RENDOVA Devon of Rendova Harbour in North Rendova, Western Province has been crowned champion of the Kenwood Harry’s Cup 2025.
The soccer tournament was staged at the Turaga soccer field in Ughele village, South Rendova.
The tournament concluded last Wednesday after two weeks of intensive matches by the participating teams.
Devon beat Malangana Dolphin 1:0 in the extra time to claim the victory and walked away with $4,000 and a trophy.
Dolphin settled for the second prize worth $3,000 cash, Tiviton FC came third and received a cash prize of $2,000, whilst Zaena United settled in fourth place and received a cash prize of $1,000.
The final started off with a great showcase of raw talents from both teams.
The two teams could not be separated in the full-time of the match and this prompted extra time.
Rendova Devon broke the deadlock by scoring a goal and that was the goal that sealed victory for Rendova Devon 1-0.
In the first semi-final, Tiviton beat Zaena United in the penalty shootout after the teams could not score a goal in both the full time and extra time.
This double deadlock led to a penalty shootout that saw Tiviton beat Zaena 5-4 to claim the third spot in the tournament.
The 11-a-side soccer competition kicked off on New Year’s Day with participating teams from Ughele village, Rendova Harbour, Bagho and Viru in the New Georgia Island.
This tournament was sponsored by Soltuna Sales and Marketing Manager Kenwood Harry.
A member of the organising committee for the tournament, Patrick Masakolo thanked the participating teams and Kenwood for sponsoring the tournament.
“I want to salute you this evening. Thank you for your hard work, thank you for the teams that come from far and thank you for the teams that display the sportsmanship throughout the tournament.
“This is the beginning of the sport development in Rendova Island.
“I want to thank the main sponsor for this game, Kenwood Harry.
“Thank you, Kenwood for the initiative that you created by organising this tournament.
“This is a continuous tournament this young man is supporting and organising in Ughele village,” Masakolo said.
One of the highlights of the tournament was that the referee and lines woman and linesman were trained under the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) and this resulted in the well execution of the games.
The Ughele Football Association (UFA) is also supporting the tournament with resources and technical support, which also contributed to the success of the tournament.
By LACHLAN SHYVES EDDIE
Solomon Star, Honiara
