Presentation College of San Fernando led by striker Shackiel Henry will be hoping to extend its 100 per cent South Zone winning record to six matches when it faces second-from-bottom Pleasantville at Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella from 3.45 pm when the BGTT/First Citizens Secondary Schools Football League resumes today.
Henry has netted nine of his team’s 16 goals this season, including the lone item in a 1-0 win over defending zonal champion Shiva Boys on Wednesday last and will be confident of adding to his tally against a Pleasantville defence which has already let in 13 goals in five matches.
Presentation currently leads the seven-team table with maximum 15 points and a win today will ensure it ends the first round as table leaders with Shiva Boys’ and Naparima College in hot chase on 12 points each.
However, Naparima is on a bye today having completed its first round campaign, while Shiva faces a tricky test in fourth-placed St Benedict’s College at its David Williams Recreation Ground, Penal, while Moruga, yet to earn a point, entertains Princes Town.
In the Central Zone, perennial champions, Carapichaima East, 9-0 victors over Presentation College of Chaguanas in its last outing and led by the league’s top scorer in Shaquille Hodler (12 goals) will also seek to sustain its 100 per cent winning record when it hunts a fourth straight win to start the season against second-placed Chaguanas North (seven points), at Homeland Gardens. Chgauanas is coming off a 6-0 thumping of Gasparillo on Saturday last.
Presentation and Couva West, third and fourth on the six-team table meet at Presentation while Tabaquite, buoyed by its 1-0 triumph over Couva West seven days ago, is at home to Gasparillo in the zone’s other matches.
At the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, the top spot in the East Zone will be up for grabs when defending champion and current table-toppers El Dorado East faces second-placed Arima North.
The “Blue Thunder” of El Dorado East lead with ten points from four matches and will be well rested for the match after its scheduled match against Toco on Wednesday was postponed, while Arima North, a point behind from a match more, needed two second-half replies to earn a 2-2 draw with Trinity East.
San Juan North, joint third with idle St Augustine on eight points each, can also go top of the table with a win at home to second from bottom El Dorado West should the match at Malabar end in a draw, while Toco will be keen to honour the death of sixth form student and avid supporter Peter Richards on Tuesday night with a win at home to Trinity East.
In the North, reigning zonal and national champions St Anthony’s College heads the table with 14 points from its six first round matches and is on a bye today leaving the way for the chasing pack to trim its four point lead.
Second-placed Fatima, which is four points behind, will journey to Moka, Maraval for a clash with Trinity College while third-placed East Mucurapo, 1-0 losers to the “Westmooring Tigers” on Wednesday meets promoted Diego Martin North at Fatima Ground, Mucurapo, and St Mary’s College and Queen’s Royal College, coming off its first win of the campaign—3-1 over “Diego”—face off at St Mary’s Ground, Serpentine Road.
Over in Tobago, Signal Hill, which drew its only match so far this season, 1-1 with Mason Hall, is at home to Speyside, which drew 3-3 with Scarborough in its lone match to date while Roxborough hopes to finally play its first match of the season, as it hosts Scarborough at Settlement Ground, Roxborough.
Today’s Matches: [NB: All matches begin at 3.45 pm unless otherwise stated]
North:
St Mary’s vs QRC, Serpentine Road
East Mucurapo vs D/Martin North, Fatima Ground
Trinity vs Fatima, Moka, Maraval
East:
Arima North vs El Dorado East, Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar
Toco vs Trinity East, Toco
San Juan North vs El Dorado West, Bourg Mulatresse
South:
Moruga vs Princes Town, Moruga
Presentation vs Pleasantville, Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella
Shiva vs St Benedict’s, David Williams Rec Grd
Central:
Presentation vs Couva West, Presentation
Chaguanas North vs Carapichaima East, Homeland Grd, Chaguanas
Tabaquite vs Gasparillo, Tabaquite
Tobago:
Signal Hill vs Speyside, Signal Hill
Roxborough vs Scarborough, Settlement Ground, Roxborough
Current Zonal Standings:
North
Teams P W D L F A Pts
St Anthony’s 6 4 2 0 9 2 14
Fatima 5 3 1 1 4 3 10
East Mucurapo 5 2 2 1 6 4 8
St Mary’s 5 2 1 2 2 4 7
Trinity 5 1 1 3 4 7 4
D/Martin North 5 1 1 3 2 5 4
QRC 5 1 0 4 6 8 3
East:
Teams P W D L F A Pts
El Do East 4 3 1 0 10 5 10
Arima North 5 2 3 0 12 5 9
St Augustine 5 2 2 1 8 5 8
San Juan North 5 2 2 1 7 4 8
Trinity East 4 1 1 2 5 7 4
El Do West 5 1 0 4 4 11 3
Toco 4 0 1 3 1 10 1
South:
Teams P W D L F A Pts
Presentation 5 5 0 0 16 2 15
Naparima 6 4 0 2 16 7 12
Shiva 5 4 0 1 10 2 12
St Benedict’s 5 2 1 2 13 7 7
P/Town 5 1 1 3 5 10 4
P’ville 5 1 0 4 4 13 3
Moruga 5 0 0 5 3 26 0
Central:
Teams P W D L F A Pts
Carapichaima 3 3 0 0 24 1 9
Chaguanas North 3 2 1 0 9 0 7
Presentation 3 1 1 1 2 9 4
Couva West 3 1 0 2 6 4 3
Tabaquite 3 1 0 2 1 9 3
Gasparillo 3 0 0 3 1 20 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
M/Hall 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
S/Hill 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
R/borough 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
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