Former national men’s hockey player, Kwandwane Browne and Hampstead & Westminster made a winning return to the England Hockey League Men’s Premier Division on Sunday last at Paddington Recreation Ground, Maida Vale, London.
Following a 13th-placed finish in the European Hockey League during the first weekend in October, Hampstead & Westminster with Browne serving as player/coach followed up their opening round 3-2 victory over Wimbledon, with another close win, 4-3 against University of Exeter.
The 43-year-old Browne who made a record 324 appearances for the “Calypso Stickmen” indoor and outdoor teams before retiring started in defensive midfield and saw his team take a slim halftime lead thanks to a 17th-minute field goal from Matthew Ramshaw.
However, at the start of the third quarter, Exeter scored three times in four minutes courtesy of Matt Simmond, a 41st-minute penalty-stroke, Seb Ansley (42nd) and Luke Brown, two minutes later.
Facing defeat, Hampstead & Westminster mounted a fight-back with Matt Guise-Brown striking twice in the 61st and 62nd minutes to draw the sides level at 3-3.
After seeing Mannheimer draw level against them in the dying moments during their European Hockey League Knockout round-of-16 match, to end the 2-2 – with the Germans winning the subsequent shootout 2-0 – in Brasschaat, Belgium, Hampstead then dished revenge out on Exeter as Rupert Shipperley scored in the final minute to hand them a third win in as many games.
With the win, record six times Pan American Hockey Federation Elite Team selectee, Browne and Hampstead & Westminster improved to a maximum of nine points, the same as Old Georgians, Surbiton and Wimbledon.
A stand-out performer for the national men's team at Pan American Cups, Pan American Games, and the Commonwealth Games, Browne has been at Hampstead & Westminster since 2016, after starting his professional career in England with Canterbury (2002-2003) followed by stints at East Grindstead (2003-2006), and again at Canterbury (2009-2016).
Another T&T player attached to the Hampstead & Westminster club is the national under-21 men’s hockey team captain, Teague Marcano.
The 20-year-old Marcano recently copped the “Most Valuable Player” award at the Junior Pan American Hockey Championship held in Chile in August.
During the tournament, Marcano scored six goals in four matches, one behind tournament top-scorer Andres Pizarro of Chile, included a treble in the 5-4 fifth-placed playoff loss to Mexico with Joel Daniel, the other player in the match for T&T.
However, Marcano who enjoyed his first taste of action with Hampstead & Westminster last year is currently in T&T and is hopeful of linking up with his teammates next month or ahead of the second half of the season in January.
In 2019, Teague and his older brother Tariq, 25, represented St Albans coached by former T&T international Dillet Gilkes in the Conference East League for a fifth-placed on the ten-team table with 23 points, level with sixth-placed Spencer and three behind Old Loughtonians in the battle for the final semifinal spot.
But despite his club failing to reach the final-four playoffs, the younger of the Marcano brothers ended the season as joint top scorer with Cambridge City’s Gareth Andrew with 18 goals each, ten more than Tariq who featured in all 17 matches as well.
