By: BVIFA
Abigail Joseph Photo: Provided
The Marlon Penn Nine A side League for Men and Women continued on Sunday 9th November with the U15s Girls team romping to a 3-0 win over the Panthers and the Ballstarz and Avengers battling to a 1-1 draw, whilst in the Men’s Division, Old Madrid snatched all 3 points against the Rebels with a late Kenmore Simmonds winner sealing a 2-1 victory and the Panthers securing a 2-2 draw with VG Utd, courtesy of Gregory James’ equalizer.
Gaby Dawson’s long range free kick put the young Ladies on their way to a well earned 3 points from their first game of the new season and after surviving some strong Panthers pressure, including an error by Akira Phillip, which saw the ball roll along the goal line before bouncing away as well as a couple of decent chances missed by Marie Lumley, the lead was doubled early in the second half via the cool head and deadly boot of Morgan Creque.
Jacinta Weeks nearly pulled one back for the Panthers, but Phillips stood tall when it mattered most to make the all important block, Keithreece Smith’s free kick was just, narrowly, too far ahead of Lilly Pierce, unmarked at the Panthers far post and Weekes was denied a goal scoring opportunity by a timely intervention from Shavonne Vanterpool.
As the game entered its final phase, Amanda Creese fired wide after Lumley and Gertrude Thomas bisected the U15 midfield, Taise Weatherley denied Creque a second goal and both Thomas and Lumley had last gasp half chances before Lareisha Martin broke through the Panthers defense to put some icing on the cake and make the final score line, 3-0.
The “derby” between the Ballstarz and Avengers, based on Tortola and Virgin Gorda respectively, unfolded as an epic encounter of cut and thrust football, combining some great personal “one on one’s”, individual skill and deft passing, with great saves and frantic clearances.
After Lavern Fahie and Kelienne Smith had created some early danger, including one effort from Fahie which nearly caught Chandni Wattley completely by surprise in the Ballstarz Goal, Kia Foreman brought out a fine save from Brittany Peters at the other end and Yasmin Ruffell- Smith saw her header flash wide of the post from a Murcella Gordon corner.
Moments later, though, the Ballstarz were ahead after Ruffell-Smith cut out a Peters Free Kick and Tevern David chased the loose ball down deep down the Avengers right flank, she then placed a pin point cross into the path of Victoria Medley-Parkins, who made no mistake from ten yards out.
The Avengers came close to an equalizer as the first half wore on, with Smith not quite able to guide home a Makayda Fahie free kick and some smart passing between Smith, Tia Modeste and Lavern Fahie requiring a smart save from Wattley to preserve the “home” team advantage.
Peters too had to be at her best to save from Sharlene Pond at the end of the first half, a save which became even more crucial as early in the second period, the Avengers found themselves level after Laverne Fahie reacted quickest to a poor clearance to slide the ball home past the advancing Wattley.
Claiming the momentum the Avengers piled on the pressure with a Modeste effort deflected away for a corner and the Ballstarz right back, Jehenelle Joseph, clearing off the line, but then the Ballstarz found another gear and it took a timely intervention from Sally St Catherine to help Peters clear away a Gordon Corner. Another Gordon corner gave Pond a chance to produce a spectacular winner, but she sliced her effort from the edge of the box and St Catherine cleared.
A foreman free kick was just over the head of a leaping Pond and then real drama in the dyeing seconds as a Gordon corner was half cleared from under her own cross bar by Peters and as the ball bounced away Laverne Fahie was adjudged to have handled the ball giving the Ballstarz a chance of winning the game from the Penalty Spot.
However, Gordon fired high and the game was drawn.
In Men’s action Simmonds opened the scoring for Old Madrid in the 16th minute before netting the winner in the 58th after Michael Smith equalized for the Rebels in the 44th and in the last game the Panthers were indebted to a second half strike from Gregory James to secure a share of the points in a 2-2 draw. Thomas Albert put VG ahead in the very first minute of the game, Corey Chin equalized a minute later and Allun Williams put VG back in front before half time.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Women :
4:00pm – Under 15s vs Ballstarz
5:00pm – Avengers vs Panthers
Men:
6:00 pm – Ballstarz vs Panthers
7.30pm – Rebels vs Wolues
