CITY » first match but already seems to have a basic gras

LAS VEGAS -- Super middleweight Claressa Shields, the two-time U.S. Olympic gold-medal winner, made her professional debut in action-packed style as she powered to a four-round decision victory against amateur rival Franchon Crews on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.Shields, a 21-year-old from Flint, Michigan, was the best female in amateur boxing and named the most outstanding fighter of the womens tournament at the Rio Games in August. She began her pro career by defeating Crews, a decorated amateur who had lost three times to Shields in the unpaid ranks.Shields beat Crews again in the paid ranks and did so handily, winning 40-36 on all three judges scorecards in a blazing fight. ESPN.com also had Shields winning 40-36. Shields victory took place on the undercard of her idol Andre Wards light heavyweight world title challenge against Sergey Kovalev.It feels so good to have just made my pro debut, Shields said. This is what Ive been training for. Im faster and I hit harder. And Im the better fighter. But Crews brought 100 percent, and I respect her for that. I hope to fight next in January or February.?As soon as the bell rang to begin the fight, Shields and Crews stormed toward each other with all-out aggression in what was a blazing first round. There were several heated exchanges, and they both landed clean punches. The action did not let up in the second round, but Shields appeared to get the better of Crews, even landing a heavy left hand as the round wound down.Referee Russell Mora twice warned Crews (0-1), 29, of Baltimore, for pushing Shields to the canvas and sneaking in some solid blows.Shields (1-0), who earned $50,000, was going hard for a knockout in the fourth round and rattled Crews, who made $10,000, with several hard punches.Its not what I wanted, but to be called on, last minute, for a fight of this magnitude, I am proud of myself, Crews said. We will fight again in the future.Shields, the most decorated female amateur in history who is also a four-time U.S. national champion and two-time world amateur champion, has not lost since 2012 and finished her amateur career 77-1. Shop Air Jordans Shoes Free Shipping . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. Cheap Authentic Jordans . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. http://www.wholesaleauthenticairjordan.com/ . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. Authentic Air Jordan Retro China . LOUIS -- St. Wholesale Jordans For Sale . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Garrincha, Pelé, Sócrates, Ronaldo, Rudy Hartmann. Havent heard of the last one? Hes the fastest bowler in Brazil. Although better known for its football, Brazil is quietly experiencing a revolution in a sport the country is not normally associated with. In the past decade, its mens and womens sides have achieved ICC affiliation and competed against rivals across the Americas.The game still has great barriers to overcome, including a struggle for funding and for attention in a country where it is soccer that is hardwired into the national consciousness. Although cricket was first introduced to Brazil in the mid-1800s, long before football, it never caught on in the same way. But while most Brazilians have not grown up with cricket, they have played a game descended from it. Taco, played by children in the streets, is two-a-side, with a bowler and wicketkeeper against two batters, who run between the wickets (there are no boundaries).The batters use a stick to defend a small wicket. Bowling is underarm, but as in cricket, batters can be bowled, run out and stumped - as Prince Harry recently found out the hard way. The prince was visiting a favela in Rio, called Complexo do Alem?o, where members of Cricket Brasil and the fledgling Carioca CC were teaching children the basics of cricket. When the kids played their more familiar taco with Harry, he survived seven balls before being stumped by the keeper. Although standing in his crease, Harry had not grounded his bat, thus falling victim to another difference between the two games.It was hilarious to watch, says Matt Featherstone, captain of the Brazil mens side. Before he knew it, this kid was grabbing the bat from his hands, telling him he was out. There was no deference to the third in line to the British throne.Featherstones role in Brazilian cricket epitomises the transition being made as expat players bring on a new generation of homegrown talent. Born in Bromley, he played for the Kent Second XI and England Amateurs before moving to Minas Gerais with his Brazilian wife. His side have just returned triumphant from the Amistad Cup, a three-match Twenty20 series against Peru. After losing their first game, Brazil recovered to win the final two. In his three innings, the captain scored 0, 68 not out, and 68 respectively.But despite