For the very first time in the existence of the Kashif and Shanghai Tournament, no matches will be played in Linden – the place where it all began – but one team; the Amelia’s Ward United, is hoping to carry the mining community on their shoulders, to put a smile on the faces of the disheartened people of the area.
The 23rd Kashif and Shanghai Football tournament will officially kick off tomorrow with Amelia’s Ward facing Mill Ballers of Bartica in opening encounter of the double header while Bakewell Buxton Stars will face Pele in the night’s feature.
“Presently, we are more than ready to compete and better our performance from last year,” said Coach Sean Warner, reflecting on his team’s fourth place finish in the previous edition of the tournament.
“I honestly have a good feeling about this bunch of players because we still have the same core of players from last year with an addition of about four more joining the team from Topp XX, and we have been getting good results.
Presently we are third in the National League, only losing one game, so the guys are all eager to perform,” Warner added.
Bakewell Topp XX was known for being the most decorated team in the tournament, winning five of the seven finals they contested. However, this year, the team will not be part of the event and several players from the club made their exodus to various teams in Linden with Amelia’s Ward landing some of the more talented.
“We have our captain Travis ‘Chicken’ Watterton , who I must say has been great for this team, but then from Topp XX we have midfielder Quacy Johnson and those guys coming over add some depth to the team, so we are solid,” Warner declared.
Asked if the team will be capitalizing on the four guest player per side rule, he said: “We have the slot open but we haven’t really sought out a player exactly, but we have the space for addition. See, our team is really home grown and played well just like this last year and got success though we didn’t win, but this time around I think we have a better team to go all the way.”
Warner praised the fact that his team has been playing in the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Super League, making them more than tournament ready by tomorrow.
He also added that the Toyota Allex being up for the tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) can add to the level of competition expected in the tournament.
“It’s long overdue because players put a lot into getting ready for these tournaments and I’m glad they can be rewarded like this. Also, I think you will see them pushing themselves some more to play hard for more than 90 minutes, so this tournament should see a higher level of play,” said the Amelia’s Ward coach.
A visit to the Linden Foundation Secondary School play-field in Amelia’s Ward saw the team going through their paces with Warner and his able and certified assistant Lincoln Zephyr who will be working with the team for the tournament.
