Canadian club and former winners, Goan Overseas Association (GOA) women and Guyana's Hikers men are the lone foreign clubs registered to compete in the eighth annual Ventures Invitational Indoor Hockey Tournament. The five-day tournament to be contested in three categories (men, women and veterans) flicks off at the Woodbrook Youth Facility, Hamilton Holder Street, Woodbrook, on Wednesday from 11 am until Sunday. GOA which defeated local club, Paragon 8-3 in the women's final last year for its second title on the trot, will be represented by two teams in the eight-team women's tournament. In Group A, GOA will battle host club and former winner Ventures 'A', two-time champion Stag Malvern and Defence Force.
GOA second string team Ti Cats will face Paragon, Notre Dame and Ventures 'B' in the other group.
Missing from this year's women's tourney will be former winners' Carib Magnolias, who failed to meet the registration deadline. Hikers, men's champions in 2008, are in a very competitive Group B along with Paragon, UWI and Petrotrin, recent winner of the Carib Magnolias Indoor Hockey Festival. Queen's Park, winner of the inaugural men's title in 2003 is in Group A with Shape, Fatima and two-time winner Malvern. Notre Dame will put its Veterans Division crown on the line against Malvern, Defence Force and Shape in Group B, while Queen's Park, Fatima, Paragon and Petrotrin contest Group A.
The winners' of the men and women's Open Division title will each collect US$1,000, while second place teams gets US$500 and third, US$200 each. In addition to the team prizes, there will also be individual awards for the "Most Valuable Player," "Most Goals" and "Best Goalkeeper" in each division.
VENTURES INVITATIONAL INDOOR HOCKEY tournament GROUPS
Divisions:
Men Open
Group A: Defence Force, Queen's Park CC, Shape, Corona Fatima, Stag Malvern.
Group B: Hikers, Paragon, UWI, Petrotrin.
Women Open
Group A: GOA, Ventures 'A', Stag Malvern, Defence Force.
Group B: GOA Ti Cats, Paragon, Notre Dame, Ventures 'B'.
Veterans'
Group A: Queen's Park, Corona Fatima, Paragon, Petrotrin.
Group B: Stag Malvern, Notre Dame, Defence Force, Shape.
