GHB selects final 18 for Rio de Janeiro

Following the Guyana national ladies hockey squad’s recent weekend training camp in Trinidad, the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) selectors concluded their selection of the final 18 players to comprise the national team. The team is expected to compete in the PAHF (Pan American Hockey Federation) Challenge in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the end of the month. The inaugural PAHF Challenge begins on July 30 with the final being played on August 7.

The squad has been preparing since March at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue, the GCC ground and, more recently, for a few mornings at the National Stadium at Providence. Since all international hockey matches are played on artificial pitches, every effort has been made by the GHB to afford the team training time on the best grass surfaces locally. The National Gymnasium, which is similar to international surfaces, has also been used for practice.

This is the inaugural PAHF Challenge, which is a competition that was introduced to the international calendar to select teams for participation in the PAHF World Cup qualifier, the PAHF Cup. The next PAHF Cup is being held in 2013 and the region’s top six teams-Argentina, Chile, U. S. A., Canada, Trinidad and Mexico-have already qualified. The top two teams in the PAHF Challenge will be invited to fill the final two spots in the eight-team PAHF Cup to compete for a World Cup spot.

Teams for the PAHF Challenge include Guyana, hosts Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bermuda. According to the tournament schedule posted on the official website (www. panamhockey. org), Guyana faces Paraguay in their opening match on July 31, followed by Brazil on August 1, Bermuda on August 3, and finally Uruguay on August 6.

After the pool round, teams will contest the final placement matches on August 7, including the final. Of the teams in the tournament, Guyana has played only Brazil and Bermuda before. They lost all three matches against Brazil in 2005 and drew with Bermuda at the CAC Games in 2010. Uruguay is the favourite for the tournament, while Paraguay is the lowest seeded team. The PAHF Challenge also includes a men’s competition, but due to the high cost of participation, Guyana did not send a team.

The full ladies team reads: Goalkeepers – Jonelle Webster and Alysa Xavier; Defenders – Ulrica Sutherland (vice- captain), Marzana Fiedtkou, Talia Fiedtkou, Vashema Bourne, Marisha Rodrigues, Tiffany Solomon; Midfielders – Trisha Woodroffe, Maria Munroe, Leigh Sandison, Chantelle Fernandes (captain) and Gabriella Xavier; Strikers – Avonda James, Ashley DeGroot, Dominique DeGroot, Amanda Garnett and Kerensa Fernandes.