Sports
Seymour aims to keep team in Premier League
(CIFA): Head Coach of Cayman Athletic Sports Club Ernie Seymour believes words of advice from former national football Technical Director Carl Brown has helped set his team’s goals in Cayman Islands Premier League. Seymour and Cayman Athletic are undefeated three games into the season and share the top of the league table with Roma United after, both teams battled to a close 3-3 draw in week three of the season on Sunday. In the last three seasons, Cayman Athletic has managed to stay in the top flight, albeit in the bottom half of the standings, but Seymour is confident that will change.
“We are looking to be in the top four, not in the bottom four,” Seymour told Caymanfootball.com.
“A lot of people told me that we would come up to the Premier League and go right back down. However, before leaving, Carl Brown told me, don’t go into the Premiership with the boys trying to win it, go in there to stay there; steal points from the big teams and try to stay above the teams at the bottom.
Seymour added “we have done that for three seasons, now this season we are competing for a spot in the top four. The time has come for the boys to start stepping up.”
Cayman Athletic has several players in their late teens and early twenties, including national Under 20 Boys team Captain Matthew Suberan. This season Cayman Athletic has shown a level of maturity not seen in previous seasons, an attribute Seymour said has emerged after difficult seasons.“The boys are maturing some more. Our teams want to compete now, not just stay above the relegation zone. The boys have changed their attitude towards competing in the Premiership.”
The team’s maturity was on full display in round three of the Premier League. Coming from behind to earn a draw against high riding Roma in the top of the table match up.
“Our boys showed character by coming from behind two times in that game, Seymour said. “Young players tend to lose their composure but they didn’t give up.”
Key to the team’s success has been the early season form of striker David Connolly.
He has scored four goals in three games and is the leading goal scorer in the Premier League after three weeks.
While happy with his start, Seymour still expects more.
“It is natural for him to score goals,” Seymour affirmed. “His physical conditioning is not in the position we would like it to be, but his goal scoring continues to be what it was since primary school football.”
Cayman Athletics’ start to the season has sent notice of a possible change of the guard in the Premier League, but the veteran coach cautioned, “It is a long season.”
“We can’t judge right now who will be the outright winner because of how the league has started. Look for power houses like George Town to bounce back in the rounds to come.”
WK 4 Cayman Islands Premier League – Fixtures
Saturday, 11 October 2014: Cayman Brac Sports Field
Cayman Brac v George Town Sports Club
Sunday, 12 October 2014: T.E Mcfield Sports Centre (The Annex)
5:00 PM Cayman Athletic Sports Club v Sunset
7:00 PM Roma United Sports Club v Scholars International Sports Club
Ed Bush Sports Complex:
7:00 PM Elite Sports Club v Bodden Town Football Club
Cayman to host bigger U15 boys tourney in 2015
(CNS): Following the success of the inaugural U15 CONCACAF boy’s football development tournament in the Cayman Islands in August last year, local sports officials have confirmed that the country will host the second annual football competition as well. The regional championship is set for August but this time ten more teams are expected to participate 2015 with over 80% of CONCACAF’s members planning to take part. “This is promising news for our region, as we can see a growing interest in football development from 2013,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb.
“The Under 15 tournaments are especially important as those young players have an opportunity to build a foundation for their country’s youth leagues and represent their nations at international events. It also enables the football community to start scouting for new talent at an earlier age,” said Cayman’s sports boss.
The Cayman Islands has hosted several tournaments from 2013-2014, in addition to the Boys’ U- 15 Championship. In January 2014, the country hosted the CONCACAF Women’s Under 20 Championship and in August 2014, the CONCACAF Girls’ Under 15 Championship with the first ever international games being played in Cayman Brac.
The sports and youth minister, Osbourne Bodden, said he was delighted that CONCACAF has selected Cayman as the host country.
“The Boys U 15 tournament two years ago was a tremendous success,” he said. “Our boys did us proud then and with the early notification of this expanded tournament, I look forward to the local team being well prepared to compete next year. I trust this exciting news will also be welcomed by the players, fans, and the community at large, and I am particularly pleased to hear that there will be matches played in Cayman Brac as part of the tournament,” the minister added.
