TORTOLA - The British Virgin Islands Under-17 women's soccer team will debut in the preliminary rounds of the FIFA World Cup qualifier in Haiti, from Monday to Nov. 6. The team departs the territory on Saturday.

The team - comprising players from Virgin Gorda's Bregado Flax Educational Center and Robinson O'Neal Memorial Primary School as well as Elmore Stoutt and St. Georges High Schools - will face host Haiti on Monday, the Bahamas on Wednesday and the Cayman Islands on Nov. 6.

"This team is young, but have been practicing hard for this competition," coach Vincent "Nabu" Samuels said. "They have had a few tune-ups in Antigua and against our boys team and they have shown great improvement."

Player roster

Bregado Flax: Sapphire Flax, Laverne Fahie, Keliene Smith, Tahirah Bascombe, Dalia Sonny, Orechael Anthony, Tacora Morgan and Gabrielle Williams

Robinson O'Neal School: Demika Charles

Elmore Stoutt High: Victoria Medley Parkins, Deidra Samuel, Tevern David and Kimone Mills

St. Georges High: Sadie Annatole and Murcella Gordon

Management Team: Avanell "Clarky" Morton, BVIFA official; Mary Phillips, manager; Vincent Samuel, head coach; Glen Bascombe, assistant coach; Jeffrey Demming, goalkeeper coach/trainer; Tania Medley, Physiotherapist

Chaperones: Shereen Flax-Charles and Dianne Mills

Sugar Boys trim Hairoun Stars, 2-1

In a closely fought BVI Football Association League match between two Virgin Gorda-based teams, the Sugar Boys bested the Hairoun Stars, 2-1. Hairoun Stars took the lead in the 17th minute on a legger by veteran Caswell Pondt. Four minutes later, the Sugar Boys equalized the match with a Derrol Redhead strike as the teams played to a 1-1 halftime draw. Six minutes into the second half, Hairoun's Arthur Hicks scored a fine solo effort that turned out to be the game winner.

Ball Stars tie Panthers, 4-4

The Panthers raced to a 3-0 lead over the Ball Stars - a squad that was compiled largely from the BVI U-17 national team - which stormed back and settled for a 4-4 tie. Goals from John Samuel in the 27th and 40th minutes, sandwiched between a Giddon Prince effort in the 34th minute, established a 3-0 advantage.

The Ball Stars were able to inch back into the game through a penalty from Andreas Norford in the 44th frame. Carlos Septus added a second goal six minutes later before the Panthers made it 4-2 on Horace Cole's score in the 84th.

Septus grabbed his second goal of the night, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Then the Panthers' vain hopes of securing the much-needed three points to keep the pressure on the league-leading Islanders were dashed when Wendell Anthony haplessly put the ball into his own net to secure a valuable point for the Ball Stars and ending the game in a 4-4 draw.

Cedar School's 7-year reignin BVI Schools Regatta ends

Dontae Hodge put up five bullets in nine races to put an end to Cedar School's Royal BVI Yacht Club's Back to School Regatta reign, leading St. Georges School to the title in the event that attracted a record 32 participants from nine different schools.

"The racing was as close as ever," coach Chris Waters said of the event that attracted sailors ranging from 5 to 18 years of age competing in the Laser, Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and Optimist classes. "We had five races in the morning with shifty 13- to 17-knot breezes coming out of the southeast."

Hodge battled it out with longtime BVI sailor Jamie Bibby, who was representing the furthest away of all the schools, Hawaii Pacific.

Sam Morrell dropped two bullets to win two of his five starts in the Optimist class, which was the largest division with 14 participants.

In the Green fleet, Montessori's Prince David Archer, pairing with Nathan Haycraft of First Impressions in the double-handed boat, snatched top honors.

Royal BVI Yacht Club introducing new event

On Nov. 14, the Royal BVI Yacht Club will introduce a new event that it hopes will become an annual fixture on their calendar. This event, officials said, is open to all persuasions of boaters be they stinkpotter, fisherman, cruising or racing sailor.

The event, dubbed the Sir Francis Drake Treasure Hunt, will take the form of a cruise around the better dining establishments of the good knight's eponymous channel, with goodies to be collected at each during the course of the day. There will be a grand prize draw at the club for all participants who return within the allotted time limit with evidence of having visited each stop.

Captain of Sailing Guy Eldridge has thrown out a challenge to those who can't hoist sails without becoming competitive, and producing the best corrected time around the course. Start time for sailboats is at 10 a.m. just off the Royal BVI Yacht Club, and the rest can set their own schedule.

Entry fee is $100 and will include two dinner tickets. Half the entry fee will go toward prizes. Registration for the event will be on Nov. 13 at the Royal BVI Yacht Club, starting at 6:30 p.m.

- Dean Greenaway is a Daily News correspondent based on Tortola.