Thailand scored a narrow one-wicket win over Nepal on Friday in the ICC Women’s World Cup Asia Qualifier 2016 to ensure a berth in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2017 to be played in February. Thailand’s fourth win in five matches took it to eight points in the double-league format tournament and it will […]
via Thailand Advances To ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2017 — newfanzoneblog
Nigeria’s Premier National Football Fives Tournament Ended yesterday at the Campos Mini Stadium, Lagos Island. over 1000 teams from across Nigeria were Registered to compete in the six geo-political zones of the country and from the regional qualifiers 16 teams qualified to compete in Lagos for the title of National Champion and With the Honour of representing Nigeria at the 2016 F5WC holding in Bangkok, Thailand.
Defending Champions DE-Royal Fc of Lagos Island successfully retained the title they won last year after a nail-bitting final game against Ago FC of Ogun State.
De-Royal were stunned early on in the first half when Ago Fc opened scoring against the run of play, De Royal levelled up the score a few minutes before the end of first half.
The Second Half was a delight for the neutrals as both teams gave it their all, but it eventually ended 1-1 and it was down to the luxury of penalties which which was won by the DE-Royals Fc.
Kabiru Nasiru of De-Royal Fc was voted the Most Valuable player and his 7 goals at the National Finals were enough to also see him win the Golden Boot award.
The Olympic Milk Sponsored event witnessed a huge turn-out of fans who were treated to scintillating football displays by the various teams mixed with Musical Performances, Free-styling, Olympic branded giveaways and lots of Olympic Apple fruit drink to drink.
Mr Bayo Akande of FiveSports, Organisers of the event said: “we would like to thank our Sponsors Olympic Milk for their immense support we really appreciate the fact that the brand has come to identify with Nigerian Sports through their various sponsorship of Sporting events.”
“Our plan is to grow football fives in Nigeria, We intend to take it to such lofty heights that it would become the most popular form of football in the world.”
“We brought the Amputee Soccer players here today today for an exhibition game just so we can show the world a snippet of what we have planned for five a-side football”, the Lagos FA under 13 boys and girls and the under 15 boys have also shown to the world what they are capable of, this is just a tip of the iceberg as we reveal our long-term plans for five a-side football going forward.
“We also would like to thank our friends in the media who have been of immense help to this Fives tournament since hit the road last in search of the The best Five A-Side team in Nigeria”. We must commend all the state FA’s we’ve worked with on this project”
Akande Also used the opportunity to thank the Nigeria Football Federation and the Office of the Senior Special Adviser On Sports in Lagos State, for backing the Football Fives Initiative.
De-Royal Fc Will now represent Nigeria at the 2016 F5WC Finals holding in Bangkok Thailand from the 2nd to the 6th of march 2016.
On hand to cheer on the teams and lend support to the organisers were former Super Eagles Players, Victor Ikpeba and Jonathan Akpoborire, Olympic Gold Medalist Eniefiok Udoobong, NFF 1st Vice-President and Chairman of Lagos FA, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi, Former Secretary General of the then Nigeria Football Association, NFA, Dr. Tijani Yusuf, Senior Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State On Sports Adeyinka Adeboye, Veteran Sports Journalist Yomi Opakunle, Samson Adamu MD Kinetic Sports (owners of the Copa Lagos Brand) and so many other dignitaries
The National Finals of the F5WC Tournament comes up on January the 15th-16th 2016 at the Campos Mini Stadium on Lagos Island. 16 teams of 7 each from different parts of Nigeria will converge on Lagos for two days of football hostilities at the end of which the last ream standing will get a chance to represent Nigeria at the F5WC Global tournament in Bangkok, Thailand in March 2016.
F5WC Nationals will be played in a round robin format as the 16 finalist have been drawn into 4 groups of 4 teams each with the top 2 teams qualifying for the Quater-finals.
The eventual winners will also get a giant trophy, medals and the sum of 1.5million Naira from the main Sponsors of the tournament, Olympic Milk.
Olympic milk have also promised to take one lucky fan on an all expenses paid trip to the Etihad to watch a Manchester City FC home game. The MVP and Highest Goal Scorer at the National Finals in Lagos will also get the experience of a lifetime when they get a chance to also watch Stars our own Kelechi Iheanacho and Other Man City Stars in Action at the Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City.
Meanwhile The Senior Special Assistant to the governor of Lagos State On Sports Mr Anthony Adeyinka Adeboye has also revealed that the Lagos State Government through his office has decided to Support the tournament as it meets with the plans by the State Government to use Sports as a veritable tool for youth empowerment.
Managing Director of Fivesports, Organisers of the Football 5’s Tournament, Bayo Akande has called on Lagosians to come out in large numbers to witness a well packed event, with lots of giveaways spiced with entertainment and games for the fans. Akande informed that plans have been put in place for football lovers to enjoy the beautiful game in a conducive atmosphere with adequate security.
