P/Town have now gone three clear points ahead of their closest rivals, St Benedict's College who were beaten 3-2 by Zonal leaders Naparima College at Skinner Park. "Naps" remain six points ahead of P/Town and are  a point away from the South Zone crown. They face lowly Mayaro and Noruga in their last two matches and are strong favourites to finish on top.

In the clash at Princes Town, the home team boasting of midfield general Vijay Samaroo and skipper Dwight De Leon, both former players of Presentation College,swaped an enthusiastic but ordinary Presentation team with goals by Andre "Zato" Marshall, Anton Williams, Ian Williams and
Marcus Alleyne.

Pl/Town almost took an early lead in the third minute when, when "Pres" goalkeeper Gerard Cooper pushed the ball onto his upright following a right side curler by Vijay Samaroo. Three minutes later their would be no letting off for the Carib Street boys when Anton Ramnarine slotted the ball into an empty net after Williams  dribbled pass Cooper and  shot towards goal. "Pres," desperately needing a victory to lift themselves out of last spot in the Zone,almost found the equalizer when Darnell Ross' shot drifted inches wide of the left post.

Skipper Andres Alexander and crew tried all they could to salvage something from the contest, but they were simply torn apart by a potent P/Town unit.

In the 26th minute, the "green Hornets" stung for The second time through Marshall who emphatically volleyed  past Cooper following a miss control by a Presentation defence. Inside the firsts five minutes of the second half, Williams made it 3-0 when he stabbed home a rebound in which Marshall's shot was blocked out by Cooper.

Soon after the fun continued for the homesters when Marshall notched his second goal, rising nicely above the defence to head home an Alleyne cross. "Pres" were now four goals to the good and disappearing into the distance. P/Town had began their assignment well and when Alleyne completed the onslaught with a fifth item it was an appropriate  reward for  the work they had put into subduing opponents, who had been playing with little drive or confidence.
Substitute Shawn Siloch notched a late consolation item for the already
battered Presentation outfit.  "Pres" remained last in the zone, despite seventh place Mayaro Composite 1-3 loss to  Moruga

 Mucurapo SC took over the lead in the North when they mauled Morvant/LAventille 10-0. A five goal haul from Kareem Young and other items by Keston Williams (2), Josh Johnson,, Kerry Baptiste and Atiba Roberts, ensured that they moved to 25 points, one ahead of previous leaders Malick, who were shut out 4-0 by St Mary's College. Queen's Royal College, currently third  moved within two points of Malick with a 4-2 whipping of St Anthony's College.

Third place St Benedict's College were held to  1-1 tie by Pleasantville SC. The La Romaine lads were down to ten men when Kevon Clement was ejected from play for a viscious tackle on an opposing player. Kendell Davis(27th) and Kenwin Alexander (37th) were the scorers for the Saints
and P/Ville respectively. The LA Romaine "Big Truck"(22pts) missed the chance to drive past the beaten Princes Town(22pts) . This sets the stage for a gripping encounter at P/Town today (Monday) when both teams clash in a re-scheduled encounter. Revenge will no doubt be the name of the game for  P/Town following their defeat in the Intercol final by the same opponents.

In the feature South Zone affair clash played at Skinner Park, the players of the Naparima team were the ones smiling at the end of the day after coming out winners in the keenly contested affair between them and the "Green Hornets". With just three rounds to go, they are clear favourites to stay innthe lead.

Both teams made cautious starts on the slippery outfield caused by the inclement weather and their was very little for the small crowd on hand to cheer about until Naparima's first goal arrived  a minute before the half time break. The build up to the goal was a well orchestrated one. Jason Hector collected a well served return pass from Sancheev Katwaroo on the left flank and Hector's well centred cross was stabbed home by the onrushing Leon Brown, wearing the captain's armban in place of the injured Erasto Neptune. Before this P/Town thought they had a goal when Andre
Marshall's shot came of the left post  and with goalkeeper Aquelious Sylvester in no man's land, Anton Ramnarine slotted the ball over the line. However, to their dismay, the goal was ruled offside.

