympic Committee chairman Jacques Rogge, said: “You have to allow for a small area of tickets – and it is a small area of tickets and doesn’t happen at all venues.“The sport needs some tickets – the federation needs those for their officials to be in there. We give tickets to the athletes and their families, and journalists, as well, need some tickets.” “They need some flexibility and, unfortunately, that leads, sometimes, to those areas and those seats being empty but we are really getting to grips with this.”Extra ticketTickets are also given to sponsors, including Visa which, on Sunday, said it had made “great efforts” to use its full ticket allocation, the majority of which, it said, had been given to competition winners.And British Airways said most of its tickets were given away “many months ago” to members of the public or members of staff.American Paul Fondie, who now lives in Kew, Richmond, said he was frustrated by the number of empty seats at the men’s gymnastics at the O2 on Saturday. He said he and his wife had not been able to take their six-year-old son because they could not get an extra ticket.“It tainted my experience of the Olympics – it was our moment to come under the microscope and show that London can do it well.”Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt told BBC News that organisers were looking “very urgently” at the problem and that, if those groups were “not going to turn up, we want those tickets to be available for members of the public because that creates the best atmosphere”.He said a Wimbledon-style system – where people leaving the stadium handed tickets back so their seats could be reused – had been introduced for the Games.BBC correspondent Andy Swiss says ticketing is a sensitive issue after many fans missed out and the empty seats are a problem Locog will be anxious to solve. Meanwhile, Mansfield-born Adlington begins her defence of the two gold medals she won in Beijing four years ago with heats for the 400m freestyle on Sunday morning – starting at 11:23 BST – ahead of the final in the evening.Her battle to hold on to her 800m freestyle title will begin with heats on Thursday morning before Friday night’s final.Cyclist Cooke, meanwhile, won the first of GB’s gold medals at Beijing but she could be forced to sacrifice her own gold medal hopes this time to be a support rider for teammate Lizzie Armitstead.It has yet to be decided who starts the race as leader and the designated leader could change depending on how the race develops.Andy Murray – who was defeated with his brother Jamie in the tennis doubles on Saturday – will play Stanislas Wawrinka in the singles at Wimbledon. And Briton Ben Ainslie will begin his quest for a fourth Olympic gold medal as the first day of Olympic sailing begins at Weymouth Bay.As well as the individual events, British teams will also compete in basketball, handball, hockey, volleyball, water polo and the football on Sunday.Meanwhile, the US basketball team – the most decorated in Olympic basketball – will begin their title defence against France later.Elsewhere in other Olympic developments:Paula Radcliffe admits her chances of appearing in the Olympic marathon next Sunday are “not looking good”.India’s Olympic contingent is trying to identify a mystery woman who joined team members as they marched in the opening ceremony on Friday trying to identify a mystery woman who joined team members as they marched in the opening ceremony on FridayAustralian swimming hopeful James “the missile” Magnussen leads his country against the US in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relayRussia’s Maria Sharapova gets her tennis campaign under way at WimbledonPolice say 16 people have been arrested over ticket touting at the Olympics during the past two daysA huge puppet version of Lady Godiva begins its journey from Coventry to London on a purpose-built 50-seater bike as part of the cultural celebrations for the OlympicsMark Cavendish refused to blame his Team GB colleagues for his 29th placing in the men’s road race on Saturday, saying the British riders had “nothing left in the tank”
(NORRISTOWN, PA) — Following the news that Bill Cosby’s sexual assault trial has ended in a mistrial, Andrea Constand, who accused the legendary comedian of assaulting her, has issued a statement via her lawyers.In addition to thanking the jury for their “tireless efforts” — they deliberated for six days — Constand also thanked the D.A.’s office, including the judge who authorized the prosecution. She also asked for privacy for her and her family.The statement goes on to say, in part, “We are confident that these proceedings have given a voice to the many victims who felt powerless and silenced. We commend those prosecutors who raised awareness that one of the hallmarks of drug-related sexual assaults is the effect the drug has on the victim’s memory and ability to recall and were nonetheless willing to present this evidence to the jury.”Cosby was accused of drugging and sexually violating Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Constand, who was then an employee of Temple University, Cosby’s alma mater, claims the comic gave her drugs that incapacitated her to the degree that she could not stop him from assaulting her. Sixty women, including Constand, have accused Cosby of drugging and/or sexually assaulting them, or attempting to do so. Cosby has denied all of the charges, and has only been criminally charged in the Constand case.Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Powered by WPeMatico iStock/Thinkstock
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Tyson Fury claims he is “ready for war” with Deontay Wilder after the British heavyweight survived two severe cuts in his weekend win over Otto Wallin.Fury needed 47 stitches following the Las Vegas bout, which saw Wallin take his rival to 12 rounds before the Briton eventually secured a unanimous points decision victory.The 31-year-old former world heavyweight champion was taken to the University Medical Center of South Nevada with a gaping gash over his right eye and another smaller one on the eyelid.Speaking to BBC Sport before leaving Las Vegas, Fury said: “I went to the hospital, had a few stitches, went home and had an early night.“Then I’ve got up, gone to the casino, won five grand, had a few beers and now I’m going to have a few more beers.”Fury fought for more than nine rounds with one of the cuts.The injury prompted promoter Frank Warren to say a proposed February rematch with WBC world heavyweight champion Wilder could be delayed if Fury does not heal adequately.“If it doesn’t heal well the fight may have to be pushed back,” Warren said.“Hopefully that will not be the case. It depends how it heals. If it’s OK it won’t be a problem.“It’s not just the fight, it’s the training and sparring. He has to be 100 percent right.”But asked about a delay, Fury made it clear he had no fears about a quick return to the ring against the formidable Wilder.“I’m ready for war. I think it was just over 40 stitches inside and out with both the cuts,” he said.“Listen I’m all right. It’s boxing. You can’t go swimming and not get wet. It’s the fight game.”For more sport your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.