Pacers set to mount strong challenge in Maryland meet
East Coast Invitational Meet in Bethesda, Maryland this weekend.
This will be the last East Coast as it is now known as next year the meet will be staged in North Carolina at Duke University and organised by one of the largest track clubs on the East Coast, the Durham Striders.
This year marks the 18th appearance by the Pacers and the 21-member team will be attempting to make this their best performance ever when they vie for medals in 49 individual events and a 4x100 metre relay. The meet will last for three days and is again expected to attract over 3,000 athletes.
In 1991 the Pacers won 17 medals and this year's team has the quality -- led by three of Bermuda's most promising in Gabriel Wilkinson, Richard Walcott and Raneika Bean -- to improve on that haul.
Wilkinson has just returned from the Pan Am Junior Championships in which he set two personal bests in the shot that put him into the final. He also reached the final of the discus.
Bean has been at school abroad this year but returned home as the Tennessee High School triple jump record holder, while Walcott surprised everyone this year when he won a silver medal at the Carifta Games in Martinique with a time of 1:59.3 in the under 17 boys' 800 metres. Full squad: Venecia Raynor, Roger Lee Jr, Deanna Lightbourne, Tonae Perinchief, Kyle Wade, Harold Houston, Daleisha Dill, Sanche Simmons, Natasha simmons, LaTroya Darrell, Edmeiko Butterfield, Vernell Lambe, Milen Simons, Tarisha Powell, Donneka Simmons, Latisha Perinchief, Danielle Watson, Raneika Bean, Richard Walcott, Janine Scott, Gabriel Wilkinson. Coaches: Calvin Simons, Jay Tucker.
KYME RETAINS CARIBBEAN SQUASH CROWN SQU Kyme retains Caribbean squash crown Bermuda's Nicholas Kyme came from behind to win a tense, hard-fought final and kept his Caribbean crown.
Kyme defeated Jamaica's James Bullock 3-2 in Trinidad to retain his under-19 title in the Junior Caribbean Squash Championships. Hot conditions, Bullock's aggressive play and the intervention of a large moth all added to the drama.
Kyme took the first game 9/6, but Bullock fought back to win the second 9/4.
The heat took its toll and both players tired quickly and when Bullock shaded a thrilling third game 10/9, it seemed Kyme's title was slipping away.
But Bullock's forehand volley kill into the sidewall began to fail him, helping Kyme to win the last two games 9/2, 9/3, though both were tighter than the scores suggest.
In the first game, Kyme captured a moth which had flown onto court and distracted the players. Kyme released the moth outside as the game was held up for three minutes and the incident was shown on Trinidadian television news.
Andrew Stout reached the boys' under-12 final, but was beaten 9/1, 9/2, 9/3 by reigning champion Brett Cumberbatch of Barbados.
James Stout showed both maturity and flair as he won the third-place play-off in the under-16 boys' category by beating an older opponent, the number three seed Alex Kassab of Venezuela, 9/1, 9/1, 3/9, 9/3. The under-12 girls' third-place play-off proved the closest match of the day, with Bermuda's 10-year-old Laura Robinson going down 7/9, 5/9, 9/2, 9/2, 8/10 to Nadia McCarthy of Barbados.
Melissa Harvey finished fifth in the under-19 girls' round-robin, while in the under-16s Jessice Mitchell placed fourth.
The championships continue this week with the team event, in which Bermuda will be defending their overall title.
DOUBLES PAIRS FALTER IN SEMIS TEN Doubles pairs falter in semis The two Bermuda doubles pairs bidding for a place in their age group finals of the Georgia State Junior Open in Atlanta have both gone out at the semi-final stage.
Jovan Whitter and Phillip Sousa lost 4-6, 5-7 to eventual winners Scoville Jenkins and Nathan Sachs in the 14-year-old boys' event.
And in the 12-year-old boys' doubles, Kyle Williams and John Masters were well beaten 6-0, 6-1, by eventual runners-up Matt Bentley and Alex Hill.
Sousa alaso reached the last four in the consolation event for those who went out in the last 64 of the 14-year-old boys' singles, losing 6-2, 6-2 to Mark McManus.
PITCHER TAKES TWO SHOT ADVANTAGE GLF Pitcher takes two shot advantage O.J. Pitcher continued his fine form in the Atlantic Junior Golf Championships, shooting a 77 at Port Royal yesterday to take a two-shot lead over the rest of the field.
Pitcher goes into today's final round at the Mid Ocean Club with a 54-hole total of 232, two strokes better than Ted Teceira.
David Smith is a further four shots adrift, with Daniel Keefe and David Boyce a shot behind him.
Jennifer Spurling is well on her way to securing the ladies' title after shooting an 81 to open up a 17-shot lead over her closest rival, Laura Robinson.
A tight finish is expected in the battle for the boys 13-14 title, with Steven Roy, on a three-round total of 243, starting the last round with a five-stroke lead over Andrew Boyce.
Tyler Marshall holds a comfortable 20-shot lead over Brian Smith in the 11-12 boys' division, while Mark Phillips is well ahead in the 10-and-under category after shooting 69 at the Southampton Princess.