Bradford business fives heats up as The Efficient Boiler Co bring home title
13 companies took part in Bradford Business Fives event, the second of 13 qualifiers across England this winter but that number didn’t prove unlucky for the three teams that qualified for the National final from the Bradford event.
Ambassador Dean Windass watched the action before entertaining the players with stories from his playing career in the post match debrief and awards presentation.
The most coveted trophy of the day was for hotly contested off the pitch for the Top Fundraiser award as the teams combined to raise £2,826 for local charities. Over half of that total came through the fundraising efforts of OPM group who raised £1,878 for their two chosen causes Parkinson’s UK and Sue Ryder Manorlands. Car Care Plan came a commendable second donating £313 for Ben Auto Support and B38 Group were in third position raising £295 for Prostate Cancer UK.
The tournament was played in good spirits with the standard of attack and defense rising as the three spots up for grabs at the National final got within touching distance and each goal became ever crucial.
It was The Efficient Boiler Co who went unbeaten as they were crowned the inaugural Bradford Champions. They saw off stiff competition in the semi-finals from Langcliffe International who were finding their form as the top scorers from the event up to that point. The adjacent semi-final was played out between Jelf and Car Care Plan with Jelf eventually winning 5-2 thanks to goals from tournament top scorer Dan McFarland to set up the encounter in the final.
With passage to the national finals in the bag already Bradford bragging rights were all to play for as the match was watched on by Dean Windass. The game finished 3-2 with a McFarland brace not enough to seal victory for Jelf as Dean Windass singled out playmaker Dan Moriarty from eventual winners, The Efficient Boiler Co as the man of the match in the final as well as Efficient Boiler Co becoming the Bradford Business Fives Champions.
In the Europa League section semi-finals, BAE systems faced off against Powell Industries with FGH up against B38 Group.
The final was a repeat of an earlier group game between FGH and Powell Industries with the Freemans Grattan Holdings team holding their nerve to win 1-0 and secure the last place up for grabs at the National final.
The action continues on Tuesday as the events move to Nottingham before taking a break over the Christmas period and returning to Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle, and Manchester in February.
