PPP/C East Bank/Soesdyke/Timehri Cluster/Inter Village 7-A-Side Football… : Team Soesdyke prevail over Spaniards of Diamond in pulsating final

The 2025 edition of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) annual East Bank/Soesdyke/Timehri Cluster/Inter Village 7-A-Side knock-out football championship came to a pulsating end on Sunday night at the President’s Youth Choice Ground, Kuru Kururu, Linden-Soesdyke Highway.
Two days of exciting rivalry among the 24-teams that competed, the largest number of teams in the history of the tournament to date, came to an end under the newly-installed lights at the facility, the first for the Highway under the Government’s ground enhancement programme.

Team Soesdyke and Spaniards of Diamond earned the right to contest the championship match after winning all their games. Having earned an automatic berth to the final by virtue of ending the second and third round with the most goals (4), Spaniards faced a Team Soesdyke side that needled Airport Ballers in their qualifying game and had finished one goal behind Spaniards.
The final lived up to expectations, both teams playing hard as they knew they were a single step away from the winning purse of $700,000. Regulation time of 20 minutes failed to separate the two sides as neither was able to score.
Ensuing kicks from the penalty mark was also very competitive. After the first five, the score was locked at 1-1, Spaniards scoring their second while Team Soesdyke converted their fourth. Sudden-death penalty kicks were the deciding factor. Spaniards missed both of their attempts; Team Soesdyke also missed their first but converted the second which was good enough for the win and first-place cash prize. Spaniards walked away with $500,000 for their efforts.

The third-place game saw Airport Ballers downing Swan Vipers by the lone goal of the match which came off the boots of Nyron Barrow. Airport Ballers walked away with $300,000, and Swan collected $200,000. The top two teams were also presented with gold and silver medals and trophies.
Ending as the highest goalscorer was Airport Ballers’ Prince Forde with three goals. Team Soesdyke’s Alester Adams copped the best goalkeeper prize while his teammate, Mark Jhalu was named the competition’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). Each of the individual awardees received a cash prize and a trophy.
There was a special prize for the team with the most fan support. Special colour coded tickets were issued to each of the teams and they distributed them to their fans. When the tickets were tallied, Swan emerged victorious and were presented with a cash prize.
The other teams that participated in the two-day tournament were Grove Star B; Circuitville Jaguars; Pakuri B; Eccles FC; Kuru Kururu B; Bamia; Pakuri A; Timehri Base Road; Grove Star A; Laluni FC; Waiakabra Ballers; Kuru Kururu A (2024 champs); Circuitville Strikers; Herstelling Raiders; Airport Ballers; Banakari; Agricola; Hairaruni; Swan FC; Kuru Kuru College, and Timehri Birds.