KK Warriors & Vurlon Mills Academy notch wins on opening day

4th EBFA/Ralph Green U-11 League…

Kuru Kururu Warriors and Vurlon Mills Academy have each collected full points on the opening day of the 4th annual East Bank Football Association/Ralph Green-sponsored Under-11 League.

There were three draws that highlighted play in this league, which kicked off on Saturday last at the GFF’s National Training Centre at Providence, East Bank Demerara.
Playing in the final match on this opening day, the young KK Warriors clawed their way back from being a goal down to defeat last year’s runners-up, Grove Hi Tech, 2-1, after Rayfield Hillman had given Grove the lead in the 9th minute.
Last year, the Kuru Kururu Warriors ended 10th of the 12 participating teams, but had shown an eagerness to put on a better show. This time around, they first equalised through a 13th minute Johnson Maddison goal, which was greeted with ecstatic celebrations from the players and Coach Dillion Roberts.
Grove was denied from the penalty spot in their quest to take the lead, and the first half ended 1-1.
As the minutes ticked away in the 30-minute encounter, with water breaks half-way between each half, the match looked destined for the fourth draw of the day; but that was not to be, as a Clifton Sampson goal in the 28th minute separated the two teams and sealed full points for the Warriors out of the Linden-Soesdyke Highway community.
The other team taking full points on the day were the debutants Vurlon Mills Academy, which defeated defending champions Timehri Panthers 2-0 in a keenly contested match.
Mills Academy took the lead with just one minute to the half-time whistle when Christian Enderson tucked the ball past Panthers’