Another sports body attracts the support of Digicel

Mar 10, 2012 Sports

By Rawle Welch
Already acknowledged as one of the leading corporate entities in the support for

Digicel’s PRO Shonnet Moore (centre) and National Captain Ryan Gonsalves pose with one of the blazers and tie in the presence of team members, Mike McCormack (right) and Robin Roberts (left) at yesterday’s presentation ceremony.

sports, Digicel (Guyana) took full advantage of another chance to demonstrate its generosity by offering substantial sponsorship to the National Sevens rugby squad that is scheduled to depart early Monday morning to participate in the Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2012 which will be staged from March 23-25.
The occasion which took place at the entity’s Head Office in Kingston saw in attendance PRO for the Company Shonnet Moore, members of the 12-man team along with Chairman of the Selections Committee Mike McCormack and Senior Vice President Robin Roberts.
Moore, who acted on behalf of Digicel expressed delight at being afforded the opportunity to support the team, adding that even though the team will be participating in a tournament regarded as one of the most competitive on the Sevens rugby circuit, she still expects them to give good performances.
“Partnering with the Union is rewarding for us and even though from all reports the Series is anticipated to be a tough one, we are still hoping that the team produces good performances,” Moore said.
Quizzed on whether the occasion signaled the commencement of a lasting relationship between the two parties, Moore responded by saying that she would not pronounce on the subject, but promised the Company’s support for any entity that qualifies for such.
She closed by wishing the team well.
McCormack, who had the responsibility for selecting the squad, first thanked Digicel for its support, before giving a brief outline of the path that Guyana took to qualify for the prestigious tournament.
Guyana by virtue of winning the NACRA Tournament earned the right to represent the region at the Series which brings together 12 Core teams regarded as among the best exponents in the Sevens format in the world along with regional qualifiers of which Guyana is one.
He also acknowledged the support given by the Government and other corporate bodies that made it possible for the team to participate in a warm-up tournament in Las Vegas, USA last month as well as take part in a one week training camp at the USA High Performance facility in Chula Vista, San Diego, before leaving for Hong Kong on March 17.
McCormack stated that even though he anticipates a tough assignment for the local ruggers, his expectation is for them to produce solid performances to justify the support given.
“The challenge for us is to step up from where we are and transfer the level we are at to that required at the highest level,” McCormack said.
He added that unlike Guyana no other team that will be there competing has such a slender resource base as Guyana and because of that variance the demands of players and administrators in the sport has been quite heavy.
Roberts, while admitting that the task is an awesome one, the expectation heading into the tournament is to finish in the top five.
Team Captain Ryan Gonsalves commenting on the team’s preparations said that the spirit in the squad is high, adding that the one week camp in the USA is eagerly anticipated and hopefully it will sharpen them further.
Head Coach Theodore Henry in his remarks informed that the team is about 90% prepared and were looking forward to scrimmaging with the US team when they arrive.
The team is expected to meet the Director of Sport Neil Kumar during their final practice session today at the National Stadium.
The full squad is: Ryan Gonsalves, Walter George, Rupert Giles, Richard Staglon (vice-captain), Vallon Adams, Theodore Henry, Christopher Singh, Claudius Butts, Kevin McKenzie, Rickford Cummings, Ronald Mayers and Elwin Chase.
The reserves are: Avery Corbin, Dwayne Schroeder, Peabo Hamilton, Blaize Bayley and Rondell Hutson.

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