Chico/Kashif & Shanghai Secondary Schools Football Tournament…Waramadong on a mission to success

Dec 30, 2013 Sports

Approximately three years ago, hardly anyone knew of Waramadong, a tiny interior village in Region 7, Upper Mazaruni, with a population of around 1200 inhabitants. While most interior communities engage in fishing and hunting as favourite pastimes, the inhabitants of Waramadong are very sports oriented and engage in such activities, with a strong emphasis on football.

The Waramadong players pause from their briefing sessions for a photo op yesterday morning.

Before their transition onto the national scene, competing in the Digicel U-18 tournament, Waramadong Secondary was literally an unknown entity and engaged mostly in domestic games in their community. They hit the national scene with a bang in the Digicel U-18 tournament but encountered a stumbling block when they were defeated by Christianburg Wismar Secondary two years in a row in the aforementioned tournament.
Earlier this year, Waramadong seemed set to avenge the first loss against Christianburg Wismar Secondary and were leading 2-1 as the game dwindled. The latter team then pulled the proverbial ‘rabbit out of the hat’ and scored two quick goals to cart off the honours. Naturally, the region 7 team were disappointed and slunk back home while licking their wounds.
They have now returned and are battling furiously for the top spot in the Chico/Kashif & Shanghai Secondary Schools Football Tournament and have so far defeated North Georgetown Secondary and Charlestown Secondary Schools. This afternoon, they will face off with St George’s Secondary, while their nemesis will tackle Ash Education. Already, the pundits are predicting wins for Waramadong and Christianburg Wismar Secondary which will propel those teams into the final slated for the National Stadium on January 1 next.
Yesterday morning, Kaieteur Sport caught up with the Waramadong players shortly after they had participated in a briefing session at the Windjammer Hotel, Alexander Street, Kitty and the management squad consisting of Louie Thomas (coach), Winford Paul (manager) and teachers, Maureen Fredericks and Lowell Williams, were in an upbeat mood and promised to go all the way to the championship this time around.
Mr. Thomas revealed that the team comprises of members that are Christians in the Seven Day Adventist church. He said that their successes can be attributed to hard work and staunch trust in their Saviour. As such, it may not be surprising to see the team huddled in prayer before taking to the field for a match.
The briefing session yesterday was used as a morale booster where the coach attempted to inspire the players for today’s game. “We are playing Ash Secondary today but our sights are riveted on the Christianburg Wismar Secondary encounter,” declared Coach Thomas. He believes that his boys have the requisite tools to win the championships and during the briefing sessions, warned them against complacency.  He referred to their demise against the Region 10 team in the Digicel final as a ‘slight error’ and vows to make amends this time around. “After seizing the initiative and scoring first we should have opted to play defensively but we ruined our chances by attacking,” reflected the coach. He said that this time around will be different. Manager of the squad, Winford Paul then chimed in, “We are going for early goals and by the end of the first 15 minutes we want to have at least a 2 goals advantage.”   He further stated that his boys have been instructed to mix aggression with defensive skills.
The team is well relaxed and rearing to go and as their coach says, “Waramadong is a close-knit community and football is a way of life.” This view was endorsed when one notes that dozens of residents of that village fork out around $50,000 for the return air ticket just to cheer their team to victory. This afternoon will be no different and the fans from the football crazy village of Waramadong will flock the Georgetown Football Club ground to cheer their team into the final (showdown that is).
NB: Coach of the Christianburg Wismar Secondary, Delon Peters, has oozed similar confidence of winning this afternoon’s match against St Georges and has agreed to share his thoughts on a Waramadong showdown should the latter team win today’s encounter against Ash Education.