The largest gathering of the tourney at the Pouderoyen Tarmac witnessed the biggest upset to date as West Side Ballers were crowned the inaugural champions of the Guinness of the Streets West Demerara Edition, downing Pouderoyen Shows-toppers 2-0 on Saturday.
Undefeated throughout the event, the home side came into the fixture as the heavy favourites after defeating their opponents in the earlier group stage.
However revenge is a dish best served cold as West Side Ballers exacted revenge, proving it’s not how you start but how you finish that matters in the end. Counterattacking goals in the 19th and 39th minute from Anthony Harding and Morgan Denny respectively ensured the underdogs walked away with championship and the $300,000 first prize. The home side for their efforts received $150,000 and the runners-up accolade.
Opting for a defensive approach to frustrate their more talented foes, West Side Ballers would grab the lead one minute before the conclusion of the first half period, sending their large following into a frenzy.
Intercepting a pass within their defensive third, Denny upon collecting a pass would unleash a powerful strike from the right side of the field, which came off the crossbar and fell into the path of Harding outside the area, who simply implied the finishing touch.
The second period would witness the home side throwing bodies forward in a desperate attempt to restore parity. However their efforts would be met by staunch defending from the visitors who easily dealt with their advances while looking dangerous on the counter.
Showstoppers relentless search for the equaliser would eventually lead to their downfall as Denny sealed the fixture through another well executed counterattack.
Racing down the right sided of the field, Harding would execute a perfectly weighted pass into the direction of onrushing Denny who finished his attempt down the centre of the goal to spark wild celebrations.
In the third place playoff, Patentia Street Ballers walked away with the $100,000 prize and correspondingly trophy after edging Raiders 3-2 on sudden death kicks following a 1-1 score at the end of normal and extra time.
Kelvin Roberts had given Patentia the early lead with a third minute conversion to the middle of the goal. However Raiders would equalise five minutes onward as Dexter Marshall rifled his strike down the centre of the net from the middle of the park.
Raiders for their showing walked away with $75,000 and the fourth place trophy. In the earlier exhibition fixtures, Queen Street Tigerbay and Jetty played to a 1-1 draw in an exhibition fixture while West Coast Masters and West Bank Masters battled to a 0-0 stalemate.
The final two exhibition matches witnessed the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) disconnecting Samaroo Dam 2-1 while Admiral United dismissed Samaroo Dam in their second fixture by a 3-1 score line.
