STRIKER Devon Millington scored both goals for tournament debutants Bakewell Slingerz who defeated Alpha United 2-0 at the Guyana National Stadium on Easter Sunday, to claim their first-ever Kashif and Shanghai title, doing so in their tournament debut.But the win for the Vergenoegen-based club meant more to them than just pocketing the $2M top prize and the 25th Kashif and Shanghai Football tournament title.

It (the win) meant that after falling three times to the ‘Hammers’, Slingerz have finally beaten their foes in a match that was highly anticipated and regarded as the biggest final in the history of the Kashif and Shanghai tournament.
Also, Slingerz became only the second local team after Topp XX (1994/1995) to win the tournament on debut.
The promoters described the meeting between the two as the Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao of local football and after a 30-minute delay due to power failure to three light towers at the Providence, East Bank Demerara venue, football fans’ ‘dream final’ was on the way.
By virtue of their dominance in local football over the years, Alpha went into the contest rated number one and coach Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover’s men had the game’s first attempt on goal.
Skipper Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson manoeuvred his way between Colin Nelson and King Solomon Austin, but his shot from just on the edge of the six-yard box was hit too hard and went over the bar and into the VIP area.
A minute later, Richardson got around his defenders and this time picked out Sheldon Holder whose attempt was also hit too hard and went wide of the goal.
In the 14th minute, Vurlon Mills had the opportunity to give the eventual victors the lead when he slid around defenders Kirk Duckworth and Jamaal Smith with some smooth footwork, but his shot went trickling past the goal mouth after it had already beaten Alpha custodian Ronson Williams.
The crowd rose to their feet in appreciation and remained when Mills, this time from a free-kick taken by Tichard Joseph from approximately 25 yards out, connected his header that forced Williams to make a save.
Several attempts by both teams came up short and saw the first half ending goalless; but the huge crowd at the venue did not have to wait long for the game’s first goal when the second stanza resumed.
Millington, 11 minutes into the second half (56th minute) intercepted a pass from Holder some 25 yards from goal on the right side of the pitch and used a Cristiano Ronaldo-like ‘step-over’ to get the ball on his ‘sweet foot’ and hammered a shot past Williams who had no chance of getting a touch.
Pandemonium broke out in the stands as Millington and his teammates celebrated, but the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championships-bound Alpha quickly responded when Panamanian Manuel Vargas lashed on to the ball from 30 yards out and hammered a right-footed strike that forced Akel Clarke to pull off a brilliant save between the uprights for Slingerz.
Alpha, Guyana’s number one club, kept their feet on the gas in their hunt for an equaliser but Bakewell Slingerz defenders were resolute at the back.
With time ticking away for Alpha who for the first time trailed an opponent whom they had defeated three times before last Sunday’s encounter, Millington knocked the wind out of their sails with his second goal of the night in the 90+3 minutes.
After the fourth official had signalled five minutes of extra time will be added to the contest and Alpha already in desperation mode by throwing every player forward including Williams after they won a corner kick, it was a plan that backfired as they conceded the second goal.
Millington picked up a loose ball from the corner kick and raced past both Smith and Shevane Seaforth, who were unsuccessful in stopping the Slingerz talisman, who had an empty goal and he made no mistake as Williams also found it difficult to get back in time.
Slingerz 2 Alpha 0 and it was a goal that once again sparked jubilation around the ground given the fact that it meant that Slingerz had won the Kashif and Shanghai tournament in their first outing.
Meanwhile in the third place playoff, former champions Pele Football Club defeated Riddim Squad, the tournament’s upstarts, 2-1 to take home the trophy and $500 000 while the Mocha Arcadia side had to settle for $250 000 and fourth place.

By Rawle Toney