Hikers veterans pulverize competition 5-1

GCC veterans crushed Hikers veterans 5-1 when the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB)/Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) National Indoor Hockey Championships continued at the National Gymnasium on Wednesday.

Phillip Fernandes opened the GCC account in the second minute, lashing home a strike from the top of the arc after collecting a pass from penalty corner recipient Allan Fernandes.

P. Fernandes would double GCC’s lead eight minutes later as he found the back of the net with a penalty corner conversion into the roof of the goal. The hat trick would be completed three minutes later with a thunderous left-sided strike to the top right hand corner of the net.

The Hikers defence would be breached once again two minutes into the second stanza, as A. Fernandes found the back of the net in the 17th minute with a simple tap-in right down the middle of the framework.

P. Fernandes’ helmet trick would be completed in the 21st minute as he skilfully guided his left sided strike right down the middle of the goal while backing the woodwork after being picked out by a brilliant Damon Woodroffe pass from outside the target area.

Hikers would grab a consolation goal in the 22nd minute as Devin Munroe smashed home his effort right down the centre of the goal from a penalty corner.

In other results, Hikers led by a Robert France helmet trick in the 12th, 28th, 31st and 40th minutes edged Hikers Cadets 6-5 in their first division game.  Shane Samuels and Travon Younge netted for the winners in the 19th and 34th minutes respectively.

Aroydy Branford led the losers with a helmet of his own in the seventh, 16th, 17th and 39th minutes while Hilton Chester netted in the 37th minutes.

Continuing in the same category, Old Fort and GCC played to a 2-2 stalemate. Tony Cole and Dwight Sullivan scored for Old Fort in the 16th and 35th minutes respectively while Steven Xavier and Raphael DeGroot netted for GCC in the 26th and 38th minutes respectively.

In the ladies division, Hikers Divas powered by hat tricks from Marisha Rodrigues in the eight, 14th and 25th minutes and Cora Towler in the fourth, 16th and 30th minutes schooled Old Fort Heats 11-0.

Further strikes from Avonda James in the 13th and 23rd minutes and  Latoya Fordyce, Kenisha Wills and Amanda Garnett in the seventh, 11th and 26th minutes respectively completed the huge win.

GCC Tigers blanked Hikers Revelations 6-0 in the second ladies matchup compliments of doubles from Sonia Jardine in the second and fourth minutes and Trisha Woodroffe in the 19th and 21st minutes.

Tiffany Solomon and Shabiki Baptiste sealed the win with strikes in the 10th and 27th minutes respectively.

In the earlier veterans fixture, a James Mentore hat trick in the fourth, fifth and sixth minutes respectively piloted Hikers to a 8-5 defeat of Old Fort.

Further goals from Robert Fernandes in the 10th and 14th minutes, Sheldon Corlette in the eighth and 30th minutes and Munroe in the 25th minute completed the win.

Dwayne Alleyne led Old Fort with a double in the 12th and 16th minutes while Sonia Gordon, Ivor Thompson and Ian Nicholson netted in the 23rd, 28th and 29th minutes respectively.