Cubans say they're well prepared

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

An extremely confident Cuban delegation arrived in the island yesterday afternoon for their three-match play-off series against Jamaica, as both teams vie for final spot in the 2011 Pan American Games, to be held in Mexico.

The series will be played at the Mona Hockey Field on October 28, 30 and 31, starting at 4 p.m. each day.

Cuba's delegation comprises 16 members, including chairman of the Cuban Hockey Federation, Alex Hernandez Gomez and head coach, Hilario Yera Diaz.

"The team has (been) preparing for three months at very high intensity with the aim of attaining our goals," said Diaz. "We have prepared ourselves technically, physically and strategically, so we can play in a very great shape.

"The objective is to win two out of three matches. We are confident that we had good preparation and we will show that we are well prepared," he added.

Diaz, however, respects the Jamaica team and anticipates a close contest.

Confident

"We duly respect our opponents on the field, so taking into account the shape and preparation of both teams, we are very confident that the matches will show great intensity and be a very good exhibition for fans," Diaz pointed out. "The purpose of the team is obviously to win. We would like to attain a victory but we are also aware that the Jamaican team is also prepared for this competition."

In preparation for the play-offs, Cuba hosted Mexico in a three-match series and came away impressive winners as they won all three games (12-1, 7-1 and 3-0).

Cuba beat Jamaica on the last three occasions the countries met, including a 1-0 margin at the 2006 CAC Games.

Cuba's captain, Yency Casas Gonzalez, places great importance on the series against Jamaica as she believes qualification is vital.

"We know the great responsibility that we have with this competition against Jamaica because this is a critical competition, so that any of the teams can participate in the next Pan American Games in Guadalajara."

Jamaica's Hockey President Victor Tomlinson is also confident of Jamaica doing well.

"We are better prepared than when we went into the CAC Games in Mexico, we got there without adequate match practice," Tomlinson disclosed. "We have played a tournament where we placed fifth, we have trained since and we have attempted to correct our faults. With that experience and the corrective measures we have taken, we are fairly confident that we will do justice on the field on Thursday."