Eagles soar to Guinness Greatest of the Streets Football championship

May 10, 2011 Sports

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WE ARE THE BEST!!! Guinness Greatest of the Streets Champions Eagles receives the champion's trophy and top prize of $400,000 from Banks DIH Linden Branch Manager Shondell Easton in the presence of the smiling Guinness Brand Manager Lee Baptiste at right. (Franklin Wilson photo)

Trenton Lashley is MVP

By Franklin Wilson
Eagles based at Christianburg in the Bauxite Mining Town of Linden were declared winners of the inaugural Guinness Greatest of the Streets Football championship at approximately 12:30hrs on Sunday morning following and enthralling battle against Retrieve Unknowns in the final, Eagles prevailing 3-2.
It was a fitting climax to what was a well organised and supported tournament by teams and thousands of faithful spectators. Eagles lifted the winner’s trophy and $400,000, Retrieve Unknowns collected $250,000 and trophy.
In the third place playoff – which turned out to be another epic battle, setting the tone for the final – Half Mile / One Mile did enough to evade a last gasp surge from Coomacka to win the $150,000 3rd prize 4-3; Coomacka pocketing $75,000.
The vocal and animated spectators saw Eagles – a young and determined unit – canter into the lead in only the 2nd minute, Deon Charter the player hitting the target. The opening goal eased the tension for Eagles and placed them closer to the top prize of this inaugural street tournament which took Georgetown by storm in the past two years.
The storm got even better in Linden as the fans flocked the Wisroc Bus Park by the thousands.
Retrieve Unknowns, which got past Coomacka in their semifinal 3-1, took quite some time to settle down and focus on the big prize; not so for the Eagles who controlled the ball with some crisp and precise passing.
Despite taking the lead though, Eagles had to be very patient, their opponents proving hard to crack – the score line remained 1-0 in favour of Eagles at the half way mark.
The passing and possession game of the Eagles proved a big plus for them as it produced their second goal which was an absolute classic. Eagles put together no less than a dozen crisp passes moving from their defensive third to the attacking third before Trenton Bangaree decided to shoot with two opposing players in defensive mode from an angle.
His shot, well timed, saw the ball passing between the legs of both players and into the back of the nets – potent finish. So excited was Bangaree with this goal, his first of a double, that he ran towards their fans before doing a somersault that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Deon McKinnon pulled one back for Retrieve Unknowns in the 25th minute. A foul was committed by Eagles in the area and whilst the Eagles players were arguing, the attentive Retrieve players through McKinnon took the kick quickly resulting in the goal, the Eagles players saw the ball going to goal but hadn’t the slightest idea that the ball was in play. They briefly sought to contest but the referee would not entertain them as he signaled to the centre spot.
With less than 4 minutes to game time, there was an extra buzz in the play of both teams with neither letting up. In a smart move, Retrieve Unknowns called for the one minute time out available to them, wisely breaking the flow of the game for Eagles and to refocus. Upon resumption, Retrieve won ball possession and found the equaliser, Darrell George taking the shot from close range in the 28th minute of the half hour contest.
Retrieve though, was already in foul trouble and Eagles smartly took the ball to them and won a foul with one minute to play. Bangaree it was who was entrusted with taking the shot and he made no mistake with what eventually turned out to be the $400,000 shot.
When the final whistle was sounded, the celebration was wild with Guinness substituting as champagne with the Eagles fans and players celebrating their victory in a tournament that was truly a big hit in the Bauxite Mining Town.
Meanwhile, in the third place game, Half Mile / One Mile got their goal from Trevor Tudor in the 2nd minute, Colric Beckles in the 11th, Sean Gittens (21) and Steve Brewley three minutes later. Keon Daw in the 4th and Adrian Edwards with a brace (26, 27) responded for Coomacka which came close but still lost 4-3.
Eagle’s player Trenton Lashley who scored 9 goals throughout the competition gained the nod as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Guinness Brand Manager, Lee Baptiste, and Banks DIH Linden Branch Manager, Shondell Easton, as well as organisers Sharma Solomon and Caeron Sealey stated that the tournament was very satisfying and entertaining.
Banks DIH, Baptiste said was very pleased to take the Guinness Greatest of the Streets concept to Linden and they are very happy with the excellent response it received from all stakeholders.
“It is our intention to replicate this tournament in other parts of Guyana as it showcases players who might not get the chance to do so in an 11-a-side game but they are skillful and fans are given the opportunity to see these players exhibiting their skills.”

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