being national captain, Featherstone is essentially an amateur. He works for his wifes familys chain of gift shops, and living in the small town of Po?os de Caldas means that even to play his club cricket he has to drive three hours to S?o Paulo. Im lucky my wife lets me spend as much time as I do on the game, he says.When Featherstone moved to Brazil in 2000, he was unaware cricket even existed in the country. But there it was, and he was soon in the national side. Although the team was not recognised by the ICC, it played unofficial international matches in the South American Championship, and Featherstone was able to use his batting ability and his contacts to take Brazilian cricket forward.Brazil became an ICC affiliate member in 2002, and in 2006 they qualified to join the ICC Americas Championship, with Featherstone as captain. In recent years they have alternated between Division 3, which includes Peru, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and the Falklands, and Division 2, with Argentina, Panama, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. They are currently back in Division 3, which is probably our level to be honest - Div 2 is a big jump up, Featherstone says. But perhaps ten years down the line, it is not inconceivable that we could find ourselves playing in a Twenty20 World Cup. Were on the up but its a slow process.Cricket Brasil is battling to overcome obvious challenges. Money is tight. The ICC pays for entry into tournaments and provides $25,000 a year in direct funding, which goes towards Brazils only full-time officer, Vincent Bastick, the CEO, and helps pay expenses for three others, including Featherstone in his role as national development officer. In reality I only get petrol money, he says. There is not enough cash to do what we do, and it is difficult to gain sponsorship in a country where 99% of the population havent heard of the game. He is thankful for the sponsors they do have, though, including HSBC and Indian sugar company Renuka.Featherstone says a major stumbling block to the games development is that the ICC has not applied for cricket to become an Olympic sport, largely because of opposition from Test-playing nations. These countries have such a packed international schedule already that they are reluctant to give up a few weeks every four years for the Olympics. But 90% of cricketing nations would benefit from being in the Olympics. If we were in the 2016 Olympics in Rio, wed be able to secure funding from the government and it would be a showcase for cricket in Brazil. But as things stand, the earliest cricket could be entered as an Olympic sport is 2024. Weve missed the boat and its a big shame. The ICC could do more for Affiliate nations.At 41, Featherstone is probably one of the oldest captains in international cricket. So how long will he carry on? Hopefully not much longer. If I could stop playing for Brazil now, I would. But the team still relies on me for runs. Id rather play a match with a weaker team than with a stronger one totally dominated by expats.In a recent ICC tournament in Suriname, nine players out of the 14-man squad were born in Brazil. And in an international competition in Nassau, the Bahamas, in 2010, Brazilian players were voted best bowler (Rudy Hartmann), best fielder (the wicketkeeper Guilherme Leferve) and best batsman (Gregor Caisley). Of them, only the last, an Australian, is an expat. And we didnt even win a game, chuckles Featherstone.With the game now entering schools, Cricket Brasil is hoping for a homegrown generation of players to represent their country. Junior development programmes have been established in S?o Paulo, Brasília and Curitiba. And Brazil has joined forces with Peru, Chile and Argentina to establish Cricket South America and host tournaments at the Under-13,, 15 and 19 age groups, thus creating opportunities for youngsters to play internationally.ddddddddddddWhat is great is when you can take successful Brazilian cricketers into schools and show the kids what they can do, says Featherstone. Its fine for me to go there, speaking Portuguese in an English accent, but to them Im still a gringo.While Brazilian mens cricket has claimed its place on the world stage in recent years, the womens side has emerged at breakneck speed. Unlike the mens game, their squad is already made up 100% of players who were born in the country, although again with a helping hand from expats.Bastick is manager of the Brazil womens national side, based in Brasília. An Australian by birth, he married a Brazilian (a recurring theme here) and moved to her home country in 2004. Having played cricket in Sydney in the 1970s - I was probably a B-grader - he, along with Cricket Brasil president Ian Webster, became instrumental in establishing womens cricket in Brazil through his contacts at the University of Brasília. A major breakthrough came when cricket became an