GTT National Hockey Indoor Tournament … Country’s best teams lock horns this evening

Oct 31, 2016, Sports, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....-horns-this-evening/

The country’s best teams will lock horns for top honours from this evening when the GTT National Indoor Tournament commences, at the National Gymnasium.

Among the teams that have confirmed participation are defending men’s and women’s champions Pepsi Hikers and GCC Pizza Hut respectively and they are expected to receive stiff competition from clubs such as Old Fort, GCC, Saints and Old Fort Shooting Stars.
The GTT Tournament, an annual event is being used as a precursor for the Diamond Mineral Water Festival that is considered the biggest and most eagerly anticipated competition on the Guyana Hockey Board calendar.
PEPSI Hikers inaugural winners of the GTT tournament and enters this year’s edition as the two-time defending champions and most likely will start as favourites to retain their crown judging from the quality of players at their disposal.
They are expected to be led once again by stalwarts Devin Munroe and Captain Robert France, two of their most experienced players, but the young stars that include Aroydy Bransford, Jamaarj Assanah, Randy Hope and Andrew Stewart will be depended on to lead the charge for the preservation of their title.
Their toughest competition is likely to come from the record championship holders, Bounty GCC with seven trophies to their name, and three-time winners, Old Fort.
GCC’s energetic duo of Kevin Spencer and Orland Semple silky skills are always a threat to opposing teams and combined with the raw talent of young players such as Eric Hing, Kareem McKenzie and Daniel Hooper their chances are as good as any other team.
Another team that possesses the talent to run riot over opposing teams is Old Fort, but this team’s biggest impediment over the years has been inconsistency.
The crafty Aderemi Simon and Jason De Santos will be depended heavily upon to instigate victories, while youngsters such as Omar Hopkinson and Jael Gaskin will have to raise their level of play to support the two.

Saints HC national players Hilton Chester, Paramanand Dindial and Ato Green along with junior national squad goalkeepers, Michael Hing and Rahim Oliver, for Team 2020 are some of the other notable names that will be on show for the men’s competition.
On the distaff side, Pizza Hut GCC have won ten championship victories to date and while the other teams have improved immensely over the past two years, they still start as favourite to win a record eleven titles.
Ulrica Sutherland a product from the first eve champions Western Dragons is now part of the Pizza Hut GCC team and a formidable player as well and combined with the likes of productive strikers Sonia Jardine and Kerensa Fernandes it is difficult to pinpoint an opponent to beat them.
Hikers ladies will be led by recent Lucozade MVP, Marisha Fernandes with fellow national Maria Munroe and the exciting young talent of Nicole Eastman in support.
The Old Fort Shooting Stars have been improving with each outing and have grown into genuine contenders for the tournament mostly through the pace and skill of Minsodia Culpepper and athleticism of goalkeeper Sarafina Phillips.
The Spartans are a young side eager to improve on their recent outings and feature the new emerging talent of strikers Sarah Klautky and AbosaideCadogan.
Matches begin from 17:00hrs and competition runs until the evening of Saturday, November 5.

Aliyah Gordon (right)