THE CHAD TALKS HAIR CARE
The ‘Chad Townsend Hair Appreciation Page’ has 411 followers and the Cronulla halfback is well aware of its existence although he can’t grasp the fascination around his rug.“I don’t know why I get all this attention for my hair,” Townsend told PlayersVoice host Anna Flanagan.“People just love to talk about it. I don’t put anything in it.“I just get out of the shower and dry it and that’s it. There’s no secret to it.”If you want to join the Facebook page, take a look by clicking here!
Nicknamed Big Nasty, Asofa-Solomona hadn’t played in a month before their preliminary final win over Cronulla due to an ankle injury.Coming off the bench, he used his 201cm, 123kg frame to plenty of damage through the middle against the Sharks while making 21 tackles.But Storm assistant coach Jason Ryles warned the New Zealand Test prop would be better for the hit-out and he expected an improved performance at ANZ Stadium.”I was pleasantly surprised with big Nels,” Ryles said of Asofa-Solomona, who was voted this month by his peers in the Rugby League Players’ Association Dream Team”What we saw on the weekend was obviously his power running and he was really effective with his defence, which is good.”He will be better for the run and hopefully he can repeat some of what we saw on the weekend.Ryles said the 22-year-old was initially despondent he wouldn’t recover from syndesmosis, suffered in round 23, in time for the finals.But he worked hard on his rehabilitation and is now reaping the rewards.”Once the ankle started to improve he sensed that he was a chance and he put a lot of work in, a lot of time with the performance guys so I think that’s what you saw on the weekend – that hard work coming out.”We like having the big boy in the team.”The Storm are at full-strength with their only injury concern, fellow prop Tim Glasby, overcoming rib cartilage damage to take his place in the title decider.
The Jets started out strongly and asked questions early on in the opening minutes of play.After gaining some possession, the Hunters were given a penalty and opted to kick taking a 2-0 lead from the boot of Noel Zemming in the 8th minute of play.The Hunters registered more points minutes later when quick hands sent Stargroth Amean over to score. Zemming added the extras to take the lead to 8-0.Straight from the kick off, the Hunters raced away through a line break and looked certain to score out wide.But a dropped ball saw the Jets scoop up the ball and give it to winger Marmin Barba to run 70 metres to score his 20th try for the season.10 minutes out from half time, Atte Bina crashed over under the posts to grab another four pointer for the Hunters.Zemming made it 3 from 3.The kick for Zemming also registered 150 points for him this season.The utility from Morobe slotted in another 2 points about 2 minutes out from full time to take a 16-4 lead going into half time.Into the second half of play, the Hunters continued to put on more pressure forcing the Jets to make errors and give away penalties.Zemming got his fifth for the game to further extend the lead to 18-4 in the 50th minute of play.Zemming racked up more points scoring near the posts after a pass from a flying Isreal Eliab.Up next was Eliab who ran 80 metres to grab the Hunter’s fourth try. Zemming made it 7 from 7 with less than 20 minutes of play remaining.Five minutes before full time, captain Dane Phillips gave the Jets something to salvage scoring a late try.Barba brought some more respectability to the score with a runaway try picking up his second try of the game.This left the final score at 32-14.
