GYASI MERRIQUE
Senior Reporter/Producer
gyasi.merrique@cnc3.co.tt
Current leader of the Secondary Schools Football League’s (SSFL) Boys’ Premier Division, Naparima College, will put its perfect record on the line in round five of the competition today. The boys from Lute Driver, Paradise Pasture, San Fernando, travel north to meet San Juan North in Bourg Mulatresse, Lower Santa Cruz, for a 3.30 pm kick-off.
With convincing wins against Trinity College East (7-0), Arima North Secondary (3-1), Trinity College, Moka (2-0), and Malick Secondary (3-0) so far this season, Naparima leads the standings with a maximum of 12 points. Naparima have netted 15 goals while conceding just one from four matches and will be favoured to overcome a struggling San Juan North team, with a record of just one win, one draw, and one defeat from three matches.
However, the boys from ‘Book’ will be encouraged after getting that solitary victory in the previous round, played on Tuesday on their Lower Santa Cruz home ground against Trinity East. Goals from Anthony and Daniel Lewis, Jaheem Danclar, and Jamaludin Bladin propelled them to a 4-2 win, which they hope is the kick-start to their season as they come into the round sitting eighth on the 16-team table.
While Naparima leads the standings, they do not have the only perfect record, as there are a total of four other teams yet to record a single defeat.
St Mary’s College, currently second in the league, leads the pack of unbeaten teams with three wins and one draw from four matches for a tally of 10 points, two points less than leader Naparima. Their 17 goals scored this season lead the league, which is a crucial statistic as the Saints host North Zone rivals and defending Premier Division champion Fatima College at their Serpentine Road, St Clair home base today at 3.30 pm. Like Naparima, Fatima has also won all of their matches this season but has a game in hand after a bye in the first round but are fourth in the standings behind Naps, CIC, and Presentation College San Fernando, who they trail on goal difference. In their three matches this season, Fatima have beaten newcomers Scarborough Secondary (3-0); they also managed a hard-fought 3-2 win over rivals St Benedict’s College, finding the winner in the 90+6th minute of that clash on their home ground on Mucurapo Road. In the previous round, they also sneaked past Trinity (Moka) 3-2.
Third-placed Presentation College is the other team yet to drop points this season and will try to extend that record and stay among the early frontrunners, welcoming Malick to the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, today.
St Augustine Secondary has two wins and two draws and is the only other unbeaten team this season, fifth on the table with eight points. The Green Machine has travelled to Tobago to face Signal Hill Secondary at the school’s ground.
Among the teams toward the bottom of the table, newly promoted Trinity College Moka entertains strugglers, Trinity East.
The Blue Hawks from Trincity sit at the bottom of the standings, having lost all four of their matches with an unhealthy record of 19 goals conceded and just two scored. They will face another test in trying to turn those fortunes around against the Moka Lions, who have won one and lost three and are 11th in the standings.
Along with Trinity East, Carapichaima East (15th), St Anthony’s College (14th), Malick (13th), and Scarborough Secondary have all lost all of their matches so far. However, while most of those teams have made it onto the field at least three times each this season, St Anthony’s College has only played one full match following a series of postponed fixtures.
Today’s matches (All matches kick off at 3.30 pm)
Carapichaima East vs St Anthony’s, Carapichaima East Ground
Signal Hill vs St Augustine, Signal Hill Ground
Presentation (San F’do) vs Malick Secondary, Manny Ramjohn Stadium
San Juan North vs Naparima College, San Juan North Ground
St Mary’s vs Fatima, St Mary’s Ground
Trinity Moka vs Trinity East, Trinity, Moka
St Benedict’s vs Scarborough, Mahaica Sports Complex
QRC vs Arima North Secondary, QRC Ground
Current Standings
Pos*Team*P*W*D*L*F*A*GD*Pts
1*Naparima*4*4*0*0*15*1*14*12
2*St Mary’s*4*3*1*0*17*4*13*10
3*Presentation*3*3*0*0*8*1*7*9
4*Fatima*3*3*0*0*8*3*5*9
5*St Augustine*4*2*2*0*6*4*2*8
6*QRC*4*2*1*1*7*7*0*7
7*Arima North*4*1*2*1*8*8*0*5
8*San Juan*3*1*1*1*6*7*-1*4
9*Signal Hill*2*1*0*1*8*4*4*3
10*St Benedict’s*3*1*0*2*5*4*1*3
11*Trinity Moka*4*1*0*3*7*13*-6*3
12*Scarborough Sec*4*0*2*2*5*13*-8*2
13*Malick*3*0*1*2*3*7*-4*1
14*St Anthony’s*1*0*0*1*1*3*-2*0
15*Carapichaima*4*0*0*4*4*12*-8*0
16*Trinity East*4*0*0*4*2*19*-17*0
