Women’s Rugby champions recognised

Dec 13, 2008 Sports

– calls for more attention to be paid to them

Guyana All-Stars rugby squad that won the Trinidad and Tobago Enthusiasts Sevens Invitational Tournament pose with trophy, Executives and Coaches yesterday.

By Rawle Welch
Captain of the victorious Guyana All Stars squad that recently captured the Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) Enthusiasts International Invitational Sevens Rugby Tournament Sabola Gray, urged the local Body to lobby the West Indies Rugby Union to hasten the development of the sport among females.

Gray, who was also the captain of the national squad that won the Caribbean title at the NAWIRA World Cup Qualifiers which was held last month in the Bahamas, was reporting on her team’s performance at the T&T event, during a press briefing held yesterday at Olympic House.

“First of all, I would like to congratulate the girls for winning the title and this was due mainly to the discipline they exhibited during the competition, but I would also like to call on the GRFU to pay a little more attention to the Ladies squad which has been making not only the rugby community proud, but the country at large,” Gray said.

The Guyanese defeated defending champions and five-time titlists Atlantis of the USA 29-5 in the final to capture the crown for the first time.

They had earlier suffered their only loss of the competition to the same team, but rebounded admirably to grab the coveted trophy and a first prize of US$500.

Also present at the briefing were Coaches Elwin Chase and Troy Yhip, along with Manager Charles Greaves, President of the Guyana Rugby Football Union Noel Adonis and members of the squad.

Adonis in his remarks praised the girls for their success, while paying recognition to the sacrifices they made in garnering their own funds through fund-raising activities which he described as a testimony to their determination and commitment to the sport.

“We are pleased and proud of the performance of the team and when one considers that female rugby started just around 2005, to see them make such strides in those short years says a lot for them,” Adonis pointed out.

He reflected on how disappointed they were after losing the Caribbean 15’s title to T&T, but rebounded to win the 7’s version in the Bahamas.

“They’ve continued to display their dominance at the regional level and I must laud them for this and when you think of what they had done to get there, it really is a perfect example of their determination to achieve the goals they’ve set for themselves,” Adonis said.

The GRFU President disclosed that he is keenly looking forward to them continuing in the same vein in the new season and over the next few years, adding that the support of the management staff is always an integral component towards the teams’ performance on the field.

Greaves, shortly after paying tribute to the coaching staff and team for their success, said that after they had lost to Atlantis on the opening day, he called on them to play as All-Stars meaning that they should shine bright as a star and that was what they did exactly, coming out as the eventual winners.

Chase said that because the team was made up of players from the two clubs Hornets and Yamaha Caribs and their domestic rivalry is always intense, they had to focus on togetherness throughout the preparations.
“We had to stress the importance of pulling together long before departure and they all responded positively.”

He added that after a few initial setbacks which started with a few players falling sick with diahorrea and vomiting, they had recovered by the time of the semi-finals and really displayed a lot of grit and determination.

Yhip echoed similar sentiments expressed by Chase, adding that they girls were very fit and had clearly benefited from the Caribbean Sevens tournament which they utilised to their advantage admirably.

“Our defence was the key strategy in the final, we did not give the defending champs any space to run and that disrupted their rhythm a bit,” he stated.

He was thankful to the two T&T players who played with the team in the final, while singling out Carren Skeete for her wonderful performance in the key fixture.

The two Trinidadians were Kwanieze John and Juliana Straker, both of who were on the national squad that won the Caribbean 15’s title.

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