Savannah Primary open the season with wins
(CUC-PFL): Savannah Primary opened the 2014/2015 CUC Primary Football League (PFL) season with 4-0 (Under 9) and 2-1 (Under 11) victories over Cayman International School in Group A at the Dart Field on Saturday morning. In the Under 9 encounter, Savannah Primary’s Jacquan Wray scored twice in the first half, Emmanuel Duran added a third before the break and Cayman International School conceded an own goal late in the second half to complete the scoring. In the Under 11 game, the always busy Emmanuel Duran opened the scoring in the 3rd minute for Savannah Primary with a wonder strike from distance. Cayman International School’s Jonathan Rado levelled the score in the 14th minute before Akil Bodden restored Savannah’s lead with a 24th minute blast.
There would not be any further scoring but both teams created several chances in this exciting season opener.
In the Girls’ Primary Football League (GPFL) season opener between the two schools, Cayman International recorded a 4-0 victory thanks to Riley Doyle who scored her school’s first ever goal in the GPFL in the 2nd minute before adding a second in the 32nd minute. Olivia Kluiver added to the lead in the 10th minute and Savannah conceded an own goal in the 23rd minute to end the scoring.
Other PFL results in Group A included St. Ignatius Prep 3 vs. Truth For Youth 0 (Under 9) and St. Ignatius Prep 2 vs. Truth For Youth 1 (Under 11).
In Group B it was South Sound Schools 2 vs. Red Bay Primary 3 (Under 9); South Sound Schools 0 vs. Red Bay Primary 6 (Under 11); NorthEast Schools 4 vs. Bodden Town Primary 0 (Under 9); NorthEast School 2 vs. Bodden Town Primary 3 (Under 11); Triple C School 1 vs. Prospect Primary 4 (Under 9); Triple C 1 vs. Prospect Primary 5 (Under 11); and Cayman Prep 3 vs. Cayman Brac 1 (Under 11). In Group B of the GPFL, the games between NorthEast Schools and Bodden Town Primary and Triple C School and Prospect Primary were re-scheduled for a later date.
The 2014/2015 CUC PFL and GPFL regular season continues this Saturday, October 11 with games at the West Bay Town Hall Field, Annex Field, Cayman Prep, Prospect Primary and Triple C.
Sport volunteers step up game with course
(CNS): Local volunteers and administrators from eleven different sports took part in a sports administration course, last month, hosted by the local Olympic committee and funded by Olympic Solidarity (OS) to enhance their skills and knowledge. 29 people took part from a range of local sports clubs including athletics, boxing, cycling, equestrian, gymnastics, judo, rugby, sailing, swimming, taekwondo and volleyball. Officials said the ‘goal’ of the course was to cover the most common needs and requirements of administrators or elected executives of sports organisations.
The course which covered 18 topics related to sport administration and management was available to administrators associated with member federations of the CIOC. It was free to participants and conducted by Dave Farmer, Director of the National Olympic Academy of Barbados. Bernie Bush Treasurer of the CIOC, Jennifer Powell Chief Operating Officer of the CIOC, Dalton Watler President of the Cayman Islands Athletics Association and Richard Adams Director of the Cayman Islands Rugby Club also gave presentations at the 20 hour course spread over four days.
Horse champions recognised at new local awards
(CNS): Dozens of local riders were celebrated at the Cayman Islands Equestrian Federation inaugural awards dinner last month as the seasons champions were revealed. According to a CIEF release Meegan Slattery was awarded the Champion’s Ribbon in the introductory category, with Leah Alberga taking the Reserve Champion spot. Two sets of ribbons were awarded in the Training Level category. For the juniors, Madeleine Aquart and Ashley van den Bol took the Champion top spots with Saskia Drake and Thea Millward taking the Reserve ribbons.Meanwhile adult riders Michelle Boucher and Tracey Surrey took Champion ribbons.