The second half was more entertaining than before the interval with both team creating far more opening than they did in the first. P/Town had an attempt cleared off the line by defender Clint Deverteuil and with Vijay Samaroo moving into his accustomed midfield position, P/Town were now looking far more threatnening in attack. Samaroo looked impressive whenever on the ball. But the pony-tail player was left feeling out done at the end. Having been forced to miss the Intercol final after picking up successive yellow cards, he will again miss the all important clash with the Saints after receiving a booking yesterday, having also received a caution in Thursday's meeting against Moruga Composite.

In the 60th minute, P/Town custodian Sylvester(M) allowed a left sided corner by substitue Atiba McKnight to sneak in on his near post into the net. Coach Jan Steadman and his "Naps" outfit would have been feeling a lot easier in their minds. But their opponents were not going to lie down and die.Soon after the goal, Samaroo's powerful free-kick forced Sylvester(A) to push around his
right post and two minutes after that play the "Green Hornets" were awarded a penaly kick  after one of their forwards was brought down in the area. Striker Andre "Zato" Marshall made no mistake, hitting to the left of the 'keeper.

The encounter became a tense on in the closing 20 minutes with both teams battling strongly for possession and at times committing unnecessary foul tackles.Despite this there were still moments of good football. On one occasion Naparima's Katwaroo neatly went past big defender De Leon only to see his pass to Irwin Cayerne quickly cleared by the defence.

Then three minutes from time, Katwaroo went down in a heavy tackle from De Leon, causing referee Cassie Moore to award the "Naps" team a penalty. This caused much confusion in the P/Town camp, particularly De Leon who was fortunate not to have been sent off after furiously questioning the call of the female official. Joel Bailey made sure of the three points for his team, shooting past the flat-footed Sylvester  in goal.

Presentation College, San Fernando completed their second straight win with a hard worked 3-2 victory over Moruga Composite. A double by Ade Smart and one from skipper Andres Alexander did the trick for the Carib Street boys. They still however, remain in last spot on 7points, the same
as seventh place Mayaro, who have a better goal difference.

In the North Zone,despite suferring a 3-1 loss to second place Mucurapo Sc, Malick(24pts) still remained on top of the North standings. Mucurapo(22pts) got their goals from Dale Findlay(53rd) and Keston Williams(70th) Junior Spencer pulled one back for the losers in the 77th
minute.

St Anthony's College moved into fourth spot behind, two points behind QRC(19pts). The Westmoorings "Tigers" had goals by Sean Cooper99th),Damien Westfield(2) and Kevin Pierre.

In th East, El Dorado(26pts) remained in the top spt with a 2-1 win over Carapichaima. Arima are closely behind on 24 points following their 10-0 blow out of North Eastern College on Friday.

Finally! That was the cry coming from the hearts of the St Benedict's supporters after their team pulled off a splendid come from behind 3-1 victory over southern rivals Princes Town Senior Comprehensive in the Final of the Coca-Cola Intercol Competition at Skinner Park yesterday.

This was largely due to second half double from substitute Andre Toussaint. Following two consecutive defeats in the final in 1995 and 1997, the time had arrived for boys in green and gold to take the trophy to LA Romaine.

The game was played in front of a packed audience of approximately 15,000 it was the Princes Town outfit which drew first blood in the 7th minute when Benedict's custodian Perry Martin failed to hold onto a rather tame shot by LeeBen McGregor. Striker Kenton Thompson gained possession of the loose ball and  swung the ball into the unprotected net with his right foot.The P/Town supporters in the stand behind the goal erupted in wild celebrations

Before the goal was scored, Benedict's seemed to have found the early rhythm  but after Thompson's strike , they found themselves on the backfoot as P/Town took control of play. Soon after Andre Marshall saw his right footed effort go over and following a nice sublime of passes, Anton Ramnarine, coming in for the suspended Vijay Samaroo, unleashed a low blast from the top of the area, forcing Martin to make a save low Down.

