The holiday weekend sees the Cayman Islands Field Hockey Club travel to Jamaica again to compete in the annual Fun at the Turf field tournament at Mona Field in Kingston.
The squad of 20 men, eight women and umpire Brian Uzzell along with a healthy contingent of supporters, an unhealthy amount of rum and a giant Cayman flag, will take on the might of teams from the Jamaica Field Hockey Federation and will be defending their last epic win in the hotly contested Alex Horner Memorial trophy over here six months ago.
This tournament is particularly important to men’s team captain Jamie Ware as it will be his last chance to lead the Cayman Islands international team before leaving the island at the end of the year. Ware said: “We’re very honoured to have established a close relationship with our friends in Jamaica, on the pitch and, equally importantly, at the bar and the club is raring to go.
“The final match of the tournament will be the Alex Horner Memorial match and will no doubt be played with fire and intensity and if we play with the spirit that Alex had, we’ll definitely retain the trophy.”
Ware will not be the only person hanging up his stick after this tournament. Thanks must go to ladies captain Emily Harrison who will also be handing over the reins after what is expected to be an impressive ladies team performance. Most impressive perhaps for the one of the much anticipated highlights of the tour which will be the Cayman-Jamaica dance-off with Cayman’s star players Gisela Gamba and Sarah Pinches looking to further international relations against a number of highly-motivated Jamaican movers.
One special mention goes to Aaron Gardner who, despite losing a couple of teeth early on in last year’s tour, after a heroic attempt at scoring during torrential rain, is back as an integral part of the squad.
This tournament will be the third time that the Cayman international touring squad has taken on their Jamaican opponents in Kingston and comes on the heels of a highly successful visit to Cayman by the Jamaica Hockey Federation in May. Club vice-president Nigel Bates, a veteran of the Cayman international field hockey scene said: “After three wins, a draw and only one loss against the Jamaicans in May, our expectations for this tour are high.
“But we know that we are facing some formidable opposition and on their home turf, and so we have been training hard to ensure that we are up to the challenge. We would also like to thank Jacques Scott and Heineken for their sponsorship of the tour as this has greatly assisted us in our training schedule.”
The tour is over two days and will consist of a punishing schedule in the heat of two ladies games, two men’s games and two mixed games. As always, the games will be played with a strong competitive spirit and a healthy dose of camaraderie on each side and the Jamaican Hockey Federation hopes for great things from their teams, Tropics, Raiders United and the FunAtTheTurf mixed side.
Men’s vice-captain Miles Perryman feels that the Cayman squad is more than ready for the challenge. He said: “This must be one of the most talented and fittest squads to head off to Jamaica and we just want to get out there and play. We have some very gifted players and a tremendous amount of experience, it promises to be a great tour.”
The squad will also be representing the Cayman Islands and consolidating already firm friendships with the various social events that the Jamaicans have planned. Organisers Dinsdale Laing, Myrtle Weir and Jamaica hockey president Victor Tomlinson have been working hard to ensure that the weekend offers plenty of sport and entertainment for both sides and there will be live Facebook updates with scores and plenty of pictures as the weekend unfolds.
The Cayman Islands Field Hockey Club plays twice a week, 5pm on Tuesdays at Cayman Prep on Smith Road and 6pm on Saturdays at the International School in Camana Bay and all are welcome. For further information visit www.caymanhockey.com or like Cayman Field Hockey on Facebook.
The Cayman Islands Field Hockey Club plays twice a week, 5pm on Tuesdays at Cayman Prep on Smith Road and 6pm on Saturdays at the International School in Camana Bay and all are welcome. For further information visit www.caymanhockey.com or like Cayman Field Hockey on Facebook.
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