Bush Lot Secondary edge out MTI to take top honours in Region 5
… Santa Rosa maul Wauna

DESPITE the soggy conditions underfoot, with water interrupting play at several spots on the ground, both Bush Lot Secondary and Mahaicony Technical Institute (MTI) displayed great skill and technique in their fourth annual Digicel Inter-Secondary School Football Championships encounter at the Mahaicony Community Centre ground, yesterday afternoon.However, they could be only one winner and when the final whistle sounded in fading light it was Bush Lot Secondary who came out on top, 4-3, to land for themselves, a place in the national playoffs, a new set of uniforms, trophy, medallions and $100 000 towards a school project.
Also at the Kamaka Recreational Centre yesterday, Santa Rosa, on the back of a hat-trick from Keith Da Silva, defeated Wauna Secondary 8-2 to advance to the Regional finals in that zone.
At Mahaicony, Marlon Nicholson signalled early intentions for Bush Lot, when he got a long pass from Ruel Chester which he controlled neatly despite the presence of three players from MTI around him and whom he later evaded before going past MTI custodian Hakeem Waldron and scoring in an open goal in the 13th minute.
Kwesi Richmond, who later scored two goals for MTI, displayed an unselfish act when he sent a gem of a pass to an unmarked Shemar Gayadin who was stationed inside Bush Lot’s penalty area, but the stocky striker could not make contact, enabling Osbert Cain in goal for Bush Lot to effect the save easily.
They paid for that miss, as Nicholson made it 2-0 in the 21st minute, when he latched onto a pass from Jermaine Pereira, went around Waldron with ease and tapped the ball into the far corner with a powerful right-footer, much to the delight of his teammates.
A well-directed free kick from Carlos Miller in the 25th minute, reduced Bush Lot’s lead, before a dubious decision from the referee, who went for a one bounce drop ball in soggy conditions, enabled Bush Lot to double their lead, as Chester pounced on the loose ball, made his way to the goal area and beat Waldron to his left in the 35th minute.
Despite the scoreline reading 3-1 in favour of Bush Lot, MTI, continued to fight hard in the first half and were rewarded with two goals from Richmond, who found the back of the net in the 38th and 43rd minutes of play, with his second coming via a penalty kick after he was brought down in the box.
The scoreline read 3-3 at lemon time, but an Adrian Price free kick from the right hand side of the field, which was similar to the one scored by David Luiz of Brazil in their quarterfinal matchup against Colombia in the just concluded FIFA World Cup, handed Bush Lot the lead in the 56th minute.
They held on to same until the final whistle, with Cain denying Richmond the opportunity to grab a hat trick of goals and send the game into penalty kicks with a defying save in the dying seconds of the contest, after he (Richmond) saw his free kick taken earlier skimming the bar with Cain stranded.
At Kamaka, DaSilva found the back of the net in the 22nd, 26th and 50th minutes of play, backed by solitary strikes from Terrence Chappell (26th), Brandon Phillips (33rd), Own Goal (38th), Alanzo Abraham (60th) and Dwayne Rubeiro (69th) to steer Santa Rosa home, while Mican Henry (1st) and Lloyd Solomon (71st) scored for Wauna.

(By Calvin Roberts)