Sports

(CUC-PFL): The Sir John A. Cumber Primary Under 11s continued their undefeated start to the 2012/2013 CUC PFL season with a convincing 10-2 victory over Truth For Youth this past Saturday at the Annex Field. Four goals from their talismanic midfielder Barry Dre Tibbetts, a hat-trick from Demonte Seymour, two from Jahvion Bodden and a solitary strike from the smallest player on the field, Shonjae Bodden, was enough to see off Truth For Youth. It wasn’t as easy as the score indicated as the Opening Rally champions came from behind after Truth for Youth’s Gabriel Fisher had put his team in front early in the first half.

(CISA): Hosted by the Cayman Islands Sailing Club (CISC) the 2012 Scotiabank Youth Sailing Championship was held on 20-21 October in the North Sound. This annual regatta proved to be the most successful one yet in two respects. Firstly the number of sailors was the largest amount on record and secondly the youths proved to be more competitive than in previous years, “This year all the competitors that started on day one also went on to compete on day two which is particularly impressive as the conditions on day two were tough and dinghy racing is a physically demanding sport,” said Peta Adams, the CISC Race Officer.

(CIASA): David Ebanks, whose grandfather Levy Austin Ebanks, was from West Bay, swam to gold at the British Masters Nationals last month in the 50m and 200m breaststroke, pulling in two personal best times (pb’s) of 29.38 and 2:27.19 at the same time, under the Cayman flag. These recent accomplishments have focused him on qualifying for the 2013 Island Games in Bermuda and beyond that the Commonwealth Games. Born in Harold Wood, Essex, England in 1982, David started swimming with the Killerwhales Swimming Club based in Hornchurch, Essex when he was 10 years old.

(CNS): Cayman’s Women’s National Senior Goalkeeper, Courtisha Ebanks has been nominated for player of the year in the United States where she attends South Georgia College and plays football. Following a tremendous season for Ebanks’ team ending in 3rd place the College lost only 4 games. Ebanks said it was important for athletes to use sports to their advantage and to go overseas and become student-athletes so study and play. “Since I came to America, I found that my life has opened to so many opportunities,” she said. “Right now I have six schools wanting me, willing to give me a free education, if not, willing to pay off a huge amount of my tuition.”

(CIASA): Cayman’s own Frankie Flowers, the Visionary behind the annual Flowers Sea Swim has been nominated by the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) for an award in the “Performance of the Year” category. According to the website… “the WOWSA Awards are given not necessarily to the best athletes, but is meant to honour the individuals who best embody the spirit of open water swimming, possess the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and  have most positively influenced the world of open water swimming during the year.”

(CNS): Two of Cayman’s local swimming coaches are honing their own skills in Russia this week at the FINA World Aquatics Convention in Moscow. CIASA Technical Director, Coach Ian Armiger and Coach Katie Lambert, from Camana Bay Aquatic Club are representing the Cayman Islands at the convention which opened with a two day World Coaches Clinic featuring presentations from coaches whose swimmers struck gold at the London 2012 Olympics. Armiger and Lambert are rubbing shoulders with world class coaches at the specialist international swimming event as noted below.

(CRFU): The CRFU Heineken 7’s marched on at South Sound Rugby Pitch on 13 October. Whilst the rain from the first weekend of action had long dried up the prospect of playing in the usually stifling Cayman heat didn’t arise as light winds and an overcast day meant perfect rugby playing conditions. In the men’s division it was the Peter O’Neill Wolfhounds who came out trumps a second week in a row with wins over the Cayman Pal Thunder and team Maples. Maples, who were ravaged by the Wolfhounds in week 1 thanks in no small part by a handful of tries from speedster Dave Acutt put up a more determined defense against the Wolfhounds but it was the Cayman Pal Thunder who seemed to cause the Wolfhounds the most difficulty with a dogged tackling and counter rucking at the breakdown. (Photos Caroline Deegan)

(CNS): Members of the Stingray Swim Club were pitted against members of the Camana Bay Aquatic Club (CBAC) at the weekend in a ‘spooky splash’ meet just ahead of Halloween involving a cross section of local swimmers, from seasoned CARFITA athletes such as Alex McCallum and Catrionae Macrae alongside new comers to the competitive swimming team. “It’s always a good experience to compete in an environment which is different from that which you train in; against swimmers whom you do not train with,” said Coach Andy Copley.

