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Planet Field Hockey

by Mike Owen
Defending men’s champions Emtage Electric A Badd Connection ran into some stiff opposition from Locomotion from Georgetown, Guyana, and lost by a convincing 2-5 margin at the Oval as the 18th Banks International Hockey Festival got underway yesterday.

Overnight rain and showers through the day saw play abandoned at two pitches – Oval 2 and Banks 1. But there was play at the other three – Oval 1, Banks 2 and the Wildey Astroturf.

ABC started with seven men and finished with ten. Locomotion showed their superiority in play on natural grass and played impressively. Their goals came from Dexter Wyles, Aredemi Simon and Ivor Thompson in the first half and Ascofu Simon who scored twice in the second half.

These two sides are in Pool A. Two other teams in the same pool also had good wins and that pool is going to be very competitive.

Schaerwelide from Holland beat Barbados Hotshots 4-2. Later in the day, two goals from Shabbi Raja enabled the English team Slough to beat the Hotshots 2-0 on the same Banks 2 pitch.

Considering the state of that pitch, it was a good, competitive game and the young Barbadians in the Hotshots line-up put up a good fight and narrowly missed pulling a goal back by having a penalty stroke saved in the last few minutes.

Three-times men’s champions BS & T Maple took an early lead in Pool C. They beat fellow Barbadians De Farm 5-0 at the Oval in the morning and then beat Berger Paints YMCA by default in the afternoon.

Also in Pool C, New York Islanders edged out De Farm 1-0.

In men’s Pool B, Sandy Bottoms from England beat Guyana Police 2-0.

And in Pool D, Old Gold Roosters started their campaign with a 2-0 defeat of Southampton through goals by Brian Burrowes and Sean Olton.

In the ladies section, current leaders in the local domestic league, BS & T Maple, followed the example of their men’s team by starting on a winning note. They beat Riverside from England 4-1.

Six times Banks ladies champions ICB Empire were due to start their campaign last night by playing Banks Raiders at the Astroturf.

Defending mixed champions Remnants’ goal of winning their sixth consecutive Banks mixed title is on course after they edged out A Badd Connection 2-1 in Pool B in the last game at the Oval.

In an all-Barbadian mixed Pool A game, Dominion beat De Farm 4-0 through goals by Ryan Drayton, Brian Garcia, Paul Reid and Joanna Davis.

Defending men’s veterans champions Old Gold Roosters had a jolt when they lost their first game, going under 1-3 to five times Banks Festivalites Disillusioned Aardvarks, whose goals came from Ian Stokes (2) and Derek Pittaway.

Two Barbadian veteran sides, BUT and BET, played to a goalless draw.

The main aim when play starts at 10 a.m. today will be to fit in some of the postponed games.

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