WITH only a match remaining in the first round of the Bounty Paper Towels men’s second division league, Old Fort shares the top spot with Sequel while Bounty GCC have made a late surge to close the gap on the front-runners.

Saints U-19s made a good start to their match against Bounty GCC with the influential Ezekiel Springer controlling the tempo from the back. While the more experienced GCC enjoyed greater possession, it was Saints to strike first when Shakeen Fausette latched onto a loose ball in the scoring circle and eased it past goalkeeper Rahim Oliver for the opening goal in the 17th minute.

Oliver had a solid performance for GCC as did teammate, Samuel Woodroff at full back and the duo made certain that Saints would be denied on every subsequent attempt.

Team captain Kareem McKenzie calmly flicked in the GCC equalizer just before the half through a penalty corner which was one of a number of such opportunities for the Bourda side. Shaquille Leung’s blistering shot in the 25th minute and a Meshach Sargeant rebound goal four minutes later put the game beyond the reach of Saints. The 3-1 victory elevated Bounty GCC to third position and within contention for the title.

Senior Saints enjoyed a successful afternoon against the Hikers Cadets, giving them their first win of the competition. With time running down in the first half and the scores still deadlocked at 0-0, player-coach Robert Fernandes opted to move out of his deep defensive position and move into midfield to guide the attacking play.

The move paid dividends in short time as Saints managed their first goal three minutes before halftime through Kevin Edwards. Fernandes himself would seal the victory for Senior Saints with a penalty corner goal in the 30th minute and a final field goal two minutes before full-time to see the game end 3-0 in favour of Saints.

While Sequel and Old Fort are tied at the top of the table with 12 points each, Old Fort has the final remaining match of the first round to play against the lowly Hikers. Bounty GCC holds the third spot with 9 points, while Saints U-19 has 6, Saints Senior 3 and the Hikers are still to earn their first point.

Matches continue every weekend at the Saints ground until May 20.