Old Fort- The enigma of local hockey

Nov 30, 2009 Sports

-Looking for championship glory

Born from an idea conceived by then 12 year-old Jeremy Roberts, who had witnessed the first ever indoor tournament at the Guyana Defence Force gymnasium at Camp Ayanganna, Old Fort Hockey Club sprung to life in 1975 and has since that time racked up an impressive resume on the local scene.According to the records, the club got its name from a donation product promotional T-Shirts which was presented to them by Banks DIH through Jerry Gouveia and its first male and female captains were Jeremy and Kerry Roberts with the latter team being formed in 1980.
Three years after its formation, the club won its first major title, the National Indoor Championship with a very young unit aged between 16-18 years, but the club struggled to replicate the indoor accomplishments with that of the outdoor and had to wait until 1985 to gain that achievement.
Following the migration of many of its outstanding players, the club has still managed to maintain its high performance and has since added a few more titles to its collection, but seems more adapted to the indoor format rather than the outdoors.
Another important and comforting development is that through the initiative of the incumbent executive, the club in its effort to maintain vibrancy and have a consistent pool of young players decided to return to the schools where they’ve since recruited a new batch of players who’ve been doing exceedingly well on the local stage.
The junior unit have already scored major upsets against higher ranked teams and seem destined for a bright future.
The talent spotting is led by the hard working Dwayne Alleyne, who has displayed commendable commitment and dedication to improving the skills of the youngsters and it is only a matter of time before they progress into a batch of top flight players should they remain enthusiastic about the sport.
However, the characteristic of the team has changed over the years where the past sides were clinical and efficient unlike the one of today that struggles for consistency.
There is no doubt that on their day, they possess the skills to defeat any opposition, but very often allow petty issues to disrupt the flow of their game.
Should they exhibit the ability to overcome such discrepancies who know how far they could go in this year’s Diamond Mineral Water International Indoor Hockey Festival?
The club has already signalled its intent to compete in three categories namely the international open, veterans and ‘B’ Division and when Kaieteur Sport visited one of the training sessions at the St. Joseph’s High School it looked intense and purposeful.
Only time will tell whether or not, the current teams have the class to match those of the past.

Latest News

Old Fort- The enigma of local hockey

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 7th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Allicock, Amsterdam named in GBA training squad 2025 Caribbean Boxing...

Interesting transfers, Clubs secure firepower...

North East beat Back Circle B; set up semi...

DCC executive laud Savory, Imlach for champion...

Dozens of young chess players participate in...

Shai Hope claims Green Belt and Dispatch of the...

Features/Columnists

Forward to the past

OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus

Process, procedure, political people and public servants

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Old Fort- The enigma of local hockey

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 7th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]