The Buccaneers Rugby Club is pleased to announce its regular Boxing Day seven-a-side rugby tournament. The games will be played this Saturday at the Winton Rugby Pitch, and this year, the club has decided to name the tournament in memory of Sean Neville.

The tournament kicks off about 12 noon, which is expected to be affected by the Junkanoo parade. It finishes before night falls, in time for the trophy presentations. There is expected to be a lot of refreshments available.

"Seven-a-side rugby is tough," said one of the tournament organizers through a press release. "There are only seven players on each team and with the whole pitch to cover, speed, experience and serious fitness are essential."

The Buccaneers have held this tournament on Boxing Day for quite a while, and as the club has been around for over 50 years, so the tournament has become a part of Christmas for the rugby community. Players and supporters arrive to the games from Junkanoo, many of the players in particular struggling to get around the pitch, but the spectators seem to find quite a bit to cheer about. Over the years, the proceeds have been donated to various charities including the Hardacre Clinic and children's homes. This year, the club wishes to support Neville's daughter who brought him so much happiness.

"Sean was always the consummate sportsman, an amazing athlete," stated the press release. "He ran track with some of his records at St. Andrew's School still intact. He was the starting guard when they won the Father Marcian Peters Basketball Championship, and he also played baseball with Freedom Farm."

Neville also represented The Bahamas in swimming at the CARIFTA level, and at the CCCAN (Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation) Championships, bringing home relay medals from both. He was an avid fisherman, as he mastered a boat at an early age and enjoyed spearfishing and wakeboarding. Soccer was his major sport, representing The Bahamas at all age levels, and he played National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I soccer with North Carolina State University. He was always grateful to Adidas who sponsored his visit to Germany for trials with Bayern Munich and Werder Brennen.

Neville first played seven-a-side rugby in 1999, with a team co-founded by Dorian Roach, and along with friends such as Ryan, Ray, Damian (Sean's brother), Cameron, Jono and Phil. Collectively, they were known as the "Drunk Monks." They won the tournament, beating The Tribune in the final and the report in the newspapers quoted Dorian as saying, "Sean really surprised a lot of people including us. We did not realize how fast he was and how good a rugby player he was."
It was also reported that, "Neville scored the first try of the second half when he got around the outside and out-ran the whole Tribune team."

The same "Drunk Monks" team went on to win the 2000 Soccer in the Sand Tournament at Blackbeard's Cay. They have also managed to win a few more seven-a-side trophies since then.

"Sean worked with Cavalier Construction Company for six years. He believed that they taught him so much he was able to start his own construction business, which had become very successful," stated the press release. "He devoted his time to work and his daughter Skylah. Sean could walk into a room and his infectious smile would light up the whole place. He was very generous and helped numerous people, quietly, without fanfare. He had a huge heart and was loved by so many."

Neville's family is extending gratitude to the Buccaneers Rugby Club for keeping Sean Neville's memory alive, and also for offering to donate the proceeds to Skylah's future education.

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