October 18, 2016

GABF names U-19 male and female squads

Inter-Guiana Games 2016…

With the Inter-Guiana Games, renamed the Goodwill Games 2016, the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) has issued the approved listing of male and female under-19 players selected for encampment and preparation for the 2016 Inter-Guiana Games.gbfa
As per the rules of the competition, all participants must be 19 years old or under, as well as enlisted in an educational institution, of which all of the athletes satisfy.
The teams were selected following impressive performances at the just concluded National School’s Basketball Festival (NSBF) which was held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall indicating a change from the perspective squad that was listed back on October 2.
The Young Men squad reads; Tahquille Johnson and Akinni Wilson (Linden Technical Institute), Stanton Rose, Damair Gladstone, Troy David, Dellon Wallace and Jamol Gilkes (Kwakwani Secondary) with the Georgetown players of Nathan Saul, Roger John, Malcom Powdar and Sabastian Luke (Government Technical Institute),Timothy Thompson (Bishops High), Sherland Gillis, Neil Wills, Tafawa Daly and Ramone Fagenay (New Amsterdam Multilateral) Patrice Agrippa and Akil Vaughn (St Rose’s High), Jaleel Duke (President’s College) Travis Belgrave (St Stanislaus College) and Terrence Daniels (Plaisance Secondary).
Head Coach will be Junior Hercules, who will be assisted by Naylon Loncke and Julian Haynes with Troy Greene taking care of managerial duties.
The Young Women squad reads; Janelle Belle, Makeda Rogers, Kennesha Leacock (Kwakwani Secondary), Kesann Charles and Ruth Sanmogan (Bishops High), Jada Mohan (Marian Academy), Saffiya Greene (Berbice High), Demelza Nicholas and Analisa Barclay (President’s College), Tandika Bouyea and Toshieka Arthur (New Amsterdam Multilateral) and Ashley Khan (St Roses High).
While the Head Coach is Ann Gordon, who will be ably assisted by Kirk Fraser and Dave Causway with Deborah Solomon as the manager.
Guyana will be playing against Suriname during October 21-23 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, while there will be six other disciplines as part of the Goodwill Games inclusive of Volleyball, Futsal, Track and Field, Swimming, Table Tennis and Badminton.

Paradise tame Plaisance Panthers

GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power National Under-17….

– Glasgow’s hat-trick  decimates Buxton Youth Developers

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power National Under-17 League continued on Sunday at the Golden Grove Ground   in the East Demerara Football Association (EDFA) with a total of thirteen goals being scored in the three matches.
The first game of the day saw BV/Triumph United whipping Buxton Youth Developers 6-1 by virtue of a hat-trick from Omari Glasgow, a double from Samuel Garnett and a goal by Dequan France.

Part of the intense action between Bachelor’s Adventure/Paradise (red top) and Plaisance Panthers at the Golden Grove Ground

Part of the intense action between Bachelor’s Adventure/Paradise (red top) and Plaisance Panthers at the Golden Grove Ground

Glasgow, who has been tremendous goal scoring from in the league opened both his and the team’s account in the 10th minute.   However, neither he nor the opposition were able to score another goal in the first half.
It took just five minutes when played resumed for Glasgow to    hit the back of the net, which was followed by France in the 60; two minutes later Glasgow had  his third and BV were all over Buxton Youth Developers.
Garnett joined the goal rush when he scored in the 65th and 70th but when it seemed the game would end without the Buxton unit featuring on the score sheet, Cordel Mingo made a successful conversion in the 74th.
In the second game, Bachelor’s Adventure/Paradise eased to a comfortable 3-1 victory over Plaisance Panthers as Paradise usual marksman Teshawn Gordon continued to be a torn in oppositions’ defence   with his nimble footwork.
Though Gordon did not score he assisted F. Williams, Anton Peters and Ingram Charles, who netted in the 2nd, 13th and 40th respectively; Azandee King was lone scorer for the opposition in the 48th.
Meanwhile, the final match of the day between Golden Stars and Mahaica Determinators failed to produce a winner, with the game ending 1-1.
Shaun Adonnis was the first to score for Golden Stars when he netted in the 21st but Julius Hamilton found the equalizer in the 28th.
Matches are slated to continue this weekend at the same venue.
Title sponsors NAMILCO,   have  been urging both players and  persons at large to  live a healthy lifestyle by indulging in the usage of its heath oriented products Maid Marian Harvest High Fibre Whole Wheat Flour, Maid Marian Wheat-Up Breakfast Porridge, and Maid Marian Multigrain Flour among many other products.

