… Berbice teams outclassed at home
IT was another emotional night in this year’s Kashif and Shanghai Football tournament as two more teams walked the plank last Sunday evening when the competition continued.
Four matches, played at two different venues in two counties, saw pre-tournament favourites Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United thrash Seawall United 6-0 and Bakewell Topp XX edge Ann’s Grove 2-1 at the Georgetown Football Club ground (GFC) while Santos sent New Amsterdam United packing 2-1 and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) eliminated Rosignol 2-0 at the Blairmont Ground in the Ancient county.
National League champions Alpha United sent a strong message to the rest of the teams in the tournament that they mean business with their sound whipping of Seawall United to register the biggest margin of victory in the 21st edition of the Kashif and Shanghai extravaganza.
National striker Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams has also made a statement with his helmet-trick to lead all scorers, while National team-mates Dwight Peters and Dwain Jacobs scored one apiece to complete the second half demolition of the West Demerara challenge which held the Alpha goal-less in the first half.
In the second half, Seawall were reduced to nine after Darius Garraway was booked with his 2nd yellow card in the 60th minute and eight minutes later Clement Browne was also given marching orders’ for stamping an opposing player while on the ground.
The few chances Seawall had posed no threat to the sturdy Alpha defence, manned by national skipper Howard Lowe. The 2007/2008 K&S champions now advance to a Boxing Day meeting in Linden with the winner of Thursday’s clash between Netrockers and Milerock .
Meanwhile, five-time champions Bakewell Topp XX limped their way through the first round of the tournament thanks to a side mixed with a bit of ‘old wine and freshly brewed grapes’.
The squad featured the likes of veteran striker Collie ‘Hitman’ Hercules and former national midfield player Kayode ‘Magic man’ McKinnon who was the hero of the night for the team from the mining town.
Hercules showed he was still one of the country’s top strikers even though he was coming out of retirement to represent his old club. During his prime there he had won many accolades. Apparently Ann’s Grove defence forgot about the other players which allowed McKinnon to give his side the lead 20 minutes into the contest.
However, a defensive lapse saw Ann’s Grove capitalise well and level the score some seven minutes later.
The two sides ended the first half with the score 1-1 until the Tobago United player McKinnon waved his magic wand  again in the 70th minute to send his side into the next round against Caribbean United out of Barbados on Thursday night in Linden.
At  Blairmont, Santos bettered their last year’s showing when they exited in their first match, by edging out their Berbice rivals in extra time.
In the 17th minute, Joel Lloyd gave Santos the go-ahead, a lead they held throughout the first half until Leonard Adams equalised for New Amsterdam in the 72nd minute.
With the score tied 1-1 at the close of regulation time it meant that the game would have to go into extra time and it was then in the 117th minute that National utility player Kester Jacobs pushed the city side to victory.
In the other fixture the other Berbice side Rosignol United were also booted out as goals by GDF’s skipper Marlon Benjamin in the 31st minute and Peter Parks in the 72nd minutes assured the soldiers of victory.
The 21st Kashif and Shanghai football tournament will continue tonight with another double-header at the GFC ground in which Liquid Gold will play their second game of the tournament against Sunburst Camptown in the curtain-raiser and in the feature match a star-studded Pele lineup will face Fruta Conquerors.