Bumper summer of touch rugby starts soon

By Mark Robson, CRTV

Thinking of taking it easy this summer? Not if you’ve signed up for the largest participating sports league in the Cayman Islands. The Tradeview Markets Corporate Touch Rugby League 2017 starts in June and goes all the way through until September. This year a record breaking 36 teams have signed up and over 400 players will compete in three divisions for a chance to “touch” greatness.

Touch rugby, or ‘touch’ as it is more often called, is rapidly becoming the must-play sport in the Cayman Islands. Touch is loved for its simple rules compared to the more traditional forms of rugby. Teams have three guys and three girls on the pitch at any one time. The basic principles are simple – run forwards, pass backwards and each team attempts to advance the ball up the field to score a touchdown. If you have the ball and get “touched” you have to stop and start the next phase, you get six phases or “touches” and if a touchdown is not scored then the ball gets turned over and the opposition have a go.

Now in its 15th year, the Cayman Rugby Football Union has secured the sponsorship of Tradeview Markets.

“Tradeview Markets is committed to helping the sport of rugby grow, through local sponsorships. Investing in local amateur rugby around the world allows Tradeview to make a positive impact in the community and provide support where it is really needed, rather than advertising with professional teams that don’t need the money,” said Tradeview CEO Tim Furey.

“Rugby has played a huge role in Tradeview’s phenomenal success.  Many of our staff play or coach rugby, and we recognize the positive influence the sport has had in their lives. This is our way of giving back to the sport. Our Goal is to put a “Try Tradeview” logo on every top local rugby team jersey in the world.”

The standard of play ranges across three divisions from highly competitive to extremely social so there is a level that suits everyone. The Premier League will largely comprise of those teams with experienced players. Last year’s Champions, Genesis Five Nations, will be looking to defend their title. The Invitational League is a standard just below that of the Premier League but make no mistake this will be a tough division full of players that like to throw the ball around and score tries. The third tier or Social Division is for those teams that take the sport less seriously or are relatively inexperienced.

Matches start in June and run five nights a week (and some Super Saturdays) through September with the Grand Finals day on Saturday 9 September 2017.

Teams this year include: KPMG1, KPMG2, IT Outsource, DMS, Kensington, MUFG Investor Services, Walkers Iguanas, Walkers Hatchlings, Harmonic, Fund Fiduciary Partners Under 16s, Queensgate, Estera, Collas Crill, Grant Thornton, Rawlinson & Hunter, Highbury, Maples 1, Maples 2, PwC, GCM, Genesis Five Nations, CML Nova, EY, Aon United, Heineken Red Stars, Island Heritage, Intertrust, Campbells, FTI, Island Air, DART, Delta, the Giants U15s (still looking for a sponsor if anyone is interested, contact the rugby club) and WDM Ltd.

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