WHIM RC Primary School of Tobago will lock horns with Carenage Boys’ Government School in the final of the Boys Division of the 2007 Atlantic LNG National Primary Schools Football League (NPSFL) competition to be played off on Thursday, November 29.
A double from Akini James, and single strikes by Keston Seaforth and Brandon Joseph guaranteed a place in the final for the Tobago boys, who overcame a determined challenge from Valencia, with striker Leon Durity netting a double.
In the other semi-final played at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, Carenage Boys’ Government romped to a 4-0 victory over Chaguanas RC.
A hattrick from the prolific Kevin Lewis put the match out of the reach of a struggling Chaguanas outfit, with Kaideen Hutchinson notching the fourth goal for Carenage.
Captain of Carenage, Alvin Jones, son of former national player Kelvin Jones, credited strong teamwork and dedicated practice for the team’s run to the national finals.
The finals of the Girls Division will also take place on November 29 at the same venue as the Boys final, giving the public the chance of witnessing an intriguing double-header among the babes of national football. Patna River Estate Government will play Dinsley/Trincity Government after both teams registered close 1-0 victories in their semi-final encounters on Tuesday.
At the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Makendra Raymond scored in the first half for Dinsley/Trincity against Point Fortin Anglican after the Point goalkeeper fumbled a ball which was poached by a delighted Raymond.
At the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Patna River Estate booked their place in the final with a nail-biting finish against Bethseda Government of Tobago. Star striker and vice captain Quinel Joseph notched the winner five minutes into the second half of extra time after the score was goalless after regulation play.
Victor Hunte, secretary of the NPSFL, said yesterday the venue for the double-header (boys and girls finals) has not been determined as yet since the league needed to know the outcome of the Whim RC vs Valencia match before booking a ground.
“The league is pleased with the standard of play by our young football starlets. This early development augurs well for the future. We have had good cooperation from the schools, the officials and everyone concerned for the 2007 season.
“You have to understand that we have brought more than 500 schools from all over Trinidad and Tobago in competition. It has been a huge project,” Hunte noted.
The league official said the partnership with energy company Atlantic LNG had brought a new dimension to the league at the “nursery” level of the game, since they were in a better position to present a more structured competition to unearth and nurture the talent at the school level.