Can Scotty’s Tech4Less Combined All Stars shine by devouring big fish DirecTV Red Snappers or will KICK LG Strike Force make a smashing hit, heaving the Barbados Steel Works Indar Weir Top Bay Settlers out to sea?
Football fans will get the answers tonight in the second (7 p.m) and night cap (9 p.m ) matches, respectively, when the LIME Pelican Challenge continues at Kensington Oval.
In the opening match at 5 p.m. St Peter-based Sportstown Galaxy, who surprised many with a draw against Nu Look Connection in their first match, oppose T.S. Strikers, who also drew with the Stars.
Galaxy’s playmaker is Maradona Lavine and his supporting cast include Shamar Edwards, teenager Josimar Skinner, Dale Benn, Brian Husbands, Kareem Frederick, Ricardo Cyrus and Antoine Corbin.
Galaxy will be hoping to have Angus Doyle in the forward line to partner Damian Edwards and Renaco Thompson, who need to be more clinical up front.
T.S. Strikers will be looking to the Chandler brothers, Jamal and Jabarry, as well as new national forward Armando Lashley for goals against a Galaxy defence with Youth Milan players Travis Hinds and Ryan Griffith.
Rico “Sas” Baptiste, Ranaldo Marques and Julian Nicholls will pull the strings in midfield for the Strikers, while Andre Daniel marshals the defence, with Omari Eastmond between the uprights.
The feature match will see Strike Force, who have been rocked by the departure of coach Rodney Barker, trying to rebound from their opening 0-2 loss to Akademiks, when they face a Top Bay Settlers side which had an impressive 4-1 triumph over Red Tridents.
The Bayland-based outfit will be hoping national midfielder Carl Joseph is fully recovered from an ankle injury and that goalkeeper Kareem Farrell’s finger injury has healed.
Young strikers Diquan Adamson, Dwayne Mars and Kadeem Latham lead the attack of Strike Force, with veterans John “Nobby” Parris, Rudy Grosvenor, John Hawkesworth and Brian Neblett providing the guidance to the likes of Kimoi Seale, Elsid Miggins and Aaron Leacock.
Top Bay also have two oldstagers in Gregory “Lalu” Goodridge and Kent Hall to mastermind their plays alongside Ramuel Miller on the left side.
Ryan “Shaky” Griffith had a good first game with a brace but his strike partners Mustafa Haqq and Henderson Richards need to rediscover the goal-scoring touch.
They can also call on former Barbados player Ryan Lucas or youngster Chad Parris.
In defence, UWI’s Tito Beckles started alongside Youth Milan’s Dwayne “Ticky” Skinner and teenage national defender Ricardio Morris in the first game but either Stuart Hall or Paul Straughn can be utilized even though Top Bay will welcome having Bernard Howell in goal.
In the preceding match, the Snappers, buoyed by their spirited first game 2-2 draw with Firehouse, won’t be an easy meal for All Stars.
The highlight will be whether the Jason Carter-manned Red Snappers defence can keep Tristan “Fishy” Parris away from their custodian Bentley Springer.
Barbados’ captain Jeffrey Williams, the promising Raheim Sargeant, Donovan Lavine and Akeem Browne will also have a keen battle for midfield ascendancy with the Stars’ John Stoute, Damian Husbands, Brian Bynoe, Kirk Best and Cody Mark.
Former Barbados striker Kenroy Skinner, Ricardo Carter and young Tremaine Cobham will be fancying their chances of penetrating the Stars’ defence of Ryan James, Baggio Harewood, Alex Belgrave and Paul Alexander and getting a crack at goalkeeper Mario Albert.
