In front of the usual huge crowd, Gerald Grittens tucked in the lone and winning goal to climax the exciting encounter between Conquerors and Western Tigers, a goal margin belying the intense battle in the final.

And as expected, pre-tournament favourites Camptown hammered the hapless Santos 5-1 in the third place play-off, with Nigel Codrington topping the goal-scoring table with a double to reach six. Leslie Holligan also hit a double and Clayton McCloud the other. Chris Duggan scored a consolation for Santos.

Conquerors pocketed $600 000, Western Tigers $300 000, Camptown $200 000 and Santos $100 000. Trophies, replicas, medals and other prizes were added to the cash prizes.

Camptown walked away with the Fair Play trophy, while the interior team from Region #8 won the Best Dressed Team prize.

Eron Hayde of Western Tigers was adjudged the Most Valuable Player in the tournament, along with being the MVP of the semifinal against Camptown. He won the prize for scoring the Most Spectacular Goal - his first of a double in the semifinal when he pounced on the ball cleared by the defence and sent a cannon that left goalkeeper Marlon Hendricks flat-footed. He blasted a hat-trick and double in the tournament to end with the second best tally of five, but did not play the full final because of injury.

’THE prizes: Fruta Conquerors captain, Neville Stanton, receives the winners’ cheque from Adviser to the President, Odinga Lumumba, with the championship trophies in foreground.
Hayde also won the Fairest Play Player prize for congratulating Codrington when the Camptown striker scored against Western Tigers. Codrington eventually scored the most goals in the tournament, one more than Hayde.

Chavez Hescott of Conquerors was voted the MVP in the semifinals against Santos, while Codrington was the MVP for the third place play-off.

The Best Midfielder was Jonathan Peters of Camptown, Best Defender was Delon Fraser who was captain of Western Tigers, and Best Goalkeeper was Justin Small of Stewartville who saved two penalties against Thomas United.

But Hernandez, playing his only match in the championship, following internal bickering in Conquerors, clearly showed that he was a class player, leading his club to the big prize, to be easily adjudged the MVP of the final.

One Conquerors’ fan told Chronicle Sport: “Regardless of what the other players and officials might think when they sidelined him, Hernandez clearly won the match for Conquerors. They had to bring him back to win. He would have easily been MVP of the tournament.”

GOOD support: A section of the huge crowd that turned out to see the final at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground.
Hernandez offered the first good shot to the eastern goal when the match was just two minutes, and Conquerors registered the first corner of the game when the ball was deflected by the goalkeeper.

With the creative midfielder controlling the run of play, supported by Charlie Rose, Western’s Rayon Thomas was contained. But Eron Hayde still posed a danger.

Hayde collected a loose ball on the right and raced away, shooting on the run. The ball zoomed just over the goal in the 26th minute.

Five minutes later, Hernandez replied with a good high ball forward to Bentick on the left. The goalkeeper was out of the goal, but Bentick failed to convert.

Then in the 35th minute, after forcing a corner for Western Tigers, Hayde was taken off to the sideline, injured. He was eventually substituted by National Under-17 winger Shevane Seaforth.

At halftime no goal had materialised, with Conquerors offering some eight good shots to goal and Western Tigers three. Both forced two corners in the half.

After the resumption, Conquerors forced the first corner of four corners in the half, within a minute of play. From the corner, Anthony Abrams shot the rebound off the goalkeeper’s block, but the defence cleared the ball on the goal line.

Both sides injected fresh sets of legs but Conquerors got in more shots to goal, some five against two for Western Tigers.

Then four minutes before regulation time, Conquerors had a corner. A mix-up ensued and Grittens slotted in the goal from close range during the melee.

Earlier, Camptown were all over Santos, blasting three goals in the first half.

The first came in the ninth minute, when McCloud found the net with a headshot during a mix-up after a corner. Holligan finished a rebound with a shot from just outside the box in the 29th minute for the second, while Codrington put in his first in the 42nd minute with a power shot from the outside the edge of the box to climax an attack on the left wing.

But a zestful Santos ran on back for the second half. And they pulled one back within two minutes of the resumption. Duggan sent in a free kick from the top of the box, the ball slicing through the wall to beat goalkeeper Marlon Hendricks in the 47th minute. Santos even forced the first corner in the half.

Camptown were still dominating and Holligan, overlapping nicely on the right wing, faced the goalkeeper alone and completed his double with a nice flat right foot shot.