Cool Runnings, Topp XX-A, Amelia’s Ward-A, Coomacka advance
COOL Runnings blanked Net Rockers-A 5-0, Amelia’s Ward United-A trounced Ituni’s Peacemakers 3-1, and Coomacka Mines edged past Eagles United 2-1 as Topp XX-A pipped Kwakwani 4-2 when the official matches of the GT&T Fastball knockout football championship were played Saturday night at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground in Linden.
In the biggest win of the night national junior player Ryan Crandon hit a hat-trick of goals and striker Rawle ‘Boney’ Gittens got the double for Cool Runnings who showed no mercy against Net Rockers. Crandon had his strikes in the 4th, 11th and 25th minutes while Gittens’ goals were registered in the 21st and 24th minutes.
In the 3-1 win for Amelia’s Ward over Ituni’s Peacemakers Garvin Daw got the double in the 9th and 20th minutes after Dellon Luke started the scoring in the 2nd minute.
For the losers, Norville Adrian scored their only goal in the 5th minute.
In the Bakewell Topp XX-A team’s win a ‘blue ball’ goal – counted as two – by veteran striker Collie Hercules, broke a 2-2 deadlock   after goals were netted by Topp XX’s Jamie Wilson in the 10th  minute and Quacy Johnson (11th) scoring for Topp XX-A, while Kwakwani knotted the scores through two goals from Dale Sauers in the 20th and Roya Rogers in the 23rd minutes.
In the first opening game Coomacka Mines knocked out Eagles United as a double by Darwin Daw in the 13th minute (with the blue ball) and another in the 40th minute assured their advancement over the Christianburg Eagles team after Derron Charles had sent them into the lead in the 8th minute but they could not hold on to win.  (Joe Chapman)