The first ever Guyoil/Tradewind Tankers Under-18 tournament got underway in the blistering sun on Sunday morning with four teams gaining their first points in the competition.
Guyoil Marketing Executive Ashmin John takes the kickoff honours in the presence of Petra’s Troy Mendonca, Mark Alleyne and the competitors
The eleven-week tournament will feature 12 schools from Georgetown, East Bank, East Coast, West Coast and Linden vying for a chance to equip their school with funding for a project of their choice.
Co-Director of Petra, Troy Mendonca, took some time out of the opening ceremony to shed some light on the Organisation’s need to host such a tournament.
“We at Petra Organisation would have recognised the need for such a programme if we want to, as a nation, improve our football internationally,” Mendonca stated.
Mendonca has expressed gratitude to the sponsors: Guyoil, Trandewind Tankers, and ANSA McAL under their iCool, Lyrix and Smalta brands, for making Petra’s vision of the tournament a reality.
“At this point in time, we are very grateful to Guyoil, in association with Tradewind Tankers, ably supported by ANSA McAL, for giving us the opportunity to present to you this under-18 football tournament,” Mendonca said.
Detailing Guyoil’s commitment to community service throughout the length and breadth of Guyana, Marketing Executive Ashmin John, who also spoke at the event, noting that the company was elated to jump on board.
“We just thought there is no better way to invest in communities nationwide than to partner with the Petra Organisation in encouraging youths from all across the country to develop their skills in football,” John stated.
She highlighted the continuous hard work of the organisation, stating, “We are extremely proud to be in such good company of the Petra Organisation, based on the quality of tournaments coordinated over the past couple of years.”
In the same breath, the marketing executive thanked Petra for approaching Guyoil for their support.
“So, once again, I’d like to thank the Petra Organisation for doing such a wonderful job in football,” she declared.
When the first whistle blew, Annandale and Vergenoegen Secondary took to the field to battle. Markel Matheson started the scoring in the third minute, and a hat-trick from Omari Glasgow set up Annandale’s 4-1 win. The only reply from Vergenogen came from Romel Modus.
Coming all the way from Linden, Christianburg made good on their travels with an absolute trashing of Uitvlugt Secondary. Three from Tyrise Lewis, two from Andre Mayers, and one apiece from Jermaine Mason, Randy Pickering and Felix Innis sealed Christianburg’s 8-0 victory.
Taking the place of Friendship Secondary, Charlestown entered the competition with confidence, and capitalised on their opportunity. A lone goal from Raymond Bandhu secured them their first win of the tournament against Marian Academy.
The final match of the day saw Queen’s College and Queenstown Secondary being paired. In this encounter, Jarrell Dos Santos was QC’s hero with a pair of goals. Try as they might, Queenstown could only muster Tyrese Hart’s one goal, resulting in a 2-1 win for QC.
