By Duncan Saul in Mabaruma
Photos by Orlando Charles
Home side North West Secondary propelled by a Dexter Mendonca first-half hat trick blanked Wauna Secondary 5-0 as action in the Digicel Secondary Schools National U18 Football Tournament continued at the Mabaruma Community Centre ground yesterday.
Mendonca would open his account in the fourth minute from a left-footed strike to the lower left hand corner following a botched clearance by the Wauna custodian from a cross from the right flank.
He would complete his double in the 13th minute through a brilliantly taken free kick from the right side of the field.
Awarded the dead ball opportunity following an infringement 22 yards from goal, Mendonca would curl the ball around the three-man wall into the top right hand corner of the goal.
The hat trick would be completed 10 minutes later once again through a defensive indiscretion by the Wauna defence.
Latching on to a poor clearance by the Wauna centre half, the wily Mendonca would easily finish to the bottom right-hand corner unmarked to effectively end the contest in the first half.
The poor defending would continue from the visitors as Quincy Melville etched his name on the scorer’s sheet in the 36th minute though a left-sided effort to the lower left corner of the goal.
Further misery would be piled on the hapless Wauna side as an own-goal in the 54th minute would complete the lopsided affair.
Prior to the commencement of the fixture, Digicel in collaboration with Social Life Issues founder and chairman, John Greaves discussed drug abuse and its prevalence among adolescents.
Speaking to the gathering which included the competing schools, teachers and spectators, Greaves stated “There is no benefit from using drugs. It has nothing good to offer anyone young or old. It is a disaster itself and only negative results can come out of the use”.
“The whole admonishment is to become aware of the harms, danger and eventual consequences of their use and you are now in a better position to make an informed decision with regards to drugs”, added Greaves.
