Sunburst Camptown take home $1M after beating Fruta Conquerors 2-0
… Pele needle Alpha for third place
IT was dubbed the battle of the Orange Juice manufacturers. In the end the locally made Sunburst orange juice-sponsored Sunburst Camptown recorded a commanding 2-0 victory over Fruta Conquerors, last Thursday at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground, to take home the 2011 Mayor’s Cup Trophy and the $1M first prize,
In the third place playoff of the tournament, reigning National and Kashif and Shanghai champions Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United were forced to settle for fourth, after Pele won 1-0 courtesy of a Sheldon Holder’s 39th-minute strike to take the $200 000 cash prize also.
From the sound of referee Virgil Watts’ whistle to signal the start of the final, it was clear Sunburst Camptown wanted to win the tournament as they were all over their opponents who took their own precious time to settle in and adjust to the desert-style venue.
Without the services of talented striker Vernon Mills who is in Trinidad and Tobago plying his trade, Fruta Conquerors struggled to string together passes and when they did, the Sunburst Camptown defence, led by Orlando Gilgeous, proved to be a sturdy customer.
The eventual winners made several runs on their opponents’ goal area, but poor finishing and at times excessive dribbling ensured Fruta Conquerors were not behind the eight ball early in the matchup, which was viewed by Mayor of Georgetown Hamilton Greene, who, along with president of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Colin Klass, met the teams before the kickoff.
A spirited run from Sunburst Camptown’s skipper Nigel ‘Powers’ Codrington, who received a gem of a pass from Rishawn Sandiford inside his own half, resulted in the Campbellville-based team taking the lead in the 12th minute.
Codrington worked his way deep inside Fruta Conquerors’ half, before sending the ball across the goalmouth where it eluded an advancing Colin Edwards, Fruta Conquerors custodian, and landed on the feet of Peter Parks who made no mistake in finding an open net.
The goal opened the eyes of Fruta Conquerors, who launched several attacks on their opponents’ goal area, but apart from the tight defence displayed by Gilgeous and company, they were also met by a stubborn Oswald Cornette, their former custodian, who switched allegiance at the start of the year.
Lester Peters, Jolyon Harry and even Eon Alleyne tried desperately to get past Cornett’s defence, but the diminutive custodian, who had earlier told Chronicle Sport he made the move to the new team for personal reasons, maintained his clean sheet throughout the tournament as his team took a one-nil lead at the half.
The momentum in the second half was different from that of the first half, as Sunburst Camptown looked to increase their lead while their opponents worked assiduously to deny them and at the same time to level the score.
Codrington was closely marked but instead of playing the selfish role, he fed his teammates the ball on numerous occasions, but they failed to capitalise on the opportunities that presented themselves from his passes.
A Rishawn Sandiford shot sailed over the crossbar with Fruta Conquerors out of position, while at the other end of the field, Cornette pulled off a miraculous save to prevent Peters from penetrating his goal area from the top of the box.
As the intensity of the game built up with fans from both sides urging on their teams, the play on the field got out of hand, resulting in Sandiford being cautioned for unfair play in the 75th minute of the game.
Thirteen minutes later Sunburst Camptown doubled their lead, with Codrington sending another pass, this time to Devon Forde who made no mistake in finding the back of the net two minutes before the end of regulation time and when the whistle blew, dejected-looking Fruta Conquerors hung their head in disappointment while their opponents displayed happy faces.
Poor finishing from Alpha resulted in Guyana’s top side being relegated to fourth place, with Shawn Bishop being the chief culprit, throwing away numerous chances that were offered to him, including sending a ball over the crossbar, when faced with an open goal area.
Dwight Peters, Dwain Jacobs and Andrew Murray also wasted opportunities, while at the other end of the field, Pele ,who lost to their opponents 3-2 in the Kashif and Shanghai final on New Year’s Day, made them pay when Sheldon Holder rocked the net in the 39th minute to hand his side the win.
According to coordinator of the tournament Lennox Arthur, the presentation of prizes won during the tournament will take place sometime this week.