Exciting rivalries seen as “Greatest of the Streets” begins on the ‘West Side’
Showstoppers, Jetty Gunners, Team Family, Ballers Empire and ESPN were among winners when the Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” East Bank/West Demerara Championship commenced on Friday evening at the Pouderoyen Tarmac.
Action between Red Triangle (yellow) and Bagotstown Warriors in the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ East Bank/West Demerara Championship at the Pouderoyen Tarmac
Witnessed by a mammoth crowd hungered by a three-year absence of this particular action, home side and three-time champions Showstoppers overcame newcomers CN Ballers by a 2-1 scoreline after Dexroy Adams had bagged a brace in the fifth and 25th minutes. For the losers, Jamal Crawford netted in the ninth minute to briefly restore parity to the proceedings.
Similarly, dark horses Jetty Gunners edged Team Anti-Social 2-0, compliments of a ‘Guinness Goal’ (GG) [a goal scored in the final three minutes of the second half counts as two] scored by Marvin Josiah in the 28th minute.
Ballers Empire mauled the Ramsay Clan 4-0, with Jaleel Hamilton and Seon Alfred scoring goals in the sixth and 14th minutes respectively, while Solomon Austin recorded a “GG” in the 29th minute.
ESPN downed Upsetters 2-0 after Dennis Edwards and Tefon Daly had scored in the 14th and 18th minutes respectively. And Team Family edged Hillside 1-0 after Eon Mars had found the back of the net in the fourth minute.
Part of the action between Hillside (red) and Team Family (white) in the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ East Bank/West Demerara Championship at the Pouderoyen Tarmac
Saturday’s proceedings resulted in an evening of penalty shootouts, as Showstoppers, Jetty Gunners, Ballerz Empire and Bagotstown Warriors each clinched a semi-final berth when the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ West Demerara edition continued on Saturday at the Pouderoyen Tarmac.
The mammoth crowd that descended on the venue to support the home side saw three-time winners Showstoppers edge inaugural champions West Side Ballers 2-0 on penalty kicks after regulation time ended their game at 1-1. Stephon Jupiter and Dexroy Adams were on target to seal their team’s berth in the semifinal round.
Similarly, their impending opponent in the semifinal section, Jetty Gunners, overcame Up Like 7 by a 6-5 score on sudden death penalty kicks, compliments of a Kevin Cummings strike. The score at the end of full-time was 0-0.
Meanwhile, Bagotstown Warriors upset ESPN 1-0 on penalty kicks following a scoreless affair. They will now meet Ballerz Empire, who defeated Team Family 2-0 via penalty kicks after regulation time was unable to separate the teams at 0-0.
In the Plate section, Team Anti-Social defeated Up Top Bosses via walkover, while the Ramsay Clan mauled Hillside by a 4-0 score. And Red Triangle crushed Team Upset 4-0 while the Pouderoyen Brothers edged CN Ballers.
The semifinal and finals for both sections will commence at the same venue on Friday 17th. Over $600,000 in prizes will be disbursed to the top four finishers and the plate winner.
