Jamaican heritage takes Gloucester friends to U19 tournament
Jamaican RFU reaches out to young players with Jamaican heritage to improve the sport's appeal on the Caribbean Island.
When the Jamaica Rugby Football Union reached out to young players with a Jamaican heritage to improve the appeal of the sport on the Caribbean island, three Gloucestershire friends wanted to get involved.
Kingston was hosting a Rugby Americas North U19 tournament, and their home team had come last when they previously took part and were seeded last for the upcoming contest. What they needed was to put on a good display at home at the University of the West Indies to encourage more of the island’s young people to play rugby.
Ethan Rowlands plays back row for Matson RFC. His Jamaican grandfather, James (Rob) Johnson, settled in the UK aged 18 some 60 years ago. Ethan played at his club, for Gloucestershire RFU and in the Gloucester Academy with Diontay King, who plays centre. They both went to Hartpury College and their friend, winger Renelle Martin, who plays at Longlevens RFC, was also in the Gloucester Academy with them. Diontay’s father Marlon King lives in Kingston, Jamaica and had not seen Diontay for 16 years, this was the first time he had been able to cheer him on from the sideline while representing his country and Renelle’s father Prince Martin, who lives in the UK, was born there.
Support from rugby and family
After trials at Beckenham RFC and a training session at St Peter’s School, Gloucester, where Diontay and Renelle are in the sixth form, the three friends were invited to be part of the Jamaica U19 squad. They raised their air fares through Go Fund Me pages thanks to support from the rugby family, as well as family and friends. The Jamaican Union paid for everything else.
The Gloucestershire boys were not the only recruits as the team included a few more UK based players, a player from France, a player from Canada and even a player from Dubai to stand alongside the local talent.
The team did remarkably well and dramatically improved their fortunes playing their way through to the final of the tournament which included teams from USA South, which covers three American states, the Cayman Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda, and Mexico.
Ethan's dad, Chris, who is head of mini and junior at Matson, as well as their Safeguarding Officer and Webmaster, decided to head out there to support the team and was delighted with their performance.
“I decided to go out and support him and the team but didn’t tell him," he said. "I dropped Ethan at Gatwick and then followed him out a few days later and surprised him at the venue. We all got pretty excited at their success, and we are all immensely proud of them, it was amazing to reach the final, but USA South, a very established outfit, took the title."
Understanding heritage
Running out to represent their country of heritage was a very special experience for the youngsters and Chris believes the welcoming environment from the local players helped with that.
“It was a tremendous experience for Ethan, Diontay and Renelle," he said. "They gained a lot of confidence as they acclimatised ready for the tournament and running out to represent the country of their heritage was very special. The local players really welcomed the international players, some of which are of mixed heritage. It was very inclusive, and they earned a huge amount of respect from the players and supporters alike throughout the tournament. It was really enriching.”
“I learned so much about Jamaica and my heritage and got an understanding I would otherwise never have had," said Ethan. "Now I want to take my Jamaica shirt to my grandad’s grave as I know he would be very proud. As a squad we formed a really strong bond and I’d love that to continue and to keep my Jamaican connections going.”
"It's been a huge privilege to be able to represent Jamaica," said Diontay. "I've really enjoyed spending time with my dad and all of the family there. Knowing how proud both my family there and back in the UK are of us makes this very special to me. This is just the start; we all hope to build on our successful debuts and continue to represent Jamiaca and encourage more local people to take up the sport."
"It was an amazing opportunity to play rugby in Jamaica alongside friends," said Renelle. "Having my parents and brother in the country as well as our Jamaica based family on the side line to support us all was awesome. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to represent my Dad’s home country and to everyone that donated and made this a reality for us all.”
