Reigning champions Weymouth Wales have advanced to the semi-final round of the Banks Beer Champions Cup after they edged Barbados Defence Force 2-1 in their quarter-final played at the Wildey, St Michael Astro Turf last night.
Also in with a chance for the $20,000 cash prize at stake are Rendezvous who defeated Mackeson Brittons Hill 3-0.
Two years ago when these two teams met Brittons Hill were thrashed 6-1 by Rendezvous and one would have thought that Fabian Wharton’s men would have had revenge on their minds and given Rendezvous a dose of their own medicine. But that was not meant to be even though Randolph Cox’s men played with a ten-man team.
Myron Samuel scored in the 13th minute of play when the ball was sent inside the 18-yard box and Samuel did what he does best and buried the ball into the back of nets. Rendezvous then found themselves down to ten men when Jomo Brathwaite was sent off for a dangerous tackle in the 36th minute.
In the second-half Jeffery Williams found the back of the nets in the 68th minute when Samuel ran the ball down the left flank, dribbled past two defenders to the top of the 18-yard box and made a pass over to Williams who positioned himself on the other side of the goal bars and scored.
Brittons Hill found it difficult to get the ball to striker Dwayne Stanford with Rendezvous’ coach Cox from the sideline ordering his centre back Romelle Burgess that if Stanford went to drink water he had to drink with him. This tight marking served to prevent Brittons Hill from getting the ball to their chief marksman.
Then to put icing on the cake Shandel Samuel came on for Myron and scored a penalty when Brittons Hill goalkeeper Rashad Ince made a dangerous tackle inside the box and was given a yellow card.
In the first quarter-final game Wales went up 1-0 when the ball was sent down the left flank by Hadan Holligan who passed to striker Tristan Parris and he neatly drove a shot between the defender and goalkeeper Terry Smith who were both comprehensively beaten in the 35th minute.
Wales’ goal scorer Tristan Parris puts a strong challenge on Dario Burnham of the BDF.
Wales striker Kemar Headley tries to dribble his way past the BDF defender.
Ten minutes later BDF responded through Ancil Price in the 45th when Nicholas Best dribbled his way through three Wales defenders and touched the ball over to Price who was left unmarked and booted the ball into the back of the nets to equalize 1-1 going into the second half.
That decisive half failed to produce a goal which caused the game to go into extra-time and Wales pulled one out of the bag when Holligan with a good pass found Parris who then placed the ball to fellow striker Kemar Headley who sent the ball flying into the back of the nets in the 96th minute.