Club commitments will keep England-based Kwandwane Browne out of the T&T men's hockey team for the inaugural Federation of International Hockey (FIH) World League round one qualifiers here in T&T next month. The 34-year-old Browne is the current player/coach at English Premier Division club Canterbury which is second on the ten-club table with 15 points, three behind leaders Beeston after six matches.
The T&T Hockey Board will host the qualifiers at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua, for both men (November 14 to 17) and women (November 11 to 17). Browne has matches for his club on November 11 and 17. Two long-serving players, Atiba Whittington and Wayne Legerton, have also been by-passed in the 18-man squad which was announced last night at the end of a team training session at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua.
Ironically, both men helped Petrotrin win the national men's indoor final at the Woodbrook Youth Facility, Hamilton-Holder Street on Sunday. Whittington has been named as one of three reserves. The squad will be led by Darren Cowie (captain) and vice-captain Dwain Quan Chan while Legerton's brother, Shane has been included. Also named is Akim Toussaint, who had a two-month professional contract with Germany First Division Bundesliga club Gladbacher Hockey and Tennis Club in July.
Other regulars in the squad which trains on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at Tacarigua are Kiel Murray, Mickell Pierre, Marcus James, Solomon Eccles, Alan Henderson, Christopher Scipio, Aidan De Gannes and Nicholas Triston Grant. Goalkeeper Andrey Rocke also makes a return after a lengthy lay-off, while under-21 trio Shaquille Daniel, Michael O'Connor and Ishmael Campbell made the cut.
The women's team, to be led by Paragon's Alanna Lewis with Patricia Wright-Alexis as her deputy, also features a few surprises with national under-21 standout Brittney Hingh of Harvard Maritime Checkers being left out. However, junior teammates Kayla Brathwaite, Stephanie Whiteman, Dana-Lee De Gannes, and Zene Henry all found favour with the selection committee.
Also in the squad to be coached by Ian Harris, are former Belgium-based forward Blaire Wynne, Kristin Thompson, Avion Ashton, Yesenia Luces, goalkeeper Petal Derry and Sekayi Liburd and USA-based Krizia Layne of Hofstra University.
The women will continue to train three times weekly at Tacarigua on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays until the tournament flicks off. The World League is part of the FIH's quest to make the qualification process for the World Cup and the Olympics as inclusive and local as possible in an effort to minimise travel costs to the smaller hockey countries. It is split into four rounds that last over a two-year cycle. For one cycle, the World League will serve as the qualifier for the World Cup and in the next cycle serves as the qualifier for the Olympics Games.
The Local Organising Committee to oversee the tournament comprises: Ann Browne John (chairperson), Douglas Camacho, Garth Baptiste, Annette Knott, Roger Gomes, Maureen Craig Rousseau, Willard Harris, Gary Griffith and Monica Sobers-Hylton.
Squads
Men: Darren Cowie (captain), Dwain Quan Chan (vice-captain), Akim Toussaint, Kiel Murray, Karlos Stephen (goalkeeper), Mickell Pierre, Marcus James, Shane Legerton, Solomon Eccles, Andrey Rocke (goalkeeper), Alan Henderson, Christopher Scipio, Stefan Mouttet, Aidan De Gannes, Shaquille Daniel, Nicholas Triston Grant, Michael O'Connor, Ishmael Campbell.
Reserves: Kwesi Emmanuel (goalkeeper), Atiba Whittington, Joel Bodkin.
Technical staff: Glen Francis (coach), Kirth Davis (manager), Stephon Webster (trainer), Mc Allister Estrada (physiotherapist), Karielle Du Bique (physiotherapist).
Women: Blair Wynne, Kristin Thompson, Alanna Lewis (captain), Avion Ashton, Yesenia Luces, Kwylan Jaggessar, Patricia Wright-Alexis (vice-captain), Petal Derry (goalkeeper), Arielle Du Quesnay, Sekayi Liburd, Arielle Williams, Kayla Brathwaite, Dana-Lee De Gannes, Stephanie Whiteman, Zene Henry, Jenielle Carrington (goalkeeper), Tamara De Nobriga, Krizia Layne (Hofstra University).
Reserves: Charlene Williams, Aime Olton
Technical staff: Ian Harris (coach), Glen Francis (assistant coach), Jameel Beharry (manager)
Tournament groups
Men: Barbados, Chile, T&T, Venezuela
Women: Canada, Venezuela. T&T, Guyana, Barbados, Uruguay
Fixtures
Women
November 14: Chile vs Barbados, 3 pm; T&T vs Venezuela, 5 pm
November 15: Barbados vs Venezuela, 5 pm; T&T vs Chile, 7 pm
November 17: Chile vs Venezuela, 5 pm; Barbados vs T&T, 7 pm
Men
November 11: Canada vs Venezuela, 1 pm
T&T vs Guyana, 3 pm
Barbados vs Uruguay, 5 pm
November 12: Canada vs Guyana, 2.30 pm
T&T vs Uruguay, 4.30 pm
Venezuela vs Barbados, 6.30 pm
November 14: Barbados vs Canada, 9 am
Uruguay vs Guyana, 11 am
Venezuela vs T&T, 1 pm
November 15: Guyana vs Barbados, 3 pm
T&T vs Canada, 5 pm
Uruguay vs Venezuela, 7 pm
November 17: Canada vs Uruguay, 10.30 am
Guyana vs Venezuela, 1 pm
Barbados vs T&T, 3 pm