Friendship was crowned the inaugural 592 Beer Inter-Village Football Champion, defeating Golden Grove by a 1-0 scoreline on Wednesday at the Golden Grove Community Centre, ground.
Emerging star Dillon Wright was the difference on the night in front of a capacity crowd which numbered in the thousands, recording a first half goal in the 21st minute. The conversion was a moment of individual brilliance.
Lurking inside the penalty box, the diminutive Wright escaped his marker and rose high to meet a left-sided cross, which was clinically directed into the back of the net to ignite wild celebrations amongst the spectators of his team. The aforesaid conversion sealed the $500,000 and championship trophy package afforded to the eventual winner. On the other hand, the runner-up pocketed $200,000.
Eon Havercome, Tournament Coordinator in a post-tournament comment said, “We could not have envisioned or asked for a better final for the inaugural edition of the tournament. The competition has exceeded all expectations and has solidified itself as a platform and staple for the future within the East Coast Demerara realm. Once again I have to thank the fans and the teams for their unwavering support of the event.”
According to Havercome, “Who would have expected that in the inaugural edition and as a relative newcomer in this realm, the turnout and support would be so monumental? It simply shows that Football in the East Coast region especially amongst the villages is truly alive. Without the fans and the players and the corporate support this would not have been a reality and an eventual success. The 592 Inter-Village Football Festival is here to stay.”
He further revealed that the official presentation of team and individual prizes will occur in the following week, adding that individual prizes will be awarded for the Most Valuable Player [MVP] of the tournament, the MVP of the finale, the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament and the Best Goalkeeper of the final.
Meanwhile in the third place playoff, Beterverwagting (BV) edged Paradise 2-1. Omari Glasgow and Akin Curry scored in the 14th and 71st minute respectively. For the loser, Emmanuel Evans netted in the 69th minute.
As a result of the outcome, BV pocketed $150,000 and a trophy while Paradise walked away with $100,000 and the respective trophy. Some of the major sponsors of the tournament included Bakewell Guyana Incorporated, ExxonMobil, the NSC, Flavours Boss and the Colin Talbot Construction Services.
Complete Results
Final
Friendship-1 vs Golden Grove-0
Dillon Wright-21st
3rd Place
BV-2 vs Paradise-1
BV Scorers
Omari Glasgow-14th
Akin Curry-71st
Paradise Scorer
Emmanuel Evans-69th
