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TWO zonal champions, Malick (North) and St Benedict's (South) made miserable
starts in defence of their titles yesterday as action in the shortened
season of the BWIA Secondary Schools Football League began in full swing
at venues in Trinidad.
Malick failed to impress and was humilated 4-1 by St Anthony's in the
second match of a double-header at Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo,
while Naparima, the Intercol champion, shut out St Benedict's 2-1 before
a large crowd at Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella.
In the other legs of the double-headers, Mucurapo whipped Queen's Royal
College 3-1 (North) and Vessigny edged Pleasantville 1-0 (South).
East champion Arima was off to a flying start beating Toco 2-0 with goals
from Jamal Hamid and Ellis Dyette at Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar.
THIS season, the race for the South Zone title is a
one-round sprint. Naparima College are off and running.
Yesterday evening at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella, when Ateba
McKnight swooped low to power a picturesque header past Sadiki Stewart
in the St Benedict’s College goal, “Naps” were assured
of a potentially crucial headstart in the race for the zonal championship
in the 2001 BWIA Secondary Schools Football League.They and Vessigny Government
Secondary took the first day honours.In a match of one missed penalty,
and three goalline clearances, the boys from Vessigny managed a 1-0 win
over Pleasantville Senior Comprehensive, thanks to a long-range first
half drive from Kareem Blackman.
There was a Blackman in focus in the second game, too—national Under-17
standout Nkosi of St Benedict’s. But he and his mates had to defer
to McKnight and “Naps”.On paper, the reigning Intercol champions
only edged the defending South Zone kings. But in truth, the boys in blue
were a cut above on this day.
The versatile McKnight, creator of one goal and finisher of the other,
was the sharp edge of a well-organised unit.
In contrast, Benedict’s, relying on Blackman to too great a degree,
struggled to come up with adequate responses to the questions their opponents
frequently asked. Their feisty Benedict’s travelling support did
a better job of tit-for-tat in the stands. But at half time, things were
even.On the balance of play, the 1-1 scoreline was slightly flattering.
With McKnight starting the game in midfield, with Brenton De Leon and
Jerol Forbes ahead of him, Naps took early control. On 21 minutes, they
got the goal to prove it. A deft, chipped McKnight pass found De Leon
in acres of space in the 18-metre box and his emphatic finish gave Stewart
no chance. But 18 minutes later, still against the run of play, Blackman
engineered an equaliser.
From a right side corner swung over to the left, the tall man headed back
into the centre for national teammate Andre Alexis to side-foot home.
Naparima would not make too many more defensive slips in the game, though.
Instead, Stewart in the Benedict’s goal had to look sharp, especially
in the second half when McKnight played right up front. Once he struck
near the base of an upright with a fierce drive.
But Stewart could do nothing about McKnight’s sweet header, courtesy
of Forbes’ bullseye right side cross in the 74th minute. The Naps
posse in the stands was in full voice. The were rejoicing at their side’s
smooth start. And Benedict’s bad stumble
Down South, Naparima College will aim
to keep up their good start to the season when they visit Princes Town
Senior Comprehensive. It is a tricky assignment.Defending champs
St Benedict’s, beaten 2-1 by “Naps” in the season opener,
will be hoping for a Princes Town win while they try to get their campaign
going with a victory at Moruga Composite.In the other
fixtures, Pleasantville Composite host Fyzabad Composite, while Vessigny
Government travel to Presentation College. All matches begin at 4 p.m.
:
Naps Draw with Princes Town in a dour 0-0 Match, we slip to third place
overall.
With three games gone in this seven-round campaign in the
South Zone of the BWIA Secondary Schools Football League, Benedict’s,
the defending champions, have just two points. And following yesterday’s
games, their hopes of retaining their title have all but disappeared.
Despite being held to a goalless draw in Princes Town, Presentation College
(seven points) held on to the overall lead. But their advantage is now
only on goal difference over Naparima College.
“Naps” made up important ground with an emphatic 5-0 win at
Fyzabad Composite.Doubles by talismanic striker Ateba McKnight and national
Under-17 forward Jerol Forbes and another goal by Kareem Simon gave Naparima
the points.Vessigny Secondary kept themselves one point behind the leaders
with a 3-1 win at home to Moruga Composite.
