Joshi Leads After Opening Day of 2026 National Junior Chess Championships
By Delwin Neblett | HGP Nightly News|
LILIENDAAL, GREATER GEORGETOWN — Action in the Guyana Chess Federation’s (GCF) 2026 National Junior Chess Championships commenced on Monday at Olympic House in Liliendaal.
After two highly competitive opening rounds, newly crowned National Women’s Champion, Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Aditi Joshi, took an early lead on tie-breaks. Joshi secured maximum points by claiming clinical victories over Matthew Singh and Jeremy Cole.
She is closely marked by 15-year-old National Open Champion Candidate Master (CM) Sachin Pitamber and defending junior champion Kyle Couchman, both of whom also remain unbeaten after their first two matches. Meanwhile, Alexander Zhang sits in fourth place with 1.5 points.
Aaron Newton Sprints to Victory in Kaieteur Attack Racing’s “Keep Fit” Opener
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — Cycling enthusiasts descended upon the National Park in Georgetown on Saturday as the Kaieteur Attack Racing Cycle Club successfully rolled out its inaugural “Keep Fit” race series.
The feature event produced 30 laps of intense, high-speed racing, culminating in a dramatic sprint finish. Aaron Newton emerged as the day’s champion, stopping the clock at 1:09:22. Newton utilized a strong finishing burst in the final 150 meters to narrowly out-sprint veteran rider Alex Mendes.
Christopher Griffith crossed the line in third place to secure the final podium spot, while Paul Choo-wee-nam, Jaikarran Sukhai, and Julio Melville rounded out the top six finishers in fourth, fifth, and sixth places, respectively.
Gold Rush Continues for Team Guyana at Junior CASA in Tortola
ROAD TOWN, TORTOLA (BVI) — Defending champions Team Guyana continue to assert their regional dominance on the courts of the Tortola Sports Club in Pasea Estate, turning their focus to the doubles category of the 2026 Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Junior Championships.
Team Guyana Junior CASA Doubles Medal Standings (July 2026)
- Girls’ Doubles Champions: Kaylee Lowe and Emily Fung-A-Fat captured the gold medal in a dominant performance.
- Boys’ Doubles Champions: Shiloh Asregado and Egan Bulkan secured the gold medal in the Boys’ category.
- Mixed Doubles Bronze: Ethan Bulkan and Malia Maikoo recovered from a disappointing semifinal defeat to fight back and secure a respectable third-place finish.
Guyana Women Face Back-to-Back Blows in FIBA Centrobasket Qualifiers
MANAGUA, NICARAGUA — Team Guyana’s campaign at the 2027 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup Centrobasket Qualifiers has hit a challenging roadblock after the national side suffered back-to-back losses in their opening Group matches in Managua.
On Sunday, the Guyanese women put on a valiant effort but suffered a heart-wrenching, single-point defeat (85-84) against El Salvador in their opening fixture. Returning to the court on Monday, Guyana faced regional powerhouses Puerto Rico and were thoroughly outclassed, falling in a 93-50 blowout. Guyana will look to salvage their campaign in their final Group fixture against the US Virgin Islands on Wednesday.
Lennox Takes Five as New Zealand Crushes West Indies to Level ODI Series
PROVIDENCE, EAST BANK DEMERARA — New Zealand’s left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox produced a devastating spell of bowling to help the visitors storm back and level the five-match ODI series at the Guyana National Stadium on Monday.
After being sent in to bat first, the West Indies suffered a catastrophic batting collapse, bowled out for a meager 138 runs in 36 overs. Opening batsman John Campbell top-scored for the hosts with a hard-fought 43. Jayden Lennox was the chief destroyer for the Black Caps, tearing through the West Indies middle-order to register career-best figures of 5 for 19 from his 8 overs.
In response, New Zealand comfortably chased down the target, reaching 141 for 5 in 32.4 overs. Experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Latham anchored the chase with an unbeaten 37 off 61 balls. Khary Pierre took 2 for 33 for the West Indies.
The five-match series is now tied at 1-1 heading into the crucial third ODI, which is scheduled to be played at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence on Thursday.
