After two nights of elimination matches, four teams will, this evening, contest for the coveted Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ East Coast Demerara Championship tonight at the Haslington Market Tarmac.
Three of the four teams, Vryheid’s Lust, Liliendaal Hustlers and Non-Pareil, will be first-time finalists if they are successful in their semi-final encounters. Rounding out the four is former winner Beterverwagting (BV)-A.
In the opening semi-final at 19:00hrs, Vryheid’s Lust, who defeated Melanie-B in the quarterfinals, will lock horns with BV-A, victors over Church Yard in the previous round. In the second semi-final at 19:30hrs, Non-Pareil, who bested Eagles, and Hustlers, who defeated Old School, will match skills.
The winners will advance to the championship fixture while the losers will compete in the third-place playoff. The first prize is $250,000 and a trophy with the second-place finisher receiving $150,000 and the corresponding accolade.
The third-place finisher will receive $100,000 and a trophy, whilst the fourth-place side will receive $70,000 and the respective accolade.
Meanwhile, the Plate Division of the event will also be conducted. In the first semi-final at 20:00hrs, Portmore will lock horns with Team Cruel. In the second semi-final at 20:30hrs, Buxton Diamond will oppose Uprising. The resulting winner of the section will walk away with $60,000.
According to tournament coordinator Rawle Welch, “Thrilling is the word that can be best used to describe the final night in the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ East Coast Demerara zone. We have had tremendous support from the communities, who must be commended for showcasing discipline as a major highlight of the tournament has been the incident-free nature.
Three of the four teams could be first-time finalists, which cannot be understated or undervalued as the competitiveness and growth of the event bode well for its future.
The plate section also has been fiercely competitive and was a structure introduced to reward teams that were unlucky in the previous round and has really taken on a life of its own, and this must be attributed to the teams.”
He added, “All systems are in place for a wonderful night of action and the atmosphere is expected to be electric as we could possibly crown a first-time winner, as three of the four semi-final teams would be first-time finalists, which is another major boost to the credential and worth of this prestigious championship. Once again we thank the communities and players for their unwavering support of the brand and the tournament.
Despite a two-year absence, the passion, drive and fire to compete and participate still burns bright for the tournament. This evening will be no different, and we expect another mammoth crowd to descend on the venue which has certainly exceeded expectations this year.”
Complete Fixtures
Semi-finals
(1) BV-A vs Vryheid’s Lust-19:00hrs
(2) Liliendaal Hustlers vs Non-Pareil-19: 30hrs
3rd Place
(3) Loser (1) vs Loser (2)-22:00hrs
Final
(4) Winner (1) vs Winner (2)-22:30hrs
Plate Semi-finals
(1) Portmore vs Team Cruel-20:00hrs
(2) Buxton vs Uprising -20:30hrs
Final
(3) Winner (1) vs Winner (2)-21:30hrs
