Leslain Baird Secures Silver with Season’s Best at T&T National Championships
BY DELWIN NEBLETT | HGP Nightly News|
PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD — Guyana’s premier javelin athlete and national record holder, Leslain Baird, delivered an elite podium performance over the weekend at the 2026 Trinidad and Tobago National Track & Field Championships.
Competing under heavy breeze at the historic Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Baird unleashed a spectacular, season’s best launch of 73.63 meters to capture the silver medal. The Guyanese military officer and track standout finished just behind Trinidad’s legendary dual-Olympic medalist and reigning World Champion, Keshorn Walcott, who capitalized on home-turf advantage to lock down the top spot on the podium. Baird’s continuous international consistency signals an encouraging development arc as he continues to prepare for regional athletic championships later this summer.
Marian Academy Sweeps Region 5 Blue Waters U-15 Girls Zonal Core
BY DELWIN NEBLETT
NUMBER 5 VILLAGE, GUYANA — Marian Academy completely dominated the Region Five zone of the GFF 2026 Blue Waters Shipping Under-15 Girls National Secondary School Championship, stringing together back-to-back clean-sheet victories on Saturday at the Number 5 Ground in West Coast Berbice.
The three-match regional block opened with a hard-fought, tactical clash where Marian Academy carved out a narrow 2-0 victory over Vryman’s Erven Secondary, courtesy of clinical, second-half conversions from strikers Skylar DeNobrega and Ashley Walton. Vryman’s Erven suffered a secondary blow in the afternoon’s second fixture, collapsing 3-0 against a relentless Bushlot Secondary lineup driven by a dazzling, individual hat-trick from forward Ashante Scott.
The regional final turned into a high-stakes showdown between the afternoon’s two victors. Marian Academy completely dismantled Bushlot Secondary in a 3-0 routing to punch their ticket to the national finals. Skylar DeNobrega solidified her status as the zone’s top scorer by netting a brilliant double, while playmaker Haley Haberkorn struck a beautiful loose ball from outside the box to close out the flawless promotional campaign.
Buxton All Stars Rout Mahaicony Western Lions 6-0 in EDFA Youth Ensemble League
BY DELWIN NEBLETT
GOLDEN GROVE, GUYANA — The attacking lines of the Buxton All Stars put on a clinical masterclass in spacing and offensive pressure on Sunday, delivering a heavy 6-0 routing to the Mahaicony Western Lions at the Golden Grove Ground.
The one-sided affair, played under ideal conditions within the East Demerara Football Association’s (EDFA) Youth Ensemble Under-15 League, saw the Buxton squad assert their physical dominance from the opening whistle. Orchestrating quick transition plays out of the midfield, the All Stars systematically opened up Mahaicony’s backline to lock down three points and heavily boost their goal-difference column as they climb toward the top tier of the youth tournament standings.
Charity Primary Crowns Themselves Future Warriors Essequibo Champions
BY DELWIN NEBLETT
ANNA REGINA, GUYANA — Grassroots cricket found its newest regional champions on Sunday afternoon as Charity Primary School completed a historic, undefeated run to capture the Essequibo Zone title in the ExxonMobil Guyana-sponsored 2026 Future Warriors Tape Ball Tournament.
Following two days of intense, eight-overs-a-side knockout cricket at the Anna Regina National Stadium in Region Two, Charity Primary sealed their regional crown with a commanding 8-wicket routing of Lima Sands Primary in the grand final.
Electing to bowl first, Charity’s disciplined field placements and spin variations restricted a hard-hitting Lima Sands batting lineup to a meager 73 runs. In response, Charity’s top-order chased down the target with absolute comfort, reaching 74 for the loss of just two wickets within 6.2 overs. The aggressive run-chase was anchored by an unbeaten, high-intensity 32 from Rovaldo Campbell, beautifully supported by a mature 22 from tournament MVP Troy Boston.
Boston enjoyed a dream tournament weekend, also finishing as the competition’s leading wicket-taker after snaring a phenomenal 10 wickets in just four matches. With the Essequibo trophy secured, Charity Primary officially advances to the national “Champion of Champions” playoff round at the Providence National Stadium, where they are scheduled for a highly anticipated tri-county showdown against Demerara Zone champions West Ruimveldt Primary and Berbice Zone champions St. Therese Primary.
Nial Smith’s Lethal 5-Wicket Haul Steers Windies Select XI to Remarkable Victory Over Sri Lanka
BY DELWIN NEBLETT
COOLIDGE, ANTIGUA — A spectacular, lethal bowling performance from fast bowler Nial Smith propelled the Tevin Imlach-led West Indies Select XI to a thrilling, upset 15-run victory over the touring Sri Lankan national squad on Sunday afternoon, bringing a dramatic close to their four-day red-ball warm-up fixture at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.
The multi-day encounter opened with the West Indies Select XI being rolled over for 205 in 61.4 overs after being inserted on a moist surface, with middle-order batter Ackeem Auguste rescuing the innings with a gritty 58. Sri Lanka’s frontline pacer Lahiru Kumara was the pick of the tourists’ attack, claiming efficient analytical figures of 4 for 39. In response, Sri Lanka established a solid first-innings lead, posting 281 in 70.4 overs on the back of a classic, elegant 74 from veteran Dinesh Chandimal. Smith gave a preview of his match-winning form during that innings, battling through the midday heat to grab 4 for 58.
Trailing by 76 runs, the young Windies side fought back in their secondary turn at the crease, posting 199 in 45.2 overs courtesy of a counter-attacking, half-century knock of 68 from lower-order batsman Joshua Bishop. This set Sri Lanka a modest, seemingly routine fourth-innings target of 124 runs for victory.
However, Nial Smith single-handedly rewrote the script. Returning to the pitch with blistering pace and immaculate seam positioning, Smith tore through the Sri Lankan top order, capturing a magnificent 5 for 30 in a devastating spell. Completely dismantled by the local bounce, the tourists collapsed for a shocking 108 runs in exactly 28.5 overs, handing the West Indies Select XI an impressive, morale-boosting victory. The primary international test series between the senior West Indies and Sri Lanka squads is scheduled to commence on Thursday morning at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
