Hikers fail to make it past Group stage

Apr 13, 2009 Sports

After an inspiring performance in the Under-16 Division, Hikers Hockey Club junior team produced another solid display, this time in the U-21 category, but failed to make it past the group stage, at the Trinidad and Tobago Hockey Board 9th Easter Youth Tournament.

Playing in the toughest segment of the tournament, Hikers were extremely undersized and under aged with only three of the twelve players on tour above the age of 16 years, but they managed to register two wins against SEPOS and Tobago respectively, before suffering losses to powerhouses Notre Dame and Malvern which ruined their chances of making it to the semi-finals.

The ten-team competition was split into two groups, with Hikers drawn in the group with SEPOS, Malvern, Tobago and Notre Dame.

In the first game against SEPOS, they won 2-0 with both goals coming off the stick of Ryan Primo.

Despite some defensive hiccups, goalkeeper Osafa Timmerman stepped up to the challenge and came to his team’s rescue on several occasions.

Bouyed by his efficiency between the uprights, the team managed to put together some wonderful sequences of plays to come away with the victory.

In their second encounter against powerhouse Notre Dame, a team boasting several junior national players, the size difference was very evident.

Rayon Branford and Akeem “Bugs” Thompson played solid wings to build good opportunities for the team, while Antonio Pemberton showed tremendous stick work to create good goal scoring opportunities, but poor finishing put paid to any ambitions. Despite frustrating Notre Dame for large portions of the game, they eventually slipped to a 0-3 defeat.

They then played back to back games and in the first match against Tobago, they carried the attack to their opponents, with Shaquelle Assanah leading in this department.

They employed several tactical manoeuvres around the centre-line in an effort to lure the Tobagonians out of position. Their patience eventually paid off with a goal late in the game after a quick counter attack.

Defenders Travon Younge and Anton Duke with support from goalkeeper Timmerman held off subsequent raids by the opposition as Hikers held on for a 1-0 win.

In their final group stage match against another heavyweight Malvern, the young brigade of Andrew Stewart, Leon Bacchus and the miniscule Aroydy Branford put in some hard work, but could not save the team from going down 5-0.

The result meant that Hikers finished third in the group stage, just missing out on advancing.

Paragon Hockey Club, where Guyanese U-21 national and Hikers player Carl Wilson has found his new home, went on to win the tournament led by outstanding stick work from captain Akim Toussaint.

In the girls’ competition, Hikers lone female representative at the tournament, Makeala Harding produced some outstanding hockey throughout the tournament, and made it to the finals with her adopted team Notre Dame, where they fell to eventual winners Paragon.