Guyana men and women’s Under-21 teams will begin their quest for championship honours when the Junior Pan American outdoor hockey championships open today at the National Hockey Centre in St. Michael, Barbados.
The men’s team will be in action today at 11:00 hours with a clash against their North American counterparts the United States of America.
The women will go into action tomorrow against Canada also at 11:00 hours in their debut match. The women’s team arrived in Barbados on Friday while the men departed Saturday for the championships organized by the Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) to select the regions teams to compete in the FIH Under-21 World Cup from December 5-16 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The men’s squad will be captained by the talented Shakeem Fausette who will be depending heavily on the support of Valdimir Woodroffe, Yonnick Norton, Warren Williams, and Tahrea Garnette.
Team Coach Robert Fernandes said his charges are up to the challenge and have prepared hard for the tournament despite the shortage of adequate training facilities.
After their showdown with the Americans, the Guyanese will be in action again tomorrow with two matches to round off the Pool B playoff.
They will square off with Canada at 11:00 hours and return to compete against host Barbados at 15:30 hours.
The women’s players will be making their debut at this level of competition and Head coach Philip Fernandes sees the team’s participation as a development phase for local hockey with several relatively new players participating at this level for the first time.
The team will be captained by sturdy defence player Makeda Harding and will feature five other players with international experience in defender Kirsten Gomes, midfielders Madison Fernandes, Clayza Bobb, Sarah Klatky and striker Abosaide Cadogan.
The Guyanese girls will play their second match against Barbados on Wednesday at 15:30 hours and will then meet in a showdown with Chile on Thursday in their final preliminary game in Pool B.
