… Christianburg/Wismar hammer Marcia Craig 6-0
THIS year’s edition of the Edward ‘Screw’ Richmond Memorial Foundation Annual Secondary Schools football competition got off to an exciting start on Tuesday, with defending champions Wisburg Secondary being the first casualty to New Silver City (NSC).
NSC chalked up a 3-0 victory over the defending champions, while Christianburg/Wismar hammered Marcia Craig’s Educational Institute 6-0, at the Bayrock Community Centre ground in Linden on the same day.
A simple opening ceremony saw participating teams engage in a March Past shortly before Organising Secretary of the tournament, James Craig, gave a brief history of the man in whose memory the tournament has been organised.
Craig disclosed that Richmond was an avid sportsman, who participated in many disciplines, but the sport of football was his favourite and because of his love for sports and the development of youths, many of his friends decided to form a Foundation in his name and solicit funding in the USA to assist the youths in the Linden community.
The annual tournament which is in its third year creates an opportunity for the youths within the community to showcase their skills, while the rewards for the champion school and outstanding players also provide the encouragement for them to want to excel.
According to Craig, every team that participates in the competition will be rewarded, while the winning team and most valuable player (MVP) of the final will have the opportunity to keep the respective lien trophies for one year.
During the opening ceremony, Winston Francis and Sheneri Dennis, relatives of James ‘Gads’ Dennis, a Guyanese residing in Canada, made a presentation of eight balls to each of the schools on his behalf, while Comfort Zone Taxi Service offered to donate a trophy to the highest goal-scorer in the tournament. 
NSC, led by goals from Akeem Green (5th), Mortimer Wills (39th) and Quincy Blackman (57th), sent a stern warning to the other teams, following their emphatic and morale-boosting win over the defending champions.
In the opening clash, hat-tricks scored off the boots of Marley Davidson in the 9th, 18th and 21st minutes and Jermaine Batson 27th, 38th and 59th minutes were enough to pilot Christianburg/Wismar to their rout over Marcia Craig’s Educational Institute.