Enmore romp to title with 47-run win over Fair Field

East Coast Cricket Committee/SPR 40 Overs…

Cricket in the country was by no means short of entertainment as spectacular Enmore defeated outstanding Fair Field by 47 runs in the finals of the East Coast Cricket Committee/SPR 40 Overs competition yesterday at the Enmore Community Development Centre Ground. The win was due to top notch batting from Vishwanauth Ramlakhan, coupled with four wicket hauls from Satesh Jainarine and C Seemangal.
In pursuit of the 223 runs target to win the game, the visitors were routed for 173 in 40 overs.
Ramnarine Chatura scored a quality 57 in mostly a one man show while Wasim Mustapha hit 30. The two added 68 for the third wicket partnership to give the visitors some hope but after their partnership was broken wickets tumbled in a hurdle. Jainarine claimed 4-37 while Seemangal had 4-9.

The victorious Enmore Cricket team

The victorious Enmore Cricket team

Opting to take first strike the host (Enmore) romped to 222-8 from their allotted 40 overs. Their innings was off to a shaky start as they slipped to 12-2. Bhemraj Ramkelawan was first to go off the first ball of the match, lbw to Ramnarine Chatura. Imran Hasaan was removed by the said bowler caught at the wicket for five in the third over.
Rudolph Singh and Vishwanauth Ramlakhan added 54 for the third wicket to start a recovery for the home team, before the former was sent packing lbw for 23 off Richard Chatura. Batting at five, Christopher Surat scored 24 out of a partnership worth 39 runs with Ramlakhan. However, Alex Marshall got rid of Surat via the lbw route. From a position of 105-3 Enmore slumped to 105-6, compliments of some excellent fielding from the visitors after Surat departed.
C Seemangal and Avinash Heeralall were both run out attempting suicidal singles. Yet again the host were able to get another partnership going as Ramlakhan led the way in a partnership worth 55 runs between him and Gavin Moriah (26).
After the latter’s dismissal, the top scorer Ramlakhan was joined by Navin Gobin, who smashed a cameo 28 not out from 12 balls and the two took the score to 202 before Ramlakhan was eventually out for 88 from 93 deliveries with seven fours and a maximum. Satesh Jainarine 10 not out and Gobin then push the host to 222 in the final overs before the innings closed.
The Chatura cousins, Ramnarine and Richard were the leading bowlers for the visitors while Alex Marshal and another of the Chatura claimed a wicket apiece.
The winning team went home with trophy and $100,000, while runners up had trophy and $50,000. Ramlakhan was adjudged man of the match.

Eastman edges Williams to win ounce of gold!

By Romario Samaroo

In the scorching morning sun, it was Team Cocos’ top wheelsman, Hamza Eastman who managed to hold off Continental rider, Geron Williams in the final dash to the finish line to win the ‘Ounce of Gold’ prize in the 5th annual Kadir Mohamed Memorial 80-mile road race on Sunday.
The race rode off from the usual starting point, Homestretch Avenue, with riders in the Under-45 and Open Category proceeding to Dora (Coca Cola Sign) on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway and back to Homestretch Avenue for the finish line in front of the National Sports Commission.
The racers were all in close proximity of each other heading into the final stretch around the Cultural Centre turn, but the top four of Eastman, Williams, Shaquel Agard (Linden Bauxite Flyers) and Raphael Leung (WS United) quickly broke away from the pack, making it a dash to the finish line for the riders, but it boiled down to Eastman and Williams in the last 100 meters before Eastman piped Williams to stop the clock at a time of three hours, nine minutes and seventeen seconds (03H 09Min 17Sec) winning the ounce of gold, worth $257,500 on the world market. An ecstatic Eastman, speaking with Guyana Times Sport, pointed out that it was a very challenging race for him but sticking to the plans the team would have discussed prior to the race is what led to his success, adding that he is now getting acclimatised to the conditions in Guyana after spendin

Golden bite! Hamza Eastman tastes victory and the ounce of Gold prize for winning the 80-mile road race