THE final whistle was greeted with shouts of triumph by the Pleasantville
section. You would have thought Intercol had been won. In reality, though,
the celebratory shouts at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium were over just one
point. But there was hardly a noise on the St Benedict’s side after
the 1-1 draw.In the circumstances, a point for them was almost as bad
as a loss.
Muhammad Isa would have accepted any one of those results
himself. Instead, the Benedict’s coach had to settle for the single
point, his side’s tenuous first half lead evaporating in the face
of a spirited second half Pleasantville onslaught.The Pleasantville crowd
had good reason to make noise. Having seen Benedict’s coast in at
half time on an 11th minute Andre Alexis goal, they saw their side respond
with the urgency the situation required.Alexis’s third item of the
season was something of a gift. P/Ville skipper Mbwana Johnson’s
casual play allowed the striker a successful stab at goal. But he would
not be so clinical again. Indeed, very little clicked up front for Alexis
and Nkosi Blackman. When they were not suffering from poor service in
midfield, the pair—the over-elaborate Blackman in particular—failed
to make the most of their chances.
Dogged Pleasantville, though, kept pressing and pressing
in the second period, mainly through the industrious Jamal Ayres in midfield.
But eventually it was Denzil Ross who brought the maroon half of the stadium
to its feet. His solid 25-metre drive from the right side seemed to take
enough of a deflection to beat goalkeeper Sadiki Stewart and enter the
vee at the right upright. The 66th minute goal sparked slumbering Benedict’s
into action again. Twice in the next 17 minutes, Alexis and substitute
Michael Mark saw glorious opportunity beckoning, but squandered it.But
the game finally seemed won when, six minutes from time, Blackman got
to the goalline on the right side and squared into the six-metre box to
Alexis with keeper Adisa Alleyne beaten. But there was Jason Maloney to
nip the ball off the striker’s feet! A boot in time had saved one
for P/Ville. And cost Benedict’s plenty.
NAPARIMA joined Scarborough as zonal champions of the BWIA
Secondary Schools Football League yesterday. But St Anthony's and El Dorado
will have to wait an extra three days to be certain of topping its respective
zones. Inspired by a beavertrick from striker Gerold Forbes and a goal
each from Fabian Lewis and Brenton Dillon, Naparima slammed Moruga 6-0
to carry it to an unbeatable 16 points in the South Zone. Naparima's closing
game against Vessigny on Saturday is now of academic value as closest
rival Presentation was held 1-1 by Pleasantville. National Under-17 player,
Kenwyn Jones, gave St Anthony's a big chance of emerging champion of the
North Zone when he scored a header in the 65th minute for his school to
force a 1-1 draw with previously unbeaten Mucurapo on Fatima Ground, Mucurapo.
Jones, making up for a missed header six minutes earlier, climbed above
the Mucurapo defence to head past goalkeeper Nicholas Fergusson. Shawn
Andrews put Mucurapo in the lead in the 39th minute when he was on spot
to hit past 'keeper Jean Michael-Williams, following a free kick on the
edge of the area taken by his skipper Anton Joseph. St Anthony's currently
heads the standings on goal difference over Mucurapo. The Tigers' chances
of repeating its 1999 success looks good because it has cellar-placed
Trinity to deal with Saturday, while Mucurapo has a stiffer date against
defending champion Malick. Queen's Royal College and Tranquillity avoided
relegation with 2-1 wins respectively over Fatima and Trinity.
El Dorado defeated St Augustine 1-0 on an 89th minute goal from Rankin
Assoon to become sole leader in the East/Central Zone.
The goal resulted from a right side corner kick which St Augustine's defender
Marvin Bagoo attempted to trap instead of clear and the ball fell for
Assoon to hit past 'keeper Fenwick Charles. A draw for the "Blue
Thunder" Saturday in its final game against Presentation will seal
the title. Scarborough claimed the Tobago Zone Tuesday ahead of schedule.
