After a successful 2010-11 season, Kavallieri return to the pitch tomorrow for the Ray Elliot Cup where they will play Overseas.

The match, the season’s curtain-raiser, will prove to be a credible litmus test for Kavallieri as some of their seasoned campaigners have now stepped down due to retirement, injury or personal commitments.

In fact, Kavallieri will be relying on a practically new team this season as Daniel Grima, Sean Doublesin, Adrian Bartolo, Ishmael Borg, Chris Vassallo, Graham Attard and Samuel and Kristian Zammit all decided to stop while injuries are set to delay the return of Josef Zahra, Dario Schembri, Mark Cortis, Roderick Attard and Daryl Psaila.

The Ray Elliot Cup will have special significance for Kavallieri as Rhys Elliot, son of the late Ray Elliot, is among an array of new signings the Malta champions made in the off-season.

Last month, a newly-elected committee discussed team matters during an annual general meeting at the clubhouse in Ħamrun.

One of the more important announcements was that the technical staff will be composed of no fewer than 12 coaches this year, a testimony to Kavallieri’s commitment to rugby development and growth.

Terenzio de Benedictis takes on the role of Head Coach and Director of Rugby. He brings his expertise as a Level 3 coach and experiences at top clubs like Serie A1 Aquila RFC and the Italian U-16 national team.

De Benedictis’s novel squad at Kavallieri includes newcomer Vinicius Ebram Fiore, who played for Brazil’s Sevens team. He will also coach the backs.

Darren Lamon takes on the role of Community Coach.

The Kavallieri committee is composed of Brian Miller (president), Mariella Camilleri (secretary), Pierre Mangion (vice-president), David Borg (technical manager), Sergio Degabriele (treasurer), Tony Sammut (PRO) and members Josef Vassallo and Edward Cassar Torregiani.

One may obtain more details on the club by e-mailing kavallierisecretary@gmail.com or by phoning 99496808.