HAVING inflicted an humiliating 15-1 defeat on Marian’s Academy at the Ministry of Education ground last Tuesday, Dolphin Secondary School returned to the same venue yesterday to defeat Houston Secondary 6-1 in their Digicel Schools Football Championships

encounter.
Skipper Toquan Clarke and the pint-sized Leroy Richardson got double strikes for Dolphin, whose remaining goals were scored by Samuel Hunte and an own goal, while Nkosi Jarvis scored Houston’s lone goal.
In other matches, East Ruimveldt Secondary needled Sophia Training Centre (STC) 1-0, with Romel Legall scoring the goal that separated the two sides in the 40th minute of play, Aurora Secondary blanked Johanna Cecelia 11-0, Leonora destroyed Vreed-en-Hoop 9-1 and AET needled Fort Wellington 1-0.
At Carifesta Avenue, Dolphin started in attacking mode against an opponent whose players were at sea, as it relates to their respective position and had the opportunity of going ahead in the 3rd minute of the contest, only to see the referee’s assistant flag in the air signalling off-side.
The hard-working Richardson, then worked his way deep into Houston’s third, only to see his intended cross for Wilson being handled by Jeremiah Scott, with Clarke converting the ensuing penalty kick with ease in the 11th minute, beating Andell Floo to his left.
Shortly after, Floo sent a long ball to Jarvis, whose deft foot skill and speed posed a problem for Dolphin early in the first stanza, but his shot to his opponent’s goal was high and wide, posing no problems for Devante Forde between the uprights.
Floo also took a free kick that was awarded to his team just outside the box, but found a sturdy customer in Forde, who clutched the shot effortlessly, to ensure his side kept their one-goal advantage, even as Houston went in search of the equaliser.
When Jarvis failed to find the back of the goal, following a well-weighted pass from Phillip Williams, Richardson received a gem of a pass from Joel Pollard and, faced with an advancing Floo, calmly placed the ball around the tall custodian to give his team a two-goal cushion in the 25th minute.
Eight minutes later and Wilson, who missed several goal-scoring opportunities on either side of the lemon-time whistle before he was substituted late in the game, made amends by sending a long ball to Richardson who found an unmarked Hunte and looked on smilingly as his teammate rocked the net in the 33rd minute, 3-0 in favour of Dolphin at the sound of the half-time whistle.
On the resumption of play, Jarvis made it a two-goal possession for the victors, by pulling one back for Houston, scoring with a well-placed right footer in the far corner, beating a disappointed Forde on his near post.
The goal revived both teams as a see-saw battle ensued shortly after, with the majority of the contest taking place in the midfield area, as Jarvis sought to decrease the lead, while his opponents looked to increase it.
That they did very well, thanks to a custodial blunder in the 50th minute.
After sending one of his shots high and wide, the ensuing goal kick from Phillip Williams, who switched places with Floo, landed clearly at Wilson’s feet, whose shot struck the crossbar and rebounded in the path of Richardson, whose shot was blocked by Houston’s defence.
The loose ball bounced into the air and a well-placed header from Wilson was clutched by Williams in mid air, but when he landed he threw the ball into the back of the net, much to the dismay of his teammates on and off the field, but the Dolphin players were happy.
With a 4-1 scoreline, Richardson began an attack, and was brought down by Williams in the box; he got up and scored the penalty kick in the 60th minute which along with Clarke’s strike two minutes later, handed Dolphin victory by a 6-1 margin.
Legall can consider himself a lucky student of East Ruimveldt Secondary, who faced STC at the Queen’s College ground, when a botched clearance from a corner kick, landed at his feet, following which he displayed the two-touch technique with finesse, scoring the goal with his second one.
Jamal Bentick struck a hat-trick in the 48th, 50th and 70th minutes of play, which together with Joel Stephens’ brace (75th and 86th) and solitary strikes from Okasi Stewart (27th), Alex Moore (41st), Richard Blackett (60th) and Miguel Williams (80th), guided Leonora to a 9-1 victory over Vreed-en-Hoop, whose lone goal was scored by Kelvin Josiah in the 72nd minute.
Kevin Layne’s 45th minute goal was all that was needed by Ash Educational Trust, who like East Ruimveldt needled Fort Wellington 1-0, while Aurora Secondary mauled Johanna Cecilia 11-0, but the goalscorers were unavailable at press time.