Guyana’s hockey ladies begin CAC qualification journey

The Guyana Women’s Hockey Team, ranked #66 in the world, were scheduled to face the #49-ranked Puerto Rico in their opening clash yesterday (Thursday 14th April) in Hamilton, Bermuda.
The team is participating in the 2022 Central American & Caribbean (CAC) Games qualifiers in an effort to secure a spot in the 2023 CAC Games scheduled for June of that year in San Salvador, El Salvador.
The Guyanese side held a practice session on the artificial pitch on Wednesday, which was the first ever for some of the young players in the team. Head Coach Philip Fernandes explained that it was a difficult practice, as all that the team learned on grass needed now to be adjusted to the significantly faster artificial pitch on which international matches are played.
Guyana has the youngest team in the competition with six teenagers and eight debutantes, but Fernandes is confident they can perform at this level. The head coach stated that he would have been supremely confident if the tournament was being contested on grass, but indicated that the adjustment to the artificial surface is always the unknown factor. He indicated that the team having to go through this adjustment on the eve of every tournament is the biggest challenge to success.
Guyana remains the only hockey-playing nation without an artificial pitch to compete in the region, and possibly the world.
The team follows its match against favourites Puerto Rico with a clash against hosts Bermuda on Saturday 16th April at 5:00pm, and completes its matches against Jamaica on Sunday April 17th at 2:00pm. The top two teams based on the accumulation of points will secure berths to the 2023 CAC Games.