11 Dec 2006 | Rugby
Sunday 3rd of December saw the power house fitness machines of the FRFC take to their bikes for a sponsored 50 mile bike ride in aid of Junior Rugby. Move over Lance; the RFC pelaton took to the roads of Grand Bahama in a magnificent display of riding. The route, brilliantly planned by Iron Man Page, took the riders through some of the most magnificent scenery on the Island. The chicken farm, the never built bridge, Dover sound, and the water tower were all included in what Conde Naste calls the Most scenic ride in the World
This major event planned over many months by Chris memo Cafferatta reached the peak of his organizing abilities. To get a crew like this out on a Sunday morning during Christmas party time was magnificent a very emotional Chris Caff revealed in a tearful exclusive interview. Kirk Antoni refused to comment on the time taken by the law practice to organize the event but did indicate that his bottom was a little sore, and that possible legal action against his boss was pending. Stuart Barbie doll Garner was also seeking legal advise as he had apparently been told that real men wear pink, and had secured a fetching little pink cycling top from Chris Caff.
The ride was a very slow pleasant amble through the country side with the cyclists hoping that the much appreciated support team would not be required. Refreshments at the watering holes were splendid and also much appreciated by the road warriors. The cycling crew of Chris Caff, Kirk Antoni, Jerry Coleborn, Dave Dillon, Jim Pierson, Joe Thompson Bruce Silvera, Stuart Garner and Phil Page all arrived back at Taino beach unscathed for some well deserved refreshments.
If you missed the opportunity to get a slice of this hot action it is not to late to contribute to the Junior Rugby section. Please contact Chris Cafferatta to make your donation.7 Dec 2006 | Rugby
BORCO OILERS 1
CABLE BAHAMAS STARS 2
A late winner saw early season favourites Cable Bahamas Stars scrape past a plucky Borco
Oilers Team . Oilers shocked their opponents by taking the lead through Tjean 'Toots' Sands but were pegged back through a goal by Terry Augustin. A late winner by Shadence Leroy settled the game .
GB SHIPYARD WANDERERS 3
DYNAMO SMIT 1
Bit of an upset as GB Shipyard Wanderers swept past Dynamo Smit by 3 goals to 1 . Two goals up by half time through Ralston Francis and Nicholas Joseph , Dynamos played much stronger in the second half with a goal from Michael Watkins. Wee man Chris Malakious got his name on the scoresheet as Coach Scott's team proudly sit at the top of the table after the first round.
More games next week Wednesday (5pm) at Freeport Rugby & Football Club as the 2 undefeated teams ( GB Shipyard and CableBahamas) go head to head and Borco Oilers and Dynamo Smit square up in a battle for their first win of the season .6 Dec 2006 | Rugby
Yep you read it right. This goal fest kept the fans on the edge of their seats ! 21 goals at least - can you ask for more. This match reporter, arriving late with 40 minutes already gone , due to traffic congestion, still managed to see over a dozen goals - and 62 offisides from ghassan and steffano. The local veterans were booosted by pre match news that both mark hardy and tony johns were unavaialble for the game . The match had everything silky footwork , crunching tackles , goalmouth action all over the pitch , dancing girls - pure hollywood. No real match report as too much to report , tony lopez hitting a screamer past tommi from 35 yards, phil page running like the energiser bunny , paul brown disputing and 'doing a hand bags at 10 paces' on their 7 th goal which brought them within 7 !
As Sid Waddell would say
Only one word to desribe that ---magic darts
a rematch has been promised with the seven seas sister ship flown in especially for a combined team to meet the power that is Freeport Fc !!!3 Dec 2006 | Rugby
The new Boys Whirlpool Intermediate Soccer League officially kicks off this week with four teams competing . The I league is for boys aged 14 to 17 and has been set up to ‘bridge the gap’ between the YMCA youth league and the GBFL adult league.
Organiser Mark Hardy noted that youth coaches have observed this gap in the market for a number of years but it is only now that he feels there are sufficient boys playing to ensure a viable and competitive league structure. He added Our Programme has been in operation for 5 years now and a number of players who started with us at that time now fall into this 14 to 17 years of age category. Consequently it is an ideal time to begin the league . Already we have 50 players registered and eager to get the league started after some friendly scrimmages .
