Sunday, December 13, 2009

Home National Sports Business Lifestyles Religion Arts & Culture Pulse Spice Editorial letters Opinion Foodie Sportscope Real Talks Weekend Report PDF's Classifieds Contact About Us Archive Weather

Letters | Opinion | Editorial | Weekend Report
Bahamas qualified for CAC Games By KELSIE JOHNSON ~ NG Sports Reporter ~ kelsie@nasguard.com: The Bahamas men's national rugby team made sure that when the sport makes its debut at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, the squad will be a part of history. Team Bahamas earned a spot at the CAC Games with a third place finish at the recently held North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Sevens Championships. The rugby segment of the quadrennial games will be held in July 2010, in Guyana. The top five teams from the NACRA tournament, which was held in Mexico from November 12-15, qualified for the 2010 games. Head Coach for the men's squad, Steven Thompson, is pleased that The Bahamas will be a part of history and commended the team on a job well done. He said: "It is a tremendous feat. The men, they now qualify for the CAC Games which is the first time rugby will ever be played at the CAC Games. We are fortunate enough to have qualified to compete in these games, after finishing third in this tournament. "The men's team played very well. We ended up playing in the cup round. We defeated Jamaica in the quarter-finals, unfortunately (we) lost to Guyana in the semi-final rounds. Guyana, they went on to win the tournament for the fourth year running. In the plate round, which was for third and fourth, we played Martinique, winning 28-10, to take third place, so we ended up third out of 13 teams which is by far the best we've ever done internationally." Now that The Bahamas has climbed the regional ranking charts, Thompson hopes that the team continues to move upward. He noted that The Bahamas was not the only country improving, but that the third place finish is a strong indicator that the team is moving in the right direction. According to Thompson, The Bahamas was able to beat teams they had always struggled against in the past. Heading into the NACRA tournament, The Bahamas was ranked seventh, but their third place finish will definitely improve their ranking. Thompson also noted that the Bahamas Rugby and Football Union (BRFU) will try to provide more opportunities for the squad ahead of the CAC Games. It was revealed that the BRFU will work closely with the Bahamas Olympic Association (BOA) to locate warm-up tournaments to play in. "This was the best in the Caribbean, we only lost to one team and that was Guyana," said Thompson, who pointed out that Guyana won the tournament, "so I think, we are definitely closer to being at the top of the list than we've ever been before. "We will definitely be preparing ourselves (for the CAC). I am sure the core of the guys are very committed. They will be a very integral and critical part of the squad. As always, injuries may occur or other things may come into play, so definitely we will be holding a trials leading into this particular tournament." The Bahamas women's national team also competed at the NACRA event. The tournament was the first international competition for the squad, which was able to defeat host country Mexico. Although they didn't qualify for the CAC Games, Thompson said they had a remarkable showing. He added: "The ladies played in a round-robin tournament. Out of the eight matches they played, they only won one match but they played very well considering this is their first exposure. They were able to beat host country Mexico on Saturday. Unfortunately, they didn't qualify for the CAC because of their overall performance. The Bahamas Rugby and Football Union will definitely be working with them to ensure that they will get as much opportunities to get as much exposure as possible in the upcoming months. When this tournament comes around again, we are guaranteed a better performance, but I think they were and we were pleased overall. I think the most important thing we were pleased with, was the effort that they gave. They never stopped fighting. They gave their best in every single game and they scored some tries against some good opposition." The Bahamas women's squad was coached by Dorian Roach. Thursday, November 19, 2009