Group A,
Kakuri Fc (Kaduna)
De Royal Fc (Lagos)
Fc Hearts (Kano)
Gladiators (Rivers)
Group B,
MHB Fc (Kaduna)
MFM Region 70 (Lagos)
Rebel Athletic Fc (Lagos)
Remo football academy (ogun)
Group C
Mutunchi Fc (Kaduna)
AGO Fc (Ogun)
Zico Fc (Rivers)
Tao Fc (Lagos)
Group D
Golden Lions Fc (Lagos)
Dabo Fc (Kano)
Awolowo FA (Lagos)
FIN Academy (Abuja)
There was high drama in the final of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 on Saturday when Ireland defeated Bangladesh by two wickets to clinch victory off the last ball of the game in Thailand Cricket Ground in Bangkok.
The two sides went into Saturday’s final having previously booked the last two coveted places in next year’s ICC Women’s World Twenty20 India 2016 when they won their respective semi-finals on Thursday. But both sides were determined to finish the competition on a high as Bangladesh, having won the toss, reached 105 for three, thanks chiefly to a 74-run third-wicket partnership between Nigar Sultana (41) and Rumana Ahmed (38 not out). Leg spinner Ciara Metcalfe was Ireland’s best bowler and returned economical figures of three for 14 runs.
Set a victory target of 106, Ireland appeared to be coasting after Cecelia Joyce had steered the side early on with a breezy 32, but a flurry of middle order wickets put the pressure on thanks mainly to the efforts of Bangladesh duo Rumana Ahmed (two for 16) and Nahida Akter (two for 18). However Laura Delany (26 not out) held her composure to guide Ireland home off the last ball of the game to send Ireland into raptures in damp, challenging conditions.
Speaking after the Trophy final, a delighted Ireland captain Isobel Joyce said: “It’s an amazing feeling and I’m so proud of my team for getting over the line in really tough conditions. Bangladesh are an excellent bowling team, especially Salma Khatun who was bowling the last over, who is so experienced and would back herself every time to keep any team under eight (runs).
“I’m really delighted for Laura Delany because she didn’t have it her own way during her innings, but she stuck in and was there to help the team and Lucy O’Reilly over the line. The team took it one ball at a time, which is important especially in Twenty20 (cricket), rather than thinking about the whole match which can overwhelm you, because if we needed 12 or 13 runs off the last over it might have been too much. I think the fact that we scored well in the first few overs took the pressure off a little bit at the back end.”
Bangladesh Women’s coach Janak Gamage reflected: “The plans was to bat first and get close to 115 runs, but unfortunately it just wasn’t enough. I thought our bowlers did very well throughout the tournament and though we’re disappointed today, we’ll look forward to playing in the World Twenty20. Our target is to play well during the tournament and win a few games, but we know it will be a real challenge.”
Bangladesh’s Rumana Ahmed was named the player of the series after claiming 14 wickets in the tournament.
Bangladesh and Ireland will join reigning champion Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies in the event proper, which will be staged alongside the men’s event from 11 March to 3 April 2016.
Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea defeated China by seven wickets to clinch the Shield final with Tanya Ruma’s 37 not out helping her side reach the victory target of 94 with eight balls remaining.
Zimbabwe had early secured the 3rd place Trophy play-off when it defeated Scotland by three wickets, thanks mainly to an inspired all-round performance from skipper Chipo Mugeri who took two wickets for 17 runs and then scored 47 not out to guide the Africans home. In the Shield play-off, host Thailand beat Netherlands by nine wickets thanks to Naruemol Chaiwai’s 34 not out at the Asian Institute of Technology
Scores in brief:
Trophy Final
At Thailand Cricket Ground, Bangkok
Bangladesh Women 105-3, 20 overs (Nigar Sultana 41, Rumana Ahmed 38 not out; Ciara Metcalfe 3-14)
Ireland Women, 106-8, 20 overs (Cecelia Joyce 32, Laura Delany 26 not out; Rumana Ahmed 2-16, Nahida Akter 2-18)
Ireland Women won by 2 wickets
Player of the Match: Rumana Ahmed (Bangladesh Women)
Trophy 3rd Place Play-Off
At Thailand Cricket Ground, Bangkok
Scotland Women, 94-4, 20 overs (Fi Urquhart 19, Rachel Scholes 19; Chipo Mugeri 2-17)
Zimbabwe Women, 95-7, 19.5 overs (Chipo Mugeri 47 not out, Pellagia Mujaji 18; Kirstie Gordon 3-21)
Zimbabwe Women won by 3 wickets
Player of the Match: Chipo Mugeri (Zimbabwe)
Shield Final
At Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok
China Women, 93-4, 20 overs (C Zhou 26, Zhao Ning 20; Ravina Oa 1-14, Sibona Jimmy 1-14)
Papua New Guinea Women, 94-3, 18.4 overs (Tanya Ruma 37 not out, Varoi Morea 30; F Song 1-20)
Papua New Guinea won by 7 wickets
Player of the Match: Tanya Ruma (Papua New Guinea Women)
Shield 3rd Place Play-Off
At Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok
Netherlands Women, 70, 19 overs (Sterre Kalis 21; Sornnrin Tippoch 2-11)
Thailand Women, 71-1, 14.1 overs (Naruemol Chaiwai 34 not out; Elt de Lange 1-12)
Thailand won by 9 wickets
Player of the Match: Naruemol Chaiwai (Thailand Women)
Bangladesh and Ireland have booked the last two coveted places in next year’s ICC Women’s World Twenty20 India 2016 when they won their respective semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier Thailand 2015, over Zimbabwe and Scotland respectively, in Bangkok on Thursday.
