SPORTS

West Bay rejoices over win against Triple C

The Triple C team

The West Bay team

Wednesday, June 30, 2004

West Bay has been having a distinguished run in football and recently they secured yet another title to add to the numerous championships they have secured over the last four years.

When the girls defeated Triple C 2-0 in the primary school final on Monday, 21 June, it was the second time in four years they had captured that title. West Bay won the inaugural tournament in 2001. That four year period has produced encouraging signs for the development of female football on Grand Cayman. The final between Triple C and West Bay was entertaining and it was obvious the girls on both teams were not simply kicking the ball but were executing a plan in a very structured setting. West Bay put together a more complete game on the day but Triple C had nothing to be ashamed of as there was plenty of talent on display among their girls as well.

Amber Evans distinguished herself as a dangerous attacker and made several penetrative moves on West Bay’s goal. It was to the credit of West Bay’s mid field and defense that the danger was averted on each occasion. Nicole Crance played a key role in defense for Triple C, particularly in the first half which was dominated by the West Bay girls.

Manager/coach of the West Bay team Rhuel Smith identified the strong defense as one of the critical factors in the success of the girls. According to Smith, who is also a teacher at West Bay, the girls play a style similar to the boys.

“We usually score by capitalizing on the break,” Smith explained.

The West Bay management structure also includes Roy “Hooter” Ebanks, the technical manager and Sara Orrett who shares the coaching duties with Smith.

In addition to the two championships won by the girls, West Bay has dominated boys’ football over the past two seasons. In the 2002-03 season they won the A league, placed second in the B and won the rally. Then in 2003-04 competition they repeated as league champions while Cayman Prep won the B division and George Town Primary the rally.

The noticeable improvement in girls’ football was also seen this season in the performance of teams like East End in reaching the semi finals and George Town. George Town won two out of three matches played and looked set to cruise into the semi finals when they conceded the final group match to Savannah.

Under the direction of physical education teacher Ronnie Roach, the chairman of the organising committee, it is expected the sport will continue to grow and there will be an increasing number of girls exposed to competition. Hopefully, we can all look forward to the day when, like the boys in football and cricket, the girls will also get the opportunity to showcase their talent in a one day rally.

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