THE spectacle that was the FIFA Under-17 World Championship
has passed. Florent Sinama Pongolle, Wilfried Sanou and Leandro are all
gone. And so, sadly are the crowds.That last fact has been painfully evident
to those of us who have been covering the matches in the BWIA Secondary
Schools Football League (SSFL) this season.To be honest, the small crowds
are not a surprise. A world championship anywhere is a hard act for a
domestic competition to follow.I mean, where are these two islands going
to find the developed class of an Anthony Le Tallec, a Walter Garcia or
a Sulieman Mohammed in three months?
That said, the problem of the vanishing crowds is not new.Any touchline
diehard will tell you that the numbers for schools matches have been diminishing
for some time now.The schoolboys are not taking the time to go and watch
their mates play. And the old boys, getting older and more disconnected
from their alma maters with each passing year, are losing interest. The
question is why. While Intercol is still one of the country’s most
popular sporting contests for people of any age, why are more and more
people staying away?
The easy answer to that is quality. The names used to roll off the tongue:
Buggy Haynes, Bobby Sookram, Warren Archibald, Clint Marcelle, Timothy
Haynes, Russell Latapy, Shaka Hislop, Jerren Nixon. Even Stern John. But
in the last six years or so, in particular, the names come less readily
to mind. Star quality is a precious, rare quality these days. The “skills”
man, the dazzling dribbler, the one who turns the game on its head with
one shimmy, can hardly be found now. The teams, once so solid, so technically
sound, so full of character, they too are few. People recognise that and
they are choosing to keep their three and five dollars in their pockets.
But even that is not the whole story. The SSFL’s diminishing returns
also have to do with the SSFL itself, its membership. Marketing has become
a necessary part of the modern-day entertainment business. And while the
governing body for schools football is by no means a commercial organisation,
it, like all other sporting bodies in the country, has to deal with a
very competitive market. For an organisation involved in schools sports,
there is also the problem of capturing the imagination of young people,
already pressured by the demands of school. The social distractions that
are fully preoccupying the computer/BET generation make the problem more
complex.
I am not sure, however, that the schools themselves that make up the SSFL
are dealing with those issues at all as it relates to them. The ones in
the North and East especially. For instance, do schools with teams in
the Championship Division promote their matches? Are the match schedules
for the season up on the notice boards everywhere from Malick to Moruga?
When game days come around, are they announced on the PA system? Is the
student body as a whole aware when, say, Fyzabad Composite have a game
or when Trinity College are going to play? Those two teams, down at the
very bottom of the piles in their respective zones, may be suffering just
because of that fact. But what about a team like Malick? In the last decade,
they won eight national titles, not to mention numerous zonal honours.
Last year, they won a record sixth national league crown. And still, in
this new season, only their hard-core faithful are watching them play.
This, mind you, is in many respects a community team, one which has rallied
a depressed area around the slogan, “Proud To Be Malick”. So
why can’t they even draw out the student body now? It is significant,
too, that not only in the Malick case, teachers are not supporting their
schools the way they have in the past. That is a worrying trend, I think.
Sport, after all, can be a teacher of some vital life lessons.
Nothing taught this QRC boy how to accept
setbacks more than having to endure seasons of watching the Royalians
lose in Intercol—especially to Fatima and St Mary’s! Miss and
Sir, by their absence, lose the chance to help their charges appreciate
such lessons. Not everything can be taught in books. In any case, books
and sports can mix. Quite easily, too. Naparima College, the Intercol-winning,
scholarship-grabbing school down South, are currently proving this. So
if, as they say, charity starts at home, then the SSFL had better get
into the spirit of giving.
Big Four blowout.
T&T Express.
Today the BWIA Secondary Schools Football League reaches the semifinal
stage with a doubleheader at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
In the first match at 3 p.m., El Dorado Secondary play Scarborough Secondary
and at 5 p.m., Naparima College play St Anthony’s College. Today
the Express profiles each of the four teams.
Naparima College
Like the three other Big Four teams,
Naparima were not among the final four last season. But the defending
Intercol champions are perhaps the best-equipped of the qualifiers. In
1999, “Naps” won both the national Big Four and Intercol crowns.
And members of that triumphant side will be taking the field today against
St Anthony’s College.
Their talismanic attacker Ateba McKnight and midfielder Brenton De Leon
are two such players. But skipper Fabien Lewis, Wendell Joseph and sharpshooter
Gerol Forbes were all winners last year. And it is that seasoning that
could be the key today. That and the well-entrenched Naps spirit.
