When the final whistle was blown on Sunday afternoon under grey skies and light drizzles from above in the village of Kuru Kuru on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, Kuru Kururu A emerged as champions of the second edition of the PPP Soesdyke, Timehri Highway Cluster Futsal Championship, needling Waiakabra.
The hero of the match that sealed the championship trophy and $400,000 first-place prize was Kevon Scott, whose first-half goal was all that was needed to keep the Kuru Kururu A unbeaten run intact and with it, all the available spoils for the winners as well as bragging rights for the next year. For their effort, Waiakabra collected $200,000.
It was the perfect climax to two thrilling days of futsal action at the scenic Kuru Kuru Ground. The fan support from the home village and the competing villages added that extra bit of flair to the carnival-like atmosphere at this year’s competition.
Highest Goal Scorer Sunil Logan receives his trophy from Everton Poole
The third-place match saw the inaugural champions Soesdyke getting the better of Kuru Kuru College 3-1 to walk away with $75,000, while the losers received $50,000. Soesdyke had earned a first-round bye and entered action from the quarterfinal stage.
Enroute to the final, the champions had won their semi-final 2-1 over Kuru Kuru College; quarter-final triumph came at the expense of Circuitville, 1-0 via penalties after a 0-0 scoreline in regulation time, with the opening result 3-0 recorded against Kuru Kururu Jaguars.
Waiakabra, prior to their lone blemish which cost them the championship, had downed the former champions Soesdyke 3-2 in kicks from the penalty mark in their semi-final, after brushing aside Swan 3-0 in the quarter-finals. Their first win was against Moblissa by a whopping 7-0 scoreline.
The other villages that took part in the 15-team competition were Banakari, Silverhill, Laluni, St Cuthbert’s Mission, and Hauraruni.
Emerging as the highest Goal Scorer was Waiakabra’s Sunil Logan with six goals; he received a trophy from Everton Poole while his teammate, goalkeeper Selon Fernandes was declared the Most Valuable Player of the tournament and received a trophy and $50,000, presented by Minister Kwame McCoy. The Best Goalkeeper of the competition was Joshua Wilson, who received his trophy from Askari Ferreira. The other PPP officials who participated in the presentation of prizes were May Thomas (second place); Sarah Brown (third place) and Michelle Harrinarine (fourth place).
Minister McCoy, in remarks, before the presentation of prizes, commended all the teams for making the second edition of the competition a resounding success while informing all that they were committed towards the holistic development of the teams and their respective communities.
Minister McCoy also promised the players that there will be more investment in their personal and collective development in the ensuing weeks and months ahead. Gratitude was also extended to the organising committee and all, including the fans who played a role in ensuring the realisation of another successful competition.
The 2025 edition, Minister McCoy promised, would be huge.
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