Guinness Greatest of the Streets Bartica championship
The first major upset in the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Bartica Championship occurred on Friday when defending champions Disconnection Crew lost to newcomers Walking Boys in play at the Bartica Community Centre tarmac.
The unlikely result stunned the mammoth crowd which had descended on the venue to see the action.
Following a scoreless normal time interval, Walking Boys held their nerve in a tense penalty shootout to prevail 1-0 over the Disconnection Crew.
In other results, former champions Rivers View defeated Man City 2-1 compliments of a Guinness Goal [GG] (a goal scored in the final two minutes counts as two) scored in the 19th minute.
Potato United, Mighty Rulers, Prison Officers, Beacons, Police, and Goal-Raiders each recorded wins to earn their respective places in the group round.
Potato United crushed Potaro Strikers 5-1 in their ‘Derby’ matchup, while Mighty Rulers downed Itaballi 3-1. Prison Officers confined Falmouth 3-1, while the Police arrested Jones Avenue 2-0. And Beacons bested Almanac Kings 1-0 while Goal-Raiders squeaked past Ballers 1-0.
Up to press time, the group stage round was underway at the same venue.
The top two finishers from each pool will proceed to the semi-final round slated for today. The grand finale will also be staged today at the same venue.
Winners of the zone will collect $400,000 and the respective trophy, besides earning an automatic place in the National Championships, which are pegged to start in August.
Meanwhile, the losing finalists will receive $150,000 and a trophy, while
the third and fourth place finishers will pocket $100,000 and $75,000 respectively, together with the corresponding accolades.
The victor of the Guinness Plate Championship will receive $60,000.
The other major sponsor of the event is Colours Boutique. In attendance at the venue was Banks DIH Limited Outdoor Events Manager and former national player Mortimer Stewart.
Complete Results
Game 1
Mighty Ruler-3 vs Itaballi-1
Game 2
Prison Officers-3 vs Falmouth-1
Game 3
Potato United-5 vs Potaro Strikers-1
Game 4
Walking Boyz-0 vs Disconnection Crew-0
Walking Boyz won 1-0 on sudden death penalty kicks
Game 5
Beacons-1 vs Almanac Kings-0
Game 6
Goal-Raiders-1 vs Ballers-0
Game 7
Jones Avenue-0 vs Police-2
Game 8
Rivers Views-2 vs Man City-1