Golden bite! Hamza Eastman tastes victory and the ounce of Gold prize for winning the 80-mile road race

g some time in Columbia for training, saying that “Guyana is much more hot.” Eastman said that his team knows that he is a very good sprinter and he was guided to hold back until the final stretch where he proved to be the better sprinter of the day. Eastman wished to point out that this race is a stepping stone and this form will be transferred in to the five-stage race.
Williams showed his disappointment after being needled into second as Agard finished third, while Leung raced in to finish fourth overall and become the first Junior rider to cross the line. Stephano ‘Sunny’ Husbands (Team Cocos) rode an exceptional race to finish fifth, ahead of teammates Junior Niles (sixth) and Christopher Holder (seventh), Team Alanis’ Paul Chooweenam (eight) and Team Cocos Jamaul John (ninth), all of whom were in a late sprint to the finish.
Niles, though sixth overall, won first place in the Under-45 category, ahead of Chooweenam (second) and Ralph Williams (Carlton Wheelers). Leung was followed by Jornell Yearwood (Linden Bauxite Flyers), Christopher Cornelius (Team Evolution) and Andrew Hicks (WS United) for 1st -4th respectively in the Juniors category.
Throughout the race there was no clear distance between the top riders but the race looked as if past winners, Raynauth Jeffrey (Team Cocos) and Michael Anthony (Team Evolution) would be looking to snatch the gold once more as Jeffrey won four primes.
In the shorter race, the riders in the Veterans Over-45, Mountain Bikers and Juveniles would have turned around at Silver Hill on the Linden Soesdyke Highway.
Roraima Bikers’ Andrew Spencer was the first Veteran to return and claim the chequered flag in a time of 02H 22Min 26Sec, closely followed by Kennard Lovell and Amrit Singh finishing second and third respectively, while for the younger men in the Juvenile division, Mario Ellis rode away with first place honours as Ronaldo Narine pedalled in third. Julio Melville won the Mountain Bike category with Ozia Mcaully copping second. The event was organised by Flying Stars Cycling Club and was sponsored by Kadir Enterprise out of Bartica.

Top performers awarded

GFA/ Stag Senior League….

– Commander  Hicken advocates for  more community based football

The top performers of the recently concluded Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Stag Senior League were given their respective accolades on Friday evening at a simple presentation ceremony Police Officers Mess, Eve Leary.
Western Tigers finished the league on 33 points from 10 wins, three draws and one defeat while the youthful Santos FC unit ended second position on 26 points.
Amongst the clubs presented with accolades were Western Tigers FC, Santos FC, Riddim Squad FC, Camptown FC, Northern Rangers FC, Flamingo FC, and Beacon FC.

GFA President Clifton Hicken and the various awardees

GFA President Clifton Hicken and the various awardees

Individual prizes were received by: Job Caesar- Most promising player of Santos FC, Rommel Legal- Best goal keeper of Western Tigers FC, Samuel Hunt- Best defender of Santos FC, Randolph Wagner- Highest goal scorer of Western Tigers FC and Philip Rousley- Most valuable player of Western Tigers FC.
Speaking at the ceremony, GFA President and “A” Division commander Clifton Hicken commended all teams for their performance and asked that for the next league, there be an improvement in the level of play.
The Commander urged that players must be ambassadors for their community and help to develop community football and by doing this, football at large will improve.
Hicken further stated, “Football is about discipline and I’m sure your goal is not only to play football at the GFA level but hopefully you can improve and your team can reach in the elite league.”
Meanwhile, Guyana Football Federation President (GFF) Wayne Forde was grateful for the support of ANSA McAL through its stag brand, in which he described the entity as “carrying  the lion’s share of sponsorship during   rough times the of the  federation.”
Commenting on the tournament, the GFF head stated, “I see challenges as opportunities and I see the league as the platform to build capacity, since from players to administrators will be fully engaged.”
He added, “football is evolving in Guyana, take my word in another three years football will look completely different in Guyana,  facilities will be different”.
First GFA Vice-president Aaron Fraser posited that “the past league was not our best effort  so come the next season which we hope to start in another two weeks, it will be a lot better and we hope to see more players and more teams and we hope to play more categories.”
It was also disclosed that Stag will be on board for the association’s year end tournament.
The league saw 54 matches being played where 178 goals were scored, seven red cards and 72 yellow were issued.

Haniff wins Trophy Stall golf tournament

Richard Haniff, son of 2011 Guyana Open Golf Champion, Evangelist Fazil noted that “I put in much training practice before the tournament and today played the course not paying attention to any competition,” as he walked away a clear winner of the annual Trophy Stall golf

(L-R) Avinash Persaud; Fazil Haniff; Lakeram Ramsundar; Asrodeen Sawh; Richard Haniff; Peyton George, standing in for Balgobin Ragnauth; Captain Chatterpaul Deo and Vice President Patrick Prashad

(L-R) Avinash Persaud; Fazil Haniff; Lakeram Ramsundar; Asrodeen Sawh; Richard Haniff; Peyton George, standing in for Balgobin Ragnauth; Captain Chatterpaul Deo and Vice President Patrick Prashad

tournament on Saturday.

