The second Caribbean Hockey Cup which was slated for Jamaica next month, has been postponed and may now take place next year, president of the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB), Philip Fernandes confirmed yesterday.
Fernandes disclosed that the GHB received information from the Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) notifying the local body of the postponement due to the inability of the Jamaica Hockey Federation to secure funding for the event.
“Information coming out of the Jamaican Hockey Federation is that they have been promised the funding by their government agency for a future date which is likely to be early in 2010,” Fernandes said.
According to the local hockey board president, the news has greatly disappointed the national men’s and women’s players who were preparing for the event over the past several months.
The Board earlier this year called up two squads to train for the tournament and had reduced both squads in anticipation for the regional championships.
However, Fernandes said he has made a decision to continue their national programme, with the focus being on the next opportunities on the PAHF calendar.
“The men will therefore continue their preparation toward the Simon Bolivar Cup in Caracas, Venezuela scheduled for October 16 – 25 2009. The last time that a men’s team competed in Venezuela was during the Alba Games in April 2007 where Guyana took away the Bronze medals” Fernandes said.
The ladies team will shift their focus to the inaugural Hermanas Mirabal Cup in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from November 21st – 29th 2009 he also disclosed.
Both upcoming tournaments are sanctioned by the Pan American Hockey Federation and providing the results are good enough may earn Guyana a coveted invitation to the CAC Games in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico scheduled for July 2010.
The inaugural Caribbean Hockey Cup was staged two years ago and attracted both male and female teams from the English-speaking hockey nations, such as Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Guyana men won the bronze medal while the female team performed creditably even though they failed to secure a medal. Fernandes disclosed that both male and female squads will continue to play in the Mr. Toppers Indoor six-a-side hockey tournament currently being played at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
