Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Futsal Final…Royal champions Queen Street to represent Guyana

Jun 03, 2014 Sports

By Rawle Welch
Queen is normally associated with royalty and the monarchy and that is exactly what the performance of national champions Queen Street of Tiger Bay typified during their impressive march to victory against East Coast Demerara champions Melanie ‘A’ in the final of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Competition which ended on Sunday night, at the Demerara Park.

A representative of the Guinness Brand hands over the winning trophy and prize money to Queen Street of Tiger Bay Captain Deon Alfred in the presence of teammates and Guinness Brand Manager Lee Baptiste (right) Sunday night.

The reigning Georgetown champions were in sublime form, displaying tactical superiority, while tournament top goal scorer Deon Alfred and Alpha Fletchman mesmerising skills proved to be more than a handful for opposing defenders as they marched to a comfortable 3-0 triumph and the right to represent this nation at the Caribbean Championship set for this weekend in Trinidad and Tobago.
Added to that, they employed a well thought out strategy to keep Melanie ‘A’ leading marksman and national striker Dwight Peters and the lethal William Europe at bay with the former having no impact on the team’s chances of scoring for the first time in the tournament, while Europe’s thunderous strikes were either effectively blocked or sailed wide of the mark.
On target for the winners were James Meredith (5th), Alpha Fletchman (24th) and Deon Alfred (30th).
The lanky Meredith opened the scoring for Queen Street when he glided in a pinpoint pass from Alfred to give them the lead which stood until the half.
On the resumption, Fletchman moving well on the flank and causing havoc for the Melanie ‘A’ backline fired in a fierce shot that raced into the goal.
Not to be outdone, the talismanic Alfred, who is always a joy to watch, ensured that he too entered the scoresheet with a clinical finish as the opposition threw men forward in search of a goal.
It was the perfect finish for a team that clearly deserves a chance to showcase their skills at the highest level.
In the third place playoff, Albouystown ‘B’, who finished fourth in the Georgetown leg, defeated Linden’s champion Eagles 2-1, with Malvern Ross (11th) and Roy Cassou (20th) scoring for the victors, while Rene Allicock pulled one back for Eagles in the 21st minute.
In the Skills Challenge Competition which was held to arrive at a winner to represent Guyana in this category at the Caribbean championships, Melanie ‘A’ Mikel Stoute displayed admirable creativity and he gained the unanimous nod from the judges over his fellow competitors and will now go on to represent Guyana in the Skills Challenge segment.
Three exhibition matches were played last Sunday night, to keep the fans who braved the overcast conditions occupied before the third place competitors and finalists took the court of play, with Giant Killers defeating Underdog 3-1, followed by Guinness Bar’s 1-0 win over Media XI, before Giant Killers and Clippers Barbershop played to a 1-1 draw.
The champions earned $400,000 for their efforts, while the trip to Trinidad and Tobago could see them earn US$4,000 if they go all the way along with a certified FIFA Training Course.
Melanie ‘A’, Albouystown ‘B’ and Eagles won $200,000, $100,000 and $75,000 respectively.
In the house also was SportsMax the Sports Cable Network that recorded the game live.
In the night’s full results:
Queen Street Tiger Bay-3 vs Melanie-‘A’
Queen Street Scorers
James Meredith-5th
Alpha Fletchman-24th
Deon Alfred-30th
3rd Place Playoff
Albouystown-‘B’-2 vs Eagles-1
Albouystown ‘B’ Scorers
Melvern Ross-11th
Roy Cassou-20th
Eagles Scorer
Rene Allicock-21st
Skill Competition
Winner-Mikel Stoute-Melanie-‘A’
Exhbition Matches
Giant Killers-3 vs Underdog-1
Guinness Bar-1 vs Media-0
Giant Killers-1 vs Clippers Barbershop-1