Guinness “Greatest of the Streets”… : Austin guides Ballers Empire to West Dem title

Ballers Empire triumphed over the weekend to become the new champions of the Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” West Demerara Zone.
Watched by scores of avid fans from West Demerara at the Pouderoyen Tarmac on the West Bank, Ballers Empire got the better of Jetty Gunners, 5-2, in a hotly-contested final.

Bevney Marks was the first to find the back of the net, handing Ballers Empire the 1-0 lead in just the fourth minute. Ravin Naughton extended their lead to 2 in the ninth minute while Solomon Austin made it a 3-0 affair in the 13th.
In crunch time, when a goal was now worth two, Jetty Gunners attempted a comeback with Jermaine Beckles finding the back of the net for a Guinness goal in the 28th minute, bringing the scoreline to 3-2. Needing one more strike to get ahead of their opponents, Jetty Gunners were not prepared for what Austin unleased, finding the back of the net for a Guinness goal in the 30th minute that would extend the lead to 5.

In the third-place playoff between Wash Bay Boys and Pouderoyen Brothers, the former got the better of Pouderoyen 2-1 on penalty kicks after being tied 1-all at the end of regulation time.
Over in the plate final, Cayenne Massive overcame Unstoppable Force 3-0 to cop an $80,000 plate prize.
The champions, Ballers Empire carted off a $500,000 grand prize while Jetty Gunners had to settle for a $400,000 second-place prize. Third-place finishers, Wash Bay Boys pocketed $300,000 while Pouderoyen Brothers pocketed $150,000.
Ballers Empire will join the other Zone winners in the National Championships in a matter of months.