F.C. Belize takes R.F.G. football title
Good evening. I?m James Adderley, and we welcome you to this dish of Sports Monday. There was definitely a Garifuna celebration atmosphere inside the Carl Ramos Stadium Saturday night for game two of the Regent Cup Finals between F.C. Belize and the host team Wagiya of Dangriga.
Of course, Wagiya undefeated during regular season comes into this decisive ballgame down 2-1 to the city team and very conscious of the curse attached to giving away the home field advantage at least here in the Jewel.
We?re only four minutes in when Wagiya displays its championship desire off this corner kick that is poorly defended by F.C. Belize. The ball bounces to Robert Muschamp and his right away right foot volley crashes into the net, and the two game series is tied at two goals a piece.
The city team immediately seeks out goal leader Deon McCauly for the response but in this foot race between himself and the Griga keeper Woodrow West; he finishes second.
Indeed it?s an electric start in this ballgame for on the very next play Wagiya?s Deon Flowers should have given his team a two nil lead on this open look, but he doesn?t.
The early excitement of the confrontation is then altered when Harrison Kafu Roaches looses his cool against Mark Kello Leslie in front of Referee David Jones and the Dangriga rooster is reduced to ten men just eleven minutes in and it looks like a deserved red card.
F.C. now pushes forward will the numerical advantage and you make the call. The reference determines Lindsay Castillo takes down Deon Flowers inside the eighteen.
After a false start, Tyrome Muschamp steps up and smacks this right foot into the near corner; successful thirty-five minutes in we have a 1-1 tie, but a 3-2 F.C. leads on aggregate.
We?re some twenty minutes into second half when Wagiya tries to make things happen off this corner kick. Harrison Tasher tries to get the ball into the net … Charlie Slusher reaches out, but the Lisbey Castillo?s foot smack Charlie Slusher as the ball hits the net. No goal says Referee Jones.
At the other end Deon McCauly deals to Norman ?Tilliman? Nunez Pipersburgh but the veteran fails to hit the target.
It?s F.C. Belize looking to break the game tie off this set piece. Tilliman launch forces Woodrow West into a crucial save.
Deon Flowers then looks for his goal on this press but West intervenes. It?s Flowers insisting to be recognized, and he thinks he has West beaten but the referee concludes otherwise.
When the long whistle blows it brings the curtain down on a 1-1 ballgame which automatically gives F.C. Belize the 3-2 win on goal aggregate and they own the 2006 title. We say congratulations, but it also brings an abrupt end to the lighting situation and we must say this move is anti-football, and quite dangerous. Nevertheless, we still caught up with Norman ?Tilliman? Nunez for in the post-game confusion.
Norman ?Tilliman? Nunez Piperburgh, F.C. Belize
?We were up two goals to one and we didn?t get a tie we didn?t get desperate and we didn?t get frustrated. We knew that we had to slow down the ballgame and try to get back into the game because they tied the ballgame with the goal. We just kept our composure.?
James Adderley
?What was the key to this victory??
Norman ?Tilliman? Nunez Piperburgh
?The key to this victory was just winning this game today. No matter what happened just winning this ballgame and let F.C. be the champion today.?
James Adderley
?You?ve won so many championships already this one what does it mean to Norman ?Tilliman? Nunez??
Norman ?Tilliman? Nunez Piperburgh
?Well it means a lot. So many championships motivate me, but this championship really motivated me because Muschamp them talk too much. They said that, Tilliman has not met the Muschamp brothers in the finals and I met them in the finals and they surely got a taste of me. I like to say that Dangriga made a big mistake they didn?t check who they were going up against. They gave me the first game and they were looking for trouble and that?s what caught them.?
James Adderley
?Obviously the home court advantage curse continues in football, but for Norman ?Tilliman? Nunez who has been in the sport for such a long time will we be seeing you for another season??
Norman ?Tilliman? Nunez Piperburgh
?Well I?ll tell you these players that are coming up are making it hard for me to retire. They are not playing the game with the head they are playing the game with more physical and technical. You have to play with the head so it is a hard time for me to retire. I can go many more. I think if I put down fifty percent more than I am doing right now I will be much better the coming season. These guys cannot top me they are young but they don?t have it in them to stop me.?
In the meantime folks, when we asked Norman ?Tilliman? Nunez Pipersburgh how many league title?s he had won. He had this to say.
Norman ?Tilliman? Nunez Piperburgh
?I plan to keep that a secret. You all have to look that up unno self. When I plan to retire I plan to tell you how much I have but right now I just the enjoy this one.?
James Adderley
?Six or seven??
Norman ?Tilliman? Nunez Piperburgh
?No you are way behind, I say you way behind.?
Well Nunez you?ve won nine league titles but you?re not the only one … Charlie Slusher enjoys that same number of wins. To you great Belizean veterans we say congratulations.
In basketball news the Burrel Boom competition reached its natural conclusion Friday night inside the village. After winning game one B-Block looked to close out the Punishers and they did. R. Budd was the big bomb with fifteen points, three rebounds, as B-Block takes game two 64 to 58. They sweep the championship series and we say congratulations.
In the meantime folks Baranathon 2006 comes up on second December at eight a.m. and it?s a kayak race of two per unit from Puerto Barrios, Guatemala to Punta Gorda here in Belize. Our colleague Jackie Godwin caught up with the organiser John Nembherd and president of this organisation.
John Nembherd, Organiser
?It is a tough race. It is going to be forty miles of Kayaking. It all depends on the wind condition, the sea and stuff like that. First prize if five thousand dollars, second prize two thousand five hundred, third prize is two thousand, fourth prize is fifteen hundred and fifth prize is one thousand dollars. Along the way?because the race will start this year from Puerto Barrios, Livingston now will be a station prize of five hundred dollars, half way between Livingston and Punta Gorda will be another station prize of five hundred dollars, and whenever you get to Punta Gorda another station prize of five hundred dollars. You have Texaco Gas Station where there is a station prize. You have Sea Front Inn where there is another station prize, Beya Suites where there is another station prize and then the finish line.?
Finally folks the Shell V-Power Day Triathlon as presented yesterday in conjunction with the Belize Triathlon Association saw Justin Usher take the student 12-15 years class beating out Kasheef Mariano and Jordan Zabaneh. In the other student classification it was a Guatemalan sweep as the team from Peten that featured Josue Gonzalez, Gabriel Chan and Luis Gonzalez finished one, two, three in that order.
In the individual sprint again it was a Guatemalan sweep. Jose Albert Xol, Francisco Lemas and Minor Maquin took this event one, two three in that order. However, in the corporate event the team event was taken by Team Batsub featuring Geogiana Evans in the swim, Richard Maya was the rider and the runner was Jim Pecky and we certainly say congratulations.
Hey folks, that?s our show for today and next week we return to our usual time slot. Until then we say goodbye for now. Jah, over all I am James Adderley.