The Titans got off to the worst possible start after a knock on from the kick off. ‘Rovanama capitalized immediately scoring out wide and again minutes later to lead 8-0.The Titans regrouped and hit back through outside centre Wanipu Chris.The momentum swung the Titans way when they got their second try.Helangi Kovae Jnr put his side right back in the game converting both tries to push his side out to a 12-8 lead going into half time.The second half saw a flurry of tries from both sides.Rovanama scored the first two tries to take back the lead at 16-12.The Titans equalized right from the kick only to have Rovanama take back the lead from the restart.The scores were tied right after the Rovanama try at 22-22 after a solo effort from Maraga Lohia that saw him spin out of a tackle and slam the ball down over the try line.But Rovanama showed they wanted the win more with two unanswered tries in the dying minutes to win the game.The boys from the Aroma Coast won K10, 000 in prize money while the Titans were awarded K7, 000.In the Pennant division grand final; Wanigela Kavela beat Rovanama (2) 14-10. Wanigela picked up K1, 000 while Rovanama (2) settled for K800.The Bowl division grand final saw Irupara GK do it easy over Lime Beach Stones winning 26-6. Irupara GK walked away with K3, 500 while Lime Beach Stones got K2, 000.The Plate division grand final was claimed by Tuhava Hunters who defeated Maopa Paio 20-8. The Tuhava Hunters were awarded K5, 000 for their win while Maopa Paio won K4, 000
Ernesto Valverde wanted to say goodbye to Barça on Tuesday with an open letter that the web has spread through its official channels. After saying goodbye to players and employees in the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, he has written a few lines to give thanks. He goes with two leagues, a Cup and a Super Cup in his pocket. On tiptoe, without making noise and like a man. So he says goodbye. With sobriety and elegance. “Dear Culés: My stage as a coach of FC Barcelona has come to an end. It has been two very intense seasons and a half since the beginning. During this time I have lived very happy moments celebrating victories and titles, but also other hard and difficult ones. But above all I want to highlight the experience and affection that I have felt from the fans during this stage.I want to thank President Josep Maria Bartomeu and the Board of Directors for the opportunity they gave me to lead this team and their confidence during all this time. I would also like to thank the support and treatment of all the people who have accompanied me in the Club during these two and a half seasons and especially those who work in the first team and around it and with whom I have shared so many moments in the Ciutat Esportiva and on the move. Obviously I also want to thank the players for all the work and effort that allowed us to celebrate four titles s together, from now on I wish you all the luck in the world, as well as the new technician, Quique Setién. A hug to all.Visca Barça and Visca Catalunya “.
Though they weren’t there to collect their male and female awards in person at Saturday night’s sixth annual Scotiabank/JAAA annual Golden Cleats awards ceremony inside the Chinese Benevolent Association building (CBA) on Old Hope Road, track megastars Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce gushed with pride and expressed gratitude to organisers Scotiabank and Jamaicans, following their wins. The decorated sprinters spoke via video recordings. Sprint king Usain Bolt, who last won the award in 2013, upstaged the big shot putter, O’Dayne Richards, who had won the award in 2014. Bolt won three gold medals at this year’s IAAF World Championships, including the sprint double under trying circumstances due to injuries which limited his training time. “For me it feels great and it makes me want to work even harder,” he said. “What makes this win special for me … it was a tough, trying season with lots of ups and downs. This one means a lot more because I put in a lot of hard work to get back to where I needed to be so I could win this award, so for me it’s a big one,” said Bolt. He thanked his “coach, close teammates, friends and management team … fans, the ones who stood by me through the season. I will try to do my best and try to continue conquering the world and just ‘bigging up’ Jamaica,” he added. Decorated female sprinter, Fraser-Pryce, who outclassed her 100m rivals at the Beijing World Championships’ women’s final, and who also copped the 4×100-metre gold medal, staved off stiff competition from hurdles World champion Danielle Williams and 200m silver medallist Elaine Thompson, among others. “Winning the JAAA Golden Cleats Award, it’s a wonderful feeling for me. It shows hard work and just being committed to what I set out to do in the year and being able to accomplish that and being rewarded for that accomplishment is wonderful, so I would like to say thank you to each and every one who voted for me