Grove/Diamond, West Ruimveldt/Albouystown draw first blood in Region Four

THE Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) leg of the One Guyana President’s Cup inter-ward football tournament got off to a scintillating start on Wednesday evening at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground.

A double-header was on the cards that saw Grove/Samatta Point/Diamond, and West Ruimveldt/Albouystown prove themselves worthy of advancing to the next round following respective victories.

Grove/Samatta Point/Diamond, comprising players from the mentioned East Bank Demerara (EBD) communities, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat after they found themselves trailing 1-0 from the ninth to 72nd minute of their match against Sophia.

Sophia took the early lead when Tevin Browne expertly chipped the goalkeeper.

Although the East Bank outfit looked more composed in the second segment, their advances were often thwarted. Eventually, it was Devon Padmore who found the equaliser for Grove/Samatta Point/Diamond.

In a bid to avoid the game being decided from kicks from the penalty mark, both sides upped the ante, but it was the more experienced East Bank team that prevailed under pressure.

It was the 76th minute of the encounter when Sophia, by way of a foul in the box, gave their opponents a penalty-kick opportunity. Lloyd Matthews made no mistake, pushing the score to 2-1 in Grove/Samatta Point/Diamond’s favour.

The small but vibrant crowd at the GFC ground stuck around for the second fixture which turned out to be a one-goal thriller.

As West Ruimveldt/Albouystown faced off with Golden Grove/Melanie; there were near misses galore, as both sides struggled to finish.

The East Coast of Demerara (ECD)-based outfit did well to hold off West Ruimveldt’s continuous advances in the first half. However, similar to the first game of the night, experience came to the fore in the second half when West Ruimveldt’s Colin Nelson broke the ice in the 56th minute.

Further pursuits of a goal proved futile for both sides, as the Georgetown team took the narrow 1-0 victory.

The One Guyana President’s Cup is a collaborative effort between the Government of Guyana (GoG), Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and Kashif and Shanghai Organisation.