Benedict's looked unsettled for most of the first half play. Their best chance of getting equalizer came in the 22nd minute when Silvio Spann's attempt was almost deflected into the goal by opposing defender and P/Town skipper Dwight De Leon. Then, 15 minutes later  Spann teasing left sided
free-kick attempt forced Johnson to grab on the second attempt. It was probably the most feasing scoring opportunity the 'Saints" had managed  in the opening 45 minutes. The P/Ton defence had been solid under the leadership of Dwight De Leon

Just before the interval, the LA Romaine 'Big Truck lost a wheel when striker Dia Hunte was forced to withdraw from the action  after going down in a collision with an opposing defender and ended up having to be taken to the Hospital with an injury to his right hand. He would be replaced by sideline striker Andre Toussaint in the second half. And it was Toussaint who would be conferred with hero status at the end.

Following a good talk during the break by coaches Muhammad Isa and Mervyn Phillip, the LA Romaine "Big Truck" stamped hard on the gas pedal.

 Toussaint superbly made his presence felt , sparking a dramatic turn of events.In the 57th minute with  Johnson still on the turf after saving an initial shot by Kendell Davis, Toussaint followed up to head into an unprotected goal.

From then Benedict's provided a real flamboyance of football. Two minutes later they took over the lead following a naive bit of defending by P/Town. Goalkeeper Johnson   got himself in a terrible mix up with  striker Clement , and the ball  ended up at the feet of the Benedict's forward   and he simply punished the "Green Hornets " slotting home into an open net.

 Marcus Alleyne could have leveled up the scores but he somehow headed over from inside the six yard box following a right side cross by  Andre Charles.

The last fifteen minutes of the intriguing affair saw P/Town try desperately for the equalizer. However, a barrage of crosses into the Benedict's 18 yard box were properly dealt with by defenders Anthony
Haynes, Dwayne Millington and the little figure of Lee Baptiste, who was a force in the backline throughout.

The the hard work of the first half had gone the way of all flesh for Desmond Bailey's "Green Hornets". With there being five minutes of added d on time, Toussaint made sure of
the win when he met a pass by Spann and blasted past a helpless Johnson

South Zone generals St Benedict's College survived a late second half assault from defending Coca-Cola Intercol champions St Anthony's College, to eventually end up 4-2 winners on penalty kicks in their semi-final clash at the Hasely Craword Stadium on Saturday evening.

The venue was filled with passionate supporters of both sides. The 'Tigers" were being backed by their  rhythm section. capable of creating a party atmosphere. But when the Point Fortin Engine Room launched their first beat, they had won the musical battle.

The  fete had now started for the huge band of Benedict's followers and the evening fittingly ended that way. With a real Intercol fever bursting through the air , the La Romain 'Big Truck" got into early stride as early as the tenth minute when Quinton Walcott nicely headed past goalkeeper McKeil Germain from a left sided corner.

Benedict's could hardly have wished for a better opening but still they needed to show discipline against the indomitable 'Tigers'. Not that the hunger of the  La Romaine boys was ever likely to be abated.Their opponents on the day appeared to be shocked by the early goal, but nonetheless were able to get into their own soon after and Sean Cooper's saw his low shot  well gathered by Benedict's custodian Perry Martin.

The  'Tigers' ran themselves into opposition territory for long periods before the break but their front pair of Cooper and Damien Westfield were unable to get anything past the Benedict's back line of Lee Baptiste, Dwayne Millington, Anthony Haynes. They were defending impressively , if increasingly desperately.

Following the re-start, St Anthony's almost found the equalizer when Randy Samaroo's header following a pass by Kevin Pierre almost sneaked in .However, nothing seemed to be going the way of coach Nigel Grosvenor's unit.

