By Rawle Toney
For the second consecutive time, the star-studded ‘Sparta Boss’ will represent Guyana at the Guinness Street Football Challenge Caribbean Championship, after Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson and Devon Millington led them to a 2 – 0 win over ‘Team 25’ on Friday evening to lift the national title once again.
Played at the National Cultural Centre Tarmac, Millington scored in the 23rd minute, while Richardson found the net in the 59th minute to ensure that ‘Sparta Boss’ come out victorious over the Linden-based ‘Team 25’ which also sends them to St Lucia as Guyana’s representatives at the July 2 – 3 tournament.
Watched by a massive crowd, Sparta Boss had defeated another Linden team – Wisroc – three goals to one, and booked their spot in the final.
For Team 25, they overcame one of the tournament favourites Channel 9 Warriors 2 – 0 to set-up a mouthwatering final with Sparta Boss.
Former National striker Collie ‘The Hitman’ Hercules and Quacy Johnson led the attack for Team 25 but Richardson and Millington proved to be too strong for the Lindeners.
Meanwhile, in the third place game, Wisroc redeemed themselves from a miserable performance against Sparta Boss in their semi-finals, to earn a convincing 3 – 1 win Channel 9 Warriors
Clarence Huggins netted a double, while Michael Williams scored the other for Wisroc. Kemo Lawrence was Channel 9 Warriors’ lone goal scorer.
Meanwhile, at the Caribbean Championship, 11 country teams will be vying for the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Brazil, the mecca of football, with tickets to a major game in Rio de Janeiro. With this exciting grand prize to Brazil, Guinness has heightened the competitive stakes, setting the stage for a series of thrilling showdowns.
Now in its sixth consecutive year, the Guinness Street Football Challenge has flourished into a highly anticipated fixture on sports calendars.
In 2015, community football teams representing the various Caribbean islands delivered exhilarating performances as they competed for thousands of dollars in cash prizes and the opportunity to be crowned champions. At last year’s Caribbean Finals in Kingston, Jamaica, the St. Lucia Veterans dethroned former champions Trinidad and Tobago when they emerged victorious against the Barbados Arm Units with a commanding 4-1 victory.
As the reigning Guinness Street Football Challenge champion island, this year St. Lucia will be the grounds for the event that will decide which island can boast of being the finest street football team in the region. C
ompetitors will be hosted at the upscale St. Lucian by Rex Resorts, one of the most prominent all-inclusive destinations on the island. In addition to St. Lucia, participating country teams include Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, and the newest country to join the line-up, Curaçao.
