A gutsy and spirited display of Fiji soccer saw Auckland based Bula Boys (representing Fiji) claim victory at the Hamilton Soccer Festival 2012.
Organised by the Hamilton City Council, the Tournament was held at Gower Park on October 6 and 7, with 24 teams on the field.
The Bula Boys, led by experienced former District and National reps such as Luke Videovi, Krishna Samy, Nick Lawrence, Rajnesh Sharma, Sumeet Shankaran and Ravinesh Narayan ‘Rabba,’ stole the show, surprising everyone in claiming the Ethnic Crown.
As well as winning $500 prize money, the Boys gained entry to the Championship competition to be held later in the year.
Impressive performance
After an impressive performance in the pool stages and elimination rounds, the team faced a tough Djibouti team laced with players from the Ngaruwahia FC Club, but a stellar defensive performance and goals from Cole and Krishna saw the team set up a breathtaking final with Somalia.
The final proved to be a cracker with fans of both sides rallying behind their teams.
Rajnesh got the breakaway goal midway in the second half after impressive work by Nick but a lapse in concentration in the Boys defense allowed Somalia to equalise and send the match into penalty shootouts.
Rajnesh and Samy’s efforts were brilliantly saved by the Somalia goalkeeper but inspiration goalkeeper Ravinesh stood tall and showed flexibility in saving three out of the five kicks of Somalia to hand Bula Boys a well-deserved victory.
The team now shifts its focus to the Ethnic Championship and hopes that the Fiji community in Auckland would get behind the team in their quest for victory.
