Sports

MARIGOT—The 5th Annual Course de L’Alliance will take place from Friday November 28 to Sunday November 30 2008 organisers have announced.

A pensive hue consumed the O.A Shirley Track and Field Complex in Tortola as athletes from the Caribbean warmed up for the BVI Track and Field Invitational Classic. Many athletes sat beneath the pavilion enduring the relatively warm conditions and pondering the potential outcome of their event. Present at this meet was Anguilla’s own Denvil “Skywalker” Ruan.

The National Bank of Anguilla Tennis Invitational was a monumental success according to the Organizing Committee Chairman Mr. Mark Phaup. The tournament was designed to compliment the opening of the Anguilla Tennis Academy’s facility on May 23. The tournament itself was mostly finished on May 25 but due to people travelling, some of the adult categories had to be finished at later dates.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Wave Ruler’s volunteer football team tried hard to win against Anguilla’s National Team on Tuesday 17 June, but it was a doomed dream. The average age of the British team was considerably more than that of the Anguillian players and the final score, twelve to one to the home team, reflected the age difference.

Last weekend Arthur Ward and Denvil Ruan traveled to Puerto Rico to compete in the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational at the Carolina Track and Filed Stadium. Arthur competed in the triple jump and Denvil competed in the long jump and 100meter dash.

There is much excitement in table tennis among school children and adults in Anguilla. This followed the recent competition held for children as well as adults by the Sports Department, an arm of the Ministry of Social Development.

The AFFL season came to an end on Sunday June 8, with the Super Stars winning the Knockout tournament. It was an extremely exciting game in which the League Champions, The Shining Stars, led the entire game until their opponents scored with only one minute to go.

All those interested in having their children play in the 2008 ATA Summer Programme are encouraged to visit www.anguillatennis.com and register their children’s names online. This will mark the second year that the Summer Programme will be held at the new facility in Blowing Point.

The doors of the Anguilla Tennis Academy finally opened on Friday, May 23 at 6 pm. To kick off the opening, the very first tournament was held that night and throughout the weekend in which many players from Anguilla and Sint Maarten participated. The opening ceremony was carried live by Radio Anguilla and Kool FM and many turned out for the momentous celebration.

The AFA Anguilla National Football Team (Senior Male) is on a high after its commendable performance against El Salvador at the FIFA Qualifying World Cup Match held in Washington DC last month.

They’ve raised the money and are going!
Three young sailors from the Anguilla Youth Sailing Club (AYSC) will be representing Anguilla at the 2008 Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta in St Thomas, in June. Excitement amongst the AYSC students is high!

By Penny Legg

Last year’s West End Cup Champions, Temenos, took on newcomers CuisinArt Resort and Spa, in a thrilling race that had spectators cheering along Rendezvous Bay beach as each team, on board the spectacular 12 metre racing yachts, battled it out to win the coveted trophy.

The Anguilla Eels Rugby Football Club played with grit and determination but were no match for the formidable Les Barracudas Rugby Club from Saint Barthelemy, losing 11 trys to 5 trys. Mind you, the Barracudas have been in existence for over 20 years, while our Eels are mere elvers in the Caribbean rugby scene...but from small elvers grow mighty eels.

“It went great!” says Peter Parles, President of the Anguilla Sailing Association (ASA), commenting on the Anguilla Regatta which took place over the weekend of 9 -11 May. Boats registered all over the world, from Hobart to London, took part in a series of races for Local Racing Sloops, Cruising, Spinnaker, Multihull and Open Class Yachts.

At the Skipper’s Briefing on Thursday 8 May at Roy’s Bayside Grill, David De Vries, from St Martin Yacht Club, said that the Anguilla Regatta, held at Road Bay over the weekend of 9 – 11 May 2008, ‘aimed to be a nice, friendly Caribbean Regatta.’
The Battle of the Banks, the highly anticipated race between the Caribbean Commercial Bank and the National Bank of Anguilla, promised to put this assertion to the test. Each crew, members of staff of the respective banks, was charged with enthusiasm and the will to do their best to bring home glory.

