Watched by a massive crowd at the Haslington Market Tarmac on Monday evening, Melanie ‘B’ rose to the occasion to win the fifth annual East Coast of Demerara Zone Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Football Championship by defeating Plaisance ‘B’ 1-0.
From the blow of whistle, it was a back-and-forth tussle between both sides for possession, which treated the partisan fans to a riveting showcase of nimble footwork.
The deadlock was eventually broken in the 12th minute when Amoniki Rogers slipped the ball into the box, amidst the frenetic defending by Plaisance ‘B’.
Rogers’ goal meant his team walked away with the $400,000 cash prize and the championship trophy. On the other hand, despite a spirited effort from Plaisance ‘B,’ they were forced to settle for $150,000 and their accolade however, both teams have booked their spot in the National Championships.
Champions! Melanie ‘B’ players in all smiles as they collect their spoils after winning the championshipBV ‘B’ (orange top) tried desperately to secure a third place spot but Buxton mounted a sturdy defence at the Haslington Market Tarmac on Monday night
Meanwhile, in the third place fixture, Buxton edged former champs Beterverwagting (BV) ‘B’ 1-0 via an early goal by Kevon Assaye in the 3rd minute. Buxton pocketed $100,000 while BV ‘B’ won $75,000 and the respective trophies.
In the semi-final matches, Mealanie ‘B’ won 2-0 on penalty kicks against BV ‘B’ after the match ended in a scoreless draw. For Plaisance ‘B’, their passage to the final came as a result of a Vincent Thomas 34th minute goal which gave them a 1-0 victory over Buxton.
Amoniki Rogers (centre) played a well-rounded game for Melanie ‘B’ in steering them towards the title
Banks DIH Guinness Brand Manager Lee Baptiste in speaking to this publication after the matches expressed great delight in the success of the event. Baptiste felt the change of dates to Easter Monday help facilitated a tremendous turnout by patrons.
With zones in Georgetown, West Demerara/East Bank of Demerara and Berbice also completed, the Brand Manager disclosed that the Mining Town of Linden will host the next leg beginning on April 23 and culminating on May 5 with the grand finals.
In closing Baptiste expressed great appreciation for the support of Colours Boutique and to the Guyana Police Force. Colours Boutique has been outfitting the teams in the tournament for the past three years while the Guyana Police Force aided in the event being incident free.
