Hikers Generals were crowned the Kellogg’s first division champions when they came from behind to defeat Hikers Cadets 4-3 in a pulsating finale as the Bryden’s Super Classic Indoor Hockey Championships concluded on Sunday at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.
Defeated by their precocious understudy in a preliminary encounter by a 5-2 score line, Hikers Generals would concede the early lead in the ninth minute to Cadet’s Jamarj Assanah’s strike from a short corner.
Cadets would double their lead one minute later through a moment of individual brilliance by Assanah that would bring the crowd to their feet. Receiving the ball on the left flank in his opponent’s defensive third, the wily forward, upon driving into the shooting arc, evaded the diving Generals custodian before finishing with authority.
Stunned by their current predicament, Generals fell further behind as Assanah completed his hat-trick with a low strike in the 14th minute. However, Generals would begin the comeback in the 18th minute through a Shane Samuels effort on the right side.
Generals would cut the deficit to one on the stroke of half-time with Captain Robert France etching his name on the scorer’s sheet with a strike in the 20th minute.
Resuming hostilities in the second period, the experienced Generals unit would draw level in the 23rd minute with the versatile Colonel Heywood slotting home from the right side unmarked to spark wild celebrations among the bench and crowd.
Locked at 3-3, Generals took the lead for the first time in the contest when Heywood completed his double one minute later with a flat strike through the legs of the Cadets’ shot-stopper that effectively sealed the win.
In the Ladies Tetley Tea divisional final, Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Spice defeated GCC Tigers 2-1 on penalty kicks after regulation time found both sides locked at 4-4. Tricia Woodroffe and Sonia Jardine recorded doubles in the 13th and 17th and 18th and 30th minutes respectively for the victors.
Rebecca Xavier, Ashley DeGroot, Marzana Fiedtkou and Kerensa Fernandes were on target for Tigers in the 30th, 32nd, 37th and 40th minutes respectively.
Hikers defeated Ol Skool 2-0 on penalties to win the second division title after normal time found both teams locked at five apiece. Assanah who also competes in the lower division and Aroydy Branford led Hikers with a brace each in the fourth and 38th and eight and 20th minutes respectively.
Heywood, who also competes in the second division, netted in the seventh minute. Alan Fernandes led the Ol Skool effort with a hat-trick in the 11th, 18th and 34th minutes while Philip Fernandes contributed a brace in the 24th and 31st minutes.
In the earlier fixtures, Hikers Generals defeated GCC 5-2 in the first Kellogg’s first division semi finals whilst Hikers Cadets overcame Old Fort by a 6-2 score line in the second semifinal.
On the distaff side, GCC Spice pummelled Hikers Revelations 10-0 in first Tetley Tea semifinal. Hikers Divas went down to GCC Tigers 7-2 in the second semifinal.
On the individual side, Branford was adjudged to be the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the second division while Alysa Xavier was voted the MVP for the women’s division. Assanah rounded out the individual accolades as he collected the MVP for the first division.
