GCC Elite, Pepsi Hikers reign supreme at Diamond Jubilee Cup

Following four days of thrilling, high-level hockey action, two blockbuster clashes were scheduled for the Guyana National Stadium at Providence on Monday night as the curtains came down on the Guyana Hockey Board’s (GHB’s) Diamond Jubilee Cup.
When the dust settled at the East Bank Demerara venue, it was the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Elite Women and Pepsi Hikers’ Men who took home top honours in convincing fashion.
The women’s final took centre stage first, featuring an unbeaten GCC Elite and Hikers’ Women, who had been seeking revenge for a 10-0 loss against the same opponent earlier in the competition.

Rebecca Ferreira wasted no time in stamping GCC Elite’s authority with a strike in the very first minute of the women’s final. Alana Chung pushed the lead to 2-0 in the 14th before Hikers’ Maria Munroe gave her side some hope of equalising with a goal in the 19th minute.
However, GCC’s dominance was not to be contained as a Gabriella Xavier goal in the 26th and a converted penalty corner from Abosaide Cadogan just before halftime extended the lead to 4-1 by the break.
In the second half, Cadogan completed her treble in the 38th and 43rd minutes while Princessa Wilkie added another in the 32nd. Ferreira and Chung both sealed their braces in the 58th minute, resulting in a 9-1 victory for GCC Elite.

Old Fort Top Form brought an exciting challenge to the Pepsi Hikers in the men’s final, but ultimately the Hikers’ experience showed through in their 4-2 triumph.
Shane Samuels got the ball rolling in the fifth minute, and Robert France found the nets in the 28th for Pepsi Hikers’ 2-0 lead at the half. Old Fort Form showed some fight in the second half with goals from Omar Hopkinson and Nkosi Saul in the 36th and 50th minutes, but it was a little too late as Samuels completed his brace in the 36th, in addition to a Trumaine Cole strike in the 47th, which handed the Pepsi Hikers a comfortable win.
While Old Fort Inferno’s Carolyn Deane was adjudged Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the women’s division, Pepsi Hikers’ Jamarj Assanah was hailed as the men’s MVP.