AFTER a hiatus from the regional game due to funding, head coach of the Women’s Rugby Sevens team, Elwin Chase has indicated that the selected unit for the 2015 North American Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Caribbean Championships and Olympic Qualifiers has the potential to return Guyana to the helm of the sport.“I know with the right sets of funding, continuity in terms of funding, playing and every other important ingredient that we may need, Guyana can run women’s rugby in the Caribbean (again) and I always believe that.
“I’m very confident, I always believe in them,” Chase said. He indicated that the weather has not been on the side of training and while the team is not up to the intended fitness level, they can still produce a good showing at the tournament.
The coach knows they are going to be up against stiff competition but that does not change the mood in the camp which is currently jolly.
President Greene acknowledged the amount of work in the space of time that the ladies have covered and was visibly impressed. “The women have answered the call and through the dedicated efforts of coach Elwin Chase, he has managed to mould the team which is a combination of experience and youth into something I would describe at this time as formidable and capable of being as good as they get.
Remember these women are three-time champions. Lack of finances has caused them to be sidelined unnecessarily. But this year should be the beginning of the new renewed interest in the women’s programme,’ Greene opined
Even at this time, funding continues to be the problem on the distaff end of things and while the men will be comfortable, the ladies may be forced to cut corners.
This, Greene explained, is due to the fact that a promise of G$4M (US$20 000) from the previous government has not been fulfilled.
When quizzed, Greene said he had not met with the current administration to see if they can fulfil the promise made but they will try to do such before the team departs on Monday morning.
The team reads: Carrin Carter as captain, Collette Hope, Sabola Grey, Carren Skeete, Andrea Lashley, Tricia Munroe, Helen Jarvis, Alicia Blackman, Cloetta Dublin, Olana Reece, Alanna Fraser and Ashanti Carrington. Chase is the coach while Petal Adams is the team manager and Abiola Blair is the physiotherapist.
The ladies are in Pool B with the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico while Pool A has the United States of America, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica and Barbados. The ladies open their tournament with a game against Trinidad and Tobago at the Koka Booth stadium before they play Mexico later and close off against the Bahamas.

By Stephan Sookram