Sports
BVI banking on home crowd support for “difficult” game with Puerto Rico
BVI coach Chris Kiwomya
(JTV News) — Coach of the BVI men’s national team, Chris Kiwomya, said the upcoming match between the BVI and Puerto will be a difficult game because most of the players on the opponent’s team are professionals.
The CONCACAF Nations League match is scheduled to take place on March 23 at the A.O. Shirley Recreation Grounds in Road Town.
Kick-off time is 3 p.m.
According to a press release from the BVI Football Association, “this is the final game in this season’s Nation League, with the BVI’s last home game a 1-1 draw with the Cayman Islands. That result was repeated in the reverse fixture and then the BVI went to Puerto Rico, where they suffered a 0-6 defeat”.
Coach Kiwomya hopes that the gap will be reduced when the BVI and Puerto Rico meet again.
“It’s going to be a difficult game, obviously,” Kiwomya was quoted as saying in the press release. “Puerto Rico are a very talented team with strong players in all areas on the pitch, but we have been working hard and recently held a training camp in Florida, which was excellent, a really good motivation for the players and where I got to see a lot of the players for the first time in a long time.”
He added: “We spoke about how we wanted to approach the game and the players took it on board. We’ve got some good young players in the under-20s and under-17s who are coming forward so hopefully, I will be able to try and give them opportunities in the national team when the time is right. We’ll be looking for the support of the BVI fans and all the people in the Territory to come and support the team. They got right behind the team when we played the Caymans, and they created a really wonderful atmosphere.”
According to the release, Kiwomya said vociferous home support will help the team play even better and that the players did the BVI proud, which they will do again when Puerto Rico comes to town.
“They are 39 places ahead of us in the FIFA rankings and are a team full of professionals who will be technically better than us, but they won’t have bigger hearts than us and if we have more legs than them on the day, with a large crowd behind us, being our 12th man, then when they come to our place we can show that the gap between us is shrinking, so let’s get a big a crowd as possible there and I look forward to seeing everyone on the day and doing our best to make you proud,” he explained.
Regarding home crowd support, senior player Tyler Forbes echoed similar sentiments.
He said in the release: “This is a whole new game, a whole new team, and a new system, so I think it’s very important that we’re not undermined. There are a lot of people I know who are coming from the UK and from all over to watch the game. My mum’s going to come to watch the game, and I feel like we deserve that crowd, like when we played Cayman, to come down again, and you know when I was on the pitch and I felt like I couldn’t run that extra 10 yards, the crowd cheering us on made me know that I can run another 10 yards or even more. So, I feel like that’s a big part of the game and we need that excitement and level of support.”
Troy Caesar, who missed the game against Puerto Rico, but featured in the home game against Cayman after a long period of unavailability, and is now captain of the team, also hopes for a large crowd at the A.O. Shirley.
“The crowd, the community, the whole of the British Virgin Islands, my co-workers, everyone plays a big part. They are our 12th man on the field, they bring that energy, they bring the spirit and we need to get that support because we all know that it’s going to be a tough and competitive game. The energy we get from that crowd gives us a lift and keeps us going for 90 minutes.”
According to the release, tickets are now on sale and available from the BVI Office in East End/Long Look as well as the CCT main office across from the Fire Station.
They cost just $10 for adults and $5 for children. aged 5-12.
The British Virgin Islands Barracudas Swim Team returned from the 2024 Virgin Islands Swimming Federation (VISF) Short Course Championships in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, with 47 individual medals along with three second-place relay finishes, a vast improvement from last year’s 20 medals.
“We’re incredibly proud of the Barracudas’ achievements this year,” said a team representative. “Our swimmers put in the hard work, achieving 55 personal best times, and showing immense growth with more than double last year’s medal count. Their dedication is paying off.”
The team’s success was especially evident among its youngest swimmers, with many trying new events and demonstrating advanced techniques for the first time. Swimmers as young as eight made a mark, excelling in events like breaststroke pullouts and flip turns—a challenging feat given the team’s limited access to training facilities with regulation flags and pools back home.
Leading the charge, eight-year-old Skylar Steer clinched first place in five events, including the 25m Freestyle (20.14) and 100m Freestyle (1:37.15). Teammate Naya Bissoondutt also delivered top results, securing two first-place finishes in the 8 & Under category, while fellow swimmer William Vergel placed on the podium in three events, underscoring the young team’s depth of skill and potential.
The Barracudas’ relay teams also performed admirably, with the Mixed 8 & Under Medley and Freestyle Relay teams both taking second-place finishes, adding to the team’s impressive medal count.
Older team members brought in strong results as well, with Kyrique Matthew in the Boys 11-12 category capturing first in four events, including the 100m Freestyle (1:25.26) and the 200m Breaststroke (4:06.46). Princess Samantha Vergel and Amaury Rosan-Jones also contributed significantly in their respective age categories.
“We are immensely grateful to everyone who helped make this meet possible,” noted the team, extending thanks to the VISF, event officials, supportive parents, and sponsors, including Aquatic Rentals VI, ATU, Island Shipping, John Duncan, and Nanny Cay, where the team was able to train in preparation for the championships.
Reflecting on the team’s progress, a Barracudas representative remarked, “The hard work and dedication of our swimmers has truly shone through. We are extremely proud of their achievements and look forward to more success in the future. This accomplishment is the result of a strong community effort.”
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Team BVI faced a tough battle in Puerto Rico, suffering a 51-27 defeat against Rugby Puerto Rico in an International Test Match held on Saturday, September 28 at Polideportivo Rebekah Colberg.
Team BVI’s lineup for the match included Luke Saltonstall, Burt Woodley, Stuart Cullen, Roan Thornton, Rob Lind, Tom Chapman, Issac Dawson, Jordan Ringland, Sam Thompson, Mark Wells, Jayden Williams, and Jaleel Cameron. Although they fought hard, Puerto Rico’s disciplined play proved too much for BVI to overcome.
The British Virgin Islands (BVI) archery team has returned home with 2 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze medals from the 2024 WAAm Caribbean Development Championship, held in Kingston, Jamaica. The event, which took place from September 18 to 22, gathered top talent from across the Caribbean and beyond.
Kellyann Tillac and Naomi Onwufuju each secured a gold medal, while Keandre Matthew, Javelin Frett, and Kellyann Tillac (who won two silvers) brought home four silver medals. The BVI also claimed three bronze medals, with Keandre Matthew earning two and Keyara Smith securing one.
The BVI squad, consisting of both beginner and developmental archers, competed against athletes from several regional heavyweights, including Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.
The competition featured athletes across multiple categories. Representing the BVI in the Recurve Beginner Under 15 Men category was Matthew Keandré, while David Persaud competed in the Recurve Developmental Men category. In the Compound Beginner Under 15 Women category, Kasadiyah Baird competed alongside Naomi Onwufuju and Keyara Smith, who took part in the Compound Developmental Under 18 Women category. Javlyn Frett also competed in the Compound Developmental Women category, with Kellyann Tillack rounding out the squad in the Recurve Beginner Under 18 Women category.
Guided by coaches Ritseeniyah Georges and Patrick Smith, the BVI archers showed significant growth throughout the championship.
Jamaica, the host nation, fielded the largest team with 34 members, and the competition also saw strong participation from countries like the Bahamas, Guyana, the US Virgin Islands, and the United States. The high calibre of competition made the BVI’s medal haul even more remarkable, as the event brought together some of the region’s best archers.
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