It will be Christmas in the ghetto after Queen Street Tiger Bay were crowned the Guinness Greatest of the Streets Georgetown champions, defeating Stevedore Housing Scheme 2-0 in the final on Saturday at the National Park Tarmac in Thomas Lands.
Deon Alfred would fashion the opening chance of the match in the third minute as he maintained possession of the ball in front
of the goal with superb control among three defenders, before having his slotted shot deflected over the touch line by the final defender.
Stevedore would sound their intention through forward Stephen Dolphin in the seventh minute with a strike that went just wide of the left post.
Queen Street almost opened the scoring one minute later but Alfred was denied by the final Stevedore defender with a left foot shot from the left side of the park, after rounding his marker.
A great chance to take the lead would go abegging for Stevedore in the 11th minute as Ryan Taylor from outside centre of the restricted area, failed to make contact with a perfectly disguised left side pass from Dolphin, which caught the Queen Street defence napping.
The deadlock would be broken in the 13th minute through a beautifully played left side cross from Alfred which was smashed into the roof of the net by Leon Fredericks from outside the left upright, sending the crowd into wild celebrations.
Keoma Gravesande almost doubled Queen Street’s lead in the 17th minute of the second stanza, only for his shot to be denied by the final Stevedore defender.
Proving to be a capable threat going forward, Dolphin would fire a right footer wide of the right post in the 21st minute, after receiving a pass from an Elroy Parks freekick from in front the woodwork.
Stevedore would be guilty once again in the 25th minute of failing to capitalise on a great opportunity as a patient attacking build-up in front of the Queen Street goal, was squandered by Quason Winter who failed to make contact with the ball.
The title however would be sealed in the 27th minute as Alpha Fletchman slotted home his effort from the just outside the right post, after the ball had inadvertently deflected off the hand of the final Stevedore defender, following a left-sided strike.
At the simple presentation ceremony that followed the matchup, Queen Street received $500,000, and a championship trophy for first place while the runners-up pocketed $300,000 and the second place trophy.
Due to Queen Street winning their first Guinness Greatest of the Streets Georgetown title, Tiger Bay has become the only community to have won the title with two different teams, following Hope Street’s title win in the inaugural event.
The top two finishers by virtue of qualifying for the finale will also earn the right to represent the Georgetown zone in the national tournament next year.
The celebration did begin early for the Tiger Bay fandom as Hope Street edged arch-rivals Albouystown-B in the third place showdown 1-0 in the battle for the ghetto.
Rensford Coleridge separated the two sides with a fifth-minute conversion down the middle of the goal from a counter attack.
Picking up the ball down the center of the field, Coleridge would have his strike from just outside the restricted area deflected through the legs of the final Albouystown defender and roll into the net.
With the win, Hope Street walked away with $200,000 and the third place trophy while Albouystown-B pocketed $100,000 and the corresponding trophy.
In the earlier exhibition encounters, Guinness Bar overcame Globe Yard 3-2 while Oasis Taxi Service ran over the Media by a 2-0 score line.
