Defending men’s champions Old Fort stayed on course for championship honours when they scored a 2-1 win over Georgetown Cricket Club ‘A’ in the clash of the first division top teams as play in the GT&T sponsored National Indoor Championship hockey tournament continued Monday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
The reigning champions came from behind after Alan Fernandes sent GCC into the lead five minutes into the second half after the teams were scoreless at the end of the first session.
However, the lead was short-lived following a strike by Canadian-based Jonathan Roberts who converted a penalty corner for Old Fort one minute later.
As both teams excited the crowd with a display of fine attacking and defending skills, goalkeepers Gregory Garroway for GCC and Tony Cole for Old Fort drew the biggest cheers with several spectacular saves before Roberts found the back of the net for the second time with a low flick from a penalty corner on the stroke of the final buzzer.
In the other first division clash, Everest Hikers exacted revenge of their loss to GCC A by hammering the Bourda-based “B” team 7 -2.
Shane Samuels and Captain Devin Munroe both registered hat tricks for the Hikers while Quillon Williams added a single.
Shaka Henry and Philip Fernandes scored the goals for GCC B.
In the men’s second division competition Old Fort and Dragons A continued their unbeaten runs by squashing Hikers and Dragons B respectively.
Terence Shaw scored a double for Old Fort in their 4-2 victory over the Hikers with Tony Cole and Delon Williams added one each while Quillon Williams and Andrew Stuart scored for Everest.
In the clash of Dragons, Deon Branford scored a hatrick, Deon Carew a double and Selwyn Brandt, Adrian Sampson and Jermain Murray one each for Dragons A who demolished their B counterparts by 8-3. Dowes Austin made a bold attempt for Dragons B by scoring all three of their goals.
In the lone ladies clash, newcomers Western Dragons bowed to the Hikers by 8 goals to 1.
Veterans Amanda Garnett with 4 goals, Maria Munroe with 3 and Cora Towler with 1 were on fire for the Hikers while the lone Dragons goal came off the stick of Carol Caine.
Old Fort now leads the first division table with 6 points and needs to secure a win or draw against Hikers on Friday to guarantee a spot in Sunday’s final. GCC A and Hikers follow with three points each and both need wins to make the final while GCC B has yet to secure points.
Dragons A top the second division pool with 9 points followed by Old Fort on 6 and Hikers on 3. Neither the Degenerates nor Dragons B have any points so far.
The ladies division finds the GCC Tigers and Hikers dead-even on 6 points while Dragons are yet to secure their first point of the competition.
Matches continue this evening with GCC ladies opposing Dragons from 18:00 hours, Dragons 2 will face Degenerates and Old Fort ‘B’ will tackle Dragons 1 in the second division matches at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
The tournament is being used to select the local teams for the upcoming Diamond Mineral Water International Indoor Festival to be staged later this month at the Sports Hall.
Already teams from Trinidad and Tobago, Canada and the United States have confirmed their participation.
