SPORTS

Digicel Jamaica and Cayman in Gaelic Football clash

The Jamaica team did well to force a draw away from
home.


The Cayman team pose in front of the South Sound
Rugby Club

Wednesday,  October 5, 2005

There are certain sports one has come to associate with Jamaica. Athletics would be a prime example, with Jamaica taking multiple medals in almost every world-class athletics meeting out there. Football is another one, with the Reggae Boyz having become an institution in world football. Even bobsledding has its place in Jamaican sporting history. But Gaelic football? However, there was indeed a Jamaican Gaelic football team competing at the South Sound Rugby Club on 24 September, as employees of Digicel Cayman and Digicel Jamaica took each other on.

As the game has its home in Ireland, there were a couple of Irishmen in the teams, but the multinational composition of Cayman, and the Digicel workforce throughout the Caribbean, was much more evident than the inherent Irishness of the game.

The Digicel Jamaica team, widely and loudly billed as the first ever Jamaican Gaelic football team, boasted a Jamaican captain and several players from the UK, Canada and New Zealand. The Digicel Cayman team was also a collection of many of the nationalities that make up the Cayman work force.

The modern game of Gaelic football plays like a mix of football (soccer) and rugby. It is a quite distinct game from American football or Aussie rules football. Fifteen-player teams battle across a pitch using a round ball slightly smaller than its football counterpart. The ball is carried short distances, and passing is done with a kick or a “hand pass.” Play is fast, and with the speed comes an obvious risk of hard knocks, which form an integral part of the game. And unlike its American counterpart, Gaelic football is played without protective gear.

In spite of a bit of rain, Gaelic football fans found their way down to the South Sound Rugby club to enjoy an afternoon of football action. At the end of the day, the result put Cayman and Jamaica as equals, at least as far as Gaelic football is concerned. The teams played to a draw, leaving both teams relatively happy, but thinking about what they could have done to take the win outright.

“We were very pleased with the Gaelic football matches that took place and I would like to thank all the teams that participated in the day’s event at the club. I certainly hope this becomes an annual event. In addition, I would also like to thank the Triple Crown Irish Bar and O Bar for their sponsorship and support,” said John Byrne, Digicel’s Business Solutions Manager and Captain of the Cayman team.

     Back...