Turks & Caicos Rugby

TCIRFU - Notifications

Dec 9th
2008

A fine Xmas Party was held on the weekend at Shark-bite with a strong turnout from players and supporters. The day’s proceedings started a lot earlier in the day however as the TCIRFU Rugger Boyz took on the SWA Sharks in a friendly game of football - round ball style. For those who stayed around to watch the Oscar De La Rente fight that evening you would have recognized the carnage that ensured. The Rugger Boyz were more than competitive for the soccer competition putting 4 goals past the regular players. A winnings score-line of 4-3 was a historic first for the Rugger Boyz - not only their first win in what has been many clashes of the codes, but more importantly it saw the first (and hopefully last) example of a rugby player celebrating a score by taking his shirts of and running wilding around the ground swinging it above his head in a lasso like fashion. Bevis - you know who you are and we will miss your spontaneous celebrations. The game was hardly fought with both sides seen with their hands on knees 30 min’s into the first half. The Ruggerboyz appreciated the input from James Schofield’s brother Paul, and the Salmon played a strong game as well. Blair Mason scored one and blew another (think soccer version of swan diving unopposed over try line to drop ball). And the spectators man of the match would have to be the Wasp - Lloyds Inwards - who had a fantastic game in goal, saving many a score and giving Hammo a serious run for his money in the ‘flapping around like a Salmon’ awards.
Celebratory refreshments were had after the games before all and sundry retired to re-attire for the evening proceedings.
Doorman Des greeted all and sundry with a “Howdy friend” and a shot of your favorite poison. A good turnout ensued from both club members and guests with merriment and Xmas cheer in abundance. Some silly hats floated around and then the fight was on - the little man from manila making short work of the Mexico sounding eau de toilette. Des’ tunes and some snacks from the bar rounded off a great night - and then the stragglers headed to karaoke - where Richard “Barry White” Desmond, Jamie “Axl Rose” Tait and Pete Baker had a sing off. Well done Des for a great event.
All in all a fine end to the social year, and we look forward now to next year’s tours.

Dec 9th
2008

Round 3 of the Winter touch League saw a change of fortunes for the competition leaders. Meridians/TCI’s run for the title hit a small speed bump on Thursday as it lost two tight matches by scores of 3-2 and 4-3 and drew in the final match on the night. Meridian's first match against the Baa Baas was a back and forth affair with Dan Redmond making his first appearance for the Baa Baas without the requisite transfer fee being paid to Meridian. He and Dino Parker both had tries stymied by being tackled in goal before they could dot the ball down. Luis Turbyfield made his debut for Meridian and showed resilience in the face of the Baa Baas attack. No doubt a star player in the making. The Baa Baas were up 3-2 when Dean Griffith kicked the ball through and the foot race between Mason and Griffith resulting in a near simultaneous collision at the ball with both claiming the other had touched the ball first and causing it to bounce towards the Baa Baas goal where Dean gathered the ball and scored. After much bleating by Blair it was determined that somebody as Trustworthy as an air conditioning installer would not lie and the try was disallowed.
Their second match saw a determined game between BCQS/England and Meridian/TCI with BCQS avenging their only two losses of the season by triumphing in the end. The last match for Meridian was a seesaw affair with the lead changing hands several times and a draw was just result for both sides. The form of the night was displayed by the America/Scotland who recovered from their drubbing the previous week to put points on all teams and earn valuable bonus points be securing 2 draws. With the added incentive of 2 points for a draw versus none for a loss they were able to pull away from the Barbarians who continue to languish in last place. This is despite actually winning 2 games to the Americas/Scotland’s solitary win.
The last round of the year before the Xmas break should be a tightly fought contest as teams will be looking to firm up their positions for the semi’s in late January 2009.
Tell us how you team went - All submissions to the blog are welcome and encouraged - send them through to Gareth for publishing.

Dec 2nd
2008

Winter Touch league - Rules for Finals Round
All teams should be aware that the race is not over until the final round of regular play - Jan 22nd. Your placing in the league will a have a big impact on your likely success (or otherwise) in the finals.
The finals round will be played as follows:
Each team will be ranked from 1 to 4 - based on their final points total after round 7.
1st will play 4th, and 2nd will play 3rd. The lowest qualifying loser of each of these games will be eliminated - so for 2nd, 3rd or 4th it could be a sudden death match.
The highest qualifying winner will proceed straight to the Grand final, with the remaining two teams meeting in a sudden death semi final.
The winner of this will then proceed to the Grand final. This rewards those who place highest in the regular competition and also encourages teams not only to avoid the wooden spoon but also push for 2nd spot.
Played over 1 night - it will consist of 4 games of 7 min halves. The highest qualifying winner will have a break in between their first and last games, so they not only have only play 2 games to win the comp but also get the added reward of a break in between matches. This serves to ensure all teams play to win all the way through the regular season.