Germain would come up big on a couple of occasions midway through the second period, saving well to  shots by Silvio Spann and Dwayne Millington.. While the  'Tigers' looked a threatening prospect whenever they moved forward, Benedict's had not given up their own ambitions of
scoring and their enterprise found its fulfillment when Kendell Davis turned nicely in the 18 yard box and shot with precision  past a stranded Germain.

This sent their supporters into a huge frenzy.But the never say die attitude of the Westmoorings outfit soon came into play. While the time was running low, enough of it was left to contain the late drama. Two minutes later substitute Brandon Phelps met a Gary Gibbings free kick and slotted home, setting the the stage for a gripping final fifteen minutes. The Benedict's unit breathed a sigh of relief when Gibbings forced Martin to push over bar from a left sided free kick.

The 'Tigers' began to mount enormous pressure on their opponents and when their fortuitous equalizer did come, it was a deserving one of that.Five minutes before the end, Phelps neatly got around two Benedict's defenders on the left flank before finding Pierre inside the area. The end result was an equalizer  and mad celebrations for the St Anthony's fans around the Stadium. Suddenly there was a feeling around the ground that  the "Big Truck" was on the verge of shotting down just before the big stage.

The final whistle arrived and it meant sudden-death extra time. Both teams fought valiantly for the golden goal but there would be none of that .Westfield was expelled by referee Lincoln Ramnarine from action for violent conduct The miss of the entire Intercol occurred when Cooper took the ball
from almost half line and fought his way past a heap of defenders, When well inside the area he chose to pass to an unmarked Phelps, who failed to make proper contact.

DiaHunte also came close for the Southerners when his glancing header narrowly missed the left post. Isa Ar Razi, who had made several dangerous forays from the midfield area, went close when his shot was blocked out by the defence.

Then it all came down to the penalty kicks to decide this game of considerate appeal.

One would recall 1995 when Benedict's got past the same opponents 7-6 on kicks following a 0-0 tie in a quarter final affair at Skinner Park How they feared during the shots of death

Spann (Benedict's) - calmy slots the ball to the left of Germain Samaroo(Tigers) - levels the score at 1-1

Ar Razi- nervously walks up to the spot . He makes no mistake, shooting right of Germain, signals to his supporters.

Gibbings - shot crashes off the cross bar, cannot believe his luck,

Benedict's fans goes wild.

Hunte - converts comfortably, Benedict's up3-1

Phelps - converts, brings his team to within one

Haynes - makes no mistake, shooting to the right of Germain

Pierre - must score, Benedict's crowd, urging on their 'keeper, chanting

'Perry, Perry." Pierre directs his shot inches wide of Perry's right post.

Benedict's supporters erupts into scenes of mad celebrations, "Tigers" left
in shock and disbelief.

The Southern 'Saints" will be remembered for a display that was remarkable for it's pride and there are various explanations for their durability. It might have been a question of Benedict's honour. Surely it was a form of sweet revenge for the Southerners after falling 2-1 in last year's final to
the 'Tigers.'

While St Anthony's deserved credit for their spirit and quality of play, the evening was really about the Benedict's players who fought until they dropped, ran themselves into the ground and were heroes all.

The 'Green Hornets" stung as early as the 2nd minute, to the delight of their supporters and the shock of the Tobago boys.  Following a right sided corner, the ball fell to skipper Dwight De Leon who slipped the ball for Kempton Thompson and he shot well past goalkeeper Kern Duncan.

This put the visitors on the backfoot and P/Town almost increased their lead in the 29th minute when  Marcus Alleyne  neatly turned inside two defenders but his shot lacked  enough power to beat Duncan.

A few minutes later, Signal Hill almost levelled the terms when Keon Price's shot cannoned off the cross bar and defender De Leon arrived in time to avert the danger.

De Leon was as solid as a rock throughout the contest and his efforts were ably assisted by an exceptional performance between the upright by custodian Ricardo Johnson.

Johnson came up big following the half time interval, saving well to couple of shots by Shelton Williams. His importance was emphasized again in the 73rd minute when he pushed away a penalty attempt by Signal Hill skipper Addison Baird.

