Jamaica to face T&T in Carib openers

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Hosts Trinidad and Tobago will face Jamaica in both men's and women's competition in their opening games at the inaugural Caribbean Hockey Cup next month.

The tournament, set to start on November 7 at the National Hockey Centre in Tacarigua, will also involve teams from Barbados and Guyana playing in a round-robin series.

The top two teams will face each other in the final, while the third and fourth-placed teams meet in a third place play-off.

The women's segment of the tournament will be the first to flick off on November 7 with Barbados and Guyana squaring off from 8:00 a.m., followed by the T&T women and Jamaica, two hours later.

Later on in the afternoon session, Barbados and Guyana open up the men's competition at 3:00 p.m., followed by T&T and Jamaica, at 5:00 p.m.

The T&T women will next face Guyana on Thursday, November 8 while the men battle Guyana.

Following the rest day on November 9, the teams will return to action on November 10 for the final day of round-robin matches.

The tournament will end on November 11 with the play-offs.

Currently, the T&T men's squad - which includes eight overseas-based players and led by Kwandwane Browne - is down to 22 players and will be trimmed to 16 before tournament date by Dutch coach Eric Verboom.

The T&T men are favourites to win the title and will continue to train on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Tacarigua, while Tuesdays and Thursdays are assigned for gym work.

The local squad, which placed fourth at the Pan American Games in Brazil earlier this year, will use the tournament to prepare for their Beijing Olympic Games qualifying tournament in New Zealand from February 2-10 where T&T will meet the host country, Ireland, France, Cuba and Argentina in one of three Olympic Games qualifying tournaments.

Included in the short-list of 24 women's players are Ohio State University duo Curlynne Wynne and Yesenia Luces, and the Lock Haven University trio of Blair Wynne, Curlynne's cousin, Tonya-Marie James and Alanna Lewis.

The team is being coached by FIH coach David Fran?ois and also includes experienced players Stacey Siu Butt, Oire Trotman, former captain, Cristina Abreu-Cockburn, Patrice Padmore, Patricia Borneo and Kecia Jones.