Bangladesh and Ireland will now join reigning champion Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies in the event proper, which will be staged alongside the men’s event from 11 March to 3 April 2016.
In the first match of the day at Thailand Cricket Ground, Bangladesh defeated Zimbabwe by 31 runs to book their place in the final of the Trophy and a place on the plane to India. Having been restricted to 89 for five wickets, thanks in large part to Fargana Hoque’s run-a-ball 43, an inspired bowling display, led by Rumana Ahmed (who took four wickets for eight) then helped the Asian side to victory as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 58.
Speaking after the first semi final, a delighted Jahanara Alam, Bangladesh Women’s captain, said: “From the beginning, we were under a little pressure. The wicket wasn’t good, it was on the slower side. But Sharmin and Fargana got a very good partnership, which is why we reached 89. We had the confidence, we knew if we scored 80-plus, then we have a strong bowling and fielding side. We again proved that we are a good side. The team is very happy, there is a lot of excitement today. This is the first time we have qualified for the ICC Women’s World T20. Last time, we directly played in the event, but this time we needed to qualify, so we’re very happy.”
The action then turned to a showdown between European rivals Ireland and Scotland. Teenager Lucy O’Reilly put in a disciplined display and clinched two late wickets to claim figures of three for 16, with Robyn Lewis chipping in with two wickets for eight runs as Scotland reached 77 for nine, thanks in large part to Fi Urquhart’s 21. In reply, Ireland started strongly and maintained that momentum throughout with openers Clare Shillington (34) and Cecelia Joyce (36 not out) leading from the front with a first wicket partnership of 58 that helped Ireland chase down the target with nine wickets and 8.3 overs to spare.
Ahead of Saturday’s final, Ireland captain Isobel Joyce has hailed her side’s efforts in overcoming Scotland. “We’re really excited and this was the aim for us since we knew the tournament was going to be in Thailand. We really want to win the tournament, but the first job is done for us.
“Cecelia (Joyce) and Shillers (Clare Shillington) know that they have licence to play their shots and they really took the wind out of Scotland’s sails early on. Lucy (O’Reilly) is our number one fielder and our go-to bowler when we need to finish off the innings. She has got a lot of different balls in her armory and it’s unbelievable to think that she’s only 16 years old, so we’ll be looking forward to seeing what she can do in India.
“It’s on to Bangladesh now and we will take it one match at a time. The plan will be to focus on our game because they (Bangladesh) have very smart spinners. But we will play the balls that are bowled (to us) and do our best.”
Meanwhile, in the Shield semi-finals, Papua New Guinea clinched a one-wicket last ball victory over the Netherlands and will now face China who defeated host Thailand by five runs.
The losing sides in both the Trophy – Zimbabwe and Scotland – and the Shield – Netherlands and Thailand – will now face off in a third/fourth place play-offs.
