CAPTAIN Shoran James saved the best of his striking abilities for the last and most crucial game of the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport / East Bank Football Association (EBFA) Under-11 Pee Wee League, which ended yesterday at the Grove Playfield.
Needing full points (3) from the game along with scoring at least three goals without conceding any, Herstelling Raiders delivered the goods with Captain James the orchestrator as his team defeated Mocha Champs 4-0 to win the tournament, the first for the EBFA in 2015.
Mocha was no push over but could not handle the nippy James who could have scored much more if he didn’t go wide of the mark on a few occasions. It did not take long for Herstelling to get on the score sheet, as James found the back of the nets in the 4th minute.
Mocha tried their best to keep Herstelling at bay and did a good job as the first half (15mins) of the game did not produce more goals. The final 15 minutes was going to be the most interesting and anticipated of the tournament and it did turn out that way.
Not only the Herstelling players and supporters were locked into the proceedings, but the players from the other teams which participated in the competition, except for Diamond United. James picked up where he left off in the first half and was a thorn in the flesh of the Mocha players and he never relented.
He found the back of the nets in the 21st, 27th and 29th minute to secure the critical win that not only saw his team past Mocha 4-0, it also was their third win of the tournament, the most by any team. The performance also secured the highest goal scorer trophy for James who ended the competition with six (6) goals.
Agricola Red Triangle which walked away with the 3rd place trophy and 16 bronze medals also captured the best goalkeeper and most valuable player awards; Christopher Adams was the unanimous choice for both awards having conceded only one goal in their five matches.
Director of Youth at the MCYS, Ms. Gillian Frank who was on hand to present the trophies and medals to the teams congratulated the winner and all the teams who participated pointing out that the ministry is committed to development of youths within the communities.
She commended the players for their dedication and discipline in coming out each week to play their respective matches. The Coaches and those parents who supported were also complimented by Ms. Frank for playing their roles in helping to shape a positive future for the young players.
The EBFA will take a one week break before commencing an Under-13 league, the Stag Beer Senior League will also commence shortly.
