19th Diamond Mineral Water Hockey Festival serves off today

The 19th edition of the Diamond Mineral Water Hockey Festival is set to serve off today, November 30, at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue in Georgetown.
Fifteen teams are set to compete across 4 divisions.
This year’s tournament will see competition in the Men’s, Women’s, Veterans Over-35 and Masters Over-45 categories, each carrying its own sponsor.
At the simple launch on Wednesday morning at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), Bourda, Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) Vice-President Tricia Fiedtkou addressed the absence of some teams from the competition, but disclosed the international flare the festival would carry.
“We understand that circumstances can change, and teams may need to make difficult decisions. This has not dampened our spirits; we will, however, remain optimistic that the participating teams will showcase their skills and determination to make this tournament a memorable one,” Fiedtkou shared about the late withdrawals of a number of teams.

Turning her attention to the international competitors, she revealed, “Furthermore, we are privileged to have the Trinidad & Tobago Police women’s team and the Trinidad & Tobago combined Over-45 Masters team joining us from overseas. The Masters Over-45 are quite a new addition, and we have been quite excited how this will go in future. Their presence adds an international flair to the competition and enriches the camaraderie among players from various backgrounds.”
The Demerara Distillers’ Limited (DDL), under their Diamond Mineral Water brand, have been with the festival since its inception, and will continue to do so, given its successful trajectory, according to DDL Brand Manager Larry Wills.
Wills shared, “We’re very thrilled and happy to be here as a platinum sponsor, Diamond Mineral Water, for this tournament for the 19th year. We have been with this tournament from the inception, and we are pretty happy and comfortable with the way the tournament is organized and executed.

“The Diamond Mineral Water Hockey tournament gives local teams the opportunity to showcase their skills against those international teams from across the Caribbean and so forth. So, it helps to build our Hockey here in Guyana, and it’s something we’re very, very happy about,” the DDL Brand Manager went on to state.
Sharing remarks on behalf of the women’s sponsor, ExxonMobil Community Relations Advisor Ryan Hoppie revealed that the festival fits into the company’s investment target areas.
“It’s great to be supporting Hockey once again. ExxonMobil is especially proud to be a sponsor of this event once again, as it fosters the camaraderie we have seen throughout the various initiatives that we’ve had with youths across Guyana, but also it creates a platform to showcase the athletic excellence of our sportswomen in Guyana as they compete against peers in other parts of the Caribbean,” Hoppie remarked.
He divulged, “This is part of our ongoing social investment in communities as we strive to direct our sponsorship in specific (focal) areas that are targeting youth throughout our country, and we are especially grateful to the Guyana Hockey Board for allowing us this opportunity.”
The festival will bully off at 17:00hrs today, with GCC Vintage and Old Fort Generals in action in the first game, a part of the Masters Over-45 category. That will be followed by a Women’s division clash between Spice and TT Police, while Antonio’s Hikers and Old Fort Expendables go head-to-head in the Over-35 category next.
Then GBTI GCC and Saints will duke it out, while Pepsi Hikers and YMCA Old Fort battle in the Men’s division.
The final match scheduled for the night will be a face-of between Bounty GCC and Saints, also in the Men’s Category.
The tournament is set to conclude on Sunday, December 3, with games commencing at 13:00hrs on Friday and the weekend.