Canadian team Revamp Hockey Club completed their domination of the men’s division of the Diamond Mineral Water International Indoor Hockey Festival in Guyana on Sunday evening by beating Trinidad’s Queen’s Park 4-0 in the final at the National Gymnasium, Georgetown.
In addition, the vociferous crowd was appreciative of the fact that local national champs, GCC Tigers, defeated Malvern of Trinidad in a more competitive and highly entertaining Digicel ladies’ final. In an all-Guyana Carib veterans’ final, Hickers out classed GCC 7-4, leaving Guyana with two of the three grand prizes that were at stake.
Most Valuable Player in the men’s division, Canadian international Jonathan Roberts, scored two of Revamp’s goals to lead his side to the convincing victory over a young energetic Queen’s Park. Fellow international Micah Texeira opened Revamp’s account through a well-executed penalty corner in the first half.
Roberts score his first of the match five minutes into the second half and went up by three when Jewan Bath found the back of the net with a penalty corner strike three minutes later.
Queen’s Park were more competitive than the score suggests, but men’s goal keeper-of-the-tournament Pradeep Koonar, thwarted several of their attacks to maintain a clean sheet.
Roberts then sealed the deal for Canada with his second goal in the closing minutes.
When Malvern and GCC squared off in the final, striker Kerensa Fernandes set the pace with a neat deflection off a penalty corner pass to score the first goal for the Tigers three minutes into play.
Ladies’ competition
Leading goal-scorer Krezia Layne, managed to produce a rare penalty corner goal for Malvern against the tournament’s top goalkeeper and ladies MVP, Alysa Xavier in the sixth minute.
GCC’s Trisha Woodroffe however answered one minute later with a similar penalty corner strike for GCC to maintain their one goal lead at the half.
Five minutes into the second half, captain Sonia Jardine produced a moment of brilliance in eliminating the defence down the right flank before drawing the goalkeeper and sliding her pass to Fernandes, who scored her second of the match.
At 3-1 down and time against them, Malvern opted to withdraw their goalkeeper from the court in preference of an extra field player.
The tactic changed the complexion of the game as the Tigers defence struggled with the additional pressure.
The risk however, left Malvern vulnerable in defence.
Aliyah Gordon, pounced on a loose ball after a goalmouth scramble to score her first goal of the match four minutes from full time.
Layne managed to pull one goal back for Malvern in the dying minutes but it was too late as the Tigers would hold out for the 4-2 victory and fourth title of the Festival.
The Carib veterans’ final saw the younger Hickers outrunning an aging GCC with the game all but decided at 4-1 by half time. The addition of Jerazeno Bell to the defending champions, Hickers, side put the game beyond GCC’s reach as Bell himself would score two of his team’s first half goals while Amanda Garnett and James Mentore notched the other two. GCC’s Alan Fernandes was on target with the first goal of the game in just the fourth minute but it was all Hickers for the rest of the half.
The second half belonged to former national captain and Hickers midfielder Devin whose athletic ability made him a menace for the GCC defence.
Munroe would be first to score in the second half of play before GCC would finally come alive through a Damon Woodroffe penalty corner and a Philip Fernandes field goal. Munroe then scored twice more to complete his hatrick before GCC’s Alan Fernandes scored his second of the match in the very final minute. The 7-4 victory saw the Hickers retain the veteran’s trophy.
Canada’s Jonathan Roberts and Pardeep Koonar, both of Revamp HC, were voted MVP and best goalkeeper of the men’s competition while Queen’s Park’s Nicholas Wren was highest goal-scorer.
GCC’s Alysa Xavier was the recipient of both the MVP and best goalkeeper awards for the women while Malvern’s Krezia Layne was highest goal- scorer.
In the veteran’s competition, Jerazeno Bell, making his veteran debut was voted MVP with Azad DeAbreu also of the Hickers being selected as Best goalkeeper.
GCC’s Philip Fernandes was the highest goal-scorer.
