FIVE Trinidadian teams, including 2017 Male Open champions Queen’s Park Cricket Club, are set to take part in this year’s Diamond Mineral Water Hockey Festival, which is scheduled for Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in Georgetown from this afternoon.

According to information from the organisers, US$3500 will be up for grabs in the 15th edition of the Festival.

In total, 15 teams will battle in three divisions over five days (40 games), with the finals set for Sunday afternoon.

Six teams have registered for the male division, including defending champions Pepsi Hikers, YMCA Old Fort, Bounty GCC, Saints, and Trinidadian teams QPCC and TTDF.

QPCC, who lost from a sudden-death shootout in last year’s final, will aim to regain their title, but the Hikers, who won last month’s GTT National Indoor Hockey Championship, look in excellent touch and will have their eyes set on their ninth overall title.

The Female Open Division will have five teams, including George United of T&T.  The Guyanese sides are National Indoor Champions GBTI GCC Tigers, sister team GBTI GCC Spartans, Red Wyne and Saints.

The Over-35 battle will have four teams, including Trinidadian sides QPCC and Fatima. The Guyanese sides are defending champions YMCA Old Fort and Bounty GCC Vintage.

The festival bullies off this afternoon with five games, including two women’s battles (Saints vs Red Wyne and Tigers vs Spartans from 17:00hrs and 18:40hrs respectively.

In the Over-35 division, YMCA Old Fort will play Bounty GCC Vintage, before Bounty GCC meet Saints and YMCA Old Fort play Pepsi Hikers in the Men’s Division.

Tomorrow the male T&T teams will be in action.  George United’s first game is on Friday.

ExxonMobil and Lucozade are also sponsors of the event.