By Jeff Trotman
Troy Peters, Communications Manager, Banks DIH, has promised that the giant local brewery company will continue to support the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) in running off its year end tournament.
He made the promise at the presentation ceremony of the inaugural UDFA GT Beer Cup on Wednesday evening at the Egbert Benjamin Interpretation Centre, Linden.
Pointing out that he was at the opening of the tournament at the Mackenzie Sports Club on Wednesday 11 December 2013, Peter said that the tournament coincided with GT Beer being launched for the first time in the country and that was in Linden.
The Banks DIH Communications Manager also pointed out that the tournament was held under the brand of GT Beer and Banks DIH is proud to be associated with the tournament. He also said that Banks DIH will continue to support the tournament and the people of the community.
He said although the presentation ceremony signals the end of the inaugural tournament, he is confident that the tournament will continue for a long time. “What I can also say,” Peters added, “the company will continue to show its commitment because as you know he had clashes but we see this tournament as a community based tournament, initially. But I know it would grow from strength to strength.”
He congratulated Winners Connection for winning the competition and he called on those present to give the team a rousing round of applause. He also congratulated Milerock, Top XX and Silver Shattas for respectively, placing second, third and fourth.
Peters further stated that Banks DIH is grateful to the Linden community for supporting the tournament. He also said that he is aware that the UDFA is proud of its achievement.
During his address at the presentation ceremony, the UDFA President Sharma Solomon stressed that the most important aspect of the presentation ceremony was the celebration of football.
In thanking the various stakeholders for supporting the UDFA in running off the successful year end tournament, Solomon said: “Football is used as a sport as an instrument to develop not only communities but individuals and what we would have done with the UDFA GT Cup competition was to develop football and at the end of the day, football was the winner.”
According to him, when the UDFA organized the tournament, it was not interested in competing with other tournaments or organizations. “We’re here only to promote and have football played,” Solomon said as he highlighted that the UDFA had been successful in promotion the tournament within six weeks in which two were dedicated to planning the tournament after the association received timely commitment from Banks to fund the tournament to the tune of $6.6M with an additional amount in excess of a $1M dedicated to upgrading the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground.
In taking the players and football fans for supporting the tournament, Solomon said: “I can firmly boast to you that because of your efforts and because of your commitment you have made your association maybe the riches association in this country at the moment.”
Winners Connection gained the first lien on the UDFA GT Beer Cup when they defeated Milerock 2-1 in the final on New Year’s Day. Top XX placed third by defeating silver Shattas by
a similar margin in the first match of the double header.
Winners Connection also received a cash first prize of $1M and medals for its players. Second place Milerock received a trophy, $750,000 and medals for its players while third and fourth placed teams, Top XX and Silver Shattas each received a trophy as well $350,000 and $250,000, respectively.
Rawle ‘Boney’ Gittens of Winners Connection, who received the most valuable player trophy also received the trophy for the most goal scorer. He scored four goals in the tournament. Deon Charter of Eagles United, who scored a hattrick on the first evening of the tournament but was subsequently unable to play because of injury, received the award for the best goal of the tournament.