Haniff cited that his short game was very good, giving him 2 birdies on what are considered the more difficult par 4 holes (5 and 6), and helping him to recover even after 3 double bogeys. He congratulated the Groundsmen on the superb state of the greens.  Father Haniff was delighted that his son was able to be the champion. “I’m looking forward to the day when he does better than his father at the Guyana Open” he stated.
At the end of the day’s play winners were: Nearest to The Pin (8’) – Lakeram Ramsundar; Best Gross (79) Avinash Persaud; 1st Best Net – Richard Haniff 15/65; 2nd – Asrodeen Shaw 18/68; 3rd – Balgobin Ragnauth 27/69; 4th – Fazil Haniff 14/70. Also in contention were Maurice Solomon 24/71; Mike Gayadin 14/72; and Aleem Hussain 17/72.
Vice President Patrick Prashad, speaking on behalf of the Club, expressed much appreciation for and gratitude to Trophy Stall and Managing Director and Proprietor Ramesh Sunich, who is currently the Vice President of the Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA).
“Trophy Stall with a long association (over 17 years) has been an outstanding sponsor and supporter of golfing in that Mr Sunich has always been willing to assist the Lusignan Golf Club.
Thank you very much Trophy Stall, for you have become a household name by your involvement in all the sporting disciplines as well as in providing trophies for institutions in the Education department, and still contributing to golf,” he stated.
Sunich and Trophy Stall have been sponsoring golf tournaments for some seven years.

What criteria was used to select Hope for West Indies’ ODI’s

Asks Delvon McEwan

Of recent the West Indies selection panel has made some shocking decisions in their selection of the various West Indies squads. Well they have done so yet again in their selection of the most recent named squad.
The board recently named a 15 member squad to tour Zimbabwe for a tri-nation series involving the host and Sri Lanka. Familiar faces; Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard and Dinesh Ramdin have been omitted for either not meeting selection criteria or drop in form.
However, the selection team opted for Shai Hope and that decision raised eyebrows within the cricket fraternity here and should be questioned elsewhere.
The right handed batsman and part time keeper is set to make his One Day International (ODI) debut with Ramdin omitted from the team. He has returns of 186 runs from seven List A matches at an average of 26.57 per innings with a highest score of 58.
Hope has struggled to get his career going in the longest format at the international level where he averages under 16 per innings but has been prolific in first class cricket.
His selection ahead of players like Jason Mohammed, Andre McCarthy, and to a lesser extent Shane Dowrich is an injustice to their efforts.
Instead of being selected for the senior team duties, Mohammed was tasked with leading the West Indies A in their clash against Sri Lanka A in Sri Lanka for the 50 over segment of that tour. Meanwhile McCarthy will play in Sri Lanka under Mohammed’s leadership. However both of them are better players than Hope, judging from their statistics.
While Dowrich on the other hand has been encouraging to watch in Test cricket, as a batsman and as a keeper. Hope is yet to prove his weight in either aspects. Notwithstanding the fact that he is a talented player. However, he continues to be thrown into the wind at the highest level.
Hope should not have been considered for the ODIs but he was and now is a member of the squad. Unfortunately, Mohammed and McCarthy must be feeling hard-done by that selection, especially since they both have a century in this format at the Regional level and average more than 30 from more games than him (Hope).
I would like to know within what criteria Hope was selected to represent the West Indies ODI team.
Once again the selection panel has erred like they did in axing Darren Sammy from captain of the T20 squad and as a player and like they did with giving Carlos Braithwaite captain of the T20 team.
The West Indies squad reads; Jason Holder (Captain), Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Carter,  Johnson Charles, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine, Ashley Nurse, Rovman Powell, Marlon Samuels.

