It was a history-making night as defending champs Sparta Boss successfully retained their Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Georgetown division title after edging first time finalists Tucville 1-0 Friday night at the National Park.
The torrential downpour that swamped the playing area did not dampen the efforts of the East La Penitence unit who became the first ever Georgetown side to retain the title compliments of the efforts of Eusi Phillips.
Phillips sealed the championship in the second minute, finishing off a brilliant counterattack with a right foot dagger into the right side after, collecting a pass from Devon Millington during a two-on-one situation.
The early concession took Tucville out of their traditional defensive mould. This almost led to Sparta Boss increasing their lead in the 15th minute but Millington was denied in a one-on-one opportunity by the final defender Gerald Gittens.
On the offensive side, Tucville struggled for fluency throughout the contest due to the unfamiliar position of playing from behind. Their best chance fell to Delon Williams in the 27th minute who rifled his effort wide of the top right corner.
With the win, Sparta Boss bagged $500,000 a trophy, their fourth Guinness title following wins at the 2014 and 2014 national championships and the 2015 Georgetown championship. The losing team received $200,000 and the runners-up trophy.
In the third place playoff, Back Circle defeated Broad Street Bullies 3-2 on penalty kicks after normal and extra time saw the match ending 0-0. Back Circle, for their efforts, received $100,000 and a trophy while Broad Street collected $75,000 and the corresponding accolade.
All four teams will represent the Georgetown Zone at the National Championships next year.
Prior to the final, Director of Sports, Christopher Jones, Guinness Brand Manager, Lee Baptiste, Petra Organization Co-Director and Powerade Brand Manager Errol Nelson met the teams.