Scores in brief:
Trophy Semi-Finals
At Thailand Cricket Ground, Bangkok
Bangladesh Women 89-5, 20 overs (Fargana Hoque 43, Sharmin Akhter 22; Josephine Nkomo 2-12)
Zimbabwe Women, 58 all out, 19.1 overs (Pellagia Mujaji 10; Rumana Ahmed 4-8)
Bangladesh Women won by 31 runs
Player of the Match: Rumana Ahmed (Bangladesh Women)
At Thailand Cricket Ground, Bangkok
Scotland Women, 77-9, 20 overs (Fi Urquhart 21; Lucy O’Reilly 3-16, Robyn Lewis 2-8)
Ireland Women, 75-4, 18.2 overs (Cecelia Joyce 36 not out, Clare Shillington 34; Kirstie Gordon 1-33)
Ireland Women won by 9 wickets
Player of the Match: Lucy O’Reilly (Ireland Women)
Shield Semi-Finals
At Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok
Netherlands Women, 105-4, 20 overs (Sterre Kalis 33; Miranda Veringmeier 25; Norma Ovasuru 1-15)
Papua New Guinea Women, 106-9, 20 overs (Pauke Siaka 31, Sibona Jimmy 21; Christine Erkelens 3-9)
Papua New Guinea won by 1 wicket
Player of the Match: Pauke Siaka (Papua New Guinea Women)
At Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok
China Women, 82, 20 overs (C Zhou 31; S Laomi 2-16)
Thailand Women, 77-8, 20 overs (O Kamchomphu 11; L Yingying 2-3, F Song 1-13)
China won by 5 runs
Player of the Match: L Yingying (China Women)
Saturday’s fixtures:
1000-1245: 3/4 Trophy P-Off – Zimbabwe v Scotland, TCG
1000-1245: 3/4 Shield P-Off – Netherlands v Thailand, AIT
1345-1630: Trophy Final – Bangladesh v Ireland, TCG
1345-1630: Shield Final – Papua New Guinea v China, AIT
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that, for the first time ever, four female match officials have been selected for the forthcoming ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015, which will take place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 28 November to 5 December.
Experienced New Zealander Kathleen Cross will be joined by Australia’s Claire Polosak, England’s Sue Redfern and West Indies’ Jacqueline Williams for the qualifier which will see eight sides (Bangladesh, China, Ireland, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Thailand and Zimbabwe) fight out for the two available spots in the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016, which will be staged alongside the men’s event from 11 March to 3 April 2016.
The trailblazing quartet’s selections are a further positive step forward, and also reasserts the ICC’s commitment to, the development of the women’s game. It is hoped that these appointments will also inspire more women to become involved in officiating and participating in the game.
The quartet will be joined by fellow umpires Allan Haggo and Nigel Morrison, while ICC Graeme Labrooy will be the match referee. ICC Umpire Coach Denis Burns will also attend the week-long tournament and provide support and assistance to the match officials.
Taumarunui born Cross became the first woman to be named in an ICC umpires’ panel when she was added to the ICC Associate and Affiliate panel of umpires in 2014. She has previously umpired in the ICC Women’s World Cups in 2000, 2009 and 2013, the Women’s World Cup Qualifier in 2011 and the Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier in 2013. In recent years, Kathy has also worked at men’s senior events including the ICC World Cricket League Championship Divisions 3 and 5.
“Each tournament brings something new for women’s cricket and this latest development hopefully shows that the quality of umpiring is getting better and better, as the calibre of teams is certainly improving,” Cross remarked.
She added: “I have enjoyed the experience of officiating in different parts of the world, but I have been alone, as a woman, in the middle for quite some time. So, it’s great for all of us to have this opportunity in Thailand this week at such an important tournament. I think that the selection of four females can set down a pathway for more people to come through the system.”
At 27, Australia’s Polosak is the youngest official at the tournament and recently made history when she was appointed as third umpire for the Matador One-Day Cup to become the first female to officiate in a List ‘A’ Australian competition. Hailing from Goulburn, the high-school science teacher has since progressed to be involved as third umpire in the Queensland versus Cricket Australia XI match in October and as reserve umpire in several domestic matches.
Commenting on her appointment, Polosak said: “Being selected to umpire at this tournament is very humbling and I am looking forward to working with, and learning lots from the other very experienced officials.
“I am excited about the opportunity to travel to another country to umpire. There are many who wish to, but few get the chance. The fact that there are four female umpires at this tournament is not only special to other aspiring female cricket umpires showing there is a real pathway available, but also to anybody who has goals and wants to work hard and achieve them in any facet of their life.
“At the moment my umpiring goal is to be the best umpire I can, concentrating on the game that is in front of me. I always strive to be on top of my game for the players and to give them the respect that I am trying as hard as I can for them. Umpiring is unique in that I think it is very difficult to succeed without a strong support network. I couldn’t umpire without the support of my family, my partner Evan, nor the coaching from Cricket Australia and New South Wales Cricket Umpires and Scorers state director Darren Goodger.”
England’s former left-arm spinner Redfern, who appeared in six Tests and 15 ODI’s from 1995 to 1999, including featuring in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 1997. Since then she has officiated regularly throughout the non-first class arena including ECB Premier League cricket (men) and some MCCU 2 day cricket. She will be involved in county second eleven cricket in the forthcoming season. Over the last few years she has undertaken local and national appointments, mostly in men’s cricket, as well as formal qualifications to be given the opportunity to officiate in Thailand.
Sue’s ambitions moving forward are to continue to improve in men’s domestic cricket in England whilst working towards officiating at the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 and then ultimately becoming a professional umpire.
