Bermuda Cayman
Bermuda V Cayman Youth Challenge Cup 2008 Grand Cayman
International matches
10 - 11am Cayman V Bermuda U10
11 - 12am Cayman V Bermuda U12
Sunday results U10s; Cayman were beaten by a well drilled U10 Bermuda side with Cayman only putting their side together on the day; however it was clear that in there first test they have the athletic ability to compete very well. Lee Lewis took man of the match for his all round contribution; Jack Sorrill, Alistair Forsythe and Ryan Barnett showed that we have immense forward power to harness; Alex Robertson and Simon Butler made several incisive runs and the future for the U10's next season is safe with fantastic performances from Iain Robertson and Cameron Galloway from the bench.
Over the last weekend the Cayman Islands hosted a rugby touring party from Bermuda. A party of [45] comprising [30] players in the U12 and U10 categories and their coaches and supporters arrived on Friday with the intention of initiating an annual international challenge between the two islands. The youth rugby players in Cayman have been training hard over the last couple of months for the internationals and spectators at the South Sound Ground were treated to a great weekend of action as the teams from the two islands played to the limit in a spectacular showcase end to the junior rugby season.
The weekend action was divided into tour matches on Saturday followed by full international matches at each level on Sunday. The Bermudans impressed everybody with their skills, sportsmanship and maturity. Their teams were very well drilled and the children were excellent ambassadors for their island, handing out congratulations and handshakes regardless of the results. After the games on Saturday a social event was held for the boys, coaches and parents from both islands on Seven Mile Beach and provided a nice break from the intense rivalry on the field.
The games were all very keenly contested. At the U10 level the Bermudans greater experience of competitive team play proved conclusive and they won their tour matches on Saturday easily before beating a spirited Cayman team 40 - 0 in the formal "international" fixture on Sunday. At the U12 level the Bermudans showed a lot of skill and game sense, but were facing a larger and highly committed Cayman team, which after a draw in the tour game, managed to restore Cayman pride with a very narrow victory scoring a converted try with the last play of the game to win the "international" 28 - 26. Full match reports below.
Sat game
Bermuda 21 South Sound Community Team (Cayman) 21
3 tries each side with all conversions successful. Tries scored by Nick Daniel (1) and Angel Hawkins (2). All conversions by Coilin Flynn. 3 Periods of play 20 mins, 20 mins, 15 mins.
Cayman looked to have a physically bigger side but were stunned by the ferocity of the Bermuda rucking and forward play and were on the back foot at the scrums and ruck area. Cayman found themselves trailing 21 points to 7 at the end of the first period and struggled at the breakdown area where Bermuda were dominant. The possession count was heavily in favour of Bermuda and Cayman found themselves starved of possession for most of the period which was spent tackling the opposition.
Cayman started to settle down in the second period as the forwards began to gain some parity and Cayman started to steady the scrum and dominate the line-out. Bermuda still outperformed Cayman at the breakdown but Cayman began to get parity in terms of possession and began to establish a pattern of play which involved some powerful running in the back line which eventually led to their second score which saw the second period end Bermuda 21 Cayman 14.
The third and final period was a shortened 15 minute period which saw some last minute tackles and a disallowed Cayman try due to a high hand-off. Cayman continued to grow in confidence and scored early in the third period to tie the scores at 21 points each. A draw was a fair result and there was nothing to choose between the two sides on the day.
Sun game
Bermuda 26 Cayman 28
4 tries each side with one conversion missed by Bermuda. Tries scored by Nick Daniel (1) and Angel Hawkins (3). All conversions by Coilin Flynn. 2 halves of 25 mins each .
Cayman spent an hour on pre-match training to concentrate on rucking and scrummaging to try and counteract the Bermuda dominance of yesterday. This seemed to make an immediate difference with the front row of Cody Bush, Alex McGrath and Jordan Southway dominating their opposite numbers in the very first scrum resulting in turnover ball for Cayman. Cayman also continued to dominate the lineouts with Geoff Butler and Tanner Hatch securing a number of the Bermuda throws and Cayman started to gain control of the game. Cayman dominated possession and territory and quickly established a 14 – 0 lead with two tries from Angel Hawkins. The back line of Conor Cockhill, Coilin Flynn, Nick Daniel and Angel Hawkins were outstanding in defence and kept Bermuda from crossing the gain line with some ferocious tackling. Bermuda were forced to kick to gain field position and Cameron Bridgeman constantly looked dangerous on the counterattack with some elusive running. Bermuda continued to look for good field position and spent the last 5 minutes on the Cayman try line and eventually powered over after some clever forward play and the score was Bermuda 7 – Cayman 14 at half time.
