ACTION in the Banks DIH-sponsored and organised Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ exhibition tournament kicks off tonight with four matches at the Albouystown Basketball Court, with four exciting matches. This tournament is being used to set the stage for the upcoming Guinness Caribbean Street Challenge Championships, in which Back Circle, who were christened Team Guyana at last week’s launching, will participate.
Matches will be played at the East Ruimveldt and Burnham basketball courts, before culminating at the National Cultural Centre tarmac. The winning team in the warm-up tournament will pocket $200 000, while the second-, third- and fourth-placed finishers will pocket $100 000, $50 000 and $25 000 respectively.
The four teams, who fail to make the final four from at the completion of the preliminary round, will each take home $15 000.
Tonight’s action which kicks off at 20:00hrs, will see Broad Street take on Tiger Bay, Team Guyana will go up against D’Urban Street, West Front Road clash with Alexander Village and Albouystown face Island All Stars.
Meanwhile, the Guinness Caribbean Street Championship, of which Trinidad and Tobago’s Kenwyne Jones is the branding manager, is set to kick off at the National Park from June 20 to 23, with the winning team taking home US$4 000 and trophy.
Apart from the cash prize, the winning community will receive an all-purpose five-a-side hard court facility, compliments of Guinness, while the second-, third- and fourth-placed finishers will receive US$2 000, US$1 500 and US$1 000 each.
Teams will be coming from Haiti, Antigua, St Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago and St Lucia, to battle with Team Guyana for the top prize.