On a day highlighted by a goal scoring windfall powerhouse South Ruimveldt Secondary, powered by a Keith Caines hat trick, crushed a game Bishops’ High 8-3 in the latest action of the Milo U20 School Football tourney on Sunday.
Kicking off at the Ministry of Education ground Carifesta Avenue, the formality of support in the fight against gender violence was tasked to the respective captains who made concise statements in solidarity.
The opening whistle sounded and the game began at a fervid tempo. Jostling for the early initiative, both units went on the early offensive trying to capitalize on the early tentativeness of the respective backlines.
Attacking opportunities became common place as the game quickly sprung to life. South Ruimveldt, through the creative genius of their midfield maestro Jaleel Hamilton, began to dominate and dictate possession in the engine room.
Possessing vision and ingenuity, Hamilton started to combine well with the wily Keith Caines and the silky Colin Peters, tormenting the Bishops’ backline on a consistent basis. The deadlock was finally broken in the 19th minute when Peters clinically converted after a decent attacking buildup. Gaining confidence from their new found position of strength, South Ruimveldt added to their lead in the 26th minute through a Caines strike. The attacking drive continued as the South boys continuously pressed forward in an attempt to consolidate their lead. Struggling for creative rhythm, the Bishops’ unit started to throw bodies forward trying to find some attacking momentum only to be easily thwarted by the robust South backline. Dominating ball possession through their efficient passing scheme, the lead was further lengthened in the 31st minute when Peters deservedly completed his double. Attacking on the counter due to their lack of possession, Bishops’ eventually pulled one back on the stroke of the halftime through a Shamal Lewis strike in the 44th minute.
The second half progressed in the same comportment as South Ruimveldt continued to dominate the exchanges and Bishops’ to live on the counter attack. Trying to manufacture a comeback, quick fire goals from Hamilton and Caines in the 48th and 50th minutes correspondingly quickly dented those aspirations. Clearly playing for pride, Bishops’, led by the talented and composed Lewis, who was clearly a class apart from his teammates, added to their score in the 59th minute through a brilliant header. The game continued in its open nature with further goals from both camps.
Caines, David George and Akeem Henry scored in the 60th, 66th and 79th minutes respectively for the victors while Lewis completed a well deserved and fighting hat trick in the 70th minute to restore some form of civic pride.
In the opening fixture Royston Dublin scored the tournament’s first five goal haul in the 12th, 14th, 31st, 35th and 77th minutes as St. George’s Secondary annihilated St. John’s College 11-0. Goals from Sean Taylor in the 23rd and 75th minutes and Quincy Carryl in the 29th and 67th minutes provided able support while Ansumah Small and Oseal Small added to the carnage in the 17th and 70th minutes respectively. The other game was a
tense encounter as Queen’s College edged a gritty Cumming Lodge side 3-2 compliments of a Jayadev Mana double in the 41st and 60th minutes and a Stephen Rutherford strike in the 81st minute. Hutson Henry’s two goals in the ninth and 48th minutes were in a losing cause.
