Fans get rowdy as Yabra beats Grigamandala
Good
evening, I’m James Adderley and on behalf of the entire staff of Sports
Monday we want to wish you the very best in 2000. In the meantime we followed
the match-up in week fifteen of the B.F.L. Regent’s Millennium Cup which
swung through the festive season.
The trail led us to beautiful Dangriga where Grigamandala hosted league leading Kulture Yabra of Belize City and we open with a picture of order as the police guard the referees’ entrance onto the pitch. The homefield advantage gives the early edge to Griga and they should have converted at the fourteenth minute of play. Of course KaKas must be joking to let one get away but such is life in the fast lane.
Yabra’s first concerted attack comes when Esteban finds Rodriguez but the finish is much less than expected. So Kulture tries to get “Tilliman” Nuñez going but at every move he is surrounded by yellow shirts. At the other end it’s a bomb unleashed by KaKas but Willie Bo takes care of the threat.
If ever there was a miscue to give coach Garrincha gray hairs it’s this misfire from pointblank range. The tension begins to mount on both sides and maybe referee Ruperto Vicente should keep his eye on the play as Nuñez wrenches Fernando Sanchez on the ground. Sanchez gets up, hopping mad – a fatal mistake. He runs into “Tilliman” and pushes him down for which naturally he gets ejected. Dangriga is down to a ten-man team. In retaliation Nelson Moss grounds “Tilliman” the hard way for which he gets a ticket. And at the end of the first half we have high expectations but no goals.
Immediately into second half Dangriga goes for the goal but again KaKas falls short. Talk about a big miss people, the two Griga strikers simply can’t find the hole. Downfield Barragan gets his chance at goal off a corner kick but it’s a chance he’d like back. It’s some fourteen minutes into the half when a long pass from Savery is tracked down and pushed to Nolberto who scores into an empty net for a one-zip Griga lead.
The fans run onto the pitch, which exposes a glaring security weakness. FIFA would not be amused by this spectacle. The Yabra team and fans now crowd the referees in the middle of the pitch, and for sure this new gathering is not in a celebrating mood. Obviously the police can no longer maintain order or guarantee safety and now the Yabra crowd leaves the field. The Dangriga fans immediately claim victory but it all turns out to be premature. Back comes the officials to resume the ballgame some twelve minutes later and yes we’re back to the business of football – finally.
Some ten minutes later Dangriga looks to go ahead two-nil but Willie Bo drags down the striker after being beaten and while it is outside the penalty box it should bring a red card but Ruperto concludes otherwise.
Stanley Reneau punches out the initial shot, it goes to Jorge Garcia whose header equalizes the ballgame. Again the fans crowd the field and again we must marvel at this breakdown in security. The winner for Yabra comes when a defensive header goes to Barragan. Reneau cannot handle, David McCauley smashes for the finish. Yabra could have made it three-one but “Tilliman” can’t make the play even with help from a fan.
It’s all Yabra in the final minutes and a spotkick would have made the exclamation mark for the city team but when the long whistle blows it brings a two-one “W” for Kulture Yabra of Belize City.
Changing gears, let’s head to the National Stadium for the finish of the KREM New Year’s Race and it’s the duo of Ariel Rosado and Quinton Hamilton entering the National Stadium after leaving Corozal Town. This time around the duo battles for money, and now Hamilton initiates the sprint. It’s close, it’s a beauty and the baddest today is Ariel Rosado, the first junior rider to take the big prize.
Ernest Meighan then abuses Douglas Lamb for third place and it’s Orson Butler, Ray Cattouse, Fred Usher, Ben Jones, Elbert Pope and Henry Morriera rounding out the top ten.
Again we want to wish you prosperity in the New Year. That’s it for now. Jah over all. I’m James Adderley.
