As the KFC Goodwill International heads into the business end with just Chase’s Academic Foundation left from the Guyana contingent in the running for the title, Trophy Stall yesterday handed over the championship trophy to Petra Organisation at their South Road location.
Devi Sunich, wife of Trophy Stall’s proprietor Ramesh Sunich was on hand to deliver the Trophy.
Being the fourth edition of the tournament, this year saw an expansion of teams with a complement of five Guyanese teams and the addition of one other overseas team in Jamaica’s Clarendon College.
Last year’s championship winners DC Caesar Fox Secondary (Waramadong) suffered the indignity of losing their three group stage games as did Bartica Secondary while St Ignatius the other Hinterland representative lost two and won one (against Bartica). Carmel Secondary meanwhile won one and lost two and were disappointing considering they were the winners of the Digicel Schools tournament in August of this year.
Chase’s Academic Foundation ever the frontrunner for any school football tournament in Guyana have an outside chance of going all the way but will have the rampaging and flawless St Benedict’s College (Trinidad & Tobago) in their way tonight at 8 pm at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue.
The early game, semi final one, will pit Surinamese side VW 04 (who secured their semifinal berth with two wins from three games) against Clarendon College which have looked by far the calmest team in the tournament.
In an invited comment to Stabroek Sports, Principal of Chase’s Academic Foundation, Henry Chase, reflected on his team’s third round loss as a minor hiccup attributing it to the absence of four core members of his starting 11 who were away on national duty in a friendly against Suriname. He pointed out the obvious gap in the quality of schools football in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname but held fast to a belief of optimism in his side. “I believe despite the fact that there is a gulf in terms of quality in the systems of Jamaica, Trinidad and Guyana, we have the quality and belief to get to the final”.
Buoyed by the return of skipper and leading goalscorer Bryan Wharton along with the effervescent number 10 Omar Sam, Chase’s Academic Foundation’s fans can expect a spirited performance tonight as they hold the weight of expectation.
