The Guyana Hockey Board, in its effort to develop players for the Junior Pan Am in 2020, launched its first Under-14 Indoor League recently at the St Joseph’s High School. The league, which is sponsored by Ansa McAl’s Smalta brand, is the Guyana Hockey Board’s first-ever tournament to be held within schools.
It is a four-a-side format with a maximum of 10 registered players per team and includes teams from Saints Hockey Club (SHC), Hikers (HHC), Old Fort, GCC, Marian Academy and St Joseph’s High School. The tournament will utilise the auditoriums of St. Stanislaus College, St. Joseph’s High School and Marian Academy with a different venue being used each week.
In opening round action, the Girls Division saw SHC Silencers overcoming SHC Sensations 2-1 and St. Joseph’s 3-0 in back-to-back games with Mariah Seegobind scoring both goals in the first game and Devonte Hernandez scoring all three goals in the second.
St. Joseph’s made their debut with both their boys and girls teams with some players holding a hockey stick for the first time. St. Joseph’s boys managed to defend a 3-2 lead over the SHC Scorchers, who earlier in the day beat HHC Hatchets 5-3.
Old Fort defeated SHC Samurai 3-2, despite having started the game with only two players. HHC Garnett Street despite losing to SHC Scalpels 3-1 earlier in the evening managed to draw with Old Fort 3-3 in one of the most exciting matches of the night with Samuel Garnett from HHC Garnett Street and Kai James from Old Fort being the only goal scorers for either team.
The league will be held every Friday with games starting at 16:00h and concluding at 19:00h. Today’s action will continue at Marian Academy with the GCC and Marian Academy teams getting their first games of the tournament.
