The trio of North East La Penitence, Lodge Housing Scheme and Gold is Money secured contrasting wins when the Extreme Clean Street-ball Championship commenced on Friday.
Hosted at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue, North East La Penitence recorded the largest margin of victory on the night to seal their berth to the second round.
The North East La Penitence outfit coasted to a 4-1 victory over East Bank Demerara side Mocha in a lopsided contest. On the other hand, perennial giant Gold is Money and emerging outfit Lodge Housing Scheme registered hard fought wins to advance to the next round.
Gold is Money overcame a dogged Smyth Street unit by a 1-0 scoreline, while Lodge Housing Scheme overcame Campbellville 2-1.
Tournament organizer Roger Cambridge during an invited comment stated that the lack of football influenced his decision to stage the tournament, adding that the street version of the discipline has the capacity to identify talents and provide an outlet for older established players.
He explained, “Basically for me, football is my passion and it’s not being played enough and these tournaments tend to expose players with potential but are not often in the sport. Most of the players who represent Guyana tend to go back to playing street ball after they finish at the national level, which keeps them occupied.”
“More funding needs to be placed into the sport, my intention is to give back to the communities and the streets. That is my thing with these street tournaments. This is the most popular version and can be played all year around and can identify quality players. We need football like that, not only in the streets but also in the traditional version”, Cambridge further expounded.
Up to press time, the event was underway at the same venue. The winner of the event will collect $250,000 and the championship trophy. On the other hand, the runner-up will collect $150,000 and the corresponding accolade. Similarly, the third and fourth place finishers will receive $100,000 and $50,000 respectively.
