Sports

Roneil Walcott

5 Hrs Ago

St Augustine Secondary School’s Mikel Murray (R) controls the ball against Presentation College’s Luke Jagdeo during the Secondary School Football League premier division match at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, San Fernando, on October 28. – Ayanna Kinsale

The race to the 2025 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) premier division title took another extraordinary twist on October 28, as southern giants Naparima College (28 points) lost for the second time in three games when they were stunned 3-2 by the fifth-placed St Anthony’s College (22 points) in Westmoorings.

Despite grabbing one point from their previous two matches, “Naps” held a slim one-point advantage over St Benedict’s College on the 16-team table. However, after 90 exciting minutes on enemy territory, Naparima were knocked off the premier division summit and down to third as they relinquished a two-goal second-half lead courtesy a sublime hat-trick from St Anthony’s skipper Mordecai Ford.

Naparima’s slip was St Benedict’s gain as the latter school moved to the top of the league with a 3-1 victory over Malick – pushing them to 30 points from 12 games. Meanwhile, holders Fatima College (29 points) moved from third to second as they hammered the hapless cellar-placed team Carapichaima East Secondary 11-0 on the back of a hat-trick from Jonathan Mason.

With Naparima now in third, the fourth-placed Presentation College San Fernando (28 points) will also feel they still have a shot at the title after their 8-0 thumping of St Augustine Secondary. Unsurprisingly, the league’s top scorer Isaiah Jacob was in ripping form as he netted a hat-trick to take his tally to 17 goals.

Both Benedict’s and “Naps” have three games left, while Fatima and Presentation have two games left. On November 3, at their Lewis Street, San Fernando base, coach Angus Eve and his Naparima team will need to be on their “A” game when they entertain a resurgent Benedict’s team in a clash between two southern juggernauts.

In Westmoorings, Naparima were flying in the first half and took a deserved 1-0 lead into the break after attacker Riquelme Phillips pounced on a poor back pass from Ford in the eighth minute. It was a criminal pass from Ford that brought an end to a promising attack by the “Tigers,” but he made amends in a big way in the second half.

Naparima ought to have had a bigger lead at the half too, but St Anthony’s goalkeeper Necose Moore made a number of brilliant saves, while the finishing from the visitors also left a lot to be desired as both Arron Raymond and captain Jerrel Cooper wasted great chances.

Less than a minute into the second half, Naparima doubled their lead as national youth wing back Jayden Caprietta scored with a delightful volley at the back stick after St Anthony’s failed to deal with a long throw from Raymond.

The Tigers inserted the pair of Jaeden Bobb and attacker Jean-Marc Thomas to start the second half and their impact was immediate as the hosts took a more direct approach, which troubled Naparima.

In the 61st minute, Bobb made a long-bursting run down the left and earned a penalty as referee CJ O’Brien deemed he was fouled by the retreating Elijah Edwards, who was booked for his troubles. Ford calmly stepped up to place his left-footed penalty away to goalkeeper Mikhail Clement’s left and it wouldn’t be the last time he made the custodian pick the ball out of the net.

In the 64th minute, the Naparima faithful felt aggrieved as their claims for a penalty were waved off when the ball struck the hand of St Anthony’s Karim Millington.

With St Anthony’s growing with confidence, their belief soared through the roof in the 75th minute when Ford dispatched an exquisite left-footed free kick into the top corner, which left Clement with no chance.

With the teams locked at 2-2 approaching the dying stages, Eve tried to shift the momentum as he brought in the attacking pair of Ryan Radellant and Adasa Richardson. The latter player did have a chance to get his name on the scoresheet in the final minute of regulation, but the game’s most telling touch came just two minutes before when Ford sealed a dramatic comeback.

With his team earning another set piece just outside the area, Ford showed his earlier free kick was no fluke as he swung another left-footer into the top corner – this time choosing the opposite side from his first hit as he skilfully lifted the ball over the wall and into the top right-hand corner.

At the final whistle, the fifth-placed St Anthony’s celebrated like they had won the league, but Ford’s masterpiece was definitely worthy of such ecstatic scenes.

In other results around the league, St Mary’s College (18 points) moved from eighth to sixth as they beat San Juan North Secondary 2-1, with Trinity College Moka (18 points) moving from ninth to eighth with a 3-2 win away to Arima North Secondary (16 points), who in turn slipped to ninth.

Trinity College East (ten points) moved from 13th to 11th as they salvaged a dramatic, late 2-2 draw with the seventh-placed Queen’s Royal College (18 points), with tenth-placed Signal Hill Secondary (15 points) winning the battle of Tobago as they whipped Scarborough Secondary 4-1.

SSFL premier division standings

Team*GP*W*D*L*GF*GA*GD*Pts

St Benedict’s*12*10*0*2*39*12*27*30

Fatima*13*9*2*2*45*22*23*29

Naparima*12*9*1*2*37*7*30*28

Presentation (Sando)*13*9*1*3*28*9*19*28

St Anthony’s College*11*7*1*3*27*16*11*22

St Mary’s College*12*5*3*4*31*19*12*18

QRC*13*5*3*5*23*23*0*18

Trinity Moka*11*6*0*5*21*26*-5*18

Arima North*13*4*4*5*29*27*2*16

Signal Hill*7*5*0*2*22*10*12*15

Trinity East*11*3*1*7*16*36*-20*10

San Juan North*11*2*3*6*20*23*-3*9

Malick*11*2*3*6*22*29*-7*9

St Augustine*12*2*3*7*13*41*-28*9

Scarborough*11*1*3*7*12*32*-21*6

Carapichaima East*13*0*0*13*7*59*-52*0