Sunburst Camptown and GDF to battle for Milo championship

Apr 17, 2009 Sports

By Franklin Wilson

Camptown

Sunburst Camptown and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) will collide in the final of the inaugural Milo under-21 football league organised by the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) and sponsored by M Beepat & Sons.
Both teams came from a goal down to beat their respective opponents in semi-final rivalry on Wednesday evening at the Tucville ground.

Camptown goalie Richie Richards (3rd left) punching the ball away from a corner taken by Conquerors. Five of histeammates stand by ready to back up. (Franklin Wilson photo)

Camptown, again prevailed in the clash of the juices against Fruta Conquerors by the odd goal in three, while the GDF competing for the first time at this level, banged their way to a 5-2 triumph over Pele in the evening’s opening encounter after the latter took the lead 7 minutes into the clash.
Matching skills in the feature game, both Camptown and Conquerors played well with Camptown having the edge with regard to possession. Raids ensued in the respective attacking third but good work by the respective defenders and goalkeepers kept each other at bay.
But it was the home team who took the lead in the 7th minute and what was strange was the fact that Pele also took the lead against the GDF in the 7th minute and ended up losing the contest also.
But Conquerors’ strike came from a goal skirmish, Odel Williams pouncing on the loose ball to easily tap into the open goal. The home team fans erupted in joy as they wrested the advantage from Camptown who continued to hold their own and played patient ball.
At the break Conquerors still held the advantage but after the break Camptown appeared to be reinvigorated, upping the tempo against their hosts.
Eleven minutes into the half they (Camptown) were rewarded with the equalizer, Bevon ‘Chiney’ Moseley making no mistake with a well executed shot in the box in the 56th minute.
The battle was now on for a place in the final with the game being even. Camptown’s score leveling goal took some of the wind out of the sails of the Conquerors side who gradually showed lack of intent going forward while it was the complete opposite in the case of their opponents.
As the game winded down, the Heavens opened and the rains came tumbling down but the intensity of the game was not dampened. And it was Camptown who were rewarded for their offensive attitude at one time forcing three consecutive corners.
With 10 minutes to full time a loose ball was handled in the area by a Conquerors defender resulting in a penalty to Camptown whose captain Reshawn Sandiford duly converted. The goal handed his team a place in the final against the GDF, the showdown set for next Wednesday at the same venue. Unfortunately for Conquerors, frustration stepped into the minds of two of their players who were red carded in the dying moments of the game for abusive language, Lumumba Hinds (89) and Paul Bobb in the 90th.
Their expulsions places pressure on Conquerors in the third place encounter against Pele who went down to the rampant young Soldiers 5-2.
Pele, who mauled Uprising 11-2 in their quarter-final cantered into the lead when regular goalkeeper and captain Shemroy Arthur who played out converted. But GDF’s Celvor Narain netted the first of his hat-trick one minute later to cancel out Pele’s advantage. From thereon in the Army marched on by firing in three more unanswered goals to take the game away from Pele.
Narain was on target again in the 47th minute, Hubert Pedro in the 51st and Seon Nieunkerk five minutes later. Sheldon Holder in the 64th reduced the lead for Pele but the advantage was restored with Narain’s third goal in the 77th minute.
The champions will be crowned next Wednesday night at the Tucville ground Camptown challenging GDF with the 3rd place match featuring Pele and Conquerors.