P/Town were neat, economical and quick in their play. Kyle Benjamin,Terron Abner and De Leon held firm at the back. Up front their attack prospered at times with Andre Marshal, Marcus Alleyne, Thompson and substitute Anton Ramnarine all threatening at times to add to the
scoreline. Their midfield was decorated by the presence of Vijay Samaroo. He looked a complete midfielder armed with a innovative mind and and a vision to pick out teammates with ease.

However, the ponytail figure could not believe his faith when referee Robin Murray, handed his a yellow card in the first half. Being his second booking in as many matches, it meant that he would be out of next Wednesday's all South  final against St Benedict's College.

With the knowing of missing a National Intercol final , the player fell to the turf, shedding tears  and had to be consoled by teammates and school principal Joe Sirju following the final whistle.

"Ain't nobody, ain't nobody better than P/Town," their supporters chanted throughout.It will be left to be seen if the 'Princes' will have the requirements to turn themselves into Kings on Wednesday in the 'big one' against Southern rivals St Benedict's College.

Benedict's made most of the early runnings and almost took the lead in the opening ten minutes when Kendell Davis did well to hold off challenges from two Naparima defenders but his shot was well stopped by goalkeeper Aquelius Sylvester. "Naps" didn't function up front as expected with their main man, skipper Erasto Neptune looking disturbingly heavy-legged throughout the contest.
Jason Hector had an opportunity to put his team in the lead,after he missed a first time shot, he recovered in time but could only manage in directing his second attempt over bar.

Benedict's kept piling forward with vigour if not a great deal of finesse and were rewarded in the 30th minute when Kendell Davis found himself unmarked inside the 18 yd box and headed past a stranded Sylvester following some good work by Dia Hunte on the right flank.

Benedict's sent the alarm bells ringing for Naparima throughout Skinner Park as early as the 1st minute of the second half when Kevon Clement was hacked down in the penalty box by Clint Deverteuil. Silvio Spann made no mistake slotting past Sylvester from the spot. Immediately following this,'Naps" began to apply the pressure on their opponents. Jason Hector blasted over bar and  Ateba McKnight was denied by goalkeeper Perry Martin who pushed a low shot around his left post.

Martin's value was emphasized again soon after when was forced to tip over an intended cross by Leon Brown for a corner. Jan Steadman's unit continued to press forward but it all turned out to be a tale of crosses and final passes lacking the quality to cause any problems against the Benedict's
defence.

Steadman was forced to withdraw Neptune from the action and the skipper made his way off the field with an expression of  disappointment on his face.
From then on Naparima seemed to be playing with little drive or confidence. Benedict's had further opportunities to increase their lead but lacked the finishing touch in front of goal. Their  best chance arrived when Hunte forced his way past defender Kurt Borel and delivered a cross for Davis who
skimmed his attempt over bar with the goal at his mercy.

To compound Naparima's frustration on an evening of missed chances and wasted possession, they had Jacey Peters sent off for violent conduct off the ball.

Benedict's had been backed by the popular Point Fortin Engine Room rhythm section throughout the 'showdown'  which attracted both the young and old and the Park was also graced by the presence of Nigel Grosvenor and his bunch of St Anthony's "Tigers"  "Naps" had their traditional schoolboys band providing the beat for them .

However, only the sounds of the engine were heard in the end as the LA Romaine "Big Truck" drove off in style bouncing their opponents out of the Competition and they will now make their way to the Hasely Crawford Stadium to face defending Intercol champions St Anthony's College in a repeat of last year's final on Saturday in the second affair of a semi-final double header at 5:30pm.

Princes Town SeniorComprehensive booked their spot in the semi-final of the Coca-Cola Intercol competition on Wednesday, when they stunned Arima Senior on the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence ground. Andre Marshall's goal on a slushy outfield and in persistent rain made the
difference as the two teams battled valiantly with the testing playing conditions.

