Republic Bank U-18 Schools Football
The fifth edition of the Petra Organisation’s U-18 Schools Football League kicked off yesterday at the Ministry of Education Ground, Carifesta Avenue, as defending champion Chase Academy as well as Bartica and Waramuri recorded wins.
In the opening encounter of the day, Bartica Secondary dismantled East Ruimveldt Secondary 5-1, with Billy Smith netting a hat-trick. In fact, Smith opened his account just eight minutes into the first half with arguably the goal of the day.
He thundered a shot from just above the halfway line, which beat the East Ruimveldt keeper, who was guilty of not moving enough. Smith would strike twice more, netting in the 24th and 35th minutes respectively to complete his haul.
Reizer Reid and Ezekiel Baldeo added the finishing touches in the 50th and 60th minutes, respectively. Meanwhile, the solitary goal-scorer for the losers was Josiah Norton, who levelled the scores briefly with a well-taken header in the ninth minute.
Clashing in the second match were President’s College (PC) and Chase’s Academic Foundation. The latter dominated the fixture and ran out 4-0 winners as PC had no answers. Isaiah Ifill got on the score-sheet in the 12th minute, while Shaquan David (20’), Jaden Tasher (25’), and Neeiaz Baksh (36’) all found the back of the net to complete the rout.
The third and final game of the day between South Ruimveldt and Waramuri was truly entertaining, with the former losing 1-2.
South Ruimveldt started brightly but ended up flattering to deceive after Tyrese Pemberton had opened the scoring in the 19th minute. While Waramuri clearly had the better chances, they were profligate in front of goal and could have easily won by a bigger margin.
Rondell Peters and Erwin Booker were the players on target for the eventual winners in the 26th and 39th minutes, respectively.
The first round of the league is set to be completed later this week on a date to be announced by the Petra Organisation. In total, eight teams are competing, with West Ruimveldt set to oppose Dolphin Secondary to complete the first round.
The winners of the league will bag $300,000 towards a school project along with a trophy and medals, while the runners-up will receive $200,000, a trophy, and medals as well. Third-place finishers will be compensated for their effort with $150,000 along with a trophy and medals.
Additionally, there will be individual incentives with accolades for the highest goal scorer and best goalkeeper, while the most disciplined team will also be rewarded for their behaviour.
Complete Results
Game-1
East Ruimveldt-1 vs. Bartica-5
Bartica scorers
Billy Smith-8th, 24th, and 35th
Reizer Reid-50th
Ezekiel Baldeo-60th
East Ruimveldt scorer
Josiah Norton-9th
Game-2
President`s College-0 vs. Chase Academy-4
Isaiah Ifill-12th
Shaquan David-20th
Jaden Tasher-25th
Neeiaz Baksh-36th
Game-3
South Ruimveldt-1 vs. Waramuri-2
Waramuri scorers
Rondell Peters-26th
Erwin Booker-39th
South Ruimveldt scorer
Tyrese Pemberton-19th
