“Best brand of hockey”- Fernandes impressed with Diamond Jubilee Cup

Pepsi Hikers Men and Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Elite Women were the last two teams standing in what was a highly competitive Diamond Jubilee Cup, hosted by the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, last week.
The competition attracted 8 clubs across divisions, producing five days of avid Hockey action at what was described as the ‘premier’ venue for the outdoor version of the sport.
As the curtains came down on the competition, Evening News Sport caught up with GHB President Philip Fernandes, who shared his thoughts on the competition.
Fernandes told this publication, “This was a tournament that the players really looked forward to. We haven’t had outdoor Hockey in quite a while; we struggle a lot with the lack of facilities, and then, with the Diamond Jubilee celebration, we got the opportunity to play, not just at a facility but at a fantastic facility.

“To play at this stadium, under lights, it really brings out the best of everybody,” he said. “I think the players were excited to play, I think the talent was showcased well, and we had a really enjoyable tournament of Hockey here.”
Fernandes went on to emphasise the difference that the venue made in the competition.
“Well, the game is completely different on a good field because, remember, internationally, the game is played on artificial surfaces which are absolutely smooth, flat and this surface is the closest thing to that. So, it makes for the best brand of hockey,” the GHB President shared.
Looking at the teams’ performances, the GHB Boss was happy to see the youth players coming to the fore in the senior competition.
“Right now, we’re at a stage where a lot of the clubs have had rebuilding programmes. We had a good junior national competition that has been developing children from the under-14 age group. That started several years ago, and we’re reaping the benefits of that now because kids that we first saw playing as 11- and 12-year-olds are now playing really high-quality hockey,” he explained.
Fernandes added, “We could see that, as you said, in Old Fort especially and then Saints, where you have young players playing at a really high level, and it’s shown. So, it’s good competition for the young and the old.”

Addressing teams such as the GC Elite Women who blew out all of their competitors, Fernandes discussed their need to now compete at a higher level.
“I think what has happened, they have been the top club for a while, so, as you can see, they have good margins of victory. So, they need now to challenge themselves further afield,” the GHB President stated. “So, they’re actually preparing to go to Trinidad in July to play in a championship over there against teams coming from North America, around the Caribbean and so on.”
That gives them incentive to push on. Hopefully, when they go, they raise the level of hockey; they bring it back to Guyana, and the other clubs also will learn from their experience. Apart from the local competition, there needs to be constant exposure internationally,” Fernandes further explained.
While Pepsi Hikers and GCC Elite won the men’s and women’s divisions, respectively, Jamarj Assanah and Carolyn Deane were the respective MVPs.