After two months, the champions of the Guyana Hockey Board/ Smalta u-14 indoor hockey league will be decided tonight at the Marian Academy court, Carifesta Avenue.
Playing in two categories (boys and girls), the semi-finals and finals will be played
Marian Academy will see the first ever champions of the U-14
from 16:00h with two matches being played at the same time.
In the boys division, the battle for supremacy amongst the two Saints Hockey Club (SHC) teams see SHC Scalpels and SHC Samurai paired for a chance to make it into the finals. Scalpels would feel confident of their chances to dispose of their other club team having finished on top of the table undefeated while Samurai will have a point to prove after making it in fourth position.
In the other semi-final, St. Joseph High (SJH) will come up against a resilient Hikers Hockey Club (HHC) Garnett Street as the two finished the group stage in 3rd and 2nd respectively.
Garnett Street would feel the better of the two teams heading into the match as they were victorious the last time these two teams met, however the SJH boys are a vibrant bunch and will be bringing their all and leaving nothing in the tank.
Meanwhile, in the female division, another SHC team takes to the top of the table and is booked to do battle against GCC Challengers, one of two GCC teams in the semi-finals.
In the other female semi-final, the other GCC team, Warriors will bring their A game against Marian Academy who will be tough to beat on home turf.
In the other matches, SHC Sensations will face St. Joseph High Girls’ team in the fifth place playoff while Old Fort and HHC Hatchets will take to the court to face each other with the winner facing the winner of the GCC thunderbolts and SHC Scorchers for the fifth position.
Tournament co-ordinator, Dominique De Groot has highlighted the high intensity coming from the competition and pointed out that this is all part and parcel of the GHB’s plans to have a regular influx of players moving their way up through the ranks so that there can be prepared for the senior level.
Additionally, this tournament provides the opportunity for Guyana to have a steady crop with experience to take it through to the international scene. This has long posed a problem for the locals especially at the Pan-American games but is expected to be remedied with this particular tournament.
