GUYANA’S male Under-21 hockey team have intensified their training ahead of their upcoming participation in the Trinidad and Tobago Club Championships scheduled for August 1-8.
According to the team’s coach Robert Fernandes, the team will be using this tournament as a warm-up for next year’s Pan American Hockey Championships which will be hosted in Toronto, Canada in June of 2016.
Nine of the 18 Under-21 players named for the T&T club championship have represented Guyana at the senior level and, according to Fernandes, this is a plus for the locals.
The nine players are Arodydy Brandford, Ato Green, Leon Bacchus, Mark Sargeant, Medroy Scotland, Hilton Chester, Kareem McKenzie, Daniel Hooper and Andrew Stewart. The other members of the touring party are Keon McKenzie, Meshach Sargeant, Rosario Ramsammy, Eleomar Silva, Andrew Stewart, Stephon Sprosta, Deheron Wilkinson, Hilton Chester, Paramanand Dindial, Shemar Boston and Troy Hodge.
The team will be managed by Devin Hooper while Dwayne Alleyne will be Fernandes’ assistant.
According to Fernandes, the consistent inclement weather is affecting the team’s preparation greatly. “The weather is really terrible,” Fernandes lamented.
Fernandes, a former national player informed that last December, a local Under-18 team played a test series against the Twin Island Republic and were very successful as they defeated Paragon Hockey Club of Trinidad and subsequently defeated Trinidad and Tobago’s national Under-19 team twice in a three-match series.
“That was the first time in a long time that we (Guyana) beat Trinidad and this shows that even without a turf, we can still compete.” Fernandes boasted.
Fernandes informed that the current players in the 18-man team are all products of the Guyana Hockey Board’s (GHB) Developmental Programme which is being conducted in schools in Georgetown.
He said after 2010, the GHB asked clubs to adopt schools and Hikers adopted St Stanislaus College, Old Fort adopted North Ruimveldt Multilateral and GCC adopted Marian Academy. In addition Fernandes said the GHB introduced age-group tournaments which made it easier for the clubs to start age-group tournaments on their own.
He said at the moment persons start playing the game from as young as five years old and with the internet having a YouTube Channel, it makes learning and playing the sport much easier for the youngsters.
The former national squash player lamented the fact that unlike other countries, Guyana does not have turf or support structures like nutritionists, volunteers and a shortage of coaches.
“The national squad should have at least three or four coaches. But they are taken up with their respective clubs instead,” adding there are no incentives for coaches, everything is done on a voluntary basis.”
Fernandes said he is thankful for the assistance being provided by the Olympic Solidarity Movement through the efforts of the Guyana Olympic Association.
This he said is helping the GHB to make up for its short comings.