New Kings of Football

It's official now and nobody can doubt it, the Bath Estate Football Club are the new kings of football aka soccer in Dominica.

Last night, the newly crowned back to back DFA Premier League Champions and back to back Newtown Football League Champions, beat the stalwarts, Harlem United, in the Champion of Champions match at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium.

Although the team was hampered by the injury of star player Mitchel "Baggio" Joseph, captain and leading scorer Kurlson "Maxi" Benjamin scored twice to ensure that the boys from Harlem had no chance to disrupt the beautiful run that the boys from Bath Estate have been enjoying lately. Final scores Bath Estate 2 - Harlem United 1 (compliments Randolph Peltier).

For more photos, check out my Facebook album: Estate Champions

Blue, Blue...Estate For True

Nesta

poor crowds despite quality festival

Once again, the Dominican public didn't grasp the opportunity afforded to it during the Nature Island Literary Festival and Book Fair. The second annual festival, although, one of high quality (except for the opening ceremony) was poorly attended by Dominicans.

The highlight of the festival should have been the hundreds of nationals flocking the University Campus instead the lawns of tertiary institution remained almost undisturbed during the weekend of Dominican, Caribbean and International Word Power.

I remember the Minister for Culture, the Hon. Laureen Bannis-Roberts, emanating from her bowels the need for more locals to pay more interest in literacy and creative arts (poetry, short story, etc). Despite the poor crowds, the few who stepped forward were pleased with the output from all participants. I only attended the opening ceremony on Friday Night and most of Saturday (I performed during the Saturday open mic session) but I came out of the event with even a greater enthusiasm for poetry and short story.

I wasn't going to let the poor showing deter me, instead I saw it as a challenge to get our young persons more involved in creative writing. Besides, the young people weren't the ones who were absent, although there could have been more youth attending the festival, there was a good percentage of them seated and even participating in the performances.

The highlight for me wasn't the opening ceremony or the performances but I actually prefered the workshop sessions. I enrolled in the creative writing workshop (last year I was enrolled in the poetry workshop) and my lecturer surely took me off guard. He wasn't what I expected, he was alot better. Colin Channer, noted Jamaican writer and best selling author, gave us daily sessions on improving our creative writing. He has unorthodox processes, well at least they are to me, but still I could relate to his methods and except for one time (where he scolded my writing) I was always engaged in what he was saying.

So now, I have partnered with a friend (Monelle Alexis) and we are going to start off a writer's club for young people who are involved in poetry and short story writing. It will be an avenue for us to critic our work and eventually assist in our development as writers and maybe authors (sooner if not later).

The Dominica Writer's Guild has also seen a sort of rebirth, a meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday to look at ways of developing the grouping. I'm looking forward to it but if those old bums, lol, don't engage the young minds, I am prepared to do so.

All in all, I think the festival reached its main objective and stimulated the minds of those interested in the artform. Oh, by the way, look out for my poetry book, it is in the final stages of edit.

Nesta

Estate again

Newtown aka Harlem may be the mecca of football in Dominica but for sure Bath Estate is the future. And every year, we prove again and again why that is so with a crop of young talent that bag trophy after trophy in all leagues, be it the national or off season football leagues. If only we could be Cesseme Street this year, then all would be good.

We lost to them about two weeks ago during the Quik Zone Cup, no i didn't blog about that loss but last saturday, we put a second or third (i can't recall since we win so often) trophy on the mantle after destroying Kingshill Veterans 2 goals to 1. National striker Kurlson Benjamin netted the two goals, one coming from the penalty spot as a dagger in the hearts of the opponents late in the second half. Goalkeeper Neverson Jno. Baptiste did his outmost best to ensure a clean sheet but the vets managed to put one by him in a scramble situation. It was a tough win and Veterans played at their highest level possible to try to steal this trophy from the Blue Blue Crew. That is a clear, factual statement seeing that we beat that same team last night (5 goals to 2).

All in all, we got it on lock, Cesseme better look out later in the league as we building from strength to strength. Next time we not letting down our fans. Harlem people better watch out, we gonna paint Cesseme Street all blue. Blue Blue, Estate for true.

Nesta