NSC, GOA support tennis champ Kaysan Ninvalle

The National Sports Commission (NSC) through Director of Sports and the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) lend their support to recently crowned 11 years and under Caribbean table tennis cadet champion Kaysan Ninvalle in order to facilitate his pa

Director of Sport Christopher Jones hands over the cheque to Ninvalle in the presence of Coach Linden Johnson(left) and GTTA President Godfrey Munroe

Director of Sport Christopher Jones hands over the cheque to Ninvalle in the presence of Coach Linden Johnson(left) and GTTA President Godfrey Munroe

rticipation at the World Hopes Training and selection Camp scheduled from October 17-23 in Lima, Peru
Director of Sport Christopher Jones indicated that his organisation and by extension of the government of Guyana is committed to developing sports and giving its support to young athletic talents in the likes of Kaysan  Ninvalle and other athletes across the different sporting disciplines where possible,  in view of helping them to realise their potential ,develop their sporting and academic talents.
He indicated that upon reception of the request for support for young Ninvalle from the GTTA and being in tuned with his exploits among the many exploits of his and of other young table tennis talents have been showcasing in bringing Guyana regional honours he  felt compelled and happy to have his entity support.
Director Jones extended best wishes to Ninvalle  and his Coach  national table tennis coach Linden Johnson  in their quest to gain selection for the World Hopes selection and training camp.  .
Similarly,    GOA President K Juman Yassin and Treasurer of the Garfield Wiltshire handed over a cheque of significant contribution to assist Ninvalle.
Yassin indicated that he was happy to support young Ninvalle since he felt this is the direction he would love to see sports organization venturing into in view of synchronizing their programs with their international federations and putting forward programs for the developing young athletic  as done by the Guyana Table  Tennis Association (GTTA).
He touched on the implementation of the National Athlete Development Program-Table Tennis for Schools Project   which is a collaborative project soon to be implemented and being piloted by the Association,  the Government of Guyana, through its agencies, NSC, GTTA and the Guyana Teachers Union.
The GOA explained that  his association has funded  the  equipment which is a critical project and model to creating the platform structures and programs which would aid in producing  and developing a greater nucleus  athletes in the respective disciplines.
The World Hopes is a new project of the ITTF Education & Training Program for young talented players in the U-11 age group that have already showcased their abilities and skills in the international arenas and are aspiring candidates in the route toward excellence.
The aim of the project is to promote and work with young talented Players for future success and growth and to bridge the gap in the ITTF Athletes Development Model for the selected age category,
Once selected sand under the  ITTF preview  the program offers a  comprehensive and continuous pathway for players’ development from the age of 11 until they become Olympic candidates, while still U-21. For which the featured projects and incentives for transitioning the players across the different level and pathways as they mature and develop are the following programs
•             Age 11-12: Hopes
•             Age 13-15: Rough Diamonds
•             Age 16-18: YOG Candidates – With the Future in Mind scholarships
•             Age 18-21: OG Candidates – – With the Future in Mind scholarships

What this does is places Kaysan and Guyana into the spotlight   and under the ITTF preview as a candidate and a country that the ITTF support in its developmental programs for the future
GTTA president Godfrey Munroe  thanked the Director of Sports  and President of the Guyana Olympic Association for their  organization consideration in responding positively to the GTTA’s request for support
He will commence the training programme today, working some of the world best youth coaches and players before engaging in the selection activity
Coach Johnson outlined that the team arrived safely were well taken care of by Rafael Amendariz technical director for Peru Table Tennis Association and that he was able to get in some training with Ninvalle  Peru’s national cadet team from in view of getting him acclimatized, positing that the sessions went well.

Guyana wins first-ever medals in Darcy Beckles Classic

Guyana has once again grabbed the attention of the Caribbean in another bodybuilding competition, this time in the form of the 9th edition of the Darcy Beckles Classic Open and Invitational Bodybuilding Exhibition held in the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, Saint Michael, Barbados, over the weekend and organised by the Barbados Amateur Bodybuilding Federation.
Following their best showing in the Central America and Caribbean Bodybuilding Championships 2016, where Guyana registered a staggering record of five medals, the Golden Arrowhead was once more flown with pride as the team returned two medals in the form of Silver and Bronze. This happens to be Guyana’s best showing in the event as well.

Careus Cipriani now holds the record for the best showing by a Guyanese in the Darcy Beckles Classic

Careus Cipriani now holds the record for the best showing by a Guyanese in the Darcy Beckles Classic

The team comprised of five bodybuilders, Yannick Grimes, Junica Pluck, Coel Marks, Careus Cipriani, Marlon Bennett and Videsh Sookram as the team manager.
In the Men’s Physique, three of Guyana’s athletes entered that category with Cipriani winning Silver and Grimes flexed his way to the bronze medal and Coel Marks missed the podium, finishing fourth. The big Barbadian, Stevenson Belle was the overall winner of that category, having had serious competition from Soepe Koese out of Suriname who seemed to be the crowd favourite.
Grimes has now moved up one place after placing fourth in the same event last year, which was at the time the best showing by a Guyanese in the event.
Pluck, participating in the Bikini Short category finished 6th out of nine competitors, while Marlon Bennett did not place in his respective category.
Speaking with Guyana Times Sport, Sookram enthusiastically noted that this is the most competitive year for the event with the number of athletes moving from 52 last year to 74 this year and it is a proud moment for Guyana to have placed so well in a competition of this magnitude.
President of the Guyana Amateur Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation also joined in to extend his congratulations to the team as the nation continues to excel in the sport.