Phoebe Serpell and Anja van Genderen were the Champion and Reserve Champion, respectively, in both the junior Preliminary and Elementary categories with Jessica McTaggart-Giuzio and Tracey Surrey taking Champion and Reserve Champion, respectively, in the Preliminary adult category.At the Elementary adult level, Alexandra Bodden took the Champion spot with Polly Serpell taking Reserve and at the Medium level, Thea Millward was Champion with Alexandra Bodden the Reserve.
McTaggart-Giuzio added the Champion ribbons in the Advanced and Prix St. George categories to her haul, with Charlotte Hinds taking Reserve Champion in the Advanced category.
The Dressage Championship awards were followed with the National Jumping Series Championship awards.
In the 0.6m junior class, Chloe Fowler took Champion with Jenna Boucher as Reserve Champion. Hannah Fowler was Champion in both the 0.7m and 0.85m junior classes with Reserve Champions going to Jenna Boucher in the 0.7m class and to Phoebe Serpell in the 0.85m class. In the 0.6m adults class Juliette Forrester and Tanja Braendle were Champion and Reserve Champion, respectively. Tanja Braendle was also Reserve Champion in the 0.7m adults class with Michelle Boucher taking the Champion spot. Michelle Boucher also took the Reserve Champion spot at 0.85m adults with Alexandra Rado clinching the Champion ribbon.
In the open classes, Polly Serpell was Champion of the 0.9-1m class with Thea Millward the Reserve Champion whilst in the highest category, 1m-1.1m, Isabelle Smith was Champion with Polly Serpell as Reserve Champion.
Sharon Hinds, President of the CIEF, reviewed the federation’s show season and highlighted the growth of the membership, at the dinner as well as the accomplishments of the riders in the past year.
She said the Federation had hosted a record number of shows, and was performing impressively overseas and at home. CIEF had riders taking three of the top four spots in the Children’s American Dressage Invitational in 2013. Cayman Teams came joint first in the Caribbean Junior Show Jumping Competition 2013, first in the FEI’s World Dressage Challenge 2014 and the Cayman Children’s Team came first in the Caribbean Equestrian Association’s Dressage Challenge 2014.
CIFA commits to training local coaches
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Football Association has said it is keen to fix what it describes as a shortcoming in local football by training and certifying coaches. Following a four day D License coaching course in the Cayman Islands held by CONCACAF and attended by 29 coaches, who are already involved at the club level, Bruce Blake said, “CIFA is committed to developing and certifying all coaches.” The recent course combined intensive classroom sessions with practical work on the field, focusing on coaching techniques for those instructing children aged 6-12.
“From volunteer to professional, every coach in the Cayman Islands, who is interacting with the youth, should know how to teach the game correctly,” said Blake. “This can only be achieved through proper training, certification, and assessment of our coaches.”
The course was conducted by CONCACAF instructors Lenny Lake from St Kitts & Nevis and Neil Ellis from the United States and centeredon creating engaging exercises that encourage greater participation in the game, while introducing fundamental technical skills.
“The instructors made us see football in a whole new light,” said George Thomas, who manages the Roma United Football Club. “The information enhanced our ability to teach our players and develop the right skills from a younger age.”
Gisela Gamba, player-coach with Sunset Football Club and Assistant National Women’s Coach added, “Anyone aspiring to become a coach should take at least one course. Every day I see people volunteering as coaches, they have the best intentions, but they don't have the basic understanding on how to coach young kids, or how to play football.”
Cayman Prep reclaims opening rally title
(CUC-PFL): Cayman Prep successfully defended their 2013 Opening Rally title this past Saturday at the Annex Field with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the always unpredictable Red Bay Primary in the final of the 2014 CUC Primary Football League (PFL) Opening Rally. Nathan Trickett was the hero on the day for the champions as he netted the winner in the semi-final against his former school St. Ignatius Prep in a 1-0 win and then bagged the winner in the final. His crucial goal and his performance in the final also earned him The Ronnie Roach Most Valuable Player Award. Contributing to the victory in the final was Cayman Prep’s goalkeeper Elliott Bishop who was outstanding between the posts. Young Mr. Bishop made two outstanding saves towards the end of the game to secure the win for his school.
