A STAR-STUDDED Alpha `The Hammer’ United lived up to their call name (hammer) when they hammered Grove Hi-Tec 4-0 in the feature match of a double-header card in the Slingerz/National Association of Women’s Football (NAWF) Football tournament at the GFC ground on Wednesday night.

In the opening encounter of the Stag Beer-branded tournament, BK Western Tigers edged Seawall United 2-1.
The double-header, which failed to attract a large turnout of spectators, did not produce any surprises in terms of the score line, as both Alpha United and Western Tigers were pre-match favourites for their respective first-round games.
Anthony `Awo’ Abrams registered a brace for Alpha United in the eighth and 15th minutes, while Manesseh Primo (25th) and Edison Gomes (60th) netted the other two goals.
In the opening game, Phillip Rowley (22nd) and Hubert Pedro (81st) scored for Western Tigers, while Clement Brown pulled one back for Seawall United in the 87th minute.
In the feature match, Alpha made their intentions known from the start of the match, as they launched a relentless attack on their opponents’ goal area and within the first 90 seconds of the game, earned three successive corners, but failed to convert any of them.
It was until the eighth minute of the game that the ball was played down the middle of the field in Grove Hi-Tec’s half that Abrams ran on to a loose ball, brought Grove Hi-Tec custodian off his goal line and finished with a clinical shot that shook the opposition’s net.
Seven minutes later, Abrams, a national centre forward for the Golden Jaguars sent the star-studded Alpha United further ahead, after he received a through pass on the left side of Grove Hi-Tec’s goal just inside the 18-yard box and made no mistake with his right foot shot which was directed to inside second post.
With 15 minutes of play remaining in the first session, Alpha, who dominated play throughout the game, attacked their opponents down the centre once again and after putting together six passes, Primo was fed the ball as Grove Hi-Tec custodian left the goal line once again in an effort to cut off the angle, but the move was futile, as the prolific striker (Primo) sealed the issue with a soft pat of the ball and sent it into the opposition’s goal.
With no more goals resulting for the remainder of the session, the two teams went for the lemon-break with the score reading 3-0 for Alpha, the former Kashif and Shanghai champions.
At the resumption, Alpha continued to dominate the run of things with some crisp accurate passes which resulted in Gomes finishing an excellent seven-pass buildup with a clinical goal in the 15th minute of the session.
Alpha will await the outcome of the match between Guyana Defence Force and Rosignol United scheduled for Sunday at the Blairmont Community Centre ground to know who their second round opponents will be.
In the opening game on Wednesday night, Rowley sent his team (Western Tigers) into the lead with a second-minute goal.
The score remained unchanged for the remainder of the session even though Seawall United were the more dominant of the two teams during the first 45 minutes.
Poor finishing during the session caused the West Demerara side’s demise.
Facing defeat going into the second period, Seawall United continued to press the Georgetown unit, attacking from both flanks and at times down the middle, but their over-aggressive style of play caused them to be reduced to nine men in the 88th minute as two of their players were issued with red cards for dangerous play.
Darius Garraway was the first to feel the referee’s wrath in the 65th minute and nine minutes later Mark Boyce was shown the first of two yellow cards. He received a second yellow card in the 88th minute.
One minute prior to Boyce’s second yellow card, Brown had netted his team’s lone goal.
Western Tigers will now await the outcome of the match between Fruta Conquerors and Pele, which is also set for Sunday at the Blairmont Community Centre ground.