Bounty GCC, GBTI GCC cart off prizes in Lucozade tournament

The final evening of the Lucozade Indoor Hockey Championships was enough to satisfy the greatest of thirsts for the sport. The Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) came out the big winners of the tournament with victories in three of the four finals while Old Fort secured the remaining victory in two final appearances.
In the men’s division, Bounty GCC and Old Fort squared off in the much-anticipated final. Each team had earned their place by defeating the mighty Hikers teams as GCC squeezed by the Pepsi Hikers in one semi-final and Old Fort, having a somewhat easier time, upstaged the Hikers Cadets.

The first quarter of the men’s final was almost through before the high-paced match saw its first goal off a penalty corner from GCC’s Mark Sargeant. The match shifted into high gear, however, in the second quarter as Orland Semple put GCC up by two with a penalty corner two minutes after the quarter break. Old Fort’s prolific striker Warren Williams and veteran Ascofu Simon would bring Old Fort storming back with two counterattacking field goals to level the scores at 2-2 by the half.
The second half saw GCC taking greater precautions to quell the explosive and effective Old Fort counterattacks and stifling their free-flowing attacks with a half-court defence. Former nationals Kevin Spencer and Semple would score a field goal each in the third and fourth quarters respectively to lead GCC to a 4-2 victory and the Men’s Lucozade Indoor Championships trophy.

The GBTI GCC Spartans were not prepared to leave anything to chance as they stormed out of the gates from the opening whistle to dominate the play against the Woodpecker Hikers. Ashley DeGroot opened the GBTI account with a penalty layoff shot in the fifth minute with Makeda Harding adding a deflection field goal in the second quarter to see a 2-0 lead at half time for GCC.
Tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) Alysa Xavier piled on the pressure in the third quarter with two penalty corner putback goals, taking the GCC tally to 4. With the initial shots being very well saved by the tournament’s best goalkeeper, Anesa Permaul of the Hikers, Xavier used her skills and guile to score on the deceptive putbacks.

With GCC seemingly having the game all sewn up by the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Hikers were out to prove that the game was not yet over. In a brave and gutsy display of hockey, the Hikers managed to pull two goals back in the final quarter through their top striker Latacia “China” Chung in the 31st and 37th minute. This effort, however, would not be enough to prevent the GBTI ladies from lifting the ladies’ trophy in similar fashion to the men, with a 4-2 scoreline.

In spite of their loss in the senior division, YMCA Old Fort would taste sweet victory, coincidentally by the themed 4-2 margin of the evening, over Saints Hockey Club S7N. In the reverse of the senior men’s result, Old Fort would take a 2-0 lead only to see it squandered as Saints would draw even at 2-2 in the third quarter. The inexperience of Saints, however, showed as Old Fort capitalised on a few defensive errors in the final quarter to score two more goals to finish the match.
GCC Spartans’ Sarah Klautky was the leading goalscorer for the girls’ Under-20 final and indeed the entire evening with five goals to her name against the Saints Hockey Club Conquerors. The Spartans stormed to the largest margin of victory for the evening with a 9-2 defeat of Saints. Most promising player Claysa Bobb produced two moments of brilliance to score the Conquerors’ pair of goals in an otherwise one-sided match.

Results and
accolades were as follows:
Under 20 girls:
Winners – GCC Spartans
Runners-up – SHC Conquerors
Most Promising Player – Claysa Bobb (SHC Conquerors)
Best Goalkeeper – Empress Charles (GCC Spartans)

Under 20 boys:
Winners – YMCA Old Fort
Runners-up – SHC S7N
Most Promising Player – Shakeem Fausette (SHC S7N)
Best Goalkeeper – Raoul Whittaker (SHC S7N)

Women:
Winners – GBTI GCC Spartans
Runners-up – Woodpecker Hikers
Most Valuable Player – Alysa Xavier (GBTI GCC Spartans)
Best Goalkeeper – Anesa Permaul (Woodpecker Hikers)

Men:
Winners – Bounty GCC
Runners-up – YMCA Old Fort
Most Valuable Player – Kareem McKenzie (Bounty GCC)
Best Goalkeeper – Paul D’Andrade (YMCA Old Fort)