“They play as a team,” says manager Roy Jagroopsingh.
“This year we tried to get away from depending on one or two people.
The players have their own team meetings before every game where each
person makes a contribution. It has been helping a lot to build team unity.”
That bonding off the field has blended nicely with steady, organised play
on it. The play has been given punch by Forbes’s 10 goals and when
necessary, McKnight’s inspiration. And the South Zone champs are
not about to change their winning formula today.
“We haven’t really seen St Anthony’s play,” admits
Jagroopsingh.
“But at the start, we are, we are going to play our normal game.
We will be asking the defence to be as tight as possible and we will be
trying to create chances for Forbes, De Leon and Mc Knight. We expect
the game will not be an easy game but we have quite a number of boys with
the experience of playing at this level.”
2001 Record: v St Benedict’s: 2-0, v Princes Town:
0-0, v Fyzabad: 5-0, v Pleasantville: 1-0, v Presentation: 2-1, v Moruga:
6-0, v Vessigny: 3-1
Scarborough Secondary
COACH Ronald Duke attributes Scarborough Secondary’s
success in the 2001 BWIA Secondary Schools Football League Tobago Zone
to the winning attitude that has been cultivated among his players.
“These boys are accustomed to playing together and winning,”
says Duke. He backed up his claim by pointing to his team’s unbeaten
run this season.
From an eight-match schedule, Scarborough won seven and drew one.
The team has 12 players who have contributed to the 38 goals they scored.
And Scarborough’s defence has conceded just three goals.
Continuity has been a main ingredient in their success. Duke has had his
current bunch of players since 1998 when the school became a five-year
institution after 20 years of being Scarborough Junior Secondary. Prior
to the conversion, the school had been the source of talent which fed
perennial Tobago champions Signal Hill.
Now, Scarborough have replaced Signal Hill as the football kings of Tobago.
And Duke believes that his youngsters will fare well against the teams
from Trinidad, starting with El Dorado.
At least five of them have the experience of playing with Trinidad schools
previously, having been based here with Team 2001 for the FIFA Under-17
World Championship.
While they were in Trinidad, captain Keron Phillips represented Arima
Senior Comprehensive, Roderick Anthony was with Naparima, while Devon
Leacock and Kenyon Manswell were at St Benedict’s.
Today, they hope to put their experience to best use.
2001 Record: v Elizabeth’s:11-0, v Signal Hill: 2-0,
v Roxborough; 9-0, v Bishop’s: 4-0, v Elizabeth’s: 3-0, v Signal
Hill: 2-2, v Roxborough: 4-1, v Bishop’s: 3-0
El Dorado Secondary
El DORADO are the lowest scorers among the final four. They
are also the stingiest.
The East/Central champions enter their semifinal against Scarborough Secondary
without having conceded a single goal. It is an admirable statistic and
a good confidence booster against the most prolific team in the country
to date.
The ElDo camp however will be confident that in East/Central, they have
undergone a more searching examination of their credentials than their
Tobago counterparts.
Coach Trevor Spicer feels the results so far are because of his side’s
good preparation.
“We had a long pre-season. We have been training since April. We
also played in the Eddie Hart league and I believe that playing against
older guys really helped this team to be better prepared and helped us
in our goal of winning this title again.”
But Spicer may feel his side has some unfinished business to complete.
In 1999, it took Naparima two matches to edge them out of the Big Four
Crown. This season, the coach is hoping that his side can remain steady.
“We just want to maintain our level of fitness, concentration and
discipline.”
“We have not gotten a chance to see Scarborough but we expect that
they will be physical but I know what we will have to do against them.”
2001 record: v Barataria:
3-0, v Arima: 0-0, v Cara-pichaima: 2-0, San Juan: 1-0, v Toco: 1-0, v
St Augustine: 1-0, vs Presentation: 4-0.
St Anthony’s College
This is the second trip to the Big Four semis for the “Tigers”
from St Anthony's. They will be hoping to make a success of it the second
time around.
In 1999, St Anthony’s, the North Zone champs, were shut out 2-0 by
the East/Central winners, El ElDorado Secondary. That same year, the “Tigers”
were also tamed by Princes Town Senior Comprehensive in the Intercol semis.
