WESLEY HALL and Grantley Prescod Primary School have booked well earned berths in the final of the National Sports Council Bico Primary Schools Football Tournament.
Playing at the National Stadium yesterday in two games, each with 20-minute halves, Wesley Hall beat George Lamming 3-2, while Grantley Prescod upended Cuthbert Moore Primary 2-1.
In the first game, Kemar John, Wesley Hall’s main striker and leading goal scorer for his team in the tournament was the main contributor to his team’s domination. He scored a crucial equaliser in the 29th minute, tackling George Lamming’s goalkeeper to gain an easy open goal when his team was behind 2-1. In the process, he scored his 11th goal in the tournament.
At the end of the second half both teams were still equal on two goals each and were given ten minutes of extra time to win before going into penalties.
The game was sealed in the end when Wesley Hall’s right winger Rivaldo Clarke scored a magnificent goal from the corner area that proved too much for George Lamming’s goalkeeper to handle.
Wesley Hall still had to fight for their victory after being behind 2-0 in the first 17 minutes of the first half courtesy of Zane Knight, who scored in the fifth minute and the 17th. However, once Wesley Hall began scoring, their opponents looked helpless. Then Knight suffered a crucial second-half injury which crushed the side’s momentum.
“We won the boys’ cross country title, and the boys’ cricket, so I told them to use that as motivation to try and win this football tournament also,” said Wesley Hall coach Kemar Codrington.
“So now for the finals, I tell them just play your heart out and win the game.”
Meanwhile in the second match, it was Grantley Prescod’s attacking mid-fielder Devonté Richards who provided the momentum for his team’s victory over Cuthbert Moore Primary by scoring just two minutes before the half.
Shooting from centre field, the ball went high into the net, leaving Cuthbert Moore’s keeper leaping in the air to no avail.
Throughout most of the game, Grantley Prescod always looked in control, mainly due to their opponents struggling against some strong attacking defence.
In the second half, Grantley Prescod striker Ronaldo Roberts scored the winning goal in the 40th minute to secure the victory, proving he doesn’t have a name like ‘Ronaldo’ for nothing. Cuthbert Moore’s captain Shabari Lynch converted a penalty in the 43rd minute to pull back one.
“I knew that I would get to the finals when you have the quality players like Richards,” said Grantley Prescod coach Fernando Best.