accredited PE course and students took to it with enthusiasm.Bastick says what happened in Brasília was unique. The nucleus of the womens team was formed in 2007. The women came from sports they were already very successful at. There were several handball players, including two goalies, so we had a readymade wicketkeeper. There were twins who were expert kayakers, and there was a ballerina. There were also futev?lei [foot volley] players - like volleyball but you use any part of your body, except your hands - although unfortunately we lost them when they went on to pursue successful futev?lei careers.There are two womens teams in Brasília, the Candangos and Brasília CC, and they play each other and against mens teams. The best players can then go on to represent Brazil. In 2007, Brazil played in the first womens international clash in South America, taking on Argentina in a three-match series, which they lost 2-1. It was a promising start and they have never looked back. In last years South American Championship, played in Brasília, they came second, behind Argentina, but ahead of Chile and Peru.When I speak to Bastick, his side is preparing to take part in the womens ICC Americas Championship in the Cayman Islands. There, from April 22 to April 29, they will play the likes of the USA, Canada, Bermuda and the hosts. The team trains four times a week in the run-up to the competition, which is difficult considering all have jobs, studies and/or children. Another obstacle is the weather. Its the rainy season, so we have lots of interruptions, says Bastick.As well as the Clube Nipo baseball ground in Brasília, the women sometimes play on the main esplanada, flanked by government ministries. For a wicket, they lay out a long carpet over an asphalt pathway. It makes a pretty good playing surface, says Bastick.He says the challenge in the next few years is to get U-13 and U-15 girls playing in competitions. As administrator of Cricket Brasil, he draws a modest salary from the ICC but also runs an English language school. Like Featherstone, Bastick says he would be happy to take a step back from the game and hand over responsibility to homegrown coaches.I ask if it is a problem that Brazilians have no exposure to cricket through television, but he says it isnt. What you lack in television coverage here, you make up for in technological advances. Want to learn to play the cover drive? Just type it into YouTube.We mainly play 20-over matches, but sometimes 40 overs to give the batters a chance to score a hundred, which isnt easy in the shorter game. However, its difficult to sell the longer format to a nation brought up on 90-minute football matches.While more homegrown cricketers are getting involved, it is difficult to ignore the influence of expats, particularly at club level. I visit Curitiba, where I meet Norman Baldwin, 52, vice-president of the Brazilian Cricket Association and the backbone of cricket in Paraná state. Baldwin learned his cricket in Vancouver but has lived in Brazil for 17 years. The HSBC ground just outside Curitiba, which has hosted both mens and womens international games, favours batting. It has a reliable artificial wicket, good sightscreens and short boundaries square of the wicket. There are now two teams in Curitiba, who play each other on a regular basis. Swadisht (meaning tasty in Hindi) is an Indian XI, and Gralha Azul is a Rest of the World XI. On the day I visit, the team is composed of five Brazilians, three Englishmen, a Pakistani, a South African and a Canadian (Baldwin).I ask each of the Brazilians whether they prefer cricket or football. All say football. One of them, Marco Johnson, who has represented Brazil at rugby, shows particular promise with the bat. Another, Raphael *Chiappetti, is playing his first match but already seems to have a basic grasp of the games complexities. In this particular match, Swadisht hit 182 in their 20 overs, while Gralha Azul finish short on 163.Four states in Brazil play cricket: Paraná, S?o Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and the federal district of Brasília. At the moment S?o Paulo and Brasília have the strongest set-ups. Although a Rio Cricket Club was founded in 1872, the game died out there for 15 years until being revived in September 2011, with the formation of Carioca CC. Baldwin attributes the decline in Rio cricket to economic circumstances. But with Brazils economy now firmly on the rise, workers from cricketing nations are returning in increasing numbers and Carioca CC are trying to establish a home after the original Rio Cricket Club rented its pitches out to football.So while soccer continues to dominate sporting life in Brazil, the seeds have been planted for another beautiful game to take hold in the country. Let us hope, for the sake of world cricket, they are given every chance to grow. *10:40:21 GMT, 8 April 2012: Corrected from Chiapelli ' ' '