… Prime Minister Sam Hinds graces the opening with his presence
THE Namilco Football Festival knockout tournament made a large leap of recognition which is a positive step for the sport as Prime Minister Samuel Hinds made an appearance at the kick-off of the annual event on Sunday at the Tucville Playfield. He toured the football ground and interacted with the numerous sporting fans present to witness the double-header in which Sunburst Camptown defeated University of Guyana in the opening game and Beacon United demolished Northern Rangers.
The long-serving Prime Minister was impressed with the improved condition of the ground and promised future support for the Tucville Ground.
Also present at the kick-off was Managing Director of Namilco Milling Company, Bert Sukhai, along with other top officials of the company and representatives of the co-sponsors who helped make the competition possible.
Fans witnessed Sunburst Camptown win 3-1 in the curtain-raiser to advance to the quarter-final stage of the competition while Beacon comfortably advanced after crushing Northern Rangers 4-0 in the feature match.
The first match of the night saw the tertiary institution team contain the more experienced Sunburst Camptown opposition throughout the showdown even though they lost by two goals.
Camptown expectantly drew first blood in the 20th minute when Devon Ford found the back of the net but the score was once again levelled when Colin Bowry found the equaliser four minutes later.
However, former national player Peter Parks not long after regained the lead for Sunburst Camptown when he scored in the 31st minute. In the second half Ford completed a brace when in the 90th minute.
Wrapping up the night was Beacon’s triumph as Troy Lambert scored on the brink of halftime prior to the eventual blowout. In the second half Sebastian Williams, Mikhail Stewart and Lionel Grimes scored in the 62nd, 70th and 78th minute, respectively.
The tournament continues tomorrow at the same venue, when the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) clash Black Pearl in the first match at 18:00hrs then Guyana Police Force (GPF) challenge Santos at 20:00hrs.