DEFENDING champions Silver Bullets were among the winners on the opening night of this year’s ExxonMobil Guyana futsal championship which is organised by the New Era Entertainment at the Retrieve Hard Court in Linden.
The tournament now in its 21st year is sponsored by ExxonMobil Guyana for the fifth straight year has attracted sixteen teams which are bracketed into four groups of four with a preliminary round robin format and the two top teams advancing to the quarterfinals.
In the first game of the night playing ingroup C, Code Ballers swamped Anunnaki 12-2, as Dexter Milo led their onslaught with a quadruple of goals, Duquan Samuels netted a hat-trick, as Hilton Newland and Quasi Andries each had doubles, with a single strike from the boot of Darnel Profitt.
The second game which was played after the march past of the contesting teams, and witnessed by Regional Chairman of Region 10 Deron Adams; Upper Demerara Football Association President Wainewright Bethune; Town Clerk Lennox Gasper; ExxonMobil team members led by its Engineering Technician Ms. Latoya and Tevin Stewart and Shamure Denny; Regional Health Officer Dr Vancooten Warner, along with New Era Entertainment Directors Andrew Major, Kenrick Noel and Sharief Major, ended with the reigning champions Silver Bullets easing themselves to a 5-3 win over Rockstone in a Group B match.
Foundation Family then edged past Galactic FC 4-3 in a Group D fixture, behind a double from William Europe and lone strike from Marcus Daniels and Chaka Hall, playing in another Group D tossup.
DC Ballers were handed a walkover win against Marine Ballers in another Group D setting, while in Group C, Hard Knocks in the final game, defeated Attackers 3-1, as Deon Charter got a brace and the other goal netted by Omar Brewley.
The championship has at stake $3M and a winner’s trophy for the champions, $1M goes to the second placed team, with $500,000 and $250,000 respectively for the third and fourth place finishers.
The tournament continued last night and continues next Friday at the Retrieve Hard Court.
