… another double-header on tonight
A GOAL-filled night could best describe the opening  action of this year’s Annual Mayor’s Cup Invitational football tournament.
A small crowd braved the intermittent showers for the opening games played last Friday at the GFC ground and they certainly were not disappointed as they were served up 11 goals from two entertaining matches. The opening goal of the 16-team KO competition came as early as the 13th minute of play when Adrian Hector fired Den Amstel into an early lead that was doubled within five minutes by Verron Griffith.
Seon Hope pulled one back for Riddim Squad in the 23rd minute and thereafter both teams attacked each other relentlessly without troubling the score line. On the stroke of halftime referee Sherwin Johnson issued his second yellow card to Griffith and Den Amstel were reduced to ten.
On the resumption the Mocha-based Riddim Squad upped the tempo as they made full use of the one-man advantage and finally got their rhyitm going,
After seven minutes of the second half Amos Ramsey levelled the score and five minutes later Mark Gilkes headed home the winner to set up a quarter-final meeting with Pele FC, who steamrolled Seawall United 5-1 in the other fixture to end a miserable night for West Demerara.
Newly elected captain Travis ‘Zarro’ Grant celebrated his appointment with a double to lead all scorers in a near vintage Pele display.
After threatening the Seawall goal in the opening minutes, Pele found the target in the 21st minute when ‘Zarro’ nodded home at the far post from a well-measured delicate chip by teenager Daniel Wilson from inside the area.
The midfielder made it two in the 29th minute after receiving a perfectly weighted through ball from Marvin ‘Jerry Springer’ Joseph. The captain ran on to the ball and dummied a cross over to wrong-foot the seawall custodian before scoring in an open goal, much to the delight of the Pele fans.
They had hardly finished celebrating ‘Zarro’s’ classic when Joseph gave them more to cheer about. On receiving the ‘Zarro’ pass in the area “Jerry Springer’ in one motion pulled to his right and left the keeper out of position for goal number three.
Three minutes before lemon time, national U-20 forward Sheldon Holder made it 4-0 or so he thought, but referee Johnson ruled off-side.
He eventually headed in a deep right side cross from Joseph after 11 minutes of the second  half to stretch the Pele lead to 4-0 and Seawall looking a beaten bunch.
A brief moment of relaxation by the Pele defence allowed Mark Boyce to score a consolation.
Led by Konatta Manning and 17-year-old Wilson, Pele completely dominated the midfield and the speed of ‘Jerry Springer’ proved too much for the Seawall defence.
In the 67th minute Joseph beat two defenders in the box before picking out Wilson at the far post and he made no mistake scoring with the inside of the right boot to make it 5-1.
With Seawall looking hopelessly out of it Pele’s coach Gordon Brathwaite utilised the five subs allowed, thus easing the tremendous pressure on Seawall.
The margin of victory should have been much wider but substitute Sherwin Benjamin muffed numerous clear-cut opportunities.
The Mayor’s Cup Invitational KO will continue this evening with another mouth-watering double-header starting at 18:00 h.
In the opening act of what is anticipated to be full of excitement, GDF tackle Mondderlust FC of West Berbice and to follow the other Ancient County side NA United will confront Fruta Conquerors.