“I feel incredibly fortunate to be given the opportunity to test my skills and be part of such an important tournament,” Sue said, adding: “As a former international player, I understand how seeing female umpires is incredibly powerful and demonstrates to women they can undertake any role in cricket they wish. It is important for the game to progress but, at the same time, it’s imperative I perform on-field and deliver to ensure the players get the best experiences. I will be using the time to share ideas with and learn things from others to further enhance my skills.”
Williams hails from Jamaica and recently made her international debut, when she stood in the first One-day and first Twenty20 Internationals during the Pakistan Women’s Tour of the West Indies.
Upon her return from Thailand, she will make history when she will become the first female umpire to officiate in the WICB Regional fist-class competition.
“I am very happy to be appointed to such an event. My preparation work has gone very well and it’s a continuous process. Being the first female from the Caribbean is a humbling feeling and I will do my very best to set a standard that other women will be excited about cricket umpiring and take on the task. I am looking forward to working with the PCT (Playing Control Team) and learning as I go along,” Williams said.
Former England captain and Chair of the ICC Women’s Committee, Clare Connor, commented: “To have four female umpires appointed for the forthcoming ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier in Thailand is a great step forward for the ICC’s overarching strategy with Members to increase the representation of women across all aspects of the game.
“Huge strides have been taken with regards to the playing profile of women’s cricket in recent times, and it is just as important that this momentum is carried into every facet of the sport, including areas such as coaching and officiating.
“To do this, collectively we need to make sure that we are proactively supporting and developing female officials across the world by giving them appropriate opportunities to officiate at the highest level.”
Match Officials (alphabetical order):
Umpires: Kathy Cross, Allan Haggo, Nigel Morrison, Claire Polosak, Suzanne Redfern, Jacqueline Williams
Match referee: Graeme Labrooy
Umpire coach: Denis Burns
Fixtures (umpire appointments will be announced in due course):
Saturday 28 November
1000-1245: Thailand v Bangladesh, TCG; 1000-1245: Ireland v Netherlands, AIT; 1345-1630: PNG v Scotland, TCG; 1345-1630: China v Zimbabwe, AIT
Sunday 29 November
1000-1245: China v Ireland, TCG; 1000-1245: Scotland v Bangladesh, AIT; 1345-1630: Zimbabwe v Netherlands, TCG; 1345-1630: Thailand v PNG, AIT;
Tuesday 1 December
1000-1245: Thailand v Scotland, TCG; 1000-1245: Bangladesh v PNG, AIT; 1345-1630: Zimbabwe v Ireland, TCG; 1345-1630: Netherlands v China, AIT
Thursday 3 December
1000-1245: Trophy Semi Final 1 A1 v B2, TCG
1000-1245: Shield Semi Final 1 A3 v B4, AIT
1345-1630: Trophy Semi Final 2 B1 v A2 , TCG
1345-1630: Shield Semi Final 2 B3 v A4, AIT
Friday 5 December
1000-1245: 3/4 Trophy P-Off LTSF1 v LTSF2, TCG
1000-1245: 3/4 Shield P-Off LSSF1 v LSSF2, AIT
1345-1630: Trophy Final WTSF1 v WTSF2, TCG
1345-1630: Shield Final WSSF1 v WSSF2, AIT
Following the initial feedback gathered from the ‘FINA Targeting Rio 2016 – Scholarships Programme’ participants post-FINA World Championships in Kazan, FINA established contact again with the young athletes training at the Thanyapura Centre in Phuket (THA) and asked them a few questions about their experience and the benefit of their intensive immersion into the road to Rio 2016 preparation programme.
While the participants all recognise having dramatically improved since the beginning of the programme in May 2015, the young talents often share a dream- to one day reach the a-standard qualifying times and swim on the lanes of their favourite champions.
FINA interviewed all swimmers taking part in the programme and decided to share Nepal’s Sofia Shah sincere and valuable insight about the “FINA Targeting Rio 2016 – Scholarships Programme’:
“My progress over the last five months has been significant. I’ve consistently swam faster times at each event since Kazan and broken a number of national records. I also feel that I achieve greater fitness week after week. I have changed the food I eat to a healthier diet plan and I’ve never felt better in the water.”
She added: “The main difference between my current training routine in Thanyapura and my programme back at home is the actual opportunity to train throughout the all year. My training routine was very inconsistent in Nepal due to the lack of facilities, which lead to a limited training period of 6 months a year. Another difference is the ability to focus solely on swimming. I used to have to balance swimming with academics and this programme allows me to focus on becoming the swimmer I need to be to represent my country well.”
“My ultimate goal as an athlete is to achieve the greatest fitness level possible and to achieve the fastest times possible. My expectations from this one- year programme are not only achieving great athletic ability, but to keep connections with the team mates and friends I have made. This programme allows us to be exposed to swimming in the regions around our homes and now we have connections to help promote swimming in our South Asian region. My expectation is that this programme makes an impact on future generations.”