Barring the breakthrough national Intercol triumph in 1997, their record
in the final stages of national competitions is not brilliant.
But once again this season, St Anthony’s have a chance to improve
that record. And they have a squad capable of doing it. National Under-17
defenders Kenwyne Jones and Julius James are at the heart of a defence
that like their Naparima counterparts, has given up just three goals so
far this season. The “Tigers” also have their traditional sharp
edge up front. They have netted 27 times in just seven games, mainly through
Abiola Clarence (9) and Steve Sealy (6).
Coach Nigel Grovesnor however, feels that togetherness has been the key
to their capture of the North Zone crown.
“Even when we toured Miami you could see that there was a lot of
unity among these boys. You could have lots of skilful players but if
they don’t play well together you have nothing.”
This afternoon against “Naps,” their strength in numbers will
be tested again.
2001 Record: v Malick: 4-1, v St Mary’s: 1-0,
v QRC: 4-1, v Fatima: 3-0, Tranquillity: 5-0, v Mucurapo: 1-1, v Trinity:
Naparima cages Westmoorings Tigers.
SOUTH champions Naparima booked a backyard engagement tomorrow at Manny
Ramjohn Stadium (4 pm) with Scarborough in the Big Four final of the BWIA
Secondary Schools Football League by edging North Zone winners St Anthony's
last night at Hasely Crawford Stadium. Gerold Forbes scored in the sixth
minute to give "Naps" the push-start it needed but two minutes
before the interval Sheldon Taylor levelled the score for the Tigers.
Brendon de Leon netted the match-winner in the 54th minute to help the
Jan Steadman-coached squad to maintain its unbeaten run for the season.
Forbes displayed clinical finishing in shooting the blue and white shirted
Southerners to a well-deserving lead from very early. He scored a well-taken
goal, getting free on the right and spanking a shot with all the confidence
in the world past goalkeeper Jan Michael-Williams.
In the 22nd minute, Naparima had an opportunity to go two up but Williams
made a splendid one-hand save that denied a Kareem Simon left-side bullet
from going in on the far post. Thereafter, St Anthony's pressed for the
equaliser which eventually came in the 43rd minute. It came off the boot
of Taylor, who prounced on a loose ball that was fisted into his path
by 'keeper Shai Prescod. Without any hesitation, Taylor, standing about
10 metres from the goal, lobbed a first-timer that went in just under
the crossbar. De Leon's winning goal came as a result of a flat-footed
"Tigers" defence. Receiving a long through ball that was played
from the middle of the pitch, the striker skipped over the ball and met
it face to face at the edge of the area before slapping past Williams.
Minutes before, a Marcus Chin Sang free kick from 40 yards out was misjudged
by Prescod but the ball passed menacingly close to the far post and out
of harms way.
"Naps" lived in the "Saints" half of the field for
a good while after scoring its second goal but could not get past a tidy
Williams, a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Under-17 team in the recent
FIFA U-17 World Cup Championships. Simon and star-striker Atiba McKnight,
who was later named "MVP" of the match, had to be replaced late
because of injuries while substitute Ian McCauley was given marching orders
in the final minute of the game for two quick yellow-cards.
Naps 2 vs St Anthony's 1.
SCARBOROUGH Secondary coach Ronald Duke said before the
BWIA Secondary Schools Football League Big Four final that his team really
wanted to take the title. Duke’s squad got exactly what they desired
yesterday at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella. In their first appearance
in a national final, the boys from Tobago’s capital earned a 2-1
victory against eight-time national League/Intercol finalists Naparima
College to lift the coveted silverware. Their triumph was determined by
substitute Devon Leacock.
As he had done in their 3-2 semi-final triumph against El Dorado Secondary
last Tuesday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Leacock made an impact once
more coming off the substitutes’ bench. This time, though, the effect
was even greater, clinching the winning goal for his squad. Still nursing
a painful groin injury and limping slightly, the National Under-17 player
had hardly been on the field four minutes when he notched the winner in
the 60th minute. An indecisive “Naps” defence watched hesitantly
as Leacock stormed through two stagnant defenders before heading a long
Ancil George free-kick past goalkeeper Shai Prescod. Scarborough benefited
from the experience of a quartet of former Team 2001 players who imposed
their will on the match.
