T&T international Teague Marcano marked his season debut for Hampstead & Westminster with an assist and goal in their 3-0 defeat of Brooklands Manchester University in the England Hockey League Men’s Premier Division on Saturday.
Marcano, 21, was voted as the Junior Pan American Men’s Hockey Tournament “Most Valuable Player” a few months ago in Chile during which he scored six goals in four matches for the fifth-placed T&T.
Having only returned to England during the second week of November, Marcano suited up for his first match with his club-mates for the 2021/2022 season, after his first stint last year was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.
For Hampstead & Westminster, Matthew Ramshaw scored from a penalty corner in the 12th minute before the nippy Marcano won his team a penalty stroke which was also converted by Ramshaw in the 51st minute.
Then with nine minutes left in the contest, Marcano got his name on the score sheet when he scored from a penalty-corner set play to put the icing on a convincing for his club led by player/coach and former T&T captain Kwandwane Browne.
The victory was the sixth in nine matches for Hampstead & Westminster to stay in the top four of the 11-club table with 20 points, five behind leaders Wimbledon who has played a match more while Old Georgians (24 points) and Surbiton (22) have played nine matches.
Fifth-placed Holcombe has points from nine matches, while Oxted (eight) and East Grindstead (seven) are both in contention for the final top-six spot before the winter break.
In 2019, Teague and his older brother Tariq, 25, represented St Albans coached by former T&T international Dillett 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.
The T&T pair of Browne and Marcano will line up for Hampstead & Westminster in their final league match before the winter break on Sunday against Oxted.
However, in the Conference Midlands, St Albans, the former club of Marcano and coached by former T&T national player Dillet Gilkes went under to leaders Harbone, 5-2.
With the loss, the team's fourth in nine matches, St Albans slipped to sixth with 11 points, just one ahead of Lichfield going into the winter break before competition resumes in early February.
Harbone sits at the top of the table with 25 points, two ahead of Barford Tigers, and well clear of Loughborough Town (14), Harleston Maggies (13), and Bedford (12).