HAT-TRICKS off the boots of Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams and prolific marksman Roy Cossou were the highlights on the third night of action in the inaugural Petra Organisation/Guyana Beverage Inc. Busta soft shoe football championships, played at the Georgetown Football Club ground last Saturday night.On the same night, Bent Street who defeated Hope Street-Tiger Bay and West Front Road (WFR) Gold is Money’ are set to advance to the knockout round, following their individual wins over their respective opponents.

Abrams, who suited up for Bent Street, scored his goals in the 3rd, 6th and 14th minutes of play and should have scored at least six more during the encounter, while his teammates should have added eight more, but wasted the opportunities even though they defeated Hope Street-Tiger Bay 3-1, with Ron Adams scoring for the losers in the 22nd minute.
Cossou was the first to score his hat-trick, doing so in the 11th, 18th and 24th minute along with an own goal which was scored in the 27th minute. Albouystown rebounded from their 1-1 first round draw with Hope Street, to defeat North East La Penitence 4-1, with Calvin Moore scoring his side’s consolation goal in the 21st minute.
The night’s action got under way with Broad Street defeating D’Urban Street 2-0, with Jamal Cozier scoring both goals for the winners in the 11th and 24th minute and this was followed by Globe Yard inflicting a 4-1 defeat on Back Circle, who looked out-of-sorts for the encounter.
Ryan Morrison (9th and 29th), Leon Roberts (13th) and Kevin Lewis (22nd) were the players responsible for Globe Yard’s goals, with Dexter Griffith responding for the hapless Back Circle in the 27th minute.
After Festival City and Tucville played to a nil-ll draw, thanks to some exemplary custodial work from both sides, WFR ‘Gold is Money’ through double strikes from Michael Oie and Randolph Wagner, edged Cross Street Werk-en-Rust 4-3 in a humdinger.
Oie opened the scoring in the 5th minute, beating the opposition’s custodian from halfway inside his own half, but Sheldon Profitt responded for Cross Street, with his 10th minute strike. No more goals materialised in the half, and the Busta break was taken with the scorecard reading 1-1.
On the resumption of play, Oie completed his double in the 23rd minute, a goal that was complemented by Wagner’s brace which was scored in the 26th and 27th minutes of play, before Dellon David (27th) and Samuel Hunte (30th) tried to make a fight out of the contest for Cross Street, but time expired on them.
The action, which has at stake $600 000 to the winners, with the second- to fourth-placed finishers set to pocket $300 000, $200 000 and $100 000 while in the group stage, the first- to fourth-placed finishers will respectively receive $30 000, $20 000, $15 000 and $10 000, continued at the same venue last night.
Meanwhile, the organisers are partnering with Nigel’s Supermarket who will be giving away to one lucky customer a $5 000 shopping voucher. The coach of Bent Street, who chooses to remain anonymous, won last Saturday night’s voucher which he will redeem at Nigel’s Supermarket on Robb Street.

By Calvin Roberts