VESS win Inter School First Form football competition in Berbice

After two days of keen and intense rivalry, the Vryman’s Erven Secondary School (VESS) came out victors when they eked out a hard fought win on penalty kicks to defeat Berbice High School (BHS) in the finals of the T&G Sports Club and Outreach Programme Inter Secondary school First Form football tournament for school in the New Amsterdam Canje Area.

This was after the match ended 1-1 after full and extra time. The two teams met earlier in the competition with that game ending 0-0.  

The competition was played over two days, Sunday 21 and Sunday 28 March at the Rose Hall Community Centre ground in East Canje.

Eight schools participated with the schools being divided into two groups: Group A comprised of Berbice Educational Institute (BEI), Canje Secondary School (CSS) and New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary, while Group B was made up of Tutorial Academy Secondary (TASS), VESS and BHS.

The teams in the groups were required to play each other with the top teams meeting in semi-final play.

Result of matches played; VESS beat NAMS 2-0; goalscorers Ray Joseph and Floyd Fullington. BEI and NAMS played to a 0-0 stalemate, BHS and TASS game ended 1-1 with Mark Wong netting for BHS while Roy Lancaster responded for TASS, NAMS then whipped CSS 4-0 with Sakel Grant scoring all the goals, BHS and VESS then drew 1-1 with Keyon McKenzie for BHS and Anthony Amsterdam VESS being the goal scorers. 

BEI then took care of CSS 1-0 with the Devon James being the lone marksman, TASS got the better of BEI 1-0 with Renaldo August on target, BHS whipped CSS 4-0 with Mark Wong leading the way with 3 while Keyon McKenzie contributed 1.

In semi-final play VESS got the better of TASS 1-0 Stephen Boucher was the marksman, while in the other game, BHS out maneuvered NAMS 1-0 thanks to a Mark Wong strike.

In the final which was keenly contested by two evenly match teams, Mark Wong netted for BHS with Stephen Boucher responding for VESS. The score remained locked at the end of full time. Extra time was ordered and this did not bring any relief to either side as the score remained unchanged.

The dreaded penalty kicks were needed to separate the sides. The lads from VESS were able to hold their nerve to nose ahead and win 4-3 to herald celebrations in their camp.

In all 23 goals were scored during the competition.

In the presentation which followed VESS received the winner’s trophy, plus 18 medals and two footballs for their exploits. Second placed BHS copped a trophy and a football.

A number of individual awards were also presented to outstanding performers and they included Mark Wong BHS for scoring the most goals, 6, in the tournament and he received one ball and a drawing set. 

Shakel Grant of NAMS received a ball and a drawing set for scoring the most goals in one match, four. Best Goalkeeper prize of a trophy and a ball was presented to Roy Lancaster of TASS. BHS won the march past and also had the best banner on display and received trophies for both.

NAMS was named the most disciplined team on show while they also came in second in the march past and received trophies on both occasions.

All eight schools that participated in the competition were the recipients of shin pads, hose, bibs and a football.