Nov 28th
2008

The 2nd week of the Mens Rugby League saw the Meridian/TCI juggernaut notch wins 4 through 6 to remain undefeated. Levardo Talbot and Lloyd Inwards both had their first run of the season to assist in the victories. Jahmal Misick saved his best performance of the evening for a restart kick off against the England side when he timed his jump perfectly to steal the ball away from the opposition before unloading the ball for a try.
The Americas/Scotland side welcomed Codney Capron to their side and notched their first win of the season against the Barbarians. Codney’s appearance will bolster the Americas/Scotland side that was a bit lacking in numbers because of Thanksgiving Day absences. The Barbarians fought valiantly in their matches, but the injury to Captain Blair Mason and lack of recruiting left them with no substitutes and the fresh legs of the other sides left them on back foot in the later minutes of each game. Jamie Tait was heard to comment if only you lazy girls would come to my training sessions we could last till full time.
The match of the evening came as the Meridian/TCI squad battled England in their final match. England lead 2–1 at half time and appeared in control of the match. However an explosive start by the Meridian/TCI side saw two quick tries by Gareth Butler and Dean Griffith tie the score. Both sides then battled without score for several minutes until a chip and chase by Dean Griffith put Meridian/TCI ahead. England quickly responded with Simon Bevis dribbling the ball down the sideline for what appeared to be an apparent try. However the try saving effort by Keith Burant was all for naught as the Meridian side failed to recover in defense and England pulled to within one. The Meridian/TCI side quickly regrouped and retained possession and scored two unanswered tries. Chris Davies chip and try in the dying seconds was too little too late.
The conclusion of round two sees Meridian/TCI out in the lead with England in a solid 2nd place. The race for 3rd is tight with Americas/Scotland registering their first win of the tournament and pushing themselves up to the Barbarians who failed to trouble the scorers last night.
Dean Griffith continues to lead the try scorers list but a strong showing from Codney on his first outing will ensue this is a tight race. Blair’s injury has curtailed the strong start he made last week, and it’s good to see the spread of tries amongst the playing base — 30 players have dotted down so far in only 2 rounds with 95 being scored in total. First time try scorers last night included; Codney, Jules, Richard, Ryan, Fraser, Graham, Mark, Samer and Lloyd. With 2 more rounds scheduled before Xmas now is the time for the teams to get some good points on the board and put themselves in a position to capitalize in the new year.
Contributions to the clubs blog are welcome — please send your comments through to Gareth Butler for submission and posting.

Nov 26th
2008

Round two of the Winter Touch league kicks off tomorrow night. The debrief from the first round will be complete by now with strategies formed to counter the pace of Dean, the guile of Chris Davies and the erratic running of Ben Gearing. America/Scotland welcomes the return of Ryan Elliot and the introduction of draftee Codney Capron to turn out for the America/Scotland side. This will give a new look to the side that struggled by all accounts last Thursday. Look for them to turn the tables on each of their tormentors from last week. The Baa Baas will be hoping they are not caught napping early again this week, and also welcome back Samer Hakoura from injury to their starting lineup. Meridian/TCI will look to finish stronger than they did in the opening round.
A couple of players are carrying injuries with Tuesday’s session taking its toll on calf and ankles. So can Meridian TCI hold its early lead or will America/Scotland storm through the pack? England looked solid last week under the tutelage of Simon Taylor and the whisper was they spent all Friday on the emails reviewing and planning strategy. With the likely unavailability of Neil French let’s see if this results in tries on the board tomorrow.
Captains need to be getting their sides organized today – with entry fee of $300 due tomorrow. Get down their early and let’s get an early start in with lights/camera/action at 6:10pm!!! Rumor has it there will be a Weekly News sports reporter attending as well so you might even make the paper.
Good luck, and remember to keep count of who scored what tries! Captain need to send Gareth a list of this on Friday for records.

