Written by Michael DaSilva
HIKERS men’s hockey team upset defending champions Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) hockey team, on the opening night of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company-sponsored National Men’s Hockey Championship which got under way on Monday evening at the National Gymnasium.The Hikers Club made a clean sweep of the opening night’s competition, not only winning their men’s game against arch rivals GCC, but the Hikers Divas team managed to upstage the GCC Spartans (ladies) by a 2-1 margin.

When GCC men and their Hikers counterparts met in the final last year, the Bourda team won by a 5-4 margin, while GCC Tigers (ladies) edged Old Fort 3-2 to win their fourth consecutive GT&T Women’s title.
In the feature match on Monday night, Hikers captain Robert Fernandes opened his team’s account with a brilliant steal just two minutes into the match, to nail his shot in the GCC net and repeated the feat ten minutes later to give Hikers a 2-0 lead.
GCC managed to regain their footing with a goal just before the half, as Kevin Spencer dragged goalkeeper Azad DeAbreu to his right before sliding the ball between his legs for the goal.
Randy Hope extended the Hikers’ lead with a blinding shot four minutes into the second half and although Orland Semple managed one more for GCC, the Hikers held on for the win.
The Hikers Divas managed to upstage the young GCC Spartans in their ladies division clash with former nationals Amanda Garnett and Avonda James netting one each in their 2-1 victory.
The Spartans secured a penalty stroke in the opening minutes of the game which was converted by captain and national striker Gabriella Xavier but failed to get past goalkeeper Jonelle Webster for the remainder of the match.
Hikers Revelation scored their largest victory ever in their short existence by destroying the Old Fort Heats by 9-0 in the other ladies fixture of the evening.
The Heats are competing in their first competition and found it difficult against Revelation, as leading Revelation striker Latacia Chung scored a hat-trick along with teammate Tekesha Deleon.
Charlyn Elliot managed to score a double while Nicole Eastman rounded out the score sheet for Revelation with a single.
The men’s second division saw Old Fort `B’ crush Saints by a 5-1 margin with Shaquille Thomas and Timothy Baker leading the charge with doubles while teammate Richard Thomas added one more for the victors.
Saints’ lone goal was scored by Parmanand Dindial.
The Hikers Recruits routed GCC in the other second division fixture with Aroydy Branford scoring a hat-trick en route to victory.
Travon Younge, Leon Bacchus, Jamarj Assanah, Reginald Harper and Michael Harding scored one each to complete the Hikers’ list.
Eric Hing, Kareem McKenzie and Steven Xavier were the goalscorers for GCC.
In the lone Veterans fixture of the evening Hikers defeated Old Fort by 5-3 with Devin Munroe leading the charge for the Hickers with a hat-trick.  Sheldon Corlette and Brian Asregado scored the other two for the victors.
Old Fort’s goals came through the efforts of Dwayne Allen, Ian Nicholson and Dexter Wyles.
Matches continue every evening at the National Gymnasium until Sunday when the finals for all four divisions will be contested from 16:00hrs.