The Golden Grove Community Centre ground will be a hive of activity tonight when the inaugural ‘592 Beer Inter-Village Football Championship’ resumes with a pivotal doubleheader from 19:00hrs.
The curtain raiser for the night’s proceedings will be a royal battle as Friendship tackles Paradise. The encounter pits two teams in contrasting positions. Paradise, in their opening match defeated Victoria while Friendship battled to a drawn result in their previous showdown.
On the other hand, Annandale will lock horns with Golden Grove from 21:00hrs in the main attraction. Both teams are in identical positions following opening round losses.
According to a release from the coordinators, “The tournament has re-ignited the respective traditional rivalries amongst the East Coast Demerara communities. We thank the fans for their unwavering support in making the event successful and we anticipate further support as the even enters the knockout round.”
The correspondence added, “Thrilling football highlighted the event from the inception and we anticipate further excitement as it nears the eventual conclusion. We must also applaud the players from the competing teams who have displayed tremendous spirit and willingness to make the tournament a success and who have competed fiercely but admirably while representing their respective communities.”
The event features 12 teams battling in an initial group format. Group-A comprises Buxton, Plaisance and Mahaica, with group-B consisting of Friendship, Paradise and Victoria and group-C featuring Brush Dam, Melanie and Ann’s Grove.
Group-D comprises Annandale, Golden Grove and Beterverwagting [BV]. The winner of each group alongside the second place finisher will advance to the quarterfinal round. The grand finale is pegged for January 1st. The eventual champion of the event will pocket $300,000 and the championship trophy.
On the other hand, the second, third and fourth place finisher will receive $150,000, $100,000 and $75,000 respectively and the corresponding trophy. Similarly, individual prizes will also be awarded for the Most Valuable Player [MVP] and the Best Goalkeeper. Some of the major sponsors of the tournament include Bakewell Guyana Incorporated, ExxonMobil, and the Colin Talbot Construction Services
