Denbigh hunt historic double in ISSA hockey finals

DENBIGH High School is quietly making its presence felt in ISSA competitions. Known mainly for their excellence in netball, the school's sporting teams have been punching above their weight in recent times, with good results in other areas, including table tennis and track and field.

Today, the school will be seeking more sporting glory as their male and female Under-19 hockey teams, who created history by making the finals, will both play in the finals of the ISSA Under-19 competition at the Mona Hockey field.

At 1 p.m., the girls, who are the defending champions, will take on St Andrew High, while at 2 p.m. the boys, who finished third last year, will be hunting their first title when they go up against Kingston College.

Coach Richard Piper, a former student and player, is looking forward to both games and is quietly optimistic about his teams' chances of winning both titles.

"It is an amazing feeling and I feel very proud of both teams, as this is historic. It is the first time both teams are reaching the finals at the same time. I want to achieve something as a coach that I didn't get the chance to achieve as a player, as on two occasions after reaching the finals my team lost," said Piper.

In the female final, Denbigh will be hoping to avenge their only defeat of the season when they lost to St Andrew High in the preliminary round of the competition. They qualified for the final after edging Wolmer's Girls 2-1 in the semi-finals.

The boys' team advanced to the finals after getting past Jamaica College 3-2 in the semi-finals, to avenge an earlier loss to them in the preliminary round.

Piper is confident that both teams can walk away with the titles.

"I like what I saw in the matches leading up to the finals, as the players have been doing what I want from them," he said.

He also pointed to key players for both teams.

"For the female team, goalkeeper Adalaine Bent, who is new in this position, has been our best player as she has made numerous crucial saves during the season. Jovanee Anderson and Tia Bennett are also expected to make their presence felt," he said.

Among the males, he is relying on national player Ronaldo Goldson, along with Marlon Harris and Alex Henry.