Bandits top Yabra in Regent Cup play
Good evening I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday. The battle of undefeated teams in the Regent Insurance Cup playoffs brought a monstrous crowd to the M.C.C. Grounds yesterday as Kulture Yabra hosted the Builder’s Hardware Bandits of Belmopan. So who becomes the daddy and who receives the spanking? Let’s check it out.
Norman “Tilliman” Nunez looks to open the scoreboard early off this spotkick, but the veteran keeper Charlie Slusher reads the attempt like a book.
The counter by the Bandits is immediate–Dennis Serrano turns Vallan Symms around but misses the left foot shot that had Shane Moody beaten. On this Yabra press we’ll have to blame the condition of the pitch for Tilliman’s failure to convert.
But then the veteran striker and team captain says, hello to all my little friends at Marathon, Honduras, as the former pro gives the city teams a 1-zip lead thirty-eight minutes in.
Even with a 1-zip lead though, there’s no excuse for Yabra to miss this opportunity and we’re certain goal scorer Deon Frazier would want this one back. Nevertheless, at the half the score remains unchanged.
Meanwhile folks, if Yabra dominated first half, then this ballgame is a tale of two halves because in second half the Bandits find new inspiration.
From long distance Derys Benavides dials in for the equalizer, but while its close, there’s no cigar. Now watch this defensive error become a penalty when number six Christopher Villanueva takes out Denmark Casey who was cranked to drive it home. Of course that’s a penalty.
Who steps up? Well its goalkeeper Charlie Slusher and he certainly does embarrass his counterpart to tie the score at 1-apiece. Could it be? Yabra gets the lead right back from Daniel Thomas…not really, Charlie Slusher intervenes.
At the other end Belmopan looks dangerous again, but Oliver Hendricks bungles a finish he had time to fine tune. For sure folks the momentum has been stolen by the Bandits when Benavides touches to Dennis Serrano who gets past Symns, smashes the left foot into the net for the 2-1 Belmopan lead.
Unfortunately, Yabra’s best attempt to equalize gets squashed out by this errant left foot from David McCauley fresh off the bench. It’s one more attempt at the equalizer for Yabra, but Norman “Tilliman” Nunez fails to convert on this open look.
And when the long whistle comes, the Bandits grab the 2-1 big W to spank Kulture Yabra in all three meetings so far this year. And now show a commanding four point lead in the standings. Goalkeeper Charlie Slusher certainly was elated.
Charlie Slusher, Goalkeeper, Bandits
“James, we got to feel happy about that because the playoffs is something serious and to reach the finals is not easy. And to find ourselves in position, we got to thank God and give ourselves credit to work so hard, because by doing this it won’t be easier down the stretch, but at least with every game we are one step closer to the finals.”
James Adderley
“Can I ask you honestly, do you feel that you are into the playoffs already with this particular showing now that you are four points ahead of your nearest contender?”
Charlie Slusher
“Well I almost think that we are already there James, because the momentum that our team has right now and everybody else will try to get the other spot. We almost there, and when you’re feeling it and being so close to it James, it’s more easier to get it than when it’s far away from out of your sight.”
James Adderley
“You obviously had a 1-nil lead, a very early goal in the first half, you think you might have gone too defensive minded to allow Belmopan to gain that kind of confidence to come up with tow goals?”
Marvin Ottley, Coach, Yabra
“No James, we are not a team of that style of play. We have to bank on our offence, we we’re so solid offensively in the regular season and our offence has come alive in this playoffs, so we bank on that. We believe we could defend anybody one on one. I think primarily we made some crucial error… so what you’re gonna do on the counter attacks and we allow the wrong people to get the ball in the right places.”
In the other playoff match-up yesterday Juventus got a twenty-second minute goal from Elroy Kuylen to torch Sagitun 1-zip. Thus after three post season outings, the Bandits show nine points, Yabra five, Juventus three, and Sagitun, a big fat zero.
Obviously right now the Bandits team is the Daddy of them all, but it’s not over till it’s over. This Saturday Yabra travels to Sagitun and on Sunday Juventus will host the Bandits.
Turning to darts news, a general meeting of the Association is scheduled for Saturday November fifteenth at the Ambassador’s Lounge. And on Sunday an all day event in all categories of play will be staged–paying out all of two thousand dollars in prizes. Teams countrywide are being invited.
That’s it for now, we invite you back same time, same place, next week. Jah over all! I’m James Adderley.
