WITH close to 1,200 fans in attendance at the Grace playing field on Sunday, Babonneau defeated Mon Repos by 4-1, booking their place in the Blackheart Production Champion of Champions competition scheduled for Saturday at Phillip Marcellin Grounds.
For Babonneau, Shawn Constantine opened the scoring in the 12th minute while Miah Wilfred doubled the score-line two minutes later and Jeremie Abraham made it 3-0 in the 33rd minute.
In the second half, the youthful Mon Repos team scored in the 52nd minute via Sylvanus Stephens.
But the determined former Blackheart finalists kept the pressure on the Mon Repos defence as they extended their lead in the 82nd minute through Jeremie Abraham’s second goal of the match.
In the second encounter, a promotional warm-up between the 16th place team in this year’s tournament — Vieux Fort North — and Soufriere ended nil-all. Despite several scoring opportunities in the fast-paced game, both teams made several attacks from the midfield heading to goal.
CEO of Blackheart Production, David “Shakes” Christopher, told The VOICE that for this weekend’s event — the Big 8 Champion of Champions — football fans will see all the past champions in action.
Christopher said, “This was a good promotional event before the Big 8. In terms of Grace playing field and the reason for playing this final game, it is a marketing strategy because this is the home for Vieux Fort North. They’re big followers of the Blackheart tournament and, of course, national footballer Sheldon Emmanuel, so it is a well-deserved promotion.”
This is the second time Blackheart Production will be staging a Super 8 tournament, with the first being held in Soufriere a few years ago. This time around it will be different and bigger. The teams will know who they will face on the day, when the draw takes place.
It will be in a knockout format and a 1-hour encounter. A drawn game after the first 1 hour of play will see the teams go straight into a penalty shootout to determine the winner for the next round. The winner in the final will take home $5000.
The Champion of Champions teams for Saturday’s showdown at the PMG include Anse la Raye, Babonneau, Canaries, Dennery, Gros Islet, Mabouya Valley, Micoud and Vieux Fort South.
