Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ West/East Bank Demerara
Defending champion Ballerz Empire and crowd favourites Jetty Gunners secured final berths via contrasting wins in front of a massive crowd at the Pouderoyen Tarmac on Friday night in the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ West/East Bank Demerara zone.
Ballerz Empire, a traditional heavyweight, saw off Cayenne Massive 3-0 on the night with a dominant display. The scoreline could have been much heavier had the champs applied the killing touch efficiently as they carved out opportunities repeatedly throughout the game.
Solomon Austin’s third-minute strike early in the second half for Ballerz set the tone for the game as Cayenne Massive looked lost at times, chasing the ball for most of the game.
However, Cayenne Massive had a couple of opportunities to punish Ballerz Empire’s profligacy in front of the goal but could not seize those chances.
Their wastefulness would come back to haunt them in the end when Dorwin George hammered home the proverbial nail in the coffin with a Guinness goal (any goal scored in the final 3 minutes of the game counts as 2) in the 38th minute to seal a spot in the final for Ballerz Empire.
Meanwhile, the second semifinal between Showstoppers and Jetty Gunners made for a riveting encounter that had to be decided via penalty kicks.
Locked in midfield battle, the match served up end-to-end action, with neither side able to penetrate the other’s defence despite their best efforts. After regulation time and extra time failed to produce a winner, the match had to be settled on the spot. Dexroy Adams took the first jump for the Showstoppers and nailed his kick from the spot to put his side ahead; however, Jermin ‘Panky’ Junior drew the Jetty Gunners level, taking his kick with aplomb.
Next, Stephon Jupiter stepped up for the Showstoppers and contrived to miss, much to the audible disappointment of his side’s fans.
With the penalties into sudden death, the Jetty Gunners just needed their next penalty to be accurate, and the experienced Kevin ‘Sketto’ Cummings obliged to raucous celebrations, putting his side through to the final.
That final between Ballerz Empire and the Jetty Gunners, an East Bank versus West Bank affair, will be played next Friday (July 26) at the same venue. It will be preceded by the third-place playoff between the Showstoppers and Cayenne Massive.
(Michelangelo Jacobus)
Complete Results
Semifinal 1
Ballerz Empire-3 vs. Cayenne
Massive-0
Solomon Austin-3rd
Dorwin George-GG-38th
Semifinal 2
Showstoppers-0 vs. Jetty
Gunners-0
Jetty Gunners won 2-1 on
penalty kicks
