Annandale trounces St Joseph in Milo opener …Bishops’, St Stanislaus record wins

Annandale Secondary bounced back to their usual form after a scintillating first game in the 2019 Milo Under-18 Competition. The action got started after an official march-past and encouraging words from top notch football officials such as Petra’s Co-Director, Troy Mendonca; Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde; and sponsor – Beepats’ Manager Christopher Beepat.
The Milo Under-18 tournament returned to the Ministry of Education Ground on Saturday afternoon for its seventh instalment featuring 24 teams. The first day of play, however, featured six teams in high-paced, exhilarating encounters.
Before the spectators were treated to the beautiful sport, they listened to opening remarks from the Co-Director of Petra, Troy Mendonca who spoke to the inclusiveness of this year’s tournament, which saw schools journeying from Berbice, Linden and the West Coast of Demerara.
“I just want to say to you that this event is not just a simple competition, this event plays a part in us having a lot more kids involved, a wider cross-section of kids involved in the sport which aids in the development,” Mendonca explained.
Representing the primary sponsor, Beepats, Christopher Beepat encouraged other corporate entities to get behind sponsoring youth oriented programmes.
“It is our belief that sport and other activities that promote positive development among youth are of paramount importance in Guyana. We’d like to encourage more local organisations to contribute through their corporate social responsibility programmes. So our youth are never waiting or wanting for opportunities to develop their interests and their talents,” Beepat urged.
Meanwhile, GFF President Wayne Forde had a bit of advice for the young players, reminding them that such tournaments are the stepping stone to joining the national team.
“Many of the players that have been playing in this tournament over the past six years, have now graduated to the national programme. So it simply means that this programme is critical in the development of football,” Forde explained.
When the action finally began, Annandale Secondary made a resounding statement regarding their intentions for the rest of the two months tournament with a 7-1 win over St Joseph High School. St Joseph was first to record their lone goal, coming off the boots of Warren Williams but was ensued strictly by Annandale. Captain Jemar Harrigon was the first to net a goal in the 20th minute – one minute after Williams to equalise the scores. Jerome Harrigon then followed up with his first in the 30th to put the score at 2-1 by the half.
Annandale returned with fresh determination and hammered five more goals in their opponents. Omar Glasgow had his time to shine in the 39th minute, while Collin Hendricks had his in the 55th minute. Two more goals from Jerome Harrigon completed the youngster’s hat trick and one from Anika Headley sealed the 7-1 victory.
The following game saw Bishops’ High taking on North Ruimveldt Multilateral. The Multi boys were clearly having an off day, not being able to connect with the goal every chance they got. Bishops’, however, were the polar opposites, netting five for a scintillating win. Antoine Herod, Acquino Luke and Linford Isles all contributed one goal each, while Malachi Richards netted two for the 5-0 win.
The final game of the day was a tight encounter between Queen’s College (QC) and St Stanislaus College which eventually resulted in Saints needling their opponents. Jodel Fernandes netted one in the 28th minute for a Saints lead but Diarra Thomas of QC replied just before the half to equalise. Both defences tightened in the second half but it was Kareem Richmond who managed to sneak one in in the 66th minute for the Saints win. The Milo Under-18 tournament continues today at the Ministry of Education Ground, Carifesta Avenue.