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Alpha United through to CONCACAF Champions League

–          Puerto Rico Islanders successfully defend CFU Club Championship title

Tempete FC out of Haiti played a spirited game of football last evening at the National Stadium Providence but that was not good enough to defeat the defending Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Champs, the Puerto Rico Islanders. The defending champs struck first as Jay Needham split the defense and had enough time to look as his ball hit the back of the Tempete net early in the first half.
The first taste of drama came when frustration crept into the Puerto Rican players following attacking and aggressive play by their competitors, saw a serious foul being committed against the opposing side causing a player to be sent off with a red card and awarding Tempete a penalty kick which found the back of the net.  Despite being one man down the Islanders defended well against Tempete until halfway into the second half when the Haitian goalkeeper was sent off for a vicious elbow to the face of the Puerto Rican striker. The penalty was however saved by the replacement keeper.
The game went into overtime and the attacking style showed by the Haitian club began to show as the defense broke down allowing the Puerto Rico Islanders to break through twice with Jonathan Fana being the architect during overtime to seal their victory 3-1 and retain the CFU title.The game which attracted the most attention of the small crowd was however the third place playoff between Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force and local football powerhouse Alpha “the hammer” United. The two teams played an evenly matched game for the first half. Dwight Peters struck first for United in the 50th minute of play which sent fans wild. Eight minutes later Richard Roy however equalized for Defense Force with a brilliant header.
The game went into a stalemate to the end and was forced into a penalty shootout to determine the final spot for the CONCACA F Champions League. The penalties was a nail biting, electrifying and emotional experience for Alpha fans but in the end the local side created history by becoming the first team from Guyana to advance into the CONCACAF Champions League by scoring 4 penalties against 3 for Defense Force. Though most fans were disappointed that the hosts did not take away the winning trophy, Alpha played according to plan to satisfy the local supporters. Speaking after the victory, a very emotional head coach Wayne “wiggy” Dover said the win was because “the goalkeeper and guys did great and executed well.” He added that adjustments were made to ensure that “the team follow the game plan and came out on top.”
President of Alpha United Odinga Lumumba shared similar sentiments adding that he will ensure that the team “will be stronger” as a result of the victory and is optimistic of advancing to the final stages of the Champions League. Head coach of Defense Force Colin Clarke said he was pleased to see the level of football being played in Guyana during the semi-finals and finals of the tournament by the local side stating that “soccer is improving in Guyana because I know this is a mainly cricketing country.”
The historic win by Alpha will serve to improve the level of football locally as well as showing the corporate community the levels football can reach if adequate funding is made available for the sport.

By Andrew Ross

 

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Windies Salvage Pride But Lose Series

After an impressive showing to win the first three games in the Digicel Home Series, Pakistan suffered their second defeat in front of a sold out crowd at the National Stadium, Providence in the 5th and final One Day International. After winning the toss Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi elected to bat first in hopes of putting up a formidable total. The pitch at providence however proved to be in the favour of the West Indian medium pace bowlers. Very early in the innings there were signs of uneven bounce making it difficult for the visitors to settle and put runs on the board. That proved to be their undoing as Trinidadian medium pacer Ravi Rampaul continued his impressive bowling by varying his pace and taking 4 wickets for a mere 45 runs. The only Pakistan batsman who actually got into a rhythm was all rounder and man of the series Mohammed Hafeez who made 55. Only two other batsmen from the visiting side scored double figures; Umar Akmal who made 24 and 21 year old Mohammed Salman who was unbeaten on 16.

The bowling attack was led by Rampaul but the West Indian captain Darren Sammy also played his part by taking 3 wickets, Dwayne Bravo chipped in by trapping 2 Pakistanis leg before wicket and local spinner Davendra Bishoo did his part by taking 1 wicket. Pakistan did not get the chance to establish a strong partnership after loosing their first wicket for only 16 and were bowled out for 139.

The West Indian openers Lyndel Simmons and Keith Edwards made light work of the 140 target and treated the packed National Stadium to some fireworks completing the run chase in just 23.3 overs. Simmons, who was judged the man of the match, finished on 77 while Edwards made 40. <br><br>In the final analysis the Windies may have salvaged some pride and after the convincing victory may have also gained some momentum. The question remains however if they would be able to continue along that vein for the 1st test match at the same venue. With the addition of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and a pitch friendly to the bowling attack West Indian fans are yearning for another victory.

By Andrew Ross

 

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Shasha Designs presents Fierce Expressions: Untamed

If you were bored last Sunday evening then you should have attended a splendid fashion show at the Tower Hotel by Shasha Designs called “Fierce Expressions: Untamed”. It was a mixture of subtle, colourful pieces and sexy, dark and raunchy articles. MC’d by DJ Casual of 98.1 FM, the show was divided into two short but very attractive segments of wonderful fashion display. Female entertainer “Bliss” opened the first segment with some musical renditions that could have been more musical, but she minus the slight wardrobe malfunction she was very easy on the eyes. She led us into a few models who exhibited well cut and bright dresses, skirts, suits and shirts done by Keisha Edwards, CEO of Shasha Designs. After about 10 models did their thing on the catwalk we were entertained by another local performer called “RACS”. He is a smooth rapper who critics say did a much better job than the previous on – stage performer. After his clever spin on Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow” we entered a 25 minute break and bobbed our heads to great tracks by the event’s DJ.

During that time the El Dorado bar was well stocked with various vodkas and rums that certainly helped to make the ambience more enjoyable. Speaking of which, the decor for this event was appropriate but sparsely decorated. There were a few pieces of cloth draped strategically around the room but critics say that there should have been a backdrop of the show’s name to compliment the El Dorado banners and eccentric ceiling fans.

Enter segment number 2. RACS reappeared and wowed the ladies with a club hopping number which is still lingering in my head. Then! The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I watched model after model creatively draped in black leather, lace, and leopard prints and shiny accessories strut across the catwalk. I heard loud cheers and applauses time and time again; I saw cameras of all types flashing their little lights and each lady showed off the absolutely gorgeous outfit that she was blessed with. I can safely say that it seemed as if no one wanted this segment to end but it unfortunately did, and with that the gossip started.

From that gossip we at Guyanalive.com want to share our opinions. Firstly, we believe that a fashion show is an ample opportunity for everyone to wear their style with n qualms. However, if you are going to wear a t – shirt please run the iron over it properly. Personally this writer believes that a t – shirt is in appropriate but DJ Casual wore one under his unique jacket and pulled it off smoothly. Secondly, why was the show so short? There is no dispute that the fashion was top – of – the – line (and at the end of the day that is what matters) but $2,000 for two hours seems a little unfair. Maybe the designer should have thrown a few of her old pieces to continue wowing us or maybe there could have been another entertainer doing a different genre of music, or do an after party of meeting and greeting. Whatever the alternative, please take note for the future. Ultimately, on the Guyanalive.com scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest) we rate Fierce Expressions: Untamed at a 7. We know there is much more talent to be showcased by this duo corporation so we will put Sunday’s show in the win column and anticipate something bigger and better in the near future.

By Patrice Wishart