The Anguilla Tae Kwondo Club held its second bi-annual grading exams this year at the Road School on Monday 5th and Saturday 10th May 2007. The exams were presided over by Grand Master Shin. One Student Judani Hughes, the son of Dr and Mrs Franklyn Hughes, was promoted to the rank of 1st Dan Black Belt.

One of the interesting features of the Anguilla Yacht Regatta is the Second Annual West End Cup 12-metre race. The event is scheduled to begin on Saturday, May 10, at 9 o’clock at Sandy Ground, several hours prior to the Battle of the Banks competition, another component of the fun-filled regatta.

Fun Day kicked off this year with all the teams, led by Ras Bucket, paraded around the James Ronald Webster Park. Cap Juluca, The Anguilla Pro Cricket Team, Legal, Police, Cable and Wireless, Fire Department, Caribbean Commercial Bank and ANGLEC comprised the teams set to compete in many fun events throughout the day.

The second annual Central Christian School Charity Golf Tournament commenced on time Saturday, April 26 at the Temenos Golf Club. One hundred Golfers began to tee off at 9:30 a.m. and finished around 2:00 pm. As seen in many articles leading up to the event, the purpose of the tournament was to raise funds for the construction of a new primary school that will be located in The Quarter. Last year’s event raised US $57,000 and this year much money was raised.

The Anguilla Yacht Regatta, now in its sixth year, is scheduled for May 9, 10 and 11. It includes the Battle of the Banks, a keen competition involving sailing teams from the Caribbean Commercial Bank, holder of the trophy for the past two years, and the National Bank of Anguilla which is determined to regain the championship title.

The captains of both teams and some of their members, along with Matt Tremble of the Board of Directors of the Anguilla Sailing Association, held a press briefing on Tuesday, April 29, to discuss the May 10 12-metre race between the two indigenous banks.

Mr. Tremble reported that the current winning records for the banks were CCB, which pilots True North 4, three wins and NBA which pilots Stars and Stripes, two wins. “Both teams have become accustomed to their vessels and I don’t think they want to change at this time and point,” he stated. “Caribbean Commercial Bank is ahead by one race so this year National Bank of Anguilla can even the score but only time will tell. The race is scheduled for 3.00 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, so cross your fingers for good weather.”

Cleo Hamm, CCB’s Research and Advertising Officer, who filled in for Myrna Sasso, captain of True North 4, described the competition as being “friendly rivalry.” He said boat-racing was an Anguillian tradition and his bank was “very proud to be part of such an event.” He added: “Like our boat’s name that’s where we are heading – always to the top. So far we have 25 people ready to get on the boat.”

Romare Kelsick, Head of Data Processing at NBA, and captain of Stars & Stripes, commented that like his CCB opponents, “Our tactic is to win by any means necessary.” He observed that the model yacht trophy had been at CCB for two consecutive years. “It looks rather strange to me because I have not seen it for sometime so it is really time to bring this trophy home. The Stars & Stripes along with our crew at NBA will definitely be redeeming ourselves this year because, as our motto says, ‘we are more than banking’ and one thing we hate to do is to lose. We always try to be the best in everything and we will be taking that same spirit into the race.”

The three-hour race, which starts and ends at Sandy Ground, will cover a distance of 26 nautical miles. The boats, stationed in St. Maarten, are meticulously maintained on a daily basis and are among the most used pleasure vessels in the region for cruises.

Matt Tremble explained: “The boats and crews are equally matched for the banks’ challenge race and the only difference on the day of the race will be the people manning the boats, how well they pay attention, how quickly they can crank and the response time. The difference is in the crew.”

He said the route for the general yacht regatta including the banks’ competition was called the “Beach Jam Course.” That is because “it brings the boats into the western beaches where there are some of the larger hotels so visitors to the island can also be involved in the race as spectators.”

Mr. Tremble added: “We would like to thank everyone involved in the Anguilla Sailing Association which in turn raises funds for the Anguilla Youth Sailing Club. That’s why we are doing this so that we can teach the national sport in Anguilla to the island’s youth.”