The Rock Hard Distributors Inc. sponsored boys from Guyana played a masterful semi-final match to outclass France 3-2 in the Men’s Over-45 division of the Indoor Hockey Masters World Cup in England.
Like two experienced prize fighters, the two nations bided their time in the opening minutes, cautiously exploring their opponent and being careful not to give up any easy opportunities.
A shot at the prestigious gold medal was at stake and a win would guarantee a World Cup medal.
With few opportunities in the first quarter, Guyana’s superior speed produced several counterattacking opportunities in the second quarter, but their shots were mostly thwarted by the excellence of French goalkeeper Locu Didier.
An Alan Fernandes reverse shot from the left managed to find a way past Didier in the 16th minute and seemed to be the catalyst Guyana needed to take control of the game.
Captain Jerazeno Bell would be next on the scoresheet with a pair of identical penalty corner shots high to the goalkeeper’s left, the second coming just before halftime.
France would regroup and earned their first goal of the match two minutes after resumption as Franck Barbet-Carriere, while chasing a pass through the middle, collided with Guyanese goalkeeper Gregory Garraway, earning him a penalty corner.
Damien Declercq converted for France, restoring their hope and confidence in a comeback. Guyana would struggle to get their shots on target as several shots went wide while no less than three rattled the crossbar to no avail.
Declercq would heighten the tension by drawing his side within one when he converted a penalty corner for France mid-way through the third quarter.
Despite an exhaustive final quarter, the match would have no further goals and Guyana would enjoy the celebration of its first finals berth at a Masters World Cup.
Guyana had dispatched Wales in their final pool match the previous day 6-5 in another high-paced match that saw the unbeaten debutants from South America finish top of their pool with an unbeaten record.
Wales were first to strike with a Greg Laurenson goal right at the very end of a tightly defended first quarter.
Guyana however, would dominate the second quarter with four goals to Wales additional single. The teams traded punches in the second half until the match concluded with Guyana up 6-5.
Veteran midfielder Alan Fernandes led the Guyanese scorers with a double, while teammates Ian Nicholson, Devin Hooper, Dwayne Scott and Jerazeno Bell each scored one.
Dan Makaruk managed a double for Wales in addition to singles from Greg Laurenson, Mark Bromley and Matt Stollery.
England managed to upstage the powerful German side in the other semi-final to earn the second spot in the final. This has set up a return clash between hosts England and the unbeaten surprise of the tournament, Guyana.
The match will be played on Monday (April 1) at 03:00h Guyana time.
More information can be found at the Official Tournament Site at: Indoor Hockey UK • 2024 WMH Indoor World Cup • Official Event Site
