Turf Warz review ~ theRYGOchannel

The wait is finally over after what has been a hectic week for us at RYGO, however our journalist Kareem Manning was able to give a run down on the happenings at the tournament. Look out for the complete video highlights later this week.


The Champions

The recent concluded Turf Warz that was held by the Wildey Gymnasium Astro Turf on January 7^th 2012. Overall, it can be seen as a success, especially for the highly reputable Pounarkers of Pounark! FC. who concluded the tournament by swooping home the title and booze of the inaugural event.

The tournament was one that I would consider to be rather innovative as the combination of nice vibes and entertaining footy gave life to the same very feeling that it was meant to be. Organisers Justin King and Joshua Bynoe wanted Turf Warz to be fresh and they pulled it off.

This fun spirited tournament hosted eight teams with two groups battling out before the round robin stage of the tournament. It was a diverse selection of names with an even more diverse range of colours as shown by our rose pink partners Itchy Crabs. Turf Warz also hosted a wide range of talent, as players as far as Sweden were on park to display some quality plays, another bunch who are currently abroad competing in tougher environments were also on form, as they are granted greater exposure to a loftier standard of football; and the remainder were the product of Bim – I must admit that there were some well seasoned homegrown players that only goes to prove that Barbadian football is finally on the rise.

Below are the teams with their respective logo.

Local players on show

The tournament gave a great opportunity to local players to boast their talent to onlookers. With the turf being a fast paced environment, plenty skill and touch was on show to please the crowd that came to support their respective friends on the different teams.

Overall, I left the event pleased with the level of football on show – some blistering shots and sexy passes, shake and bakes, step-overs and feints… to be honest I didn’t even know some of the shit I saw done was possible until players were left twisting their own ankles after some dribbles that were display.

You see, I am a rather stern critic of football here in Barbados where it is rather unfortunate that some of our players usually have limited discipline along with a lack of development in the mental aspect of the game.

Despite us being a long way away from being able to war it out with other international regions which have soared and set standards in football, Turf Warz offered us a glance at raw Barbadian talent along with the mixture of those who have experienced the game abroad and it looks like exciting times for football in the island.

Special Praise

Darian King on the ball

From Pounark! F.C, special praise must be heaped on Darian King, a phenomenal all round athlete who actually majors in tennis and minors in football, but looked as though he could easily set the international football stage alight. He was comfortable on the ball, with more touches than Quagmire could muster in the same second and possessed endless ability to skate past his opponent time and again – he shows us how beautiful the game can be, kudos to him.

From runners up Ginga, there must be special praise for Romel Forde who plies his trade overseas at Long Island University in North America. He displayed great ability in passing and holding up play if needed.

Also, mention must go out to Luke St. John for having the heart of a Spartan. Through his brave efforts he played the entire tournament under injury watch as he recovers from a recent surgery on his ACL. Luke led his team with good spirits and plenty energy all the way to the finals.

Extended mention to Robert Jardine who was a bright spark when he arrived on his team despite being a bit late, he still scored some goals worthy of highlights. Justin Deckle reminded me of Kaka, locks, shocks and some silky play. Goalkeeper Dillon Clarke produced some fine saves that proved important for keeping his team out of trouble.

Tito, Spicey and Sandiford gave us a glimpse at unarguably some of the finest youth Bim rock has produced, they all looked like the real deal. Visitors from Sweden [we do not know their names, if anyone does please contact us] were sheer quality. I’ll never forget the long range stunner that guy over there scored, it was like if all Swedes were fed Ibrahimovic juice for breakfast.

Daniel Rowe also led his team with solid judgment, fine passing and accurate shooting throughout the tournament, brothers Justin and Tyler Browne had an unfortunate tournament, but still shone bright for their teams and were a real influence to watch. Young German Jamal Mönnig who flew all the way from his beer drinking homeland just to be a part of Turf Warz, put in a top defensive duty.

Turf Warz was a step forward for football in Barbados and will help promote players working on control and their skill to put on show at future tournaments. It also allows local players to invite their foreign friends to take part to allow a diverse tournament of players of different styles and abilities. The tournament is definitely on RYGO’s radar and we hope to continue the partnership for any future events and provide excellent coverage to all.

Special thanks to everyone who helped theRYGOteam out. Definitely could not have pulled it off without you guys.
B3 Imaging: Printed our RYGO shirts..be sure to check them out!
The Camera Crew: Kareem Manning, Zoe Allamby, Zachary Allamby, Ryan Wilfred, Jarrad Bryan.
Video Editor: Zachary Allamby

Big Thanks to Shane Griffith as well. He was always on the move making sure the cameras were in place and everything else was running smooth!