Castrol Strikers back with a bang

Castrol Strikers volleyball club, after completing a successful weekend by their own standards are now beginning to see rewards for the hard and dedicated work they have been putting in over the past two years.

The female team should not be taken lightly
The female team should not be taken lightly

As one of the longest standing local volleyball clubs, which was formed in the mid 90’s, Castrol Strikers found itself without a male or female team competing in local tournaments between 2012 and 2013. However, through a concerted effort by past members, the club embarked on a drive to revive their once dominant male and female teams. With a mixture of limited experience and mostly fresh players, the team began a rebuilding phase in late 2014 and have been finding it difficult to bring the club back to its former glory.

In what may be deemed a change of fortune or reward for their hard work, both the male and female teams managed to take home second place honours in the recently concluded, Demerara Volleyball Association (DVA), senior club tournament held over the past weekend at the National Gymnasium.

In an invited comment from the head coach, Rodney Fredericks, he quickly pointed out his respect for the dedication the players have shown to practice as he pointed out that on most practice nights, he easily sees a minimum or 20 to 30 players. Fredericks also went on to point out that in another twist of fortune, the club has managed to rekindle the long standing relationship with its original sponsor, Guyoil, who have pledged to once again stand by the club as its main sponsor.

Moving forward, Fredericks intends to extend the club even further to include a junior team as he outlined that in order for the team to remain successful and vibrant, the school system is the only place capable of feeding him with players.

Looking forward to the 2017 season, Castrol will continue to be dedicated with its training and hopes to continue building on their recent success with the aim of having the number one; male, female and junior (male and female) teams in the near future.