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When they boarded the plane bound for Martinique last weekend to compete in a major five-a-side rugby tournament, the players on the Poissons Clowns team didn’t really know what to expect. “We didn’t know the other teams, and we weren’t necessarily going there to win,” confirms captain Paul Bessière. It seems that uncertainty can be a good thing. Because the Barracudas veterans returned to Saint Barth with the winner’s shield.
The tournament brought together 28 teams from the Caribbean and French Guiana under a simple, friendly format focused on the joy of the game. Matches were played on half a field in two five-minute periods, five-on-five, with no contact other than a touch. “This format is starting to catch on,” says Paul Bessière. Another unique feature is the mixed-gender teams, with no real restrictions on the age of the players. “Even though it’s usually the over-35s who play,” notes the captain of the Poissons Clowns. In any case, the format worked out quite well for the Saint-Barth representatives!
The Poissons Clowns won all their matches. “Everyone got to start and be part of the fun,” says Paul Bessière happily. “It was fun and good-natured.” Not to mention the surprise—and sometimes the pleasure—for the veterans of reuniting with former opponents from Guadeloupe, Martinique, or French Guiana. A highly successful debut for the organizers, who aim to establish a major Antilles-Guyana tournament under this format.
The Poisson Clowns’ Tournament Run
• Group stage match (2x5 min) against:
- Kourou (French Guiana) 2-2
- ?Goyave (Guadeloupe) 8-0
- Le Moule (Guadeloupe) 7-1
- ?La Trinité (Martinique) 5-1
- ?La Gauloise (Martinique) 3-2
• Round of 16 (2x5 min)
- Saint-François 2 (Guadeloupe) 4-1
• Quarterfinals (1x7 min)
- Les Islets (Martinique) 4-1
• Semifinals (1x7 min)
- Saint-François 1 (Guadeloupe) 2-0
• Final (1x7 min)
- La Trinité (Martinique) 6-1