Teams, venue details announced

Rugby Americas North Sevens 2016

Marking one month until Rugby Americas North (RAN) crowns two regional sevens champions, 14 men’s teams and ten women’s teams have been confirmed to participate in the annual international competition. CIC Grounds at St. Mary’s College has been selected as the tournament venue, giving teams and spectators alike a chance to experience high caliber rugby in a festival-like atmosphere close to downtown, parks and the island’s coastline. Matches will take place over two days on November 12th and 13th, 2016.

The Guyana Women’s team is undergoing intense preparation in the national park ahead of the championships

The Guyana Women’s team is undergoing intense preparation in the national park ahead of the championships

Coming off rugby’s Olympic debut, this year’s RAN Sevens will give new rugby fans a chance to watch two full days of speed and hard-hitting action. After winning bronze in Rio, regional powerhouse Rugby Canada will be sending a Maple Leafs representative women’s side to compete. Also attending the tournament will be the Trinidad & Tobago and Mexico women’s sevens teams. Both sides competed in the Olympic Repechage this past year and are expected to test the Canadian Maple Leafs.
In the men’s bracket, Mexico will surely be a dominant force after the fifteens side recently won the regional RAN 2019 Rugby World Cup Qualifier. The Cayman Islands, who recently competed in Hong Kong Sevens alongside Mexico, are expected to be a strong contender in the tournament as well.
Last year’s tournament was held in North Carolina, USA and saw the USA Rugby Men’s and Women’s teams earn a spot in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Coming off an exciting year of rugby sevens, RAN Tournament Director and General Manager Niall Brooks anticipates this year’s tournament to garner high interest as well.
“The annual RAN Sevens is one of our region’s flagship tournaments,” said Brooks. “Attracting the vast majority of the region’s teams, we look forward to the high level of competition. This year there is also added incentive as the top two men’s teams will earn a spot in the 2017 Hong Kong Sevens Tournament.”
Hosts Trinidad & Tobago Rugby Football Union (TTRFU) are looking forward to once again bringing in teams from around the region. The TTRFU hosted the RAN Under 19 Men’s 15-A-Side Tournament in 2013 and 2014.
“The TTRFU and Fraternity is beaming with pride in the fact the RAN has granted Trinidad and Tobago the rites to host one of the largest tournaments in the region,” said TTRFU President Leslie Figaro. “We are partnering with major government agencies to ensure the success of this tournament. It is also an ideal opportunity to showcase the beauty and magnificence of our Twin Island Republic and the friendliness and warmth of our people. I can ensure that the players and officials visiting, along with their spectators, will have a wonderful experience and fond memories that will last them a lifetime.”
CIC Grounds is the athletic home of St. Mary’s College—an all-boys college established in 1863. RAN Sevens competition will take place from approximately 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time on both Saturday and Sunday. RAN’s Get Into Rugby program will also be on display, with an area for children to participate in age-appropriate rugby games and activities.
Fans are encouraged to attend the event and take advantage of the unique opportunity to witness international sevens. Entry into the event will be $20 TT ($3 US). For those unable to attend, matches will be broadcast locally and streamed live from both fields. Viewing details will be forthcoming.
RAN Sevens Men’s Teams: Canada Maple Leafs, Mexico, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Bermuda, Turks & Caicos Islands, Dominican Republic, British Virgin Islands, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Martinique, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana and Curacao
RAN Sevens Women’s Teams: Canada Maple Leafs, Mexico, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Bahamas, Bermuda, Turks & Caicos Islands, Dominican Republic, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago

About RAN
Originally formed in March 2001, under the name of North America and West Indies Rugby Association (“NAWIRA”), RAN is one of the six World Rugby regional associations. RAN is the governing body of the sixteen Unions in Rugby Americas North. It’s membership is diverse and currently consists of, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA. In August 2011 the Turks & Caicos Islands and Curacao were admitted as Associate Members of RAN and in 2016 became Recognized Regional Development Unions. Dominican Republic also joined as an Associate Member in 2015, with Martinique and French Guyana becoming Associate Members in 2016.