Red was the colour of the night when the Barbados Hockey Federation’s 2013 Sevens Knockout Tournament was contested last weekend on the AstroTurf facility at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus.
That red belonged to new hockey powerhouses Deacons, who emerged as champions with a nail-biting 4-3 win over the YMCA, with the winning goal coming 60 seconds before the final whistle in an absorbing contest.
In women’s action played earlier, perennial powerhouses Empire were given a stiff piece of competition before edging Avengers 1-0 in a very competitive final.
The men’s final had been billed as the marquee match-up, however, and more than lived up to expectations.
YMCA had been the subject of controversy when they were seeded in the top four entering the competition based on being finalists from last year’s competition and not having participated in this year’s league action. However, they showed their seeding was no fluke by reaching the final.
The opening exchanges were fast and skilful, testing the abilities and fitness of umpires Dwayne Nurse and Jamar Springer.
It seemed to be a night for captains, and scoring would open up in the eighth minute when Deacons’ Jamar Lashley finished a brilliant run of play to put Deacons in the lead.
Just two minutes later Deacons again exploited the usually tight YMCA defence and Lashley netted again, but this time the YMCA responded, first by blocking their defensive holes and building up play to drive into the Deacons circle and create their own chances.
The effort paid off in the 19th minute, when national defender Shawn Harewood made his presence known in the game and dumped one past Deacons goalie Ayoub Suttle.
Two minutes later the ‘Y’ were even, when Rohan Thomas pushed his way into the Deacons defence and earned a penalty, which he personally slotted home to draw things level at the half.
Moments after the restart, Deacons’ Keron Taylor would end an amazing forward combination with a delicate but powerful slip past YMCA goalkeeper Victor Williams, who got a stick to the shot but not enough to keep it out of goal.
Thomas would later convert another penalty to tie the scores 3-3, and the final five minutes saw a number of exciting skirmishes. The match was finally determined when Lashley penetrated the YMCA circle and skillfully survived challenges from defenders Dexter Clarke and Harewood before slipping the ball for a “one-two” combination and goal with teammate Shonkeel Wharton. (BA/PR)