to win this award,” Fraser-Pryce noted. “I will be representing the country to the max.” Among other awardees were veteran MVP track and field coach, Stephen Francis, who is based at the University of Technology, for Coach of the Year, while Outstanding Performance of the Year went to the women’s 4x400m gold medal winning team from the Beijing World Championships. Novlene Williams-Mills, Christine Day, Stephenie-Ann McPherson and Shericka Jackson were the members. The award was collected by Day. The prestigious Howard Aris Award went to Edwin Allen High’s Deamar Gayle, who excelled in a non-traditional event, where he dominated in the discus and shot put at the ISSA Boys and Girls’ Champs, CARIFTA and Pan Am Games. Fifteen-year-old Christopher Taylor took the Best Youth Athlete of the Year Award for his dazzling 45.27 seconds at the World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia, the fastest time ever in his age group. Shanice Love of Excelsior High School won the Scotiabank-sponsored Howard Aris Scholarship, awarded to the Jamaican student-athlete with the top grade point average, and for being a discus bronze medallist at the Junior Pan Am Championships. The scholarship is valued at $250,000. Scotiabank’s vice-president of asset management, Lissant Mitchell, said: “Today we celebrate sport and more importantly our athletes. Let me just say what a pleasure it is to be associated with you. I am sure I speak on behalf of every Jamaican when I say you give me goosebumps every time. Each time you take the track, it is an euphoric experience that stops the entire country and leaves us all in a great frame of mind.” BEST YOUTH ATHLETE
Both men then tried to stamp their authority on the fight, and there was an exciting exchange over the last 20 seconds of the round, which was a signal to spectators that they were in for a fistic treat. And so it was. The excitement continued into the second round as a confident and sometimes cocky Gardener scored repeatedly with hard punches to the head and body. Lewis had his moments of ascendancy, but it was Gardener who scored consistently and methodically in the third round, which produced a lot of action and had spectators on their feet cheering wildly as the tempo of the fight increased. Things reached a crescendo in the fourth round as Gardener let loose with a barrage of punches. Lewis was not able to keep him at bay and he was hurt in this round. After a quick burst of two-fisted action from Gardener, Lewis seemed ready to fall and would have quite likely hit the canvas if he had not been caught up in the ropes. Referee Owen Nelson ruled this a knock-down, however, and gave Lewis an eight count. Gardener was all over him at the bell. When Gardener came out for the fifth and final round, he was more conservative and appeared winded. This was not surprising, however, as it was the first time that he had gone beyond three rounds. Lewis was not able to capitalise on this, however, and Gardener was able to end the fight on cruise control, and a with a victory neatly tucked away in his pocket. There was one amateur bout on the card which saw Samuel Grant of Sugar Olympic Gym scoring a points victory over Collel Hogg from Boys’ Town. Hard-hitting Michael ‘The Wasp’ Gardener moved one step closer to his goal of being the 2016 Wray and Nephew Contender champion when he scored a brilliant victory on points over his more experienced rival, Ramel ‘Sub Zero’ Lewis, at the Chinese Benevolent Association auditorium on Wednesday night. It was a unanimous decision as Judge Ransford Burton scored the fight 49-45, Laurence Neufville 49-46, and Peter Richards 50-45. This was easily the most exciting fight in the competition so far, and spectators had a lot to cheer about. Both men had signalled beforehand that they would be throwing a lot of punches, and they kept their word. The action started immediately after the signal to start was given, and it was Lewis who landed the first decisive punches. Gardener retaliated very quickly, however, and three jabs followed by a hook to the body sent the signal to Lewis that he was in for a hard night. The Gardener camp had something to think about before the round ended as he was cut over the left eye by a punch. The doctor examined it and ruled that it was nothing serious. EXCITING EXCHANGE