The surprising Truth For Youth team claimed third-place defeating St. Ignatius Prep 2-0 in penalties after their game finished 0-0 after fulltime. This was the second year in a row that St. Ignatius Prep finished fourth.
Cayman Prep’sroad to the final began with a 4-1 win over South Sound School in Zone D coupled with a narrow 4-3 victory over Red Bay Primary in sudden death penalties (1-1 after fulltime; 2-2 after regular penalties; 1-0 after sudden death penalties). Red Bay defeated South Sound Schools 1-0 to finish second in the zone and advance to the quarter-finals.
Truth For Youth’s journey to the third-placed game began with 1-0 loss to St. Ignatius Prep in Zone B. The youngsters rallied to beat George Town Primary 1-0 and Boddeen Town Primary 4-3 in penalties (1-1 after fulltime; 3-2 after regular penalties) to finish runners-up in the Zone. St. Ignatius Prep won the zone after defeating Truth For Youth, Bodden Town Primary 2-1 and George Town Primary 2-0.
In Zone A, Cayman International School (CIS) advanced to the quarter finals with a 4-0 victory over Prospect Primary and a 3-1 win against Savannah Primary after penalties (1-1 after fulltime; 2-0 after regular penalties). Savannah Primary overcame the loss to zone winners CIS to beat Prospect Primary 3-0 and claim a spot in the quarter finals.
In Zone C, last year’s third-place finishers NorthEast School won the zone with a 1-0 victory over Cayman Brac and Sir John A. Cumber Primary. Sir John A. Cumber Primary defeated Cayman Brac 3-0 to secure second place in the zone and a spot in the quarter finals.
In the quarter finals, Cayman Prep defeated Savannah Primary 2-0 in penalties (0-0 after fulltime; 2-0 after regular penalties); Red Bay Primary beat CIS 1-0; Truth For Youth outlasted NorthEast Schools 5-4 after sudden death penalties (1-1 after fulltime; 2-2 after regular penalties; 2-1 after sudden death penalties); and St. Ignatius Prep beat Sir John A. Cumber Primary 2-0 in penalties (0-0 after fulltime; 2-0 after regular penalties).
In the semi finals, Cayman Prep secured their place in the final after defeating St. Ignatius Prep 1-0 and Red Bay Primary overcame Truth For Youth 2-1 in penalties (0-0 after fulltime; 2-1 after regular penalties).
Special thanks to the officials who did an excellent job throughout the day including Dwayne Ebanks, Chastine Rankine, David Conolly, Joshua Frederick, Shakur Welcome, Ernie Jacques, Jordan McLean, Collin Redden and Leo Ebanks. Thanks also to contributing sponsors Progressive Distributors, suppliers of Gatorade to all participating PFL schools.
The Opening Rally marks the beginning of the 2014/2015 CUC PFL season, which commences on Saturday, October 4 at venues across the Islands.
$1 million shootout to fight local crime
(CNS): Skilled golfers will have the chance to win $1million next month in the annual Cayman Crime Stoppers golf tournament. The NGO’s major fundraising initiative sees teams compete in a scramble format tournament with prizes for the top three teams while individuals players will vie for one of 15 spots to participate in the $1 million ‘shootout’ for the first person to get a hole in one. Cayman Crime Stoppers chairman, Malcolm Ellis, said that as is the case most years there has been lots of support from sponsors for the fundraisers which helps support the critical anonymous crime fighting hotline.
“This is always a great afternoon of golf, prizes and networking, but most importantly, it funds our efforts to reduce crime in Cayman for a whole year,” Ellis added.
Chris Duggan, from Dart one of the tournament’s sponsors said Cayman’s attraction to both visitors and residents is the safety of the community. “Any increase in crime, however, would be cause for concern for us all and we must remain diligent to ensure that we are able to continue to enjoy a peaceful society. The work of Cayman CrimeStoppers is a vital part of this process and we are very happy to support this initiative,” he added.
