Latest update January 18th, 2025 7:00 AM
National Hockey ladies continue preparations for PAHF Cup in Argentina
To play in Canadian tourney in June
The Guyana National Women’s Hockey Squad faces an uphill battle to compete in the Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) Cup being staged in Mendoza, Argentina from September 21 – 28, 2013.
According to a release from the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB), the PAHF Cup features the top 8 teams in the Americas which make it on par in competition for hockey as the Pan American Games. By virtue of their success in the PAHF Challenge of 2011 in Rio de Janeiro, the Guyanese ladies have qualified among the elite teams in the Americas to participate in this prestigious World Cup qualifier.
Guyana’s road to the PAHF Cup began in 2010 when the withdrawal of Cuba from the 2010 CAC Games in Puerto Rico permitted the lowly ranked Guyanese ladies the opportunity to participate in 
the tournament.
The CAC Games feature the top 8 teams in Central America and the Caribbean and since Guyana had only recently returned to international competition, after an absence of some 20 years, they were ranked at the very bottom.
Cuba’s withdrawal and the absence of some additional nations gave Guyana the opportunity to enter the tournament as the lowest seeded team.
Guyana, however, managed to secure a victory over hosts Puerto Rico, draws against Bermuda and Barbados and losses against Trinidad and Jamaica enabled the team’s 6th place finish in the tournament, improving their PAHF and World ranking.
Their performance in Puerto Rico permitted Guyana to then enter the PAHF Challenge in Rio de Janeiro in July 2011 although they were still ranked below all other participants. The Guyanese ladies were surprise finalists, registering victories against Paraguay and Bermuda, a draw with hosts Brazil and lost only to eventual winners Uruguay.
The top two finishers in the PAHF Challenge qualified for the prestigious PAHF Cup which is the region’s World Cup qualifier.
From their lowly ranked position of 18th in the Americas in 2010, Guyana now finds itself among the region’s elite teams as they enter the PAHF Cup seeded the lowest of eight teams. The competition includes world beaters Argentina (ranked 2 in the world), USA (10), Chile (18), Canada (23), Trinidad (27), Mexico (30), Uruguay (50) and Guyana (58).
In an effort to provide the Guyanese players the best possible opportunity to perform well against the tough opposition, the GHB has arranged for the team to travel to Canada from 8th to 17th June to compete in the Canadian National Championships.
The release added that special permission was obtained to allow Guyana as a guest team in these championships which usually are contested solely between Canadian provincial teams.
GHB President and Head Coach Philip Fernandes said, “The game is played at a very high level in Canada and we are convinced, will offer the best possible game preparation for the PAHF Cup.”
A full team of 18 players have been selected to make the trip to Canada under the management of Rawl Davson and Fernandes. Those named are: Natalie Hing, Alysa Xavier, Ulrica Sutherland, Tiffany Solomon, Marisha Rodrigues, Maria Munroe, Vanessa Pires, Trisha Woodroffe, Marzana Fiedtkou, Leigh Sandison, Ashley DeGoot, Chantelle Fernandes, Gabriella Xavier, Kerensa Fernandes, Samantha Fernandes, Cora Towler, Aliyah Gordon and Janella Munroe.
Fernandes stated that the preparation encampment in Canada and participation in the PAHF Cup in Argentina will require substantial funding.
The ladies have been holding fund-raisers in the form of parties and food stalls over the past year in the hope of being able to raise the required funds to make this a reality.
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