The 5th edition of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ National Championship was officially yesterday at the Banks DIH Limited Sports Club.
The three day tournament commences tomorrow in the Mining Town of Linden and will feature 16 teams from six zones.
Georgetown will be represented by two time defending champion (2015, 2016) Sparta Boss, inaugural winner (2013) Back Circle, Tucville and Broad Street, while Dave and Celina’s All-Stars
( zone champion), Swag Entertainment, and Jermaine & Family Silver Bullets will represent the evening’s host From the East Coast of Demerara, Melanie-B (zone champion), Plaisance-B and Buxton Diamond will be the participants, whilst Showstoppers (zone champion), Hustlers and Money Team are the West Demerara/East Bank Demerara representatives.
For the Berbicians, New Amsterdam (NA) Kings (zone champion) and East Bank Gunners are the entrants, while Riverview (zone champion) is the lone competitor from Bartica.
Lee Baptiste, Guinness Brand Manager during the feature address declared that the season has certainly lived up to the expectations of being the best thus far, with more teams participating when compared to previous editions.
According to Baptiste, “Over the three days, the public will witness the best of the best competing to see who is made of more”, whilst revealing “The intention is to take the national final to different parts of the country.”
He further said, “Thanks to Colours Boutique for their continued support without much fanfare, the GFF, the referees for their commitment and the media for covering all the games.”
On the opening night, NA Kings will oppose Melanie-B in the event opener at 20:00hrs, while Swag Entertainment will oppose Buxton Diamond from 20:45hrs.
At 21:30hrs, East Bank Gunners will oppose Dave and Celina’s All-Stars, while Tucville will lock horns with Jermaine & Family Silver Bullets from 22:15hrs.
Following the completion of the four matches, the winner of game two will face-off with the victor of game three at 23:00hrs, while the winner of game one will tackle the victor of game four at 23:45hrs. The resulting winners will earn a berth in the semi-final round.
The event will resume on the 14th July, at the Pouderoyen Tarmac. Plaisance-B will engage Broad Street at 20:00hrs, while Showstoppers will match skills with Riverview from 20:45hrs.
The third fixture will pit the Money Team against Sparta Boss at 21:30hrs, while Back Circle will match skills with Hustlers from 22:15hrs.
As on the opening night in Linden, the winner of game one will battle the victor of game four, while the victor of game two will tackle the winner of game three, for semifinal berths.
The concluding night which is slated for July 15th at the Demerara Park Parking Lot, will feature the semi-finals and the eventual final.
Winner of the tournament will receive $800,000 and the Championship trophy, while the second, third and fourth place finishers will pocket $400,000, $200,000 and $100,000, respectively, and the corresponding accolade.
