Blistering start for Hikers, Old Fort men’s teams
“A” and Old Fort ‘A’ men’s teams got off to blistering starts as the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph National Indoor Hockey Championships got cracking Monday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
GCC were caught in the propellers in both matches as the Hikers ‘A’ reminded GCC ‘B’ of their junior status with a 7-1 licking while Old Fort ‘A’ exacted sweet revenge by 5-3 over GCC ‘A’ in a dual between last year’s finalists.
GCC Tigers ladies upstaged their junior counterparts the GCC Spartans by 3-2 in the lone ladies fixture while Western Dragons got the better of the Carib Degenerates by 6-2 in the men’s B division.
The nailbiter of the evening came in the final clash between the GCC ‘A’ and Old Fort ‘A’ with the latter clearly determined to improve on their recent poor showing at the Banks Night Hockey Championships.
The lightning quick Aderemi ‘Dove’ Simon broke free in the GCC circle to test the nets with his first goal for Old Fort in the 13th minute.
National defender Dwayne Scott seemed determined however to match Simon with some damage of his own as he chalked up two quick goals in the 19th and 20th minute to give his side the lead at the end of the half.
The Simon versus Scott show continued as Simon outpaced the GCC left defence to whip in his second of the match four minutes after resumption and Scott responded in like manner one minute later to push the score to 3-2 in GCC’s favour.
Jason DeSantos finally get into the act with a double of his own and giving his team the lead in the 34th minute before Simon stamped an exclamation mark on the victory by completing his hat trick on the buzzer and pulling off the 5-3 Old Fort win.
With GCC ‘B’ making a bold claim by being the only ‘B’ side to compete in the ‘A’ division, the Hikers ‘A’ took the responsibility of putting them in their place with a 7-1 massacre.
Both Robert France and Devin Munroe registered hat-tricks in the match while Jerry Bell added a single.
GCC’s lone goal came at the end of the first half through Andrew Xavier.
Western Dragons took on the Carib Degenerates in the lone ‘B’ division fixture of the evening and made their journey to the city most worthwhile by exacting a 6-2 beating.
Selwyn Brandt was the Dragon with the hattrick while Downs Austin, Andy Sampson and Deon Carew each added singles. Brian Asregado and Gregory Sills managed to register one each in the Degenerates losing effort.
The ladies clash of the evening matched the Flora GCC Tigers against their junior counterparts the GCC Spartans.
While the Tigers amassed a 3-0 lead by the 23rd minute through a double by Captain Sonia Jardine and a single by Ulrica Sutherland, Spartans Captain Trisha Woodroffe would register two of her own in the second half to pull her team back within one. It was too little too late for the Spartans however as the powerful Tigers held them off with the 3-2 win at the final whistle.
The competition continues this evening with five matches, opening with GCC coming up against Hikers in the Under-19 division, Spartan will battle Hikers in a ladies clash, Dragons will take on Old Fort ‘B’ in the second division, GCC’A’ will take on their ‘B’ team and Old Fort ‘A’ will clash with Hikers ‘A’ in a clash of the heavyweights.
Bully off is at 18:00 hours.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Hockey Board will launch this year’s Diamond Mineral Water International Hockey Festival today at Georgetown Cricket Club pavilion starting at 11am.
Officials of the Board as well as sponsors will brief the media on plans for the upcoming Festival.
