Chase, Bartica, Waramuri draw first blood in Republic Bank League

Three secondary school teams – namely Chase’s Academic Foundation, Bartica Secondary and Waramuri Secondary — found themselves on the winning side on Sunday when the Republic Bank Under 18 Schools’ League kicked off at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground, Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown.
In the fifth edition of the Petra-organised tournament, for the next six weeks, eight secondary school football teams from around the country will vie for glory in a somewhat unfamiliar format.
Decked out in their vibrant kits, the eight schools paraded on the MoE Ground, for the usual march-past exercise, after which the tournament’s official kick-off was conducted.
During the pomp and splendour of the opening ceremony, Republic Bank’s Commercial and Retail Banking Manager Stanton Grant expressed the company’s belief in providing opportunities for the youths to showcase their talents.
“At Republic, we believe in possibilities, we believe in making dreams come true and this tournament is one such way where we can share this belief in our youth, allowing you to be creative and to play without fear of failure. Over the next few weeks, I urge you to showcase your talents, build lasting friendships and develop the values of teamwork, discipline and fair play,” Grant shared with the upcoming ballers. When the on-field action began, Bartica Secondary picked up the 2024 league’s first three points with a thumping win over East Ruimveldt Secondary.
Billy Smith netted the first of his hat-trick in the 8th minute for Bartica, but East had a swift reply, with Josiah Norton finding the back of the net in the 9th.

However, Smith broke the deadlock in the 24th minute and completed his hat-trick in the 35th, after which his teammates Reizer Reid and Ezekiel Baldeo scored in the 50th and 60th minutes for the 5-1 win.
Defending champions Chase’s Academic Foundation won the following game, easing past President’s College 4-0. Isaiah Ifill opened the scoring for Chase’s in the 12th minute while Shaquan David connected from the penalty spot in the 20th to make it a 2-0 affair. Jaden Tasher and Neeiaz Baksh found the back of the net in the 25th and 36th minutes respectively to seal the win.
Waramuri Secondary brought the curtains down on the day’s action with a nail-biting 2-1 win over South Ruimveldt Secondary.
Waramuri found themselves trailing first, after South’s Tyrese Pemberton found the back of the net from a set piece opportunity in the 19th minute. However, Waramuri’s Rondell Peters managed to pull it back in the 26th minute and in the 39th minute Erwin Booker pierced the net to find the game winner for the Region One outfit.
The Republic Bank league will continue next Sunday at the same venue.