P/Town almost went ahead in the opening five minutes when a shot by Ian 'Boogie ' Williams drifted wide of Arima custodian Marvin Hypolite and Kempton Thompson's follow up shot came back off the left post.

The 'Green Hornets' were more aggressive in the opening stages leaving their opponents on the backfoot and came close again in the 21st minute when Marcus Alleyne's left -footed shot found Hypolite.

The inclusion of midfielder Vijay Samaroo, playing his first game of the 1998 season, added a bit of spice to the P/Town line-up and they appeared the more committed of the two teams in getting the task done.

However, Arima also had their share of missed opportunities, the closes being Kenyon Trotman's well timed header which grazed the cross bar on its way over.

The 'Dial Dynamos' pressed for the opening goal following the interval but Damian Matthews and Stefon Edwards had their efforts denied by Ricardo Johnson keeping for the Southerners.
The decisive moment arrived in the 63rd minute. Samaroo was the instigator witha  well measured left sided free-kick. Hypolite failed to hold onto the ball but Willaims' initial shot was blocked.

However, Marshall was on the spot to stab home the rebound. Arima went in desperate search for the equalizer but failed in their attempts against a determined p/Town defence marshalled by skipper Dwight De Leon.

On one occasion, Arima's Abu Bakr Paponette saw his shot form the top of the 18 yard box whistle past Johnson's left post. The large Princes Town contingent of fans along with coach Desmond'Darko'Bailey and school principal Joe Sirju were overjoyed at the end.

The stage is now set for Saturday's semi final encounter between the Southerner's and Tobago's Signal Hill at the Hasely Crawford Stadium . This will be a repeat of the 1994 final in which P/Town triumphed 1-0.

Following this, the second semi final affair will take place at the same venue. Last's year's winners St Anthony's college will take on losing finalists St Benedict's College.

By SHAUN FUENTES

Defending champions St Anthony's College on Saturday  bounced back from a 3-1 deficit to edge St Mary's College 4-3 in a thrilling Coca-Cola Intercol quarter final at the Queen's Park Oval, Striker Damien Westfield sent the Tigers supporters into wild scenes of jubilation when he headed an 81st minute cross past goalkeeper Troy Sullieman to put his team ahead for the second and most crucial time e of the game.

The match had all the ingredients of an October Intercol with both teams well supported by rhythm sections which kept up a steady tempo in the blistering evening sun. The Tigers took the lead in the 32nd minute when Kevin Pierre arrived behind the CIC defence to meet a right sided cross which he headed into the right corner of the goal.

However, the Saints settled and came into their own six minutes later. St Anthony's custodian McKeil Germain failed to hold onto a free kick by Sean Ross and Kirt Dorsett had the simple task of stabbing home from close range.

A minute before half time, Dorsett put the Saints ahead when he scored his second goal from the penalty spot after Marcus Rodriguez was penalized for handling the ball in the area.

In the second half, the contest became a wonderfully free flowing affair with goalscoring chances at both ends. The Saints enjoyed the better of the exchanges but squandered several
goalscoring opportunities with Dorsett and Scott Sealey being the chief offenders. Despite this, they went further ahead when Dorsett dribbled his way past three St Anthony's defenders before hooking a ball into the area for Owoicho Adogua to shoot past the out of positioned Germain in the St
Anthony's citadel.

St Mary's had several opportunities to extend their advantage but  a combination of complacency and the never say die attitude of the Tigers combined to undermine the lead. Westfield pulled one back after a Gibbings inswinger met him with lots of space to shoot well inside the penalty box.
The St Mary's defence could hardly believe their eyes when another Gibbings left-side cross was turned into the net by defender Jeremy Delpino to level the score at three.

This clearly unsettled the Port of Spain team and the Tigers, scenting this, went for the kill. Nine minutes from the end Westfield drew blood. The clever striker climbed above the defence to head home another Gibbings cross. Dorsett had a chance to draw level in the closing minutes but his effort from well inside the area went wide.Following the result,the St Anthony's fans took the streets to where they danced to the sounds of steelpan and tassa.