“My biggest swimming inspiration is all the swimmers back home in Nepal. They go through such a struggle just to train but they are still so passionate and work as hard as they possibly can with what they are given. I am proud to represent a country that has bounced back from an earthquake and still swimming strong even with so many obstacles in their path.”
FINA.ORG
With the Trap Men title awarded to the 32-year old from Novigrad (CRO), the ISSF World Cup Final in Shotgun events goes in the books. Great Britain claimed the 1st place of the medal standings, where also Italy, San Marino and Croatia recorded at least 1 Gold medal.
Today’s Trap Men event closed the ISSF World Cup Final in Shotgun events, the final competition of the 2015 ISSF season, held at the Nicosia Olympic Shooting Center in Latsia (CYP) since October 15th.
The reigning Olympic Gold medallist in this event, Croatia’s Giovanni Cernogoraz, finally pocketed the 1st place, after his previous best result was a 6th place in Maribor (SLO) in 2012.
The 32-year old from Novigrad faced 45-year old Italian shooter Giovanni Pellielo in the Gold medal match, after they both concluded the semifinal round with the best score: 14 hits. In the medal match, they both missed one targets in their first two series, but as Pellielo missed again in his third one, Cernogoraz shuttered all of his last nine clays, topping the two-time Olympic Silver medallist and claiming what for him is the first Gold of the 2015 ISSF season.
“The six semifinalists were all very good shooters. So the level of the competition has been very high since the very first moment. I gave everything I had and it ended well.” Said Cernogoraz at the end of the match.
Then, he talked about his program in the following months. “This was my last competition for this year, I’m going to take a month off now and in December and January I will start with an intensive athletic training. In the end of January, then, I will go back to shooting again.” He concluded.
After placing 2nd at the 2015 ISSF World Championship in Lonato (ITA), Pellielo just finished one hit shy of the 1st place also here at the Nicosia Olympic Shooting Center. Anyway, he was pretty satisfied with his performance. “If this is the defeat, I’m ok with that. We are the best Trap shooters in the world, and it’s nice to find myself always battling with these guys.”
In the other medal match, more than two finals was required to determine the Bronze medallist, as Alexey Alipov and Massimo Fabbrizi concluded the regular round with 15 hits out of 15 targets. In the following shoot-off, Fabbrizi missed first, but only on his 23rd clay. Eliminated after the 15 semifinals targets, Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Erik Varga placed respectively 5th and 6th with 12 hits each.
With the five Shotgun globes awarded, Great Britain maintained the top of the medal standings it claimed after the first day of competitions, when Amber Hill and Steven Scott won the Gold medal in the Skeet Women and in the Double Trap Men event, respectively.
The three remaining Gold medals were awarded to Italy’s Gabriele Rossetti in the Skeet Men event, to San Marino’s Alessandra Perilli in the Trap Women one, and to Croatia’s Giovanni Cernogoraz in the Trap Men event.
Italy also received a Silver medal thanks to Giovanni Pellielo, who finished 2nd in the Trap Men final, while the United States of America failed to reach the highest step of the podium, concluding with just 1 Silver and 1 Bronze, signed by Vincent Hancock and Morgan Craft.
The People’s Republic of China, Slovakia and Thailand all won 1 Silver medal each, while the other four Bronze medals was awarded to Denmark, Spain, India and Russia.
For a detailed wrap-up of the competition with tables and medallists, please visit: http://www.issf-sports.org/news.ashx?newsid=2436.
Amber Hill and Steven Scott finished on top of the podium in the Skeet Women and Double Trap Men event, respectively, rocketing their country on top of the intermediate medal standings.
Amber Hill claimed her first World Cup Final Gold medal and she showed no sign of pressure.
“I just want to enjoy my time out there. If I’m not happy and I’m not enjoying it I tend not to shoot well.” Said the young talented British, who faced and beat 29-year old Sutiya Jiewchaloemmit of Thailand in the Gold medal match, with a final score of 15 to 13 hits.
After they both missed a single target in their first series, Hill shuttered any other clay of her match, while Jiewchaloemmit, a three-times Asian Championship Gold medallist, progressively lost contact and surrendered after Hill’s last perfect series.
“It’s been a hell of a year for me! I had a bit of a rookie ride at the start, cause I really don’t have much experience in this sport. I started back in 2013, so I’ve only been competing for Great Britain for a few years, but it’s been an incredible few years for me. This really ends my year the perfect way!” Said Hill, who also won the Gold medal at the first edition of the European Games in Baku, last June.
In the Bronze medal match it took a shoot-off to see Morgan Craft claim the 3rd place, after both her and Cyprus’ Andri Eleftheriou concluded with a perfect 16-out-of-16 hits. The Cypriot shooter, despite missing her 6th tie-breaker target, received the warmest applause from the crowd at the Nicosia Olympic Shooting Center.
