Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 23, 2018 Sports
Other zone winners declare no fear
As preparations intensify for this weekend’s start of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Competition, the excitement associated with the event has reached fever-pitch and fans are eagerly awaiting the commencement of play.
The Guinness sponsored street tournament now in its ninth edition has become the most talked about event in the shorter version and, the organisers who are cognizant of this fact, has been steadily looking at ways to improve the experience for spectators, while also seeking to increase the lucrative prize monies that are on offer.
Georgetown teams have generally ruled the roost in the competition’s history, but Linden’s Dave & Celena All Stars ended that dominion last year and will no doubt be aiming to duplicate that performance to erase any lingering suspicion of a fluke.
On the other hand, with Georgetown’s aura slightly dented, other zone winners will feel inspired by the Lindeners’ performance and raise their level of play as well to ensure that the trophy goes elsewhere.
However, this could instigate the cadre of teams that have qualified to represent Georgetown to lift their game and the mere thought of the envisaged rivalry is what could inspire strong turnout of the respective teams’ supporters.
Bartica Zone winner, Disconnection Crew, with their Brazilian connection has been touted to be the spoilers in this year’s competition, while the defending champs Dave & Celena All Stars, East Coast champions Uprising and Berbice’s champions Trafalgar showed enough class to make the tournament interesting.
As usual West Front Road ‘Gold is Money’ who’re the reigning Georgetown champions, having beaten the most successful team in the tournament history Sparta Boss in their zone final, will also attempt to prove that their undoing of the Bosses was no fluke, while Sparta Boss will be looking to restore that imposing record that made them the most feared team in the format.
With the provision of seating accommodation for fans, the organisers are predicting an even bigger turnout than previous years as they seek to broaden the diversity of fans support.
“We are constantly reviewing past tournaments and we felt that seating accommodation was one of the areas that we needed to improve and fans will see an improvement in this area when the final is hosted at the National Gymnasium,” Guinness Brand Manager Lee Baptiste assured.
Baptiste said they have every intention of making this year’s national playoffs as inclusive as possible and all the stops are being pulled out to ensure that the tournament’s legacy is protected and preserved.
Last year saw the introduction of colourful uniforms and balls in keeping with the new trend seen internationally and this year promises to be no different.
The tournament opens on July 27, at Pouderoyen Tarmac, West Demerara and then moves to Haslington Tarmac, East Coast Demerara on August 1, before the final showdown set for August 4, at the National Stadium.
The teams that have qualified are:
Georgetown
Gold is Money-Champion
Sparta Boss
Leopold Street
Bent Street
East Coast
Uprising-Champion
Paradise
Melanie-B
Buxton Diamond
West Demerara
Showstoppers-Champion
ESPN
West Side Ballers
Linden
Silver Bullets-Champion
Dave and Celina’s All-Stars-National Champion
Swag Entertainment
Berbice
Trafalgar-Champion
Bartica
Disconnection Crew-Champion
Complete Fixtures – Pouderoyen – Friday 27th
West Side Ballers vs Silver Bulletsr-19:00hrs
ESPN vs Disconnection Crew-19:30hrs
Leopold Street vs Dave & Celina’s All-Stars-20:00hrs
Showstoppers vs Swag Entertainment-20:30hrs
ESPN vs West Side Ballers-21:30hrs
Silver Bullets vs Disconnection Crew-22:00hrs
Swag Entertainment vs Dave & Celina’s-22:30hrs
Showstoppers vs Leopold Street-23:00hrs
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