The champions have signalled their intentions that they mean business again this year.
Wilkie Cumberbatch started their defence of the National Sports Council’s BICO Primary Schools’ Football Competition with an emphatic 6-0 victory over George Lamming in the first round of matches at Blenheim Monday.
The 2017 champions were led by a hat-trick from Ruje Clarke-Hunte while the other strikes came from the boots of Raquan Clarke, Davion Brathwaite and Amiah Hinds, one of three girls in the team.
St Giles were also impressive winners, blanking St Paul’s 4-0 at the same venue thanks to braces from Thierry Chauzel and Gabriel Whitehall.
In the other Reggie Haynes Zone (4) match at Blenheim, St Cyprian’s Boys overcame former champions Charles F. Broome 1-0 on a first-half goal from Seth Jones.
Over at Briar Hall in the Michael Foster Zone (7), there was a plethora of goals with the ball finding the nets 21 times in four games.
St Winifred’s pulled of the day’s biggest win, brushing aside Vauxhall 10-0. Rorian Lee led the onslaught with a beaver-trick, while Jacob Gollop netted twice.
Milton Lynch, set up by double strikes from Ajani Ashby and Mikyle Norgrove, defeated St Bartholomew’s 5-0, while St Gabriel’s defeated Wills 4-1 with goals from Jules O’Garro, Fynn Armstrong, Thomas Deent and Joshua Connell. In another game, Arthur Smith won 1-0 against St Angela’s.
Over at Greens in the Seymour Nurse Zone (5), St George beat Cuthbert Moore 2-0, and there were 1-1 draws between St Judes and Ellerton and Workman and Bay Primary.
Prior to the kick-off, representatives of the sponsors, BICO, handed overthe sponsorship cheque to officialsof the National Sports Council.
The tournament, which is split into eight zones, has attracted 71 teams. (HG)