Lewis Youth Club captured the Sandals/Social Development Commission (SDC) St Ann’s Bay eight-a-side football competition with a dramatic 3-1 penalty kick win over defending champions Young Money at the Jonas Rheiner Park on Sunday.

The competition was sponsored by Sandals Dunn’s River, Sandals Royal Plantation, SDC and councillor Dallas Dickenson.

For their efforts, Lewis Youth Club received the Sandals Dunn’s River/SDC Trophy and the $30,000 first-place award. Young Money received the second-place prize of $20,000 and a Sandals Dunn’s River trophy, while the third-place trophy and $10,000 cash prize went to Sandals Dunn’s River. Edge Hill placed fourth.

The one-day football fiesta was watched by a fair-sized crowd with the bulk of the fans coming out from surrounding communities. Each team played two matches in the preliminary round before embarking on a semi-final knock-out segment.

Captain of champions Lewis Youth Club, Dario Stewart, praised his players for a resilient performance throughout the day. “It was a tough competition because we had to play a lot of matches. But the guys were fantastic, stuck to the game plan and we proved that we were the best team on show.”

SDC Community Development Officer for St Ann’s Bay and Runaway Bay Antoinette Ledgister-Hall said she was happy with the standard of play and discipline of the competition.

Sandals Dunn’s River General Manager Deryk Meany said his resort was delighted to have been a sponsor. He stressed the resort’s commitment to playing a pivotal role in the development of the various surrounding communities.

Sandals Royal Plantation General Manager Omar Robinson noted that his resort would continue its role in community development through sports.