592 Beer Inter-Village Football Championship…
With the exciting group stage concluded, quarterfinal section in the inaugural 592 Beer Inter-Village Football Championship will commence on Sunday with an exciting double-header at the Buxton Community Ground.
In the opening match, Mahaica will match skills with Friendship at 20:00h. The weight of expectation of securing a semi-final berth will rest on the shoulders of Azuma Roberts, Eion Abel and Shameer Nazir come kick-off time.
Meanwhile, the trio of Dillon Wright, Clive Andries and Okenny Fraser will marshal the dangerous Friendship outfit, a side which has grown with each outing and will have the partisan home support in their corner. In the second fixture, home side Buxton tackle Paradise at 22:00h.
The Paradise unit is considered one of the main contenders to secure the coveted title by several analysts. This label is justified as they possess quality players such as Quincy Adams and Tyreek Cummings in their roster. However, the battle-hardened Buxtonians will be no pushovers and possess the skill set to create issues for their opponents, led by the dynamic Eon Costello.
Tournament coordinator Eon Havercome revealed that the event would now officially conclude on January 1, 2020. He stated that the decision to extend the event was based on the response of the players, fans and sponsors, providing the platform for the players to compete following the prolonged absence of structured football in the region.
According to Havercome, the staging of the event highlights that football was truly alive in the East Coast Demerara region, positing that the intention is for the tournament to be an annual affair. The competition continues with the second night of quarterfinal action on Christmas Day at the same venue.
The eventual champion will pocket $500,000 and the championship trophy. The second, third and fourth-place finishers will receive $200,000; $150,000 and $100,000 respectively and the corresponding trophy.
Similarly, individual prizes will also be awarded for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament, the MVP of the finale, the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament and the Best Goalkeeper of the final.
Some of the major sponsors of the tournament include Bakewell Guyana Incorporated, ExxonMobil, the NSC and Colin Talbot Construction Services. In the second round of quarter-final matches scheduled for Christmas Day, Golden Grove will match skills with Brusch Dam in the opening match from 20:00h while Beterverwagting (BV) will oppose Ann’s Grove in the second encounter at 22:00h.
