February is expected to be a busy month for local hockey players and officials as the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) plans to run off three tournaments including the National Indoor Champion-ships at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
President of the GHB, Philip Fernandes, disclosed that the rescheduled 2007 GT&T National Six-a-side Indoor Championships will take place from February 7-10 at the Sports Hall.
Fernandes said the tournament had been scheduled for October last year but the GHB decided to push it back at the time because most of the country’s top male and female players were training for the inaugural Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) Caribbean Hockey Cup in neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago.
He said the tournament would bring together the top local clubs with Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) defending both male and female titles. Among the teams also expected are Everest Hikers, Old Fort, Police, Western Dragons, and Carib Degenerates.
GCC and Everest Hikers have dominated the national indoor championships over the years.
Fernandes said that once the weather was favourable, the Board would run off the Farfan and Mendes men’s first division league and the John Fernandes Insurance second division men’s outdoor competitions immediately after the indoor tournament
The GHB, voted Most Improved Association at last Friday’s National Sports Commission (NSC) awards nomination, will also step up training for the National men’s Under-21 squad in preparation for the Pan American Junior championship billed for the Twin-Island Republic later this year.
The squad started training late last year under head coach Timothy McIntosh and participated in the Diamond Mineral Water International Indoor Festival at the Sports Hall with marginal success.
Fernandes said the Board would be working feverishly this year on the Junior and Women Development programmes.
He said the junior development programme is critical to the future plans of the Board and he urged clubs to also push their schools recruitment drive.
Fernandes said that Everest Hikers junior programme was on track with sessions being held every Saturday at the Club’s headquarters at Camp Road.
The Board’s Junior Summer Camp will also be held in August.
The GHB had a busy year in 2007, following the successful staging of the 4th Annual Diamond Mineral Water Indoor Festival, participation in the Caribbean Hockey Cup by both male and female national teams, and the staging of several indoor and outdoor tournaments.
Meanwhile, the Annual General Meeting of the Board will take place on February 12 at the GCC Pavilion starting at 19:00 hours.
High on the agenda are reports by the President, and Treasurer and the election of office bearers.
