‘Multi’ assert themselves as School champions

Waramadong humiliate St George’s for third place

REIGNING two-time Digicel Inter-Secondary School football champions Wismar/Christianburg Secondary last Wednesday night asserted themselves further with a 4-2 (1-1) penalty kicks win over Ash Education Trust (AET) to take the 24th edition and first-ever Kashif and Shanghai/Chico Elite Next Generation football title at the Georgetown Football Club ground.
In the battle for third place, Waramadong Secondary, who for the past two years finished in the runners-up position to Wismar/Christianburg, also known as ‘Multi’, humiliated St George’s with a 9-0 drubbing, thanks to Lyndell Joseph’s helmet-trick.
Prior to the start of the final, both teams were met by K&S Director Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major, Chief Education Officer within the Ministry of Education Olata Sam and Dale Bascombe, who was representing the overseas sponsors of the tournament.
Immediately after the opening whistle sounded, the eventual champions through their key striker Shane Luckie, who was later named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), made a spirited run to AET’s goal area, only to be thwarted by the tournament’s Best Defensive Player Kevin Layne.
However, Luckie was not to be denied the opportunity of scoring in every encounter his team played, when he found the back of the net in the 3rd minute, courtesy of a well directed free kick from the top of the box, after Lester Cummings failed to finish an Ozese Halley cross at the other end of the field.
The goal woke up the Ancient County team, who were looking to avenge a loss suffered at the hands of ‘Multi’ in this year’s Digicel’s tournament and the out and out attack they went on, certainly confirmed their intentions as they forced Multi custodian Yonnick Simon to effect save after save, 15 minutes after Luckie’s goal.
Both Halley and Cummings missed the opportunity to level and if possible push AET in front, after eluding ‘Multi’s defence line on more than one occasion, while Cummings sent a shot from the top of the box, high over the bar, much to the dismay of his teammates on and off the field of play.
As the minutes ticked away in the first half, AET upped their tempo against a tiring side, and were it not for Simon, along with Jashaun Moore, Omar Archer (who was later ejected), Benney Neblett and Troydell Lamazon, the Mining Town team would have been very disappointed at the end of the first half.
Hercules made an attempt to put his name on the scorer’s sheet, but his long range shot which was taken from midway AET’s half, struck the crossbar, while Luckie’s header off the rebound was denied following an off-side infringement.
At the other end of the field, a well directed free kick from Dawit Watts, was headed onto goal by Brian Thom, but an alert Simon was on his first post and affected the save, denying AET the equaliser just before the whistle went for the halftime break.
The second half was no different from the first, with AET looking for the equaliser, while ‘Multi’, through their defensive efforts, coupled with some fighting spirit from Duquan Hercules and Ezra ‘Kaka’ Ashby, fought tooth and nail to defend their lead.
From a goal-mouth scrimmage following a corner kick, Akeemo Watts nullified Luckie’s first-half strike for his team in the 76th minute, while the national school champions lost Archer who was ejected for a second bookable offence three minutes later.
As AET gathered their wits and got a second wind which came with the equaliser, they forced the 10-man ‘Multi’ lineup to play hard defence for the remaining 10 minutes of the contest, in which neither side was able to break the deadlock.
With penalty kicks being used throughout the tournament to decide a winner, ‘Multi’ saw four of their five kickers, led by Luckie and culminated by skipper Anthony Layne, score their spot kicks with Simon being the lone casualty, when he sent his shot wide.
For AET, Cummings and Atlin Browne, the heroes of the gigantic round of 16 win over President’s College, missed their spot kicks, with Browne’s shot going high over the bar while Simon, who was named Best Goalkeeper at the presentation ceremony which followed, made the save off Cummings.
In the third-place playoff, Joseph, who ended the tournament with the Most Goals (8), found the back of the net in the 10th, 32nd, 67th and 88th minutes for Waramadong, who enjoyed a comfortable 4-0 lead at the end of the first half.
Joseph was complemented by double strikes from Whazir Bascombe (39th and 47th) and Dion Rodrigues (12th and 79th) which, along with a solitary strike from Miles Albert in the 71st minute, completed St George’s humiliation on the night.
For their win, Wismar/Christianburg took home $1.2M, a trophy and 24 replicas, AET $750 000 and a trophy, Waramadong $500 000 and a trophy and St George’s $250 000, with all the monetary awards going towards a project identified by the four respective schools.
Waramadong, who were voted the Most Disciplined Team, also received an official 2014 FIFA World Cup football, with ‘Multi’ and Mackenzie High School each being the recipients of a computer, courtesy of Caribbean Cargo.

(By Calvin Roberts)