Americas

by MIKE OWEN

There have been no major upsets so far in the Barbados Hockey Federation?s Knockout Competition and the only real interest is whether BWIA Hockey League men?s Division 1 champions PeugeotCSOS can extend their dominance to this competition by beating league runners-up BS&T Maple in today?s finalat 7 p.m.

CSOS should win since their brand of hockey has set them apart from the rest this season and kept them unbeaten to date. But they should not be too complacent since last year they won the league without dropping a point ? and then were brought back to earth with a 4-0 defeat by Maple inthe final.

Maple provided a reminder of what they are still capable of in Thursday?s semifinal when they gave the season?s fourth-placed team Banks Eastern Stars a 5-1 drubbing.

Their half-time 2-0 lead from penalty corners, finished off by Roger Bayley and Donovan Smith, highlighted the team?s efficiency with these set routines.

Then veteran Venslough Leacock, who has been regularly around the topof the annual goal scorer?s list for the last twenty years, got two, including the final goal.

It climaxed a neat combination of square passes which emphasised that Maple does not just rely on set routines.

In Tuesday?s semifinal, the Old Scholars also had their moments on the way to a 5-1 victory over Berger Paints YMCA, whose record of winning and drawing their two league games against Maple this season emphasised why they deservedly finishedin third place in thefinal standings.

CSOS? play also highlighted the effectiveness with which their younger players have fitted into their team alongside their more senior teammates when Aaron Forde scored the first and last goals. Oldsters Mark Owen and Peter Harris each scored one and middle-aged Greg Puckerin got the other.

Today?s contest, between the country?s two best hockey teams, should be one the best of the season to date ? with CSOS having the edge against determined, well-organised opponents able to exploit any lapses. CSOS won one and drew the return game when the two teams met in the league this year. The women?s final which has been rescheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m., promises to be more one-sided and probably less of a spectacle than the rescheduled semifinal between the two top women?s teams, Empire and BNB Deacons, now rescheduled for today at 5 p.m.

In the quarter-finals, Empire moved through by beating Banks Raiders 7-0 while Deacons had a harder route with a 4-3 penalty stroke win against BS&T Maple and a 2-0 victory over Banks Eastern Stars. While Maple have the superior record in terms of points, goals scored and conceded and final standings, their only points lost were conceded to Deacons ina loss and a draw.

This is why the semifinal clash has so much interest, especially since their young players have developed a lot in terms of confidence and team tactics since then.

Whichever team wins through to the final should find things easier against ESA Field/Kotex Pickwick who earned their place with comfortable 3-1 victories over Avengers and then, in Tuesday?s semifinal, Berger Paints YMCA.

Pickwick deserve credit for their improvement based on hard work. They have scored 65 goals ? second only to champions Empire ? but they rate only seventh defensively, having conceded nearly two goals a game, and so they may hard pressed to keep the goal-hungry forwards of their opponents at bay in the final.

So while Tricia Ann Greaves, Cher King, Renee Brathwaite and Simone Ward can be counted on to give the opposing defenders some problems, the game will probably hinge on how well the Pickwick defenders can handle the challenges posed by the forwards of Empire or Deacons ? whoever makes the final.

But full marks to Pickwick ? the pioneers in ladies? hockey in Barbados ? for being able to move from Kensington toSt Philip with the sport of hockey in a healthy state at their club.

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