The Premiership in England is in its opening stages and so too is the top flight in Cayman.
The Cayman Islands Football Association staged the opening trio of matches in the Cayman Premier League over the weekend. The G.Haig Bodden field in Bodden Town would serve as host venue on Sunday night. Interestingly the matches were originally slated for Ed Bush field but due to the current string of violent crimes, the contests were moved out of West Bay.
Scholars International Sports Club faced Cayman Athletic Sports Club, Tigers Football Club battled Bodden Town Football Club and George Town Sports Club took on Future Sports Club. Going forward, all of the sides offer a variety of story lines.
Scholars are a new-look club with a number of changes this offseason. The head turners include the addition of former national team player Thomas Elliot and current star Mark Ebanks along with 2010 player of the year Carson Fagan and former Tigers player Nahun Rodriguez. All join up with West Bay star Dan Kelly and should make Scholars a contender for all of the major titles this year.
Cayman Athletic are newly promoted from the First Division. Coach Gillie Seymour saw much of his roster change this summer and time will tell if the squad can remain among Cayman’s top sides.
George Town start their campaign with early kudos by winning their second straight Charity Shield this month. Attacking players Tex Whitelocke and Justin Pierre were the heros in this year’s contest and need to keep GT’s offence strong throughout the season for a chance at a top four finish. George Town are known as slow starters but the addition of Brit Paul Smith might change that fact.
West Bay club Future have a point to prove this season. The league’s least impressive offence on paper last year, the squad has to score goals to stay in the Premier League. Offence also figures to be an issue for Tigers this year without Rodriguez.
A team hoping to capitalize on those situations is Bodden Town. Last year the side produced a sterling third place finish behind budding stars Charlo McLean, Arvid Harris and Kareem James. With much of the core in place, Bodden Town should be contenders again in 2011.
Of course attention should be paid to the other Premier League teams, especially Elite Sports Club. The reigning champions have much of their squad intact including Jairo Sanchez and Abijah Rivers.
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