In the absence of most major sporting attractions in the past week, bats (or sticks) and balls have had the opportunity to take centre stage. Note, reference is not being made of the West Indies men’s cricket team who find themselves embroiled in a World Cup Qualifier tournament, where their successful emergence is a little less than a long shot.

It would be an understatement to highlight that ‘The Windies’ are far-removed from their heyday, but on Monday (June 26), having set a (seemingly) defensible target of 374 runs — their third highest total in One-Day Internationals — for the Netherlands to chase, they somehow managed to find a way to lose. With 48 of the 50 overs bowled, the Netherlands required 30 runs and appeared to be falling short of the target, but Man-of-the-Match Logan van Beek tore into off-spinner Roston Chase for 21 runs and flipped the script. The scores were tied at the end of the final over, forcing a Super Over, where the West Indies were left reeling, scoring eight runs for two wickets and the Netherlands, in reply, amassed 30 runs without loss.

The Windies are now holding on by a thread and face must-win situations, starting tomorrow (July 1) against Scotland, next Wednesday (July 5) against Oman, then next Friday (July 7) against Sri Lanka, and hope for favourable results in other games, else the World Cup will be played without them, for the first time in its history.

Closer to home, the 14th edition of the international men’s field lacrosse tournament (2023 World Lacrosse Championship) commenced on June 21 in San Diego, California, and ‘Team Jamaica’ started on a tear. In July 2022, the Jamaicans became the first team to qualify for the World Championships, which was initially scheduled for last year, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They topped Pool D after four wins from four games, against the likes of Germany, Switzerland, Poland and New Zealand, to secure an automatic spot in the play-offs.

In the opening match on June 22, Isaac Newland led the 13th-seeded Jamaican team with four goals and one assist in a shocking 5-3 victory over group favourites Germany (seeded No 9). They then tackled Switzerland on June 23 and came away 10-5 winners, with Khairi Sears pouring in five goals, to register their first-ever back-to-back wins in their opening two games at a Lacrosse World Championships. In their third game last Saturday (June 24), they played Poland and came out 6-4 winners for their third straight, which was followed with a convincing 10-6 defeat over New Zealand on June 26.

By topping Pool D, Jamaica — now the 10th seed — came face-to-face with seventh-seeded Italy in the first-round of the play-offs on Tuesday (June 27) and, on the strength of a hat-trick from Sears, two goals from Marcus Minichello, and goalkeeper Nate McPeak making six saves on 12 shots, they pulled off the most unlikely of upsets. Jamaica led by as many as 7-3 in the fourth quarter, but a strong rally by the Italians made the 7-6 finish a much closer slugfest, and a more respectable score line.

With the win, Jamaica earned a spot in the quarter-finals, and cemented their best-ever achievement in a Men’s Lacrosse World Championship, after finishing 13th in the 2018 edition. Their paths crossed with second-seeded Canada on Wednesday (June 28) in the ‘Final 8’ but they ran into a proverbial brick wall and were overwhelmed 20-1. The Canadians were dominant in all phases of the game and return to the semi-final round of the men’s championship, guaranteeing a top-four finish in each of Canada’s 14 appearances in the competition. They joined the USA, Haudenosaunee and Australia in the semi-final round yesterday (June 29) who are world-ranked first, third and fourth, respectively — the final takes place tomorrow.

The pieces are coming together at the most opportune time for Jamaica — eight players from the 2018 team, six players from the U21 team, and a coaching staff skippered by Mark Wilson (who was an assistant in 2018) — as in April of this year, Jamaica Lacrosse Association (JLA) successfully secured the rights to host the 2023 Pan-American Lacrosse Association (PALA) Sixes Cup from November 9-11, that will make Jamaica the first Caribbean island to host a regional lacrosse tournament.

The tournament, dubbed ‘Lacrosse Explosion in Jamdung,’ will feature men’s and women’s senior and junior teams from 13 countries, with over 600 athletes expected to participate.Along with Jamaica, other countries participating in the tournament are slated to include Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Peru, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Panama, Barbados, Colombia, the US Virgin Islands, and Haudenosaunee.

Further afield, the best-of-three men’s College World Series (CWS) concluded on Monday (June 26) with Louisiana State University (Tigers) taking the spoils. Game 1 last Saturday was a very pedestrian affair, compared to the explosions that followed, with the Tigers getting the better of University of Florida(Gators) 4-3 in extra innings. But Sunday, in Game 2, the Gators etched their name in the history book when they broke the record for most runs in a CWS game, beating the Tigers 24-4. The University of Notre Dame held the previous record with 23 runs against the University of Northern Colorado in 1957. (Arizona State University tied the record against Oklahoma State University in 1984).

With the series tied, the perfect backdrop was set for the winner-take-all Game 3 on Monday, and with the blowout loss raw in their memory from the previous day, the Tigers were out for revenge. And while no records were set, the Louisiana offence dug in and produced a memorable 18-4 victory, to claim their seventh championship, second only to the University of Southern California, with 12.

Now we enter July, characteristically a slow month for sports, but Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Concacaf Gold Cup are ongoing, and Wimbledon begins on Monday (July 3), so there should be just enough to get over the hump and enter August when the top-flight football leagues restart,and the 2023 World Athletic Championships take the spotlight in Budapest, Hungary.

JustBet continues to offer attractive betting options on all popular sports and events (including virtual games) as soon as they become available. Please visit one of the over 130 locations (or visit mobile.justbetja.com) for details and place your bets on the prediction of your choice for maximum winnings…… Get in the GAME!