MESHACH Sargeant, Eleomar Silva and Troy Hodge are the three newcomers to the National Junior men’s team, as they intensify preparations for the 2016 edition of the Junior Pan American Championships, in Trinidad and Tobago. According to the team’s management, the August 1-8 tournament is the second phase in the team’s preparations. The players have been in training for a year, ending Phase 1 in December 2014, following a developmental tour of the Twin Island Republic, where they won 3 of their 4 matches.
During that initial tour the players were able to train and compete on artificial turf, many doing so for the first time. Sessions were also conducted by some of Trinidad’s most senior national players who shared their experiences and techniques with the juniors. The coaches also indicated they were pleased with the Guyanese youngsters’ performances and ability to match skills with the higher-ranked Trinidadian National Squad in their 3-match series.
The team’s participation in Trinidad’s Players tournament will present a new challenge for the squad with the team required to play two matches per day on some occasions. Head coach Robert Fernandes expressed his disappointment that the teams from Pakistan and Mexico, who were originally scheduled to participate, had since withdrawn. “I was hoping that the boys would get to experience the intensity and creativity that teams from those countries bring to the game. It would have contributed greatly to their development and helped to prepare them for the tough task we face next year of competing against the Pan American region’s best. This tournament will, however, allow us to assess players’ ability to perform under the significant pressure and physical demands this tournament will create.”
According to the tournament’s current format Guyana will play Trinidadian Clubs Fatima, Queen’s Park, Malvern and Paragon twice in the round-robin phase to qualify for the semifinal round. The team’s management is also working towards arranging a match against Trinidad’s Junior national side on the tournament’s rest day.
The 18-man team, led by captain Mark Sargeant, features three players who were part of Guyana’s bronze medal-winning men’s squad at the Indoor Pan American Cup in Uruguay in 2014 – Andrew Stewart, Aroydy Branford and Sargeant. Shaquille Leung who was originally selected for the tour had the misfortune of having to undergo an appendectomy recently which ruled him out of the team.
Other members include Medroy Scotland, Kareem McKenzie, Keon McKenzie, Rosario Ramsammy, Aroydy Branford, Andrew Stewart, Leon Bacchus, Stephon Sprosta, Deheron Wilkinson, Hilton Chester, Paramanand Dindial, Shemar Boston and Ato Greene. The ,anager is Devin Hooper and the coaches are Dwayne Alleyne and Robert Fernandes.
The team has been fortunate to be partly funded by an Olympic Solidarity team preparation grant, thanks to the Guyana Olympic Association.