Baptism of fire continues for hockey5s team
Published:Tuesday | January 30, 2024 | 12:09 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica Hockey5s World Cup coach Duvaughn Henlon is hoping that his players have learnt a lot from their three games so far at their maiden World Cup tournament, currently on in Muscat, Oman, and will use it to end the tournament on a high.
The national team lost all three of their Pool B games, including a 13-0 defeat to India in the last group match yesterday and then a 15-2 loss to Pakistan in the playoff for placement.
Pakistan will play off for ninth to 12th place while the Jamaicans will compete in the playoffs for 13th to 16th places.
Jamaica take on the 24th-ranked USA today, with the winners to contest the playoff for 13th and 14th against the winners of the Nigeria versus Fiji match, while the two losers will playoff for 15th and 16th.
Henlon admitted that it has been a tough tournament for them, but he is hoping that the experience gained by the players will help them to end the tournament well.
“It (Monday) was another tough day but great learning experience playing against these top teams for the first time,” Henlon said.
“We are hoping to use the lessons learnt thus far to finish the tournament strong. So we will be fighting for a win tomorrow (today) against USA.
“We aim to finish as high as possible. We are the lowest-ranked team at the tournament, but the men are punching above their weight at the moment, playing some good hockey, but our lack of experience and exposure is showing at the moment playing against these world beaters,” he commented.
Meanwhile, Jamaica Hockey Federation president Fabian Stewart said despite the results, they have learnt a great deal and have some targets.
“Today was the continuation of the building of the Jamaica Hockey Federation. The scores are a reflection of the disparity where the teams are concerned.
“But we have learnt so much that it is difficult to look at the scores. We are achieving some objectives as we go along, but the games are tough.
“Four big teams are now in the bottom half because the competition is really tough. So I am just looking for the guys to finish strong, learn as much as they can so we can continue building to get much better.
“So for me it is how much they have learnt to move forward because this is not the destination, but to get better is our destiny,” he concluded.