This Sunday night, the Barbados Football Association’s Williams Equipment Pre-Season Cup will be hoisted aloft for the first time ever as the inaugural tournament is down to its last two teams.
The Empire Club ground in Bank Hall is set to be the backdrop for the final, which includes two Premier League stalwarts in Brittons Hill United and many-time champions Barbados Defence Force Sports Programme.
They will be going head-to-head for the $4 000 top prize. Coming out of last weekend’s second leg of the semi-finals, both sides booked their berths in contrasting fashions after making their own ways through the preliminary rounds of tournament.
The BDF Sports Programme will go into this game as favourites, having been doing very well in the Premier League in the last few years, and up against a Brittons Hill side which have been fighting the relegation drop for the past three seasons.
The BDFSP last won the Premier League title back in 2015 which was their third consecutive championship at that level. Coming into the competition in Zone 3, the Sports Programme topped their group without dropping a single game.
Opening game
Their opening game at Bayville saw them drawing level with an at-home Notre Dame with Shaquille Boyce putting the soldiers up early on. However, the lead would be short-lived as Aaron Leacock knocked home the equaliser just minutes after.
They moved to the top of the zone after their second game when they came up against Home Improvement Hardware Compton at Bridgefield. Shane Codrington put the BDF in control before Marlon Headley helped the Waterford-based side find the equaliser. BDFSP’s Akeem Hill also saw red in this game but Omani Leacock converted a penalty which secured the 2-1 win for the BDFSP.
The soldiers then followed Ellerton into the semi-finals with a 3-0 win at Friendship. Leacock again was on the score card with a brace. Jelani Keizer got his first goal of the season that night.
Their opponents in the semi-finals were Ellerton and the Sports Programme drew first blood with a 2-1 win. Damion Thorington and Leacock scored a goal apiece. However, Zinio Harris pulled one back with one of the best looking goals of the season. In the second-round semi-final game, an own-goal gave the soldiers just what they needed to advance to the final.
Brittons Hill have been steadily improving during the competition. Credit must be given to their imported players for adding that additional impetus. They were forced to face Abrahams United Silver Sands three times in the tournament as both qualified out of Zone 1. The Valery-based boys got off to a hot start this season with a 9-1 win over an out-of-sorts Rendezvous at Friendship. With Rendezvous’ lone consolation coming from Nicholas Bynoe, goals from Henderson Richards (2), Akiel Smith, Romario Small, Terrance Coppin (2), Dwayne Stanford and Travis Coppin (2) saw the team to nine.
Brittons Hill’s second game saw them coming up against Silver Sands at Orange Hill and the pair broke even to end up on the same points. Silver Sands scored first through Mario Birkett before Donte McClean and Sylvester Small all had goals. Trailing 2-0 early in the second half, Brittons got back up to scratch with goals from Danté Greenidge, Elsid Miggins and Henderson Richards.
Brittons Hill ended up at the top of the zone as they rounded out the prelims with a 2-1 win over the University of the West Indies Blackbirds at Market Hill. Travis Coppin and Denzil Fordyce set Brittons Hill up but Mario Harte had a consolation to pull one back for UWI. (BFA)