Two Italian finalists finished the semifinal round outside of the medal matches: Diana Bacosi concluded 6th with 12 hits, while Katiuscia Spada lost a shoot-off to enter the Bronze medal final against Eleftheriou and placed 5th with 13 hits.
A couple of hours after Hill’s victory, 30-year old Steven Scott prevailed over China’s Pan Qiang in the Double Trap Men Gold medal match, claiming the top of the podium with a 27-to-25 hits win.
As both athletes suffered some mistakes in the central part of the match, Scott was then able to shutter his last 16 targets, overtaking Pan definitely and sailing towards the 1st place and the Gold medal.
“Very happy! Very happy!” Said an enthusiastic Scott. “I felt a little nervous missing the first one, especially because Pan beat me the last time we met here in Cyprus. Unfortunately for him today it was my time!”
“It’s pretty amazing!” He concluded, talking about the two Gold medals Great Britain gained in one day. “Obviously Amber led the way, but I was thinking about it in the back of my head, jokingly, and then it came to life.”
Both Scott and Pan qualified with an almost perfect semifinal score of 29, distancing themselves from India’s Asab Mohd and from a second British shooter, Tim Kneale, the Silver medallist at the World Championship held in Lonato (ITA) last month, who both qualified for the Bronze medal match with 28 semifinal hits.
There, Mohd placed a perfect performance, hitting all of his 30 targets against Kneale 27, and pocketing an international medal for the first time in his career.
Out of the medal matches, People’s Republic of China’s Hu Binyuan finished 5th with 27, despite qualifying for the semifinal with the overall best score of 144 hits; Italy’s Antonino Barillà placed 6th also with 27 targets.
The ISSF World Cup Final will continue today with the Skeet Men event, whose final phase is scheduled at 1:30 PM (UTC+3). All the finals will be streamed lived on the ISSF website: http://www.issf-sports.org/pages/livestream.ashx.
All finals will be streamed live on http://www.issf-sports.org.
Following a spectacular finale to the afternoon’s preliminary bouts courtesy of American Joshua Temple’s big hitting, the crowds flocked to Doha’s Ali Bin Hamad Arena for the first evening of AIBA World Boxing Championship action.
Earlier in the day, Thailand’s Chatchai Butdee had turned up the heat with some lightning-fast footwork to overcome the experienced Ukrainian Mykola Butsenko, and he will now face Denmark’s Frederik Lundgaard in the next round.
“I am satisfied with my performance but I hope to do better in the upcoming match,” said Butdee. “The difference between us was the tactic I used today with a lot of attacking.”
In one of the surprises of the day, Boe Warawara of the Pacific islands of Vanuatu defeated Turkmenistan’s 22 year-old Yakub Meredov, delivering the country’s first ever victory in the history of the championships.
It proved to be a successful day in the ring for Azerbaijan, too, with 18 year-old Youth Olympic Games gold medalist Rufat Huseynov putting his quick footwork to good use in overcoming Morocco’s Imad Ahyoun. Earlier in the day, Lorenzo Sotomayor Collazo had given Azerbaijan their first win, against Canada’s tough Arthur Biyarslanov.
Among the favourites for the middleweight title, Ireland’s 2015 European Games champion Michael O’Reilly won his contest against Ukraine’s Valerii Kharlamov, while Uzbekistan’s ASBC Asian Champion Bektemir Melikuziev took less than two minutes to knock out Georgia’s Zaal Kvachatadze.
Wednesday will see 44 preliminary bouts take place across the two sessions, with the winners in the flyweight, lightweight, welterweight, light heavyweight and super heavyweight categories advancing to the last 16 in Doha.
Netherlands’ promising lightweight Enrico La Cruz is in top form but he will face veteran Italian Domenico Valentino in one of the most anticipated battles of day two. Ukraine’s AIBA Youth World Champion Oleksandr Khyzhniak will tackle Algeria’s two-time Olympian Abdelhafid Benchabla in the pick opf the light heavyweight match-ups.
18 year old FAN Zhendong is the king of Asian table tennis, winning every possible title on offer at the Suzuki 2015 Asian Table Tennis Championships, which concluded today in Pattaya, Thailand.
The 2014 Youth Olympic Games champion beat world number two XU Xin in an epic men’s singles final to add to his men’s doubles, mixed doubles and men’s team gold medals that he won earlier in the event.
FAN looked to be cruising to his fourth Asian title, as he jumped to a 3-0 lead against his close friend XU. XU responded with some breathtaking shots to level the match at 3-3, before FAN proved to be too strong, clinching the title 12-10, 11-2, 12-10,7-11, 9-11, 11-13, 11-9 in front of the capacity crowd.
