Unbeaten St Pius and East La Penitence clash in semis today at Thirst Park …Tucville face West Ruimveldt in other
THERE is no doubt that the four teams, who have booked places in the semifinals of the second annual Petra Organisation-organised COURTS (Guyana) Incorporated-sponsored Pee Wee Under-11 Football championships have not earned their places.

The unbeaten St Pius and East La Penitence, along with West Ruimveldt and Tucville are the four semifinalists who provided football fans, fellow students, parents, guardians and even officials, with excitement over the past four weekends.
Today, these teams, who have earned for their schools one flat screen television each, will be in action with East La Penitence taking on and looking to halt the winning streak of St Pius. Tucville on the other hand will hope to stop last year’s runners-up West Ruimveldt in the other semifinal, when the action kicks off at 10:00hrs
The tournament’s top marksman, Bevney Mark will be leading St Pius’ quest for a place in next week’s final and judging from his prolific form to date, where he has found the back of the net in all of his team’s fixtures, certainly it would be no surprise if and when he does score today.
He will be receiving support from Marcus Wilson and Kamacy Davis, two players who are capable of churning out match-winning performances on their day, irrespective of the opposition within their age level.
On the other hand, the East La Penitence lineup with Fabian Boters, Leon Yaw and Andre Hope, must fancy their chances of advancing to the final, since they have grown from strength to strength, following their first-round victory over the defending champions Marian Academy.
There is no doubt that this matchup, which will be played alongside a round 16 to 32 encounter, will attract the attention of the fans that are expected to turn out in their numbers to witness the day’s fixtures – especially the East La Penitence bandwagon.
The other semifinal pits a tame-looking Tucville, led by DeAndre Linton, Royheam Marques and Colwin Best, against a formidable West Ruimveldt, who will be looking to Michael Oie, Ryan Archer and Leandre Gilbert for success.
The advantage should readily be handed to West Ruimveldt, who have been in this position before, also taking into consideration the present form being displayed by the South Georgetown-based Tucville, who are apparently suffering from the large exodus of a few key players.
Nevertheless, the dynamic duo of Troy Mendonca and Marlan Cole, along with the Management and Staff of COURTS (Guyana) Incorporated, Banks DIH and the Ministry of Education, coupled with the Guyana Football Referees Council, need to be commended for the smooth and effective way the matches have been held to date.
To miss today’s matches if you are a football fan/enthusiast, is certainly a no-no, since the cream of the country’s future will be on show, especially young Mark, who certainly have a mark to leave on the game in the future, as long as he remains disciplined and dedicated.

(By Calvin Roberts)