UDFA 2010/2011 Open League..
AMELIA’s Ward United, already looking to be the best uniformed side, rattled up five straight wins this year following the resumption of the Upper Demerara Football Association’s Open League championship being played at grounds around Linden. They have placed themselves in a strong position to win their first major title in recent memory, having a five point cushion on their closest rivals, nemesis Bakewell Topp XX.
The championship which will conclude on Wednesday saw the Amelia’s Ward team acquiring top striker Travis Waterton during the ‘transfer window period’ after the break for the Kashif and Shanghai tournament in December from Topp XX.
They have played without a loss this year including a 1-0 win over Topp XX, the Kashif and Shanghai 2010 tournament semifinalists.
To record their fifth consecutive win the ward thrashed Vasco 5-0 on the 27th at the Linden Foundation Ground to move to 18 points and with two more games left for them their coach Patrick Dey is scenting a league title after all.
Bakewell Topp XX had nudged into the lead when the break was taken in December with 13 points, but they are still to gain a win in this year after losing to both Amelia’s Ward and Winners Connection by a 1-0 score-line and have one match remaining.
.In another game before the Vasco encounter Travis Waterton scored in the 25th  minute and Deron Luke in the 53rd when they beat Blueberry Hill United 2-0 as Winners Connection crushed Ituni’s Peacemakers 6-0 after a an early strike in  the first  minute by Sean Gittens while the others, five in all, were booted in by relentless striker Rawle Gittens in the 14th, 22nd, 27th, 34th and 49th minute.
Milerock, who played well to emerge as the number two side in the national league of the Guyana Football Federation and Net Rockers are also in the hunt for the top honours as they currently have 13 and 12 points respectively.
They also have two matches remaining including one against each other.
From this Open League which is the first in three years according to the newly elected UDFA executives, the First Division clubs will be identified with eight of the twelve contesting clubs being so accorded, while the last four will be relegated to the second division.
This Open league tournament has attracted sponsorship from the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission (GGMC), Wayne Ebba,  Mark Grimmond,  Shawn Hopkinson,  Bonnie Davis,  Horace James Chief Executive Officer of the Linmine Secretariat, Andrew Mc Bean of NCN Linden and  Gordon Gumbs, CEO of the Linden Hospital Complex.