Hikers, Malvern, GCC crowned champions

Dec 08, 2009 Sports

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– Trinidadians dominate MVP awards

By Rawle Welch
Hockey fans that thronged the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Sunday to witness the conclusion of the Diamond Mineral Water International Indoor Festival were treated to three pulsating finals that will be talked about for sometime to come.
In the eagerly anticipated Men’s final, defending champions Hikers produced an awe-inspiring performance to clip favourites Old Fort 7-6 with Shane Samuels blasting in the winner from just inside the circle on the left side of the court.
It was a fitting end to a match that produced high quality and plenty excitement for the fans.
In the Ladies final, Trinidad & Tobago’s Malvern dethroned last year’s champions GCC by a slim 3-2 margin, coming from behind to score the win which immediately evoked wild celebrations from the Trinidadians.
In the all-Guyana Veterans final between GCC and Old Fort, the former managed to capture the title after prevailing 4-3 in another nail-biting contest.
The highly touted Men’s final lived up to its billing as the two sides entertained the fans with some gripping end to end action from the start. Hikers got on the score-sheet when a clever piece of passing by the experienced Devin Munroe, who expertly slid the ball through his legs for the ever present Robert France to nonchalantly flick past Tony Cole between the uprights. That goal came in the opening minute of play and that set the trend for the duration of the game.
Two minutes later Canada-based Jonathon Roberts equalised, slamming a penalty corner into the roof of the nets.
Roberts returned three minutes later to beat goalkeeper Azad DeAbreu with a fine flick through his legs which made it a 2-1 game.
Another piece of wizardry accounted for Hikers next goal as the maestro Jerazeno Bell, who is always a joy to watch with the ball twisted a perfect pass to Munroe and he made no mistake, lashing it past Cole in goal.
The half time scores read 2-2 and all in the arena anticipated a breathtaking final period which lived up to expectations.
Old Fort’s Askofu Simon regained the advantage for his club when he combined beautifully with his brother Aderemi whose sublime dribbling skills culminated in a pinpoint lay-off to Askofu and he finished with clinical efficiency.
Alex Gouveia returned the favour seconds after Simon’s goal, hammering past a perplexed Cole for a 3-3 tie.
However, it was the effervescent Munroe, who returned to torment the Old Fort defence, rattling off two goals in quick succession which gave them a 5-3 ascendancy. The goals came in the 30th and 31st minutes of play.
Jason DeSantos netted in the 34th minute as Old Fort lagged behind 4-5.
Trinidadian guest player Nicholas Wren, who had been a thorn in the flesh of Hikers, produced a wonderful solo effort as Old Fort drew even 5-5 at the 7:40 mark.
Quin Clarke then restored Hikers advantage in the 37th minute, before Roberts, who had gone cold after his early heroics completed a treble in the 39th minute to once again add intrigue to the marquee match-up.
With one minute on the game clock and every chance of the contest going into overtime, Shane Samuels standing on the edge of the circle collected a long pass from the back and in one sweeping motion hammered in the decisive goal with Cole and his entire unit shell shocked.
Speaking after the game, elder statesman Munroe said that the win has to go down as one of the best they’ve had, adding that since their exodus from Everest Sports Club, they’ve struggled for a facility to practice with sessions being very disjointed and this victory has to be a fitting conclusion to a difficult year for them.
The Ladies affair was just as thrilling as Malvern had to come from a 2-0 halftime deficit to unseat a competitive GCC unit.
Sonia Jardine opened the scoring for the host in the 14th minute when she tapped in from close range of a goalmouth scrimmage and that lead was stretched one minute later when Tricia Fiedtkou beat goalkeeper Joy Alexander off a similar play, netting from a skirmish in the penalty area.
On the resumption, the visitors orchestrated an all out assault and were rewarded when the prolific Landri Fourie eventually beat the brilliant Alysa Xavier, dribbling crosscourt, before delivering a shot into the far corner.
Both teams exhibited a high quality of hockey, but it was the more experienced Malvern unit that scored next when the perky Penny Stephens, who would later be named Most Valuable Player (MVP), dribbled a host of defenders, before beating an advancing Xavier to her right.
No other goals were scored in regulation time and ten minutes sudden death was the next order of play.
The opening five minutes brought no result and the end came in the 8th minute of extra time when Stephens scored the goal of the match. She picked up the ball from the backcourt and evaded tackle after tackle then wrong-footed Xavier with a clever piece of work, before placing a shot into the goal to close an enthralling clash.
In the Veterans game, Phillip Fernandes (7, 38) and Damon Woodroffe (13, 18) netted a brace each for GCC, while Ivor Thompson (22), Dexter Wyles (25) and Chris Low Koan (26) were the players on target for Old Fort.
In the individual awards: (Goalkeeping) – Men’s – T. Cole (Old Fort), Women’s – A. Xavier (GCC) and A. DeAbreu (Hikers); MVP’s – Men’s- N. Wren (Old Fort), Women’s – P. Stephens (Malvern) and Veterans – Roger Daniels (Old Fort), while Most Goals – Men’s – Aderemi Simon (Old Fort), Women’s – S. Jardine / P. Stephens and Veterans – P. Fernandes (GCC).
DDL’s Diamond Mineral Water Representative Alexis Crawford assisted in the presentation of prizes.

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