Captain Kerron Phillips, the hard-working and roving Roderick Anthony,
the skilful Michael Carrington and Leacock were the core of players who
controlled the final for the Tobagonians. Anthony, especially, was virtually
everywhere. Either passing accurately, running down players or throwing
his body around to stop the Naps opponents, Anthony was always on the
move. But none of the nationals were involved in Scarborough's opener.
Naparima seemed to have settled down first, but Kenyon Manswell slammed
home from Dyke Reid’s right-side cross after seven minutes for the
visitors. Coach Jan Steadman’s side did not capitulate, however.
Although Scarborough were to dominate possession for most of the first
half, Brenton De Leon and Ancil Farrier had cracks at goal.
Naparima kept attacking and were rewarded with a fortuitous Jerol Forbes’
goal that the striker squeezed past Scarborough keeper Lewis Forde from
a unsure clearance by Geo. But the Naps’ defence was just as flat-footed
when Leacock got his opportunity to score. With 30 minutes to go, Scarborough
resorted to defending their slim lead and stalling for time on injuries.
The tactic proved successful in frustrating Naparima. So did their own
inaccurate shooting. First, Atiba McKnight powered one overbar after creating
enough room between Manswell and himself. Then De Leon, locked down by
the Scarborough defence for most of the game, fired in the same direction
after Forbes slipped him through for a one-on-one with Forde. All that
was left after those efforts was for the final whistle for Scarborough
to accomplish their goal.
Teams:
SCARBOROUGH - Lewis Forde, Keegan Mills, Andel Cox, Bjorn George, Michael
Carrington, Micko Guy (Lejandro Williams 90th), Roderick Anthony, Ancil
George, Dyke Reid (Devon Leacock 55th), Kenyon Manswell, Kerron Phillips.
NAPARIMA - Shai Prescod, Fabian Lewis, Lyndel Pompey, Clint
DeVerteuil, Ancil Farrier, Kareem Simon (Kenwyn Richards 66th), Wendell
Joseph, Kezi Lara, Ateba McKnight, Brenton DeLeon, Jerol Forbes.
As they lay sprawled on the turf, the
lights of early evening put an extra glow on their faces. The players
of Scarborough Secondary probably could not see beyond the flashing cameras,
far less think about history.But on this Marabella evening at the Manny
Ramjohn Stadium, captain Kerron Phillips and his mates were writing their
names into the books.Big Four finalists for the very first time, champions
at the first try. It is the kind of stuff to make their mamas cry. Cry
for joy. After all, the 16 or so boys in white and blue had become just
the second Tobago team—school or otherwise—to make their mark
on national football.
Soccer in the sister isle had been about Signal Hill Senior
Comprehensive before Scarborough Secondary showed up. But a new day has
dawned. The island of the rising school, that’s Tobago today. First
Tobago champs and now national kings, Scarborough are now royalty.
Thanks to Michael “Dread Head” Carrington and
his semifinal golden goal that conquered El Dorado; thanks to skipper
Phillips and Roderick Anthony, midfield dynamos in the final against Naparima
College; and thanks most of all perhaps to Devon Leacock. Twice, the little
man came off the bench whith his side in need. Twice—in the semis
and the final—he answered the call with a goal, painful groin and
all.
Naparima the hometown favourites, could find no antidote
for the wounds Leaock and Kenyon Manswell inflicted in the final game.
But the southerners will nurse that wound all the way through Intercol,
hoping at some stage for a chance at redemption. A chance to make the
sun set on shining Scarborough.
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South Zone
|
P |
W |
L |
D |
GF |
GA |
Pt |
| NAPS |
7 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
19 |
3 |
19 |
| Pres |
7 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
16 |
4 |
14 |
| P.Town |
7 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
10 |
3 |
12 |
| St Ben |
7 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
11 |
12 |
8 |
| Moruga |
7 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
11 |
28 |
7 |
| Vess |
7 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
5 |
8 |
7 |
| P.Ville |
7 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
12 |
10 |
6 |
| Fyzo |
7 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
4 |
22 |
4 |
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
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