Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 15, 2015 Sports
The excitement of year-end football made a grand return to the Mining Town of Linden, with the staging of the UDFA/GT Beer Football Cup, which kicked off on Sunday at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground.
Thousands gathered at Region 10’s premier venue and witnessed Kwakwani Strikers taming Retrieve Lions 4 – 0, and Train Line defeating Vasco 2 – 1.
Playing in the opening match of the third installation of the GT Beer sponsored tournament, Dale Sauers netted the game’s first goal just five minutes into the contest.
Roy Leacock who made light work of the Retrieve Lions’ defence throughout the night, scored two goals (36th and 63rd minute), while Shane Adams found the back of the net in the 70th minute to cap a lopsided affair in favour of the team from the Berbice River.
Kwakwani Strikers, following their win on Sunday, will now play Sliver Shattas on Boxing Night (December 26).
In the second game of the night Anil Hatton netted in the 24th minute to give Train Line the advantage when he headed in a corner taken by Shawn Stephens.
And just when the massive crowd felt that the first half would have ended 1-0, Vasco team equalised through a 45th minute goal which came off the boot of Kevin Cadogan.
However, the game would swing back in favour of Train Line in the 58th minute as Chavez Hescott finished a cross from Hatton which went past the last post to score.
Train Line booked their place in the quarter-final following their 2 – 1 win over Vasco, and will now face Topp XX on December 26.
The collaboration between the UDFA and Banks DIH will see fourteen teams participating for cash prizes and trophies.
The first place team will pocket $800,000, while second place will cart off $500,000. Third place will be awarded $300,000, while the team which places fourth will walk away with $200,000 in cash.
All matches will be played at the MSC Ground, with the other playing nights being December
18, 20, 26, 27, Semi-final on December 30 and Final on January 1, 2016.
Meanwhile, the event opened with the march past of teams and addresses from officials including GFF President Wayne Forde who said, “I am paying tribute to the great players of Linden like Johnson, the Hutson brothers, Collie Hercules, Charlie Pollard, those individuals who would have graced this venue and brought much entertainment to the crowds. I also would like to announce to the entire public, the executive body of the UDFA, the relationship that Linden would have enjoyed with previous executive body will improve dramatically. We see Linden as a significant force within the football family. Just after being banned and being able to pick themselves up at this point in almost two tournaments as an example I hope that the rest of the football family will take an example from. So we are happy to get on board and we look forward to every new opportunity to collaborate with Linden going forward.”
UDFA President Sharma Solomon noted, “We hope that this tournament returning to Region 10 (Upper Demerara) that it will produce not only talented players but it can give to Guyana the showpiece that we have given to the past several decades. We hope that this evening and the rest of the evenings and the 1st of January, we can see at the Mackenzie Sports Club the spectacle we call year end football. We are proud that the Guyana Football Federation would have seen it fit to partner with us, to come on board with us and to show us that support which the federation should give an association.”
He went on further, “To Mr. Forde, you and your executives we say thank you and say to our sponsors Banks DIH and those who saw it fit to maintain that commitment with us, and lend that support that football needs, we say thank you for your sponsorship. We ask that others be given the opportunity to come on board to partner with us to show that football is the greatness that it possess to change lives and to change communities.
We ask of you fans, last but not least, to continue the support and as you show that commitment that football would have demonstrated over the years to build our community, we encourage you to lend that which we ask of you, because we will continue to give what football needs, our support.”
“To our players, we say to you even if we stand in the rain, it is because of you and if we ask of you so that we can be encouraged to invest. We ask of you with that sort of commitment that we stand with you and to demonstrate to you that leadership to move this association forward requires that commitment, even from you our players. We are looking at almost $12M injected in the past years into our players and it is not only $12M, we are pursuing the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), as we have done over the past couple of years, to see as we saw them here today that the goal project, to bring that special project to the Upper Demerara Football Association,” Solomon stated.
Play resumes on Friday with two more matches 6.30pm Milerock versus Eagles United and at 8.15 Blueberry Hill and Winners Connection will battle.
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