FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER WEST INDIES MAY NOT QUALIFY FOR WORLD CUP

 Zimbabwe inflicted a significant blow to the West Indies' chances of World Cup qualification today (June 24), beating them in the Cricket World Qualifier by 35 runs'

Tendai Chatara took the final wicket in Harare to complete Zimbabwe’s 11th ODI victory over the West Indies, and second in three matches. Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl had shared an 87-run partnership in Zimbabwe’s innings to help them post a target of 268. Despite a fifty from Kyle Mayers early in the West Indies’ chase, they slipped to 180-6 and lost their final three wickets for 16 runs as they fell short.

The result puts the West Indies down to third in Group A, behind Zimbabwe and the Netherlands after three games each. Nepal and USA sit in the bottom two positions in the table. However, West Indies have already played both sides, meaning their final match will be a tougher fixture against the Netherlands.

While West Indies have already qualified for the next stage of the tournament (the Super Six), they now risk entering as the third-placed side from Group A. Teams will carry forward their points, win count and net run rate from the group stage against other teams that qualify for the Super Sixes into the Super Six league. As Zimbabwe have also already qualified for the Super Six, the West Indies will carry forward their loss today.

They will also have to play Sri Lanka as the top qualifying side from Group B, as well as, most likely, Scotland and Oman. While Zimbabwe and the Netherlands will also have to play those three sides, Zimbabwe will not carry forward any losses from the group stage, having also beaten the Netherlands. Even if they lose to Sri Lanka, two wins against the other two Group B teams will put them in a strong position to qualify at West Indies’ expense.

West Indies have never failed to qualify for a World Cup before and won the first two editions of the tournament. They beat Australia in the final of the first-ever men’s tournament in 1975 before overcoming England in the final four years later.

At the previous World Cup in 2019, West Indies finished in ninth place – second from bottom of the main points table. They won only two matches in the competition, their first against Pakistan and last against Afghanistan.

Zimbabwe failed to reach the final ten for the 2019 competition after they lost to the UAE by three runs on DLS in the Qualifier in 2018. If they qualify for this edition of the tournament, it will be their ninth appearance in the competition. Their best result came in 1999 when they finished in fifth place.

Editor's note: Source:-    Click here .  

DISTRICT 7 DOMINATES JUNIOR CALYPSO COMPETITION.

TL- Reunion, TR - Piaye, BL - Mongouge, BR - Saltibus

As a past organizer of the Roblot Combined School calypso program in the late 1990s I was more than happy while scrolling FaceBook on Friday past to come across a link shared by the Principal of the Roblot Combined School, Vern Charles -  Carnival Saint Lucia.  What I was greeted with grabbed my attention; I laid back and took it all in. 

The talk was already brewing on social media - "all places coming down south," while the competition was still in its early stages. True to form, the schools in District 7 - Reunion Primary, Piaye Combined, and Mongouge Combined gave a superb account of themselves and secured first, third, and fourth places respectively. 

Reacting to District 7's success, the Parliamentary Representative for Choiseul/Saltibus, Bradly Felix remarked, "Congratulations to the four primary schools Mongouge Combined School, Piaye Combined School, Reunion Combined, and Saltibus R.C Combined School which participated in the Junior Calypso Finals! Your outstanding performances and exceptional talent have left us in awe. The Primary schools from District 7 have truly demonstrated their dedication and commitment to the art of Calypso, and their achievements reflect the vibrant music culture within our district............ This momentous win and the success of all the participating schools serve as a testament to the hard work, creativity, and talent of the young performers.

The King 

 Reunion Primary's contestant was exceptional - his moves, use of the stage, gestures, and clarity of his voice were outstanding - the lyrics were relevant to today's society and bore a strong bond to the title....as for the introduction the skit was exhilarating plus being prerecorded added a touch of novelty to it all......BRAVO REUNION PRIMARY TEAM!!

I was really taken aback by the Piaye performer as he reminded me of one of Roblot Combined calysonians called Kent, who was very popular with the controversial song "All they do is for Their Family."Comments on social media during Piaye's contestant performance equated him with Pep. 

Mongouge Combined's "Society that doing this" was a rocker. the performer's diction was proper and overall he gave a good account of himself, I was surprised at the use of the walk-out clip in Parliament as part of the introduction,  Hmmm! In this polarised society, that may have cost Mongouge a few points. (Stand corrected)

The full Primary School Calypso Results:

1st: Reunion Primary (393)

2nd: Ave Maria (365)

3rd: Piaye Combined (357)

4th: Mongouge Combined (354)

The ten Primary Schools competing in this year's competition include Augier Combined, Ave Maria Primary, Canon Laurie Anglican Infant, Canon Laurie Anglican Primary, Carmen Rene Memorial, Gros Islet Primary, Mongouge Combined, Piaye Combined, Reunion Combined, and Saltibus Combined.

Bradly applauds the teachers, mentors, and parents for their support in nurturing the children's talent. Their achievements he believes, highlight the importance of cultural preservation and the power of the arts in fostering creativity and self-expression.

 At the time of writing this piece, the DEO  for District 7 was not available for comments,

You can watch the Junior Calypso 2023  show here