Top-of-the-table clashes in the North and East Zones will take centre stage when the BGTT/First Citizens Secondary Schools Football League resumes today with matches in all five zones.
In what is emerging as a keen battle in the North Zone, the St Anthony’s Tigers, who continued their 23-match unbeaten run with a resounding 3-0 victory over St Mary’s College in midweek action, will be back and as hungry as ever to take all three points, when the team travels to Mucurapo Road, to challenge current second-placed team Fatima College.
The “Tigers,” who have seen their 100 per cent winning streak from the start of last season end less than two weeks ago after being held to a goalless draw by newly-promoted Diego Martin North Secondary, has responded with consecutive wins over Trinity College (2-0) and St Mary’s.
The feature match of the round is scheduled to kick off at 3.45 pm, the same time as the other two matches in the zone. QRC, a team which has failed to secure a point in its first three fixtures, will have a difficult test on its hands, when the team hosts third-placed and unbeaten East Mucurapo Secondary.
Trincity, which has played three matches, with one win, draw and loss will travel to Diego Martin to challenge newly-promoted and goalless Diego Martin North Secondary.
St Mary’s College is on a bye. Down South, leader Presentation College of San Fernando with a maximum 12 points from four matches is on a bye today which will leave the door open for defending champion Shiva Boys’ to at least grab a share of the lead.
Shiva Boys’, the only other team in the zone with a 100 per cent winning record after three matches and coming off a 1-0 away win over Princes Town is at home to Moruga, which is bottom of the table without a point and has conceded 17 goals in three matches.
Naparima, third with six points from four matches meets Princes Town in the feature match of a double-header at Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella while two hours earlier at the same venue, Pleasantville and St Benedict’s, two of three teams on three points, will meet.
Action in the East Zone is expected to provide thrills as the top two finishers in the division last season, Arima North Secondary and San Juan North Secondary will clash at San Juan, from 3.45 pm.
Arima North which edged out Arima North in the final standing last season currently sits again on top with two wins and a draw from three matches, while San Juan is on the same number of points, but trails in third position due to goal differential.
Another exciting fixture will see El Dorado East Secondary taking on fourth-placed St Augustine at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima.
The bottom two teams, El Dorado West and Toco will meet at El Dorado Ground. In the Central Zone, early leaders and defending champion, Carapichaima East will get its first real test of the season when it faces joint second-placed Presentation College of Chaguanas at Carapichaima.
So far this season ‘Caps’ has brushed aside its first two opponents, Tabaquite (7-0) and Gasparillo (8-1), while Presentation was held goalless by Chaguanas North before blanking Tabaquite 2-0, setting the stage for an interesting clash.
Fellow second-placed team, Chaguanas North, buoyed by its 3-0 shut-out of Couva West is away to Gasparillo, which was also hammered 6-0 by Couva West which is at home to Tabaquite in the two other Central matches.
In Tobago, Mason Hall and Signal Hill finally get their campaign off to a start at Canaan Ground, Bon Accord, after a two-week delay while Speyside will look to build on its 3-3 draw against Scarborough at home to Roxborough.
Fixtures
North:
QRC vs East Mucurapo, QRC Ground
Fatima vs St Anthony’s, Fatima Ground
Diego Martin North vs Trinity, Diego Martin
East:
El Do West vs Toco, El Dorado
El Do East vs St Augustine, Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar
San Juan North vs Arima North, San Juan
Central:
Carapichaima East vs Presentation, Carapichaima
Couva West vs Tabaquite, Tabaquite
Chaguanas vs Gasparillo, Gasparillo
South:
Shiva Boys’ vs Moruga, David Williams Rec Grd
Pleasantville vs St Benedict’s Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella, 3 pm
Naparima vs Princes Town, Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella, 5 pm
Tobago:
Mason Hall vs Signal Hill, Bon Accord
Speyside vs Roxborough, Speyside
Standings
North:
Teams P W D L F A Pts
St Anthony’s 4 3 1 0 7 1 10
Fatima 4 3 0 1 3 2 9
East Mucurapo 3 1 2 0 4 2 5
Trinity 3 1 1 1 4 5 4
St Mary’s 4 1 1 2 1 4 4
D/Martin North 3 0 1 2 0 2 1
QRC 3 0 0 3 2 5 0
East:
Teams P W D L F A Pts
Arima North 3 2 1 0 9 2 7
El Do East 3 2 1 0 8 4 7
San Juan North 3 2 1 0 5 1 7
St Augustine 3 1 2 0 5 2 5
Trinity East 3 1 0 2 3 5 3
Toco 3 0 1 2 1 9 1
El Do West 4 0 0 4 3 11 0
South:
Teams P W D L F A Pts
Presentation 4 4 0 0 15 2 12
Shiva 3 3 0 0 6 0 9
Naparima 4 2 0 2 7 6 6
St Benedict’s 3 1 0 2 10 6 3
P/Town 3 1 0 2 3 5 3
P’ville 4 1 0 3 4 11 3
Moruga 3 0 0 3 2 17 0
Central:
Teams P W D L F A Pts
Carapichaima 2 2 0 0 15 1 6
Chaguanas North 2 1 1 0 3 0 4
Presentation 2 1 1 0 2 0 4
Couva West 2 1 0 1 6 3 3
Tabaquite 2 0 0 2 0 9 0
Gasparillo 2 0 0 2 1 14 0
Tobago:
Teams P W D L F A Pts
Speyside 1 0 1 0 3 3 1
S/borough 1 0 1 0 3 3 1
Mason Hall 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Signal Hill 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
R/borough 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
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