Nov 21st
2008

Touch League
The Opening round of the Winter Touch League saw a great turnout from all sides with competitive matches enjoyed by all.
Meridian/TCI caught the Baa Baas napping early to record up a 9 – 4 win first up whilst Great Britain ran in 5 tries to America/Scotland’s solitary effort.
A lot of settling was required from all teams as new combinations were tried and tested, and adjustments to the rules for many was required. The larger amount of space on the field was exploited with the chip and chase employed by all to good effect. Dean Griffith showed he has not last any of his pace from last year with an opening bag of 7 tries for the night. Pace out wide will be a factor in the future rounds as the space on the field is being utilized well by many, and not so well by others.
The second matches saw Meridian prevail over America/Scotland in a scrappy match 6 – 2 with Fraser Dods marshalling his troops to good effect in the middle. Ryan Elliot’ s much needed return will add further options to the American side that lacked for pace out wide. A much more even result was seen in the clash between Baa Baas and Great Britain with the men in black edging out a competitive Baa Baas side 6 – 5.
Lastly, the Baa Baas recovered to put 5 tries to 1 on a fading Americas/Scotland side, whilst a tight match ensued between a fired up GB team and the Meridian/TCI Marauders. Some aggressive defense and strong running by the Simon Taylor led Great Britain side saw play mostly concentrated in the Meridian half, with a runaway try to Dean Griffith matched by an enterprising score to Simon Bevis, employing his trademark dribble and chase. A late try to Jahmal Misick who went around a surprised Neil French sealed a 2 – 1 victory for Meridian/TCI in the dying seconds. Whilst Jahmal’s recent efforts on the golf course have not accentuated his fitness, he still has a remarkable turn of pace that Neil had obviously not seen before.
All in all, a good start to the league with each team no doubts engaging in a lot of post match debriefing and planning of strategies to counter/exploit what they saw last night for round two next week.
Remember to get out there and get your sponsors on board as the $300 entry fee needs to be paid by next week.
Juniors is on again tomorrow morning 9am in for not mango reef so lest get down there and support Jamie in his efforts to bring the younger players through. This is where the pace that many teams are lacking is coming from so get down there and see if you can spot/recruit the next Dean or Pete Baker.

Nov 20th
2008

Winter Touch League Commences Tonight!
Tonight the long awaited winter touch league kicks off at the National Stadium. Games start at 6:10pm sharp
with Meridian/TCI Marauders up against the Barbarians, and AmeriScot taking on Great Britain.
Both should be great clashes so get your teams organized, and down there early so that shirts can be handed out, etc.
Players with shirts from the previous league should bring these down tonight to be handed to the new teams.
We only have 60 min’s to get the 3 games in so it’s critical that we run on time.
Captains keep track of the score and your tryscorers so these can be collated at the end of each game.
Once you have your sponsors let me know so they can be acknowledged. Jim will be collecting each teams $300 entry fee tonight.
Good luck!

Nov 19th
2008

Touch League kicks off tomorrow
You will have all been aware of the teams you are in now so Captains, make sure you start rounding up your squads, securing sponsorship (or collecting money from players) and preparing for the opening Round 1 tomorrow night. Once you have a named sponsor, let your friendly P.R.O. know so they can start being recognized.
Games start at 6:10pm sharp as soon as the lights are on so get your team down early and get them ready for an on time start. We only have 60 min’s of lights with 3 games to get through so each team needs to be organized.

Round 1: 20-Nov	Field One			Field Two
6:10	Meridian / TCI	vs	Baa Baas	Americas/Scotland	vs	Great Britain
6:30	Meridian / TCI	vs	Americas/Scotland	Baa Baas	vs	Great Britain
6:50	Baa Baas	vs	Americas/Scotland	Meridian / TCI	vs	Great Britain

Nov 13th
2008

Thoughts from the Pitch - Gareth Butler

A big thanks to those who came down on Tuesday with their money, and to Stitch (in absentia) and Pierre for providing beverages. Remember your cash tonight! No pay no play!
Sponsorship is slowly starting to roll in, so get out there and keep knocking on those doors.
The more money we can bring into the club the sooner we can get onto our own grass and get the clubhouse up and running.
Remember tonight we have the photographer down there, so bring down your TCI rugby shirts and immortalize yourself in print.
Also Jamie will be running Juniors on the beach Saturday morning and really does require assistance to make these sessions worthwhile. 3 coaches trying to look after 50+ kids does not work.
We need the club membership to step forward and lend a hand. Its only 90 min’s out of your morning, and the assistance is greatly appreciated by both Jamie and the kids.
So 9am this Saturday in front of Mango Reef . Let’s see some of the experienced boys come on down and pass on the knowledge.

Nov 12th
2008

Sponsorship Information Gareth Butler

The TCIRFU is pleased to announce that Meridian Trust has signed up as the first Platinum Sponsor for the 2008/09 season. Jim will be receiving a $4000 check to deposit into club funds. You will have already seen the Meridian Trust logo on the homepage which is just one of the many items that the various packages offer. To see the various items available visit the Sponsorship page of the club’s websiteand click on the .pdf file that is there.

As an example Meridian has now obtained the following until Dec 31st 2009:
2 tickets to the 2009 Presidents Dinner
4 tickets to the 2009 Oval Ball
A full page ad in the Match program for all domestic matches in 2009
A banner on the website homepage
A banner on a secondary navigated page on the rugby website
Naming rights to a seniors touch strip strip to be provided by Meridian for one tournament
Naming rights to a juniors touch strip strip to be provided by Meridian for one tournament

The more money we can bring in, the faster we will get the goals of the club achieved. So I encourage you all to approach your own organizations, employers and other wider community groups to find out whether they will be willing and able to assist the club grow, and develop rugby in the TCI. A financially viable club is a successful club, and the sooner we can get our pitch and, ultimately the clubhouse, finished, the sooner we can start hosting regular matches, tours and local competitions.