(CRFU):The first Annual Charity Touch Rugby Tournament sponsored by Stella Artois took place Saturday under the floodlights at the Camana Bay sports field. Raising money for the “Feed Our Future” organization that provides school meals to underprivileged children, eleven teams played in two pool groups to determine who went forward into the semi-finals and final. Mixed teams, with three men and three women, played under an interesting variation on the usual rules with a try scored by a woman counting double. This often proved decisive as the games were hard fought and usually close. The teams that utilized their female contingent the best were likely to win. (Photo Mark Robson)

(CIASA): The 24th Annual CUC 800m Sea Swim; 2 current and 2 past Olympian, 142 swimmers and countless volunteers. Those are the numbers from last weekend’s Sea Swim and the times are just as impressive. Leading the pack from the start were Olympians Shaune and Brett Fraser and Stingray Swim Club’s Alex McCallum closely followed by Iain McCallum, Simon Butler and Coach Darren Mew. For those on the shoreline the top three finishers provided an exciting race to the end with Shaune, in 10:42 just coming in ahead of Alex in 10:43 and Brett in 10:53.

(CISC): The recent Governor’s Cup J22 regatta, held over the weekend of the 15th-16th October 2012, was a great success. Luckily the wind was not as light as forecast, it didn’t rain (for the first time for a few years) and we had the Governor himself there to start the first race.The Governor’s Cup marks the start of the new sailing season after the long summer break and is always hotly contested. Nine boats were out on the water in near perfect conditions to compete over two days. Saturday saw three races run with the Governor HE is Duncan Taylor starting the event. Just Leaving won all three races on the first day.

(Stingray Swim Club): The Cayman National Sprint Meet, hosted by the Stingray Swim Club (SSC) of Grand Cayman at the Lions Aquatic Centre saw 85 swimmers in the pool and two very famous swimmers supporting them from the pool deck – founding Stingray Members and Cayman Olympians Shaune and Brett Fraser. For Cayman National, longtime supporters of Stingray Swim Club and of Cayman Swimming, Ms Claudia Welds, Senior Executive - Corporate Communications was delighted with the Meet. “With swimmers from Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac here we knew it was going to be an exciting morning,” she said.

(CISC):  For the sixth year in a row, Scotiabank is the title sponsor for the Cayman Islands National Youth Sailing Championships. The two-day regatta, to be held on 20th and 21nd October 2012, will determine Cayman’s top sailors under the age of eighteen. The championship will be sailed in four different types of sailboats: Laser, Picos, Feva and Optimists. The Optimist division will also include a beginner class for novice racers (Green fleet).  All races will take place on the waters of North Sound in front of the Cayman Islands Sailing Club in Red Bay. Spectators will be able to watch the racing from the balcony at the clubhouse and private motor boats are welcome to view the racing from the water.

(CRFU): Cayman rugby action continued at the South Sound ground on 6 October under heavy rain and on a water logged pitch. Whilst the day started with glorious sunshine no-one would have predicted the deluge which followed and threatened to halt some very fun and exciting Rugby 7’s. The Heineken 7’s, the longest running beer sponsored sporting event on the planet kicked off with a new 2 pool format and features a re-vamped women’s league. In Pool A of the Men’s division The Peter O’Neill Wolfhounds joined the Queensgate Pigs Trotters and team Maples whilst Pool B saw the likes of the Café Patron Barbarians, the CML Ama Tsotsi and the Cayman Pal Thunder. (Photos Caroline Deegan)

CNS): Teenage players from a long standing professional football club in Honduras will be sending a team to face the best the Cayman has to offer in two matches showcase matches this weekend. Officials from the West Bay Sports Foundation said they will be hosting the Under 15 youth football team from Club Social y Deportivo (CD Vida) based in La Ceiba, Honduras, on Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21 in its efforts to improve youth football in the Cayman Islands. The Honduran teenagers will be pitted against a West Bay Select team and then Cayman’s Under 15 champions Academy SC.