Bermuda spent the half time period in the changing room and there must have been some good coaching and motivational speaking as they came out firing on all cylinders at the start of the second half. Cayman struggled to establish their own pattern of play with the back-line being starved of possession. With the Bermudans moving up quickly in defence there were few chances for the Cayman wings, Lloyd Griffin and Chase Green, to show their running skills, but both needed to cover well and did so, making important tackles as Bermuda came back strongly. Bermuda ran in a quick try within the first 5 minutes of the second period, but crucially missed the conversion, to put themselves back in the game 12 - 14 and looked to take control of the game. However, against the run of play Cayman managed to break away and score with some good inter-passing and hard running from both forwards and backs to re-establish the lead at 21 - 12 . Bermuda never gave up and continued to get good field position and were very strong at the breakdown with some good turn-over ball which allowed them quick possession. Only some desperate last ditch tackling from Charlie Bush, Conor Cockhill and Tanner Hatch saved Cayman from conceding more points. Eventually, the well drilled Bermuda pack scored despite some some heroic tackling from the Cayman forwards, but Cayman retained a 21 – 19 lead. The heat was a telling factor and both teams began to tire but the quality of rugby and commitment shown by both teams was incredible with very few first time tackles being missed by the Cayman boys who continued to be very physical despite the heat. The Bermuda back line struggled to make any headway against a well drilled Cayman backline who were absolutely fantastic in defence so they reverted to their well drilled forwards and eventually scored with another close range effort with 4 minutes remaining. This time the conversion was successful and Bermuda enjoyed the lead for the first time in the game and the score was Bermuda 26 – Cayman 21. The last minutes of the game saw Cayman get a final burst of energy and Oleksander Martuik and Sawyer Clements carried the ball downfield for Cayman who were enjoying good field position. Cayman hammered away at the Bermuda line but couldn’t make any headway as the Bermuda defence stood firm and the game looked to be slipping away from Cayman. The ball was cleared by Bermuda and there was a Cayman line-out on the Bermuda 22m line and the referee informed the players that there was 25 seconds remaining and this was the last play of the game. Tanner Hatch won the crucial line-out ball and the ball was spread to the centre where Angel Hawkins made an amazing outside break to take on 4 or 5 defenders and score in the corner to tie the game at 26 each. With just the conversion remaining the crowd were in a frenzy as Coilin Flynn stepped up to retain his 100% kicking record and kick the winning conversion that saw Cayman win in a thrilling 28 point to 26 game.
On Saturday May 3rd the U10' Cayman team were somewhat out classed by their Bermuda ciounterparts in their first taste of Rugby under the continium guidelines. The Cayman coaches exepcet them to do better today however now that they have seen how the game can be played. In the U12 game yesterday the teams ended in a 21 - 21 tie so today promises to be an excellent encounter.
The Bermuda RU and Cayman RU are delighted to announce plans to bring Bermudan U10 and U12 teams to Cayman for a youth tournament to be held on May 3rd and 4th 2008 at the SSG.
Further talks are now underway between the two Unions to develop an annual Youth International Challenge Cup whereby the Cayman youth teams will travel to Bermuda every second year and Bermuda will travel to Cayman in the intervening years offering both unions youth's the chance to play international competition every year and sample the cultures and sights of a different country. It is hoped to have an annual international youth competition for boys and girls from the ages of under 8 to under 16.
Both Unions are currently seeking sponsorships to enable this trophy to become an established fixture in both Unions fixtures calenders. For more information contact BerCay Youth Challenge Cup
The second Maples Community tournament held on Saturday was yet again a roaring sucess with children of all age groups enjoying the day and the competition. Again at the under 14 - under 16 age group some forty boys competed in the cross island tournament.
With the announcement that Bermuda U10 and U12 teams wil be arriving on Cayman for the weekend of May 2nd - 5th for a series of matches on Saturday and Sunday all the players coaches and teams are busy preparing for this ground breaking event.
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