After becoming only the second man ever to complete the gold medal sweep at the Asian Championships, after his team mate MA Long, FAN stated: “Playing in 4 events has been a great challenge for myself, it has been tiring, but also very rewarding!”
“Of course I’m very excited to win 4 medals here at the Asian Championships, especially in the men’s singles! I have lost to XU Xin several times after playing full 7-games matches in international tournaments, so I had a lot of desire to win this match against him.”
“It was a difficult match, even though I was well prepared and was able to carry out my strategies. I had the chance to end the match in the fourth, fifth and even sixth game, because I was leading, but I guess I became more reserved when I was close to winning, and that caused me those three games.”
The Women’s Singles final was as dramatic as they come. CHEN Meng was started to mount a comeback against ZHU Yuling, who led 2-1, until injury stuck the 2011 Junior World Champion.
CHEN collapsed to the ground grasping her upper leg in agony and was unable to continue the match, which made ZHU Yuling the 2015 Asian Champion! The 21 year old needed to be stretchered off the court and taken to hospital, which also ruled out of the women’s doubles semi final the following day.
“When I was leading 3-1 in the fourth game, she suddenly couldn’t stand properly when trying to get the ball back, I didn’t know what happened”, said ZHU Yuling. “Initially I thought it was a muscle strain but she just squatted there and couldn’t get up. When I went over to her, she told me she pulled her muscle on her upper leg, it was numb and she couldn’t even move or stand up”, added the newly crowned champion.
The finalists from the men’s singles final, XU Xin and FAN Zhendong joined forces to win the men’s doubles crown, defeating the Korean duo of JUNG Youngsik &LEE Sangsu 11-8, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7.
DPR Korea won only their third ever Asian Championships gold medal, as KIM Hye Song & RI Mi Gyong become the women’s doubles champions. The DPR Korea pair defeated the dynamic 14 year old duo of Miu HIRANO & Mima ITO 11-3, 12-10, 11-5, 11-7 to win an emotional title.
CHEN Meng will be heading back to China on crutches, but also with the mixed doubles gold medal, which she won with the man of the tournament FAN Zhendong. The Chinese pair were too good for Singapore’s YANG Zi & YU Mengyu, winning the final 11-8, 11-3, 11-5, 11-9.
China again reigned supreme in the teams event earlier in the week, defeating Japan in both the men’s and women’s team final to defend their titles
China has showed us again that they are the dominant force in table tennis by claiming both the men’s and women’s team gold at the Suzuki 2015 ITTF-Asian Table Tennis Championships in Pattaya, Thailand.
In both the finals, China met a young spirited Japanese team, but the reigning World and Asian Champions were too fast and too strong, and defended their titles in style.
The Chinese men’s team was without the world champion and their team captain MA Long who was ruled out with a back injury. This did not stop the powerful Chinese team represented by XU Xin, FAN Zhendong and ZHANG Jike beating Japan. The trio faced off Japanese rising stars, Maharu YOSHIMURA, Koki NIWA, and Yuya OSHIMA, and eventually prevailed 3-0 to win their ninth consecutive Asian Championships team gold.
After the victory, XU who gave the Chinese team the initial lead in the final by beating YOSHIMURA 3-0 stated: “The Japanese are no strangers to us, so we came well prepared. I think it’s the mental strength that aided the victory, it’s important to put world rankings and past results aside and fight for every point!”
Reigning Olympics Champion ZHANG Jike, who dropped his match in the semifinals against Korea’s JANG Woojin, recovered tonight to beat OSHIMA 3-1 to claim China’s victory. After his match, the 27 year old shared: “I have not been in good shape lately. Even though I won the match against OSHIMA eventually, my overall performance is still not satisfactory (losing the second game 1-11).”
The Chinese team, led by singles World Champion and world number one DING Ning, played without world number two LIU Shiwen, who missed the entire teams event through illness. However the depth of the Chinese team is so strong that even without LIU, they fielded world number three ZHU Yuling and world number eight CHEN Meng who have both won World Tour titles in 2015.
The Chinese team proved too good for the young Japanese team of Ai FUKUHARA and the 14 year old duo of Mima ITO and Miu HIRANO, winning 3-0 to claim their fifth consecutive title.
DING Ning who was playing the past few days with the flu stated after receiving her gold medal: “We are very happy that our efforts paid off to win the gold medal against Japan despite the difficulties we faced along the way (meaning her and LIU Shiwen’s illness).”
“The Japanese lineup is also very young and strong. They are only going to get stronger and become great rivals for China.”
The 2015 ITTF-Asian Table Tennis Championships continues tomorrow, with there being still five titles (men’s & women’s singles, men’s & women’s doubles, and mixed doubles) up for grabs before the event finishes on 3 October 2015.
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