… Hustlers vs Mocha opener should be a sizzler

NO strangers to must-win situations, Sparta Boss, Tiger Bay, West Front Road ‘Gold is Money, Champion Boys and Albouystown ‘B’ have found themselves in familiar territory once again and must secure victories if they hope to advance to the quarter-finals of the exciting inaugural Guinness Cage Football Championship tonight, at the National Gymnasium. Play in the championship resumes this evening with eight matches in the round-robin phase and every matchup is an important one as teams attempt to position themselves for the upcoming knockout segment.

Immense pressure will be on Guyana’s most successful futsal team, Sparta Boss, as they try to arrest the slide from being the most devastating unit to the team who have performed below expectations in the last two competitions.The positive side of this scenario is they rise to the occasion and while the expectation is for them to come out victorious tonight, their opponents Albouystown ‘B’ are no pushovers as well, so an enthralling battle is envisaged.Without talisman Devon Millington, Sparta Boss have not looked as destructive as they usually are, but players such as Gregory Richardson, Eusi Phillips, Solomon Austin and Sheldon Shepherd are still around.Not much has been seen of their opponents since they gained a walkover on opening night, before going down to North Ruimveldt in their second encounter.

Also in a precarious position are recent ‘Keep Your Five Alive’ winners West Front Road ‘Gold is Money’, who face a tough engagement against another team who are in jeopardy of crashing out – Tiger Bay.This should be the clash of the night with the silky skills of the diminutive Deon Alfred competing against Randolph Wagner and company. The North Ruimveldt versus Ol Skool Ballers is another encounter that will produce fireworks with the experienced Gerald Gritten set to lead the former, and the prolific Roy Cossou doing the same for the upset-minded Ol Skool Ballers.Hustlers and Mocha open the night’s proceedings and this is a dream matchup to get things. Both teams have come off impressive wins.Hustlers beat Tiger Bay 3-1, while Mocha edged ‘Gold is Money’ 1-0, with another veteran Sceyon Hope, making the difference with a solitary strike.

Over $800 000 in cash prizes and trophies will be up for grabs with the winners set to receive $400 000 and the championship trophy, while second-, third- and fourth-placed finishers will take home $200 000, $100 000 and $50 000 respectively along with trophies.The other playing dates for the championship are September 5, 7, 9 with the final set for September 16, at the same venue.The full fixtures are seen below:At 19:00hrs Hustlers square off against Mocha, while from 19:30hrs, Pike Street Sophia take on Albouystown-A and this will be followed by the clash between North Ruimveldt and Ol Skool Ballers at 20:00hrs.The fourth fixture is between ‘Gold is Money’ and Tiger Bay at 20:30hrs, while the electrifying MBK All-Stars battle Agricola Champion Boys at 21:00hrs.Future Stars then take on Showstoppers at 21:30hrs and this will precede the final two fixtures – Back Circle against Leopold Street at 22:00hrs and Sparta Boss versus Albouystown-B from 22:30hrs.

The top two teams from each of the four groups will qualify for the quarter-final.Meanwhile, among the other sponsors on board are Star Party Rentals, Faye Joseph, Claude Geddes Recreational Sports Club, National Sports Commission, Windjammer International Hotel & Cuisine, Woodpecker Trophies & Sport, Y.K Investments & Pawn Shop, Henry Chase, Jai Signs, Trophy Stall of Bourda Market and John Fernandes Ltd.Once again the organisers are asking all to work together with them to pull off what is already shaping up to be an exciting and successful tournament.