By Rawle Toney
Bakewell Topp XX of Linden made light work of last minute replacement team Santos of Georgetown 2-0 while Sunburst Camptown edged Fruta Conquerors 1-0 on Boxing Night at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground in the Kashif and Shanghai football competition.
Heavy rainfall made conditions at the MSC ground very difficult and as such, fans were treated to a “kick around the ball in the mud” type of football in both matches.
Five times champions Bakewell Topp XX, moved closer to claiming an unprecedented sixth title when they sent Santos packing thanks to goals from national striker Collie `Hitman’ Hercules and national player Cary Harris on either half of the game.
Despite the soggy conditions, Topp XX looked impressive with Hercules orchestrating all the plays.
He scored one of the tournament’s fastest goals when he netted in one minute, 52 seconds, executing a volley from the top of the 18-yard box after receiving a pass from Harris.
Santos strikers never troubled the Linden side’s defence with national custodian Richard Reynolds hardly having anything to do in the game. The two sides ended the first half with score 1-0. Nothing much happened in the second period and it was evident that the state of the ground had a lot to do with the level of play. Nonetheless, Topp XX, who received a resounding cheer from the home crowd, would claim their place in the semi-finals through Cary Harris who scored a spectacular goal directly from a corner kick. In the opening game, Sunburst Camptown proved to be the better “Juice” on the night, outplaying Fruta Conquerors irrespective of the ground conditions. Camptown scored the game’s eventual only goal, which was scored in the eighth minute by national youth player Telson McKinnon. A shot was taken by national striker Nigel “Powers” Codrington and the Conquerors ‘keeper just couldn’t put a handle on it and spilt the ball In the path of a goal-hungry McKinnon who sent the shot rocketing into the back of the net.
The Fruta boys’ best chance came in the 85th minute when Dillon Williams’ powerfully struck shot went crashing into the uprights of the Camptown goal. A mere couple inches lower and he would have equalised but as they say: “Almost doesn’t count, and Camptown held on for the win.
The two winners will clash in tonight’s second game of the semi-finals at the national stadium Providence.