Cayman Crime Stoppers is a civilian, not-for-profit organization that provides a safe and secure means for people with information about a crime to give it freely whilst protecting their identity. Crime Stoppers works closely with the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS), the community and the media and through its efforts has become one of the most effective crime solving tools available to law enforcement agencies.
The tournament will take place Friday 10 October 2014 at the North Sound Golf Club. To enter a team, to sponsor the event, or to donate a prize for a raffle, contact event organizer Denise Gower of Fountainhead at denise.gower@fountainhead.ky or by phone at 945 8188. For more information on Cayman Crime Stoppers visit their website at www.caymancrimestoppers.ky.
Girls’ football moves to Saturday mornings
(CUC-GPFL): The ‘new’ Girls’ Primary Football League (GPFL), which is scheduled to begin this Saturday, October 4th, will be sponsored and coordinated by Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd. (CUC). The GPFL will runalongside the popular CUC Primary Football League (PFL). Several primary schools across the Island have been participating in the GPFL for the past few years but with CUC now taking responsibility for the League, it was decided to move the games from during the week to Saturday mornings. The girls’ games will now be played at 10:00 a.m. between the CUC Primary Football League (PFL) Under 9 games that begin at 9:00 a.m. and the Under 11 games scheduled for 11:00 a.m.
The PFL Committee has been working closely with Martha Godet and representatives from the Women’s Committee who have been designated by the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) to develop the women’s game in the Cayman Islands. In certain instances, the Women’s Committee has provided personnel to assist with coaching a few of the school teams and will strive to provide female referees to officiate the GPFL games.
The decision to move the games to Saturday mornings was aimed at assisting the Women’s Committee in monitoring young female players playing at the primary school level. In addition, the Saturday morning games gives parents the chance to watch and support their daughters, something that was very difficult for them to do when games were being played during school hours on weekdays.
The GPFL will cater to girls under the age of 11 and will follow similar rules that apply to the PFL Under 9 league. Participating schools are split into the same two divisions as the PFL with Group A consisting of Cayman International School, George Town Primary, Savannah Primary, Sir John A. Cumber Primary and St. Ignatius Prep. Group B includes Bodden Town Primary, Cayman Prep, NorthEast School, Prospect Primary, Red Bay Primary and Triple C.
The PFL Committee urges everyone to come out on Saturday mornings to the various primary schools and other venues across the Island and support these young PFL and GPFL players.
Woman’s 7s team plan to fly flag for sport
(CRFU): The Women’s National Rugby 7s team have hit the ground running for the new season, literally. The addition of new coaches Henry Warnock-Smith and Cayman Rugby S&C coach Dave Clancy has seen the ladies put through their paces with an intensive block of training which has seen dramatic improvements thus far. The Cayman Women’s team is seen as the flagship program for this coming season with upcoming tournaments both domestically and abroad.
Firstly there is the Elite Marble & Granite Women's 7's domestic league, featuring the Spring league champion OMNI Sharks, the Kirk Freeport All Diamonds and the John Doak Architecture Lady Iguanas.
That then leads into the Halloween Women's 7’s, International Invitational at Truman Bodden, which will see Cayman's best test themselves against international competition from the states and also Europe. All of this is building up to the two major competitions of this calendar year in the form of the CAC Games in Vera Cruz, Mexico followed by the NACRA 7's championships in Mexico City. 2015 starts off with a trip to the Las Vegas international invitational, one of the highest level of competitions outside of the World Series which will kick of the preparation for the ultimate goal, the Olympic qualifiers in the US in June.
The future looks incredibly bright for Cayman Women’s rugby, both through the progress being made in training and the influx of new faces crossing over from other sports like football, flag football, netball, track, boxing and basketball. Many of which have the core skills required to be a rugby player and along with athletic ability and some additional coaching have taken to rugby exceptionally well.
With the women’s league starting next month, Cayman rugby are encouraging anyone who is interested to come to training on Monday and Wednesday nights at Cayman Rugby Club at 5:30pm and see what it is all about.
There will be an introduction to rugby boot camp held on Sunday the 12th of October where the current coaches and players will be running any new players through the basics of the games and recruiting players for the domestic league and potentially the national team for years to come.