Sir John A Cumber outlast Cayman Prep in U9 Cup

(CUC-PFL): The second round of the 2013/2014 CUC Primary Football League (PFL) Playoffs concluded this past Saturday at the Annex Field with 12 games in the Champions and Consolation Cups. In the Under 9 Champions Cup, Sir John A. Cumber Primary secured a second win in two weeks as they held on to defeat Cayman Prep 3-2 thanks to a hat trick from Rashaad Powery, which included two penalties. Pierce Terry’s two goals for Cayman Prep were not enough as the Group A champions tasted defeat for the first time this year and slipped to second in the Playoff standings.

In other Under 9 Champions Cup games, Cayman International School bounced back from a 0-1 loss to Cayman Prep in the first round last week to defeat South Sound Schools 3-0 with two goals from team captain Francisco Magno and a single strike from Jonathan Rado. Other scores included Savannah Primary 7 vs. Prospect Primary 0 and St. Ignatius Prep 0 vs. NorthEast Schools 0.

In the Under 9 Consolation Cup, Red Bay Primary defeated George Town Primary 4-0 and a Jacobi Tugman led Bodden Town Primary were 3-1 victors over Truth For Youth. In the Under 11 Champions Cup, the ‘game of the day’ turned out to be Sir John A. Cumber Primary against South Sound Schools. With both schools coming off draws in the first round each were eager to get the three points.

The game was an exciting affair with the majority of play taking place in midfield. South Sound Schools’ Aidan Hew and his band were trying their best to find gaps in Sir John A. Cumber’s defence marshalled by Romeo Thomas. Likewise, Daniel Wallace and his group of midfielders from Sir John A. Cumber were trying to do the same against a Kiran Conolly-Basdeo led rear guard from South Sound Schools.

With the score tied at 0-0 going into half time both schools were confident that a win was in reach. In the 39th minute, Sir John A. Cumber made the breakthrough as a Daniel Wallace corner was not properly dealt with by the South Sound Schools defence and in a brave attempt to clear the ball off the line, Ryan Godwin inadvertently put the ball through his own net giving goalkeeper Brandon Jackson no chance.

South Sound Schools pressed forward for the equaliser but found Omar Bodden in the Sir John A.Cumber unbeatable. The young shot stopper easily dealt with the long range shots and was happy to see the South Sound Schools forwards unable to connect ona few dangerous crosses that flew across his penalty area.

Although on the losing end, South Sound Schools’ Kiran Conolly-Basdeo was a ‘rock’ in defence and clearly the “man of the match” for his tireless running and excellent tackling. In other games in the Under 11 Champions Cup, George Town’s Isaac Ebanks scored twice for George Town Primary in the 21st and 38th minutes and NorthEast’s Jaquan Miller grabbed two in the 33rd and 50th minutes in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Itana Villalobos scored in the 29th minute for NorthEast Schools and Jordan Sommerville scored in the 24th minute for George Town Primary to round off the scoring.

St. Ignatius Prep salvaged a draw with Prospect Primary thanks to goals from Corey Smith in the 11th minute and Nathan Trickett in the 48th minute. Prospect’s Andrew Suberan opened the scoring in the 5th minute and a ‘sweet’ volley from Joshua Cox in the 37th minute had Prospect heading for their first victory in the Playoffs until the Nathan Trickett leveller settled this exciting encounter. Undefeated Cayman Prep kept their record intact after defeating Savannah Primary 3-1.

In the Under 11 Consolation Cup, Truth For Youth defeated Bodden Town Primary 5-2 and Cayman International School outlasted Triple C 3-1. Special thanks to Chastine Rankine, Dwayne Ebanks and Shakur Welcome for handling the officiating duties.

The third round of the 2013/2014 CUC PFL Playoffs continues this Saturday, December 14 at the Annex Field with a further 12 games scheduled in the Consolation and Champions Cup in both age groups. This will be the final set of Playoff games before the Christmas Break. Fans of ‘the powerful game’ are invited to the Annex Field for another extremely exciting day of youth football action.