National defender Avion Ashton got the decisive goal as Paragon flicked off the defence of its T&T Hockey Board National Indoor Championship Women’s Open Division title with a 2-1 defeat of Ventures on Sunday.
Playing in the opening match of Women’s Open competition, Paragon took the lead through T&T forward Kristin Thompson’s 16th minute item to lead 1-0 at the half, at the Woodbrook Youth Centre, Hamilton-Holder Street, Woodbrook.
However, two minutes into the second-half, Lindsay Williams got Ventures level, but with eight minutes left in the match, Ashton netted what turned out to be the match winner for Paragon, which spanked Shandy Carib Magnolias 4-1 in last year’s decider.
In the Men’s Open, Paragon, beaten in last year’s final by Queen’s Park, 5-2 also made a winning start to this year’s campaign, 4-2 over Defence Force led by a double from national forward Cogie Butler. However, it was the Teteron men who struck first via Keshon Johnson in the 18th minute, only for Ryan Cowie to get Paragon level on the stroke of half-time.
Butler then got his first in the 29th for Paragon to lead 2-1, but national forward Mickel Pierre replied for Defence Force to tie up the score at 2-2 in the 36th. Defence Force’s joy was shortlived though as T&T international Akim Toussaint, who recently returned from a pro-stint in Australia regained the lead for Paragon a minute later while Butler added another in the 39th to seal the win.
Also in winners row was former champions, Petrotrin which came from behind to defeat Fatima 6-3 inspired by a hat trick from former England-based Evan Farrell. Vieira-brothers, Jordan (fourth) and Andrew (sixth), fired Fatima into an early 2-0 lead, but Farrell replied with a quick double in the seventh and eight minutes while Arielle Bowen also found the target for Petrotrin to hold a 3-2 advantage inside the tenth minute.
In the second-half, discarded T&T international Wayne Legerton (27th) and Bowen (28th) extended the advantage to 5-2, but Jordan kept Fatima in the match, with his second of the match in the 32nd minute to trail 5-3. But, that was as close Fatima would get as Farrell then completed his hat trick in the 38th to put the seal on a 6-3 triumph.
In the six-team Mixed Veterans Division, Defence Force and Notre Dame won both their matches to lead with maximum six points each.
RESULTS
Women’s Open
Paragon 2 (Kristin Thompson 16th, Avion Ashton 32nd) vs Ventures 1 (Lindsay Williams 22nd)
Men’s Open
Petrotrin 6 (Evan Farrell 7th, 8th, 38th, Arielle Bowen 10th, 28th, Wayne Legerton 27th) vs Fatima 3 (Jordan Vieira 4th, 32nd, Andrew Vieira 6th)
Paragon 4 (Cogie Butler 29th, 39th, Ryan Cowie 20th, Akim Toussaint 37th ) vs Defence Force 2 (Keshon Johnson 18th, Mickel Pierre 36th)
Mixed Veterans
Notre Dame 5 (Carol Whiteman 5th, 9th, 19th, Cheryl John 14th) vs Fatima 2 (Cristina Abreu 20th, Shawn Tang 29th)
Defence Force 5 (Nicholas Wren 7th, 17th, 23rd, Anthony Morales 14th, Gary Griffith 16th) vs Police 3 (Fernando Beatrice 21st, 25th, Glennon Foncette 6th)
Malvern 4 (Damian Gordon 13th, 25th, Cecile Wren 16th, 19th) vs QPCC 4 (Raphael Govia 3rd, 12th, Jerry Bell 15th, 24th)
QPCC 5 (Raphael Govia 5th, 23rd, Gary Chin 14th, Jerry Bell 22nd, Andre Attale 29th) vs Fatima 3 (Neil Pichery 11th, 30th, Brian Garcia 9th)
Defence Force 6 (Nicholas Wren 14th, 15th, 23rd, 29th, Anthony Morales 4th, Gary Griffith 15th) vs Malvern 4 (Anthony Marcano 13th, 17th, Darius Nathaniel 12th, Deryck Alexander 19th)
Notre Dame 7 (Keith De Peza 6th, 9th, Selwyn King 12th, 30th, Carol Whiteman 11th, Akil Nancoo 22nd, Sean Olton 29th) vs Police 2 (Roger Chin 10th, 28th)