East Ruimveldt, Charlestown, Ann’s Grove for ExxonMobil football finals this Saturday

Come this Saturday, Charlestown Secondary School will be hunting a double title at the ExxonMobil Boys’ and Girls’ Under 14 football tournament finals.
Charlestown are no strangers to the title, having won the first girls’ tournament in 2018, and are the only school to have both their boys’ and girls’ teams in the finals.
In the male final, Charlestown will come up against Ann’s Grove Secondary, while in the distaff final Charlestown and defending champions East Ruimveldt will do battle. This is as a result of four entertaining semi-final matches on Saturday at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground.
Saturday’s action began with the Howes Street-based girls’ team, narrowly edging out New Central High girls in semi-final one.
Neither Charlestown nor New Central could find the lucky strike with the scores being deadlocked way past the half. Just when it looked like the game could go into extra time or penalties, it was Aquenna Griffith, who found the back of the net for Charlestown in the 48th minute, for the 1-0 victory.
In the second semi, defending champions East Ruimveldt thumped New Campbellville in a 4-0 encounter.
Azaria Wilson was the star of the show, registering a hat-trick . Wilson wasted no time in opening the scoring, with her first goal in the seventh minute. The young girl later added to her tally in the 21st and 30th minutes. Meanwhile, Antwana Williams scored in the 39th minute to complete East Ruimveldt’s four.
Moments later, the Charlestown boys joined their female colleagues in celebration as they romped to a nail-biting win against West Ruimveldt boys.
After much back and forth between the two quality teams, Colwin Kissoon was able to put Charlestown ahead in the 10th minute after besting West’s goalkeeper and defence just in front of the goal.
Soon after, Captain Malcolm Hendricks found the back of the net in the 14th minute and later returned in the 38th to complete his brace. Two minutes after, Jerimiah David made it a 4-0 game with a stunning kick across the face of the goal, but that was when Charlestown’s worries began.
West Ruimveldt’s Captain Donovan Welcome began a one-man campaign with back-to-back goals in the 43rd and 46th minutes . Welcome even made a third attempt at the goal in the following minute; that went awry.
Eventually, time ran out for the youngster as Charlestown won 4-2.
The second boys’ semi-final took an almost identical path, as Cummings Lodge Secondary attempted a spirited comeback when Ann’s Grove were already ahead.
Shaquan David, Antwan Payne, and Selwyn Fraser found the back of the net in the 2nd, 14th and 37th minutes respectively for Ann’s Grove.
However, whatever was said to Cummings Lodge during the break at the half seemed to do the trick as the 2019 champions began to play like their regular selves. It was only time that prevented Cummings Lodge from staging a comeback, as Nicholas Watts and Keshawn Daniels registered goals in the 40th and 45th. The game eventually ended 3-2.
The ExxonMobil final is expected to be staged this Saturday, September 10 at the same venue.