WON’T FEEL OUT OF PLACE THE Mico University College has strengthened its netball programme for the upcoming season. One of the country’s most talented netballers, national goal shooter Jhanielle Fowler-Reid, has enrolled at that institution for the upcoming academic year. Fowler-Reid who returned to the island recently from the Netball World Cup in Australia will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in guidance and counselling. Fowler-Reid will team up with two members of the team who were in Australia – goal defence Vangelee Williams and centre Nicole Dixon. Assistant coach of the Sunshine Girls, Annette Daley, is the head coach of the Mico University team. Fowler-Reid who plays for Southern Steel in the ANZ Netball Championships in Australia will add vast experience to a Mico team which has been very consistent in intercollegiate netball for the past six years. Fowler-Reid was delighted about the chance to pursue her degree and playing netball at the Mico. “I am more than overjoyed to know that I will be attending this beautiful and great institution to do my degree in guidance and counselling and also knowing that the Mico family has embraced me,” she said. “The Mico institution itself will not be strange to me as I have had several training sessions there and a few of my teammates at the national level are on the Mico team and I won’t feel out of place,” she added. Fowler-Reid will still turn out for the Southern Steel in the ANZ Netball Championship while enrolled at Mico. “When I am overseas I will be able to study online and there are persons both here and overseas who will be willing to help me,” said Fowler-Reid when asked how her overseas engagements will affect her studies at Mico.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, (CMC): Captain Darren Sammy says West Indies were always confident they could defend 162 at the R. Premadasa Stadium, especially drawing on the experience from the final of the Twenty20 World Cup staged at the venue three years ago. The Caribbean side beat Sri Lanka for the first time on the current tour on Wednesday when they pulled off a 23-run victory in the second and final Twenty20 International here. Sammy said the Windies were cognisant of the fact that they beat Sri Lanka here in the T20 World Cup final defending an even smaller total. “The par score [here is] 150, and I think 170 has only ever been chased once,” Sammy told a media conference. “When we played the finals here, we scored 130-something and defended it, so that was a reminder for the guys going on to the field in the second half of the game.” He added: “Like I said, we had a good start [and] we controlled the power-play. They didn’t get off to a flyer. “They didn’t get used to one particular bowler. If you notice, the plan was to give one-over spells for the bowlers, and it worked, and we kept on taking wickets every time they looked like getting a partnership. So that was the key for us.” The victory for West Indies gave them a share of the series after they lost the opening T20 in Kandy by 30 runs on Monday. More important, it was their first win over Sri Lanka on tour and would have served as a boost for flagging morale, especially after having lost every game in the Test and one-day series. “It was good to end the series on a winning note. I think you could see the difference today after playing the first game, which we still thought we could have won, but we were coming from a long break from international cricket, but it shows how quickly we could learn and you could see it was a much more professional effort,” Sammy said. Charles and Fletcher put on 62 for the first wicket, and following a middle order slump, Ramdin struck an unbeaten 34 in a 41-run, fifth-wicket stand with Bravo, who stroked a run-a-ball 31. West Indies failed to find acceleration at the death and finished on 162 for six off their 20 overs, but Sammy said Sri Lanka’s seamers had to be commended for their excellent bowling later on. “They bowled really, really well at the end of the innings, but the work done by Charles and Fletcher at the top gave us that cushion, even if they bowled some good overs. “The key was to bat around Bravo, and I thought he and Ramdin stepped up the pace a little bit, and at the end of the day, 160 was enough to get the job done.”
Managing one of the country’s most successful schoolboy football teams might seem easy but Jamaica College’s (JC) team manager, Ian Forbes, says their past achievements mean nothing coming in to today’s ISSA-FLOW Olivier Shield play-off final against St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS).The ‘dark blues’ of Old Hope Road will be seeking a third Olivier Shield title in the past three years, but Forbes still expects a close battle today.”What has happened before is history; we are dealing with the here and now. We are pretty much fully prepared, just a couple niggling injuries, but we will not get complacent or take STETHS for granted,” Forbes told The Gleaner.Though Forbes’ JC are unbeaten since 2012 in the Olivier Shield, he says there will be no overconfidence or underestimating his rural-based opponents who won the daCosta Cup in 2010, 2013 and this year while dominating the rural area Ben Francis KO competition for six seasons in a row, from 2010 to this year.”I think we can win once we go out and have a good match … we are ready,” Forbes said. “We have been preparing well and we are confident of a win even though they (STETHS) are a good team,” he stressed ahead of today’s rural versus urban match at the Stadium East Field. Kick-off time is 2:30 p.m.Wedderburn, STETHS focus on triple … B2