All Roads Lead to Surama Village

By tractor trailer, mini-bus, pick-up truck, motor cycle, bicycle and on foot football players and fans made their way to Surama. From all across the North Rupununi footballers and their fans descended on Surama. The football event of the year, the Playoffs are here.

As tractor-loads of fans arrived, grills were fired, the smell of wood smoke mingled with roast chicken and beef sticks. Plastic boxes and Styrofoam coolers unloaded farin, popcorn, salara, cold beer, soft drinks and a dozen other Rupununi delicacies for the hungry fans.

The Teams Assembled for Opening Ceremonies

Over the next two days, four men's and four women's teams would meet in eight matches to determine football bragging rights for the North Rupununi. the first game saw the Bina Hill women absorb their worst loss of the season 4-0 at the hands of Rupurtee. Next up, Iwokrama (dubbed Tokarama because of the number of players from Toka Village) edged Annai 1-0 on PK's. In the third game of the day, the Surama women fell to the unstoppable Annai women, led by their superb attackers, Fionna Sandy and Julie Scipio.The last game pitted top-seeded Massara men against the third-seed, Rupurtee. Late in the game, Massara edged ahead to take a 2-1 decision, vaulting them into Sunday's championship game against Iwokrama.

Annai Men
2009 Regular Season Winner
North Rupununi Football Association

Saturday nights in the North Rupununi are usually reserved for the all important social event of "liming" where gaffing, drinking, dancing and incredibly loud music pulsate until it is time for the "chickens to brush their teeth." But tonight was different. Everyone bedded (hammocked...there are several things I have learned here. Always walk with a plate, a spoon, a cup, a roll of toilet paper and a hammock and mosquito net) early to be prepared for the championships on Sunday.

Rain through the night promised a wet, slow field for Sunday's matches.
A field covered with puddles and muddy conditions in the goal mouths faced the Surama women and the Bina Hill Institute women as they took the field to vie for 3rd and 4th places. The Surama women mounted attack after attack on the Bina Hill goal until the defense finally cracked sending Bina Hill to fourth place in its first season of organized football.

By noon conditions had improved significantly as traditional rivals Rupurtee and Annai took the field. Both teams fought valiantly to a 1-1 score that held until the 85th minute. When it looked like the contest would be settled by PK's, Rupurtee attacked the Annai goal...as the ball rattled around the goal mouth a Rupurtee player slapped the ball with his hand into the net. The linesman raised his flag and signified the point where the penalty occurred, but the field official rushed in, indicating that it was a goal...Annai went down 2-1.

With offensive juggernauts Fionna Sandy and Julie Scipio playing at their best, the last thing hapless Rupurtee needed was Julie's sister Vanessa and Pauline Browne lifting their games to championship form. The final 4-0 does not do justice to the total dominance Annai held over Rupurtee.

The final match of the day pitted top seeded Massara against powerhouse Iwokrama led by former national player Ewert "Wire Rope" Smith and a contingent of Toka players. Neither team could mount a sustain offensive attack as the battle see-sawed up and down the field, frequently lapsing into boring sessions of "boom ball". At the end of regulation, both teams had managed to score twice on less than stellar play, setting the stage for a PK shootout. The final result...Iwokrama buried everyone of its PK's, Massara made just two mistakes...one directly at the keeper and the other directly at the left post...Iwokrama collected the first place trophy.

The Jubilant Winners--Annai
2009 North Rupununi Football Female Champions

With the games and celebrations behind them, it was now time to celebrate...and celebrate we did until 4am Monday morning. As revelers tired of the celebrations and obnoxiously loud noise, hammocks were strung up wherever room could be found...between two trees, in the church, on front porches. At 6am the tractor driver fired the diesel on his Massey-Ferguson, bags and tired party-goers crowded into the trailer, on the tractor fenders, the draw bar, beside the driver...anywhere room could be found. Out the Surama road to the junction, right on the Linden-Lethem Road home to Bina Hill and Annai...it is impossible for life to get any better than this.