They now await the result of the 'showdown' between St Benedict's and Naparima which will be played at Skinner park on Tuesday.

Update :Tobagonians Signal Hill Senior Comprehensive booked the first spot in theSemi final round when they came from a goal down to defeat Mucurapo Senior Comprehensive 3-1 at Shaw Park on Friday.

Mucurapo took the lead through Christian Baptiste. However the "Hillboys" signaled their intentions of taking the title this year when they fought back with strikes from Shelton Williams just before the interval, Jason Nelson(51st) and Keon Price (62nd).

They will now await the winners of Wednesday's quarter final clash between Princes Town and Arima , which will be played at the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence.

Defending  Coca-Cola Intercol champions St Anthony's College kicked off their campaign in fine fashion with a 3-1 victory over East/Central representatives St Augustine at St Mary's college College round yesterday.

In another game played, Queens' Royal College were dealt a shocking blow, falling 2-1 to Southern underdogs Moruga Composite at Skinner Park. Calvert Granger notched a double for the winners, while Sterlin Braithwaite was on target for the Royalians

At Serpentine Road, both units struggled to adapt to the heavy field conditions in the early stages, but St Augustine's resilience  would come to an end on the 20 minute mark when Damion Westfield was sent clear on his way to goal and blasted past goalkeeper Sylvester Sandiford.

The goal at least galvanized the camps into action. Soon after they would come closer when Gary Gibbings shot was not fully taken by Sandiford but he(Gibbings) failed to convert  second opportunity, the ball eventually cleared into safety by the defence.

The Westmooings outfit were forced to go into the interval a player short when Azain Wright was expelled for dissent.

The second half would begin sprightly and St Anthony's would find another rgear inside the first couple of minutes when Sean Cooper's measured centre across the goal was met by Westfield who struck past a stranded Sandiford with precision.

The easterners hit back immediately when custodian McKeil Germain allowed a harmlessly looking free kick by Zico Danclair to slip out and Ricardo Toney was right on spot to slot home.

However, St Augustine's attempt to ruffle the "Tigers" cool and gain th odd sight on goal was a lone and losing battle. Fifteen minutes from the final whistle, Gibbings let fly from a free kick just at the edge of the area with a piercing right footer around the defensive wall which rippled into
the back of the net.

The St Augustine boys would battle out the last ten minutes with ten men when their skipper Walter Gay received his second booking for pulling Cooper's shirt. Though not being vintage St Anthony's, there was enough in their robust performance which will result in them meeting the winners  of the El
Dorado/Carapichaima clash.

In the other game played, title hopefuls St Mary'sCollege were made to work harder than they expected, holding off Presentation College, San Fernando by a 2-1 margin at Fatima grounds.

CIC marksman Scott "Bound to score" Sealey once again led the way with a double (14th and 27th) Darnell Ross pulled one back for "Pres" in the 43rd minute. Not even the chants of "Youngsters,  play my ball" a line invented by former coach Lesley Hoyte. Coming from the hopeful Presentation
supporters,  backed by their lively rhythm section could save the day for Brother Michael Samuels team. They have failed to win a game in nine outings so far and their die hard supporters will be praying that they pull something out of the bags to avoid relegation into the senior division. They can now look at the good side of Saturday's defeat in that they will have extra time in which to hit the training sessions the hard way or should one say the harder way in an attempt to stay alive.

In Tobago, Bishops got the better of Scarborough Secondary 4-2

Copyright 1997 The Trinidad Publishing Company Limited

By SHAUN FUENTES

The most thrilling period of the annual Secondary Schools Football League commences today with first round matches in the Coca-Cola Intercol competition at venues throughout Trinidad and Tobago.

The knockout phase of the tournament holds centre stage and the "must win" attitude once again comes into the fray as eight teams go at each other.

Defending champions St Anthony's College step right into proceedings against St Augustine at St Mary's College ground, Serpentine Road starting at 3.30pm.

This promises to be a closely contested affair as both teams have struggled to get their rhythm going and it is left to be seen whether the title holders have held back their killer instinct for the therners may just have the "never say die" line in their minds today.

Across in Tobago, the lone encounter will involve Scarborough Secondary against Bishops at Signal Hill ground at 4.00pm.

At the launching of the Coca-Cola knockout phase at the Shay Shay Tien Restaurant at Cipriani Boulevard yesterday, it was announced by Coca-Cola Caribbean Bottlers' representative Camille Richards-Chatoor that they will be sponsoring the tournament to the tune of $120,000.

Richards-Chatoor mentioned that the sponsors, who have been doing the job for the past 17 years, think it is an excellent opportunity to promote the development of youth and football in the country.

by Shaun Fuentes

North Zone leaders Malick Senior Comprehensive maintained their lead over second place Mucurapo when they completed a 3-1 beating over St Anthony's College at Westmoorings yesterday in the second round of the BWIA secondary Schools Football league.

However, Mucurapo kept right on their heels when they managed to sneak out a 1-0 victory over St Mary's College courtesy of a goal in the 11 minute of play by their prolific marksman Kareem Young.  Despite a strong fightback in the second half in which the Saints went in desperate search of the
equalizer. However, prolific striker Scott Sealy and crew were left shaking their heads in despair following a series of missed opportunities. On one occasion. Sealy's well measured center found  a lurking Brandon Barry who agonizingly directed his shot over bar.

Meanwhile, defending national league champions Queen's Royal College who went into yesterday's round of matches in sixth position jumped ahead of CIC when they notched their fourth win of the season in a 3-1 triumph over newly promoted Tranquillity Government . Goals by Kenrick Ramirez, Khalid Romain and Carron Williams did the trick for the Royalians.

Fatima remained in third spot despite a drubbing cellar placed Morvant/Laventille 5-0.

Down South Presentation College ended their dismal run of seven consecutive defeats, collecting their first point in a 2-2 draw with zonal leaders Naparima College at UnionHall.  "Pres" displayed  grit and determination and  despite being last in the Zone they earned top marks for their resistance,
expressing their virtuosity with endless energy on a slippery outfield. After "Naps"  took the lead through a free kick by skipper Leon Brown, "Pres" drew level when Shawn Crawford  laid off a pass to Anthony Saunders whose cross was converted on the far post by Andres Alexander Three minutes
after Jason Hector regained the lead for the visitors . However, the day would end in a delightful way for Brother Michael Samuel's team when Bevon Dottin found himself in a one on one situation with 'keeper  Daniel Bishop and snatched a deserving equalizer for the Carib Street boys.

 The other encounter of major interest between St Benedict's College and Princes town failed to come off because of unsuitable playing conditions at P/Town due to heavy rain showers during the mid afternoon period. In the other affairs played  in the South yesterday, Pleasantville Senior
were held to a 1-1 draw by "Beach boys" Mayaro composite at home, while Fyzabad composite collected full point against Moruga, coming away 2-1 winners.

In  East/Central action   El Dorado Senior took over control of proceedings when they slammed
Barataria Senior 3-0 at home. Quamie Thomas led the way with a double to ensure his team took advantage of Arima's failure to capture full points against St Augustine Senior. The "Dial Dynamos" could only muster a 1-1 tie. This means that "El Do" now hold a three point lead over their closest
rivals.

Presentation College Chaguanas dominated lowly North Eastern College 5-1. "Pres" made a bright start to proceedings taking the lead as early as the first minute through Dillon Thomas. They would stretch their lead in the 31 minute when Ahmed mohammed converted from the penalty spot. A struggling
North Eastern who have now conceded 41 goals in their eight matches played pulled one back two minutes after tha half-time interval through Salino Ruiz. However, another item of the boot of Thomas in the 85minute and a second from Mohammed a minute from the final whistle completed the
onslaught for the homesters.

The league action takes a break till November 3 and the Intercol phase of the competition begins this Saturday and runs till the 28th of October.