Jai Signs take the crown at Hikers Hockey Festival
The Jai Signs team celebrating their Championship win
Nine 7-a-side Hockey Teams converged on the Everest Cricket Club Ground on Monday last for the return of the Hikers Hockey Club Demerara Mutual 7-A-Side Mixed Festival.
Although the matches required 7 players, each team included 10 players from various clubs across Guyana, with a minimum of two women on each team.
At the end of a packed day of hockey action, Jai Signs prevailed in the keenly contested final to champion the Hockey Festival.
The tournament opened on Monday morning with Jai Signs edging INet 1-0, while, on the second court, Coles got past Germans by the same margin. Muse defeated Brand-It 1-0, Sensodyne got past Dyrock 2-1, Jai Signs enjoyed a second win over Coles by a 3-0 margin, while Gift-Box thumped Germans 3-1.
Next, Muse got past Dyrock 1-0, Brand-It edged Sensodyne 2-1, Germans and Inet held each other to a 1-1 draw, Gift-Box eased past Coles 2-1, Dyrock and Brand-It drew 2-2, and Sensodyne narrowly got past Muse 3-2.
As the day went on, Inet and Coles played to a 1-1 draw, while clashes between Jai Signs and Gift-Box, Germans and Jai Signs, and Gift-Box and Inet all finished 2-1 in favour of the former.
In the Top Six playoffs, Jai Signs thumped Sensodyne 4-1, Germans defeated Brand-It 3-0, Gift-Box overcame Germans 3-2, Gift Box defeated Sensodyne by a similar 3-2 margin, while Muse and Gift- Box had a 1-all draw.
Eventually, it was Jai Signs and Gift-Box who booked their spot in the final. There, Jabez Walters netted in the 14th minute for Jai Signs, while Randy Hope made it a 2-0 game 3 minutes later.
With Gift-Box failing to find the back of the net, Jai Signs secured the Hikers Championship with the 2-0 win.
Lennox Carrol of the Gift-Box team was adjudged the most valuable player (MVP) of the tournament, while Jai Signs Captain Kareem McKenzie was named best keeper/defender.
This was the third staging of the tournament by the Hikers Hockey Club.
Demerara Mutual, Banks DIH’s Guinness, Trophy Stall, Jai Signs, INET, Gift-Box, Coles Printing, Sensodyne, Muse, Germans, Dyrock, Brand-It, Mother’s Kitchen, C Mobile and LeZo Logistics were among the tournament’s many sponsors.