The four teams battling for honours are :
Cable Bahamas Stars
GB Shipyard Wanderers
Dynamo Smit
Borco Oilers
The coaches have taken a lot of time to determine the teams to try and ensure that they are all relatively equal in ability and they all expect a close fought contest over the next two months.
Cable Bahamas Stars are coached jointly by Leon Smith and Eon Austin who both have a wealth of experience from playing in Guyana. This strong looking team will probably start favourites and includes Denzil Deveaux in defence and Sam Taylor as an attacking midfielder.
GB Shipyard Wanderers are coached by Scott The Rev Kirkland and certainly have a wealth of talent going forward with the likes of Christopher Malakious, Roger Johnson and Reko Jean . Expect to see plenty of goals at both ends when the Wanderers are on the field !
Dynamo Smit will be Coached by Tomi the Finn Hirmasto and look to have a well balanced team with Michael Watkins unlikely to allow his defence to concede too many goals. With Andre Turnquest and Asteir Dean running the midfield and Delario Role upfront look to this team to be one of the leaders as the season progresses.
Borco Oilers are coached by Michael Irving and also have a group of promising young players . Look to Alfred Lewis to shore up the defence , Tejean Sands to add some bite in midfield and the skilful Preston Rolle to add some flourishing touches on the wing.
Games are from 5 Oclock every Wednesday at Freeport Rugby & Football Club . All supporters are welcome. Regular reports and standings for the Whirlpool I League will appear in the Freeport News.
In addition the Boys Development Programme also coaches boys aged 9 to 13 and holds a goalkeeping clinic every Wednesday from 5pm to 6.30pm at the same venue. Boys aged 18 to 21 are coached from 6.30pm to 8 oclock.30 Nov 2006 | Rugby
The Bahamas Rugby and Football Union continued with the second week of action in New Providence and Grand Bahama on Saturday in the Stella Artois League.
One match was played in Grand Bahama with the Baillou Rugby Club beating the Freeport Rugby Club 20-13.
Meanwhile Saturday rugby action at the Winton Rugby field saw the Buccaneers Rugby Club defeat the Cuckoos A Rugby Club, 12-5.
This season, the BRFU will be experimenting with a points system that is being used prominently in European rugby.
The system has proven to be highly effective in encouraging efforts for tries rather than settling for kicks. The system also provides a points incentive for losing teams to keep playing hard right up to the final whistle.
In the points system a team gets three points for a win. Teams will also receive one point apiece for a tie, scoring four tries or more in one game and for losing by seven points or less.
This points system will be used in all Stella Artois League matches and Nassau Cup League matches except for those games involving Cuckoos B team, as this team is a developmental side.
As result, Baillou won three points for the victory while Freeport won one point for losing by less than seven points.
The Buccaneers won three points for the win while the Cuckoos A team won one point.
The season started the week previous. One match was played in the Stella Artois League with the Baillou Rugby Club winning 27-23 over the Cuckoos A Rugby Club.
In the Nassau Cup League, the Buccaneers Rugby Club blanked the Cuckoos B Rugby Club, 49-0.
The standings for the Stella Artois League are as follows: Baillou is in first place with six points, registering two wins and no losses; the Buccaneers team is second with three points with one win in as many games; while the Cuckoos A team is third with two points, having two losses in as many games; and Freeport is fourth with one point, losing one game in as many matches.
The standings in the Nassau Cup League are as follows: The Buccaneers Club is in first place with three points, registering one win in as many games; and the Cuckoos B team is second with no points, losing one game. Meanwhile Baillou and the Cuckoos A team have not played yet.
In related rugby news, three Bahamian players were considered for the West Indies 7s squad. They are Jeremico Cooper, Duran Beadle and Dan Woodside. The players performed well at last weeks North America and West Indies Rugby Associations (NAWIRA) Digicel Sevens Competition held in Barbados. The Bahamas finished second in the Plate Finals.
However Woodside was recently invited to play for the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago on December 2 and 3.
According to Sevens National Coach, Andrew Davies, "This is a tremendous achievement and one which we all applaud. If he does well in this one he will be selected to the West Indies side at the IRB Sevens in San Diego.
"We are informed that his accommodation and expenses are covered for the duration of his stay in Trinidad. Now he needs $1,000 to fly him from the UK for the tournament. "
In the summer, Androsian Woodside accepted the opportunity from the BRFU to play for a leading rugby club, the Luctonians, in England. Since then Woodside has been excelling in the sport and representing The Bahamas well.