A new champion will be crowded in the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Bartica Zone after defending champs Disconnection Crew were sent walking by newcomers Walking Boys Friday at the Bartica Community Centre tarmac.
The mammoth crowd which descended on the venue, witnessed the unlikely result as the debutants defeated the highly touted outfit 1-0 on sudden death penalty kicks, after regulation time ended scoreless.
It was an outcome that sent shockwaves throughout the competition since Disconnection was tipped by many pundits to defend their title.
Meanwhile, former champion Rivers View survived a similar fate against debutant Man City. The event’s inaugural winner overcame their opponent 2-1.
A Guinness Goal [GG] (a goal scored in the final two minutes counts as two) in the 19th minute secured the victory for the crowd favorite.
In other fixtures, Potato United, Mighty Ruler, Prison Officers Beacons, Police and Goal-Raiders their passage to the group stage with contrasting wins.
Potato United dismantled Potaro Strikers 5-1 in their ‘Derby’ matchup.
Similarly, Mighty Ruler bested Itaballi 3-1 and Prison Officers disciplined Falmouth via an identical score.
Also, Police arrested Jones Avenue 2-0 while Beacons edged Almanac Kings 1-0 and Goal-Raiders squeaked past Ballers 1-0. Up to press time, the group stage round was underway at the same venue.
The top two finishers from each pool will process to the semi-final round slated for today. The grand final will also be staged today at the same venue.
Winner of the zone will collect $400,000 and the respective trophy. They will also earn an automatic place in the National Championship, which is pegged to start in August. Meanwhile, the losing finalist will receive $150,000 and a trophy.
The third and fourth-placed finishers will pocket $100,000 and $75,000 respectively and the corresponding accolade. The victor of the Guinness Plate Championship will receive $60,000.
The other major sponsor of the event is Colours Boutique. In attendance at the venue was Banks DIH Limited Outdoor Events Manager and former national player Mortimer Stewart.
Complete Results
Game-1
Mighty Ruler-3 vs Itaballi-1
Game-2
Prison Officers-3 vs Falmouth-1
Game-3
Potato United-5 vs Potaro Strikers-1
Game-4
Walking Boyz-0 vs Disconnection Crew-0
Walking Boyz won 1-0 on sudden death penalty kicks
Game-5
Beacons-1 vs Almanac Kings-0
Game-6
Goal-Raiders-1 vs Ballers-0
Game-7
Jones Avenue-0 vs Police-2
Game-8
Rivers Views-2 vs Man City-1
