Couples, Gran Bahia for Sandals football final
DEFENDING champions Couples Tower Isle will meet Gran Bahia Principe in the grand final of the Sandals Resorts International St Ann/St Mary Business House Football Competition at Drax Hall tomorrow starting at 6:00 pm.
SADCo will battle NEHRA in the third-place play-off game at the same venue. Match time is 4:00 pm.
Couples and Gran Bahia reached the final in contrasting style. The champs hammered NEHRA 4-1 in their semi-final clash on Wednesday, while Gran Bahia edged a fighting SADCo 2-1 in the other game.
Gran Bahia started confidently in their match against SADCo with slick passing and stout defending. Javar Stoddart was the star of the Gran Bahia team scoring both goals. Kirk Ramsay and Imani Beckford also played well.
The second half was a different situation all together, as the SADCo team fought tooth and nail and had the star-studded Gran Bahia on the run. The losers were awarded a penalty late which they converted and were unlucky not to have scored an equaliser.
Segree Murray, Micah Terroade, goalkeeper Claydon Ennis, Kevin Graham and Marlon Buckley all performed admirably for the SADCO team.
Devon Ward, veteran member of the Gran Bahia team, was pleased with the victory. “I am very happy to be in the final,” Ward said. “We had a very good first half, but eased up in the second half. We will go back to the drawing board and make the necessary corrections and will be ready for the final on Sunday,” he added.
Couples Tower Isle, who had been an unstoppable force in the league all season by chalking up 32 goals while conceding just three prior to the semi-finals, continued their domination with an easy win over the NEHRA team.
Couples’ slick passing and speed allowed them to control the game. Mauracio Gordon, Gregory Tate, Dwayne Silvera and Carlos Smith were the stars of the Couples team.
Coach Carlinton Dodd said he was was pleased with the win and is confident he has the firepower to break down the Gran Bahia defence in the final.
“We expect a good game, but we are confident we have the players to win,” he said.
President of the St Ann Business House Football Association Danny Beckford says he is expecting “a keenly contested final”.
