ENERGETIC striker Chad Apoo was named Most Valuable Player of the just concluded Guyana Beach Football Association (GBFA)-organised three-match Goodwill Series between Bago Beach Sports Club (BBSC) and Guyana’s Beach Football team known as the Red Jaguars. All three matches were played at the Christianburg ground last weekend and following the home team’s nail-biting 6-5 loss in the first two matches, they rebounded to claw the visitors 7-3 in the final game Sunday last.
This was possible, thanks to another hat-trick from Colwyn David and a brace from skipper Jermaine Granderson, as the home team displayed team spirit and unity in the final game, something that was missing in the first two encounters, while they kept a tight rein on Apoo.
Granderson opened the scoring in the fourth minute, and got his double two minutes after as the Jaguars led their opponents for the first time in the goodwill series – which was reduced to one goal – when BBSC skipper Makan Hislop beat Travis Bess with a beauty in the eighth minute.
Keon Sears ensured the Red Jaguars held a two-goal advantage at the end of the first period, with a 9th minute goal, much to the delight of the small but appreciative crowd on hand.
When play got under way in the second period, a tactical move by Sears resulted in his blocking a shot from Hislop on the far post, seconds after the whistle sounded to restart play, with Bess stranded in no man’s land.
Following a see-saw battle along with the introduction of Apoo, Shallum Bobb who had a hat-trick in his team’s first night’s victory, reduced the deficit to one as his shot deflected off Ralph Alexander from midway in the Red Jaguars’ half.
The goal revived the team from the Twin Island Republic, as they reverted to set plays with Apoo thrilling the crowd with his fancy footwork and shots to goal, to find Bess being equal to the task to ensure his team’s lead remained intact.
David, who was the hero from the previous night with his hat-trick, scored his first in the 22nd minute, courtesy of a well-placed direct free kick which beat the burly but athletic Lewis Forde between the uprights for BBSC.
With a 4-2 lead, Red Jaguars who were spurred on by the vociferous band of spectators, fed off the energy and took the fight to their opponents, who saw shots from Apoo and Andre Red, skimming the cross bar in the first minute of play.
Both Bess and Forde were equal to the task on numerous occasions for their team, affecting saves from shots which had goal written all over them from the time they left the players’ feet, with one such shot from Apoo being saved magnificently by Bess, following which Red Jaguars called a time out to calm things down.
On the resumption, Forde emulated Bess when he too pulled off a brilliant save to deny David, followed by another to thwart Granderson from recording his hat-trick, while at the other end, Bess denied both Apoo and Hislop.
David scored his second goal in the 34th minute to make it 5-2 and after a mix-up between the visitors at the kickoff following David’s goal, Red Jaguars’ Michael Wilson latched onto a loose ball and beat Forde with a ripper to the near post to make it 6-2.
Apoo was ejected from the game a few minutes later for unsportsmanlike conduct, while Hislop beat Bess with a powerfully taken free kick in the 34th minute, before David achieved his hat-trick with another well-placed free kick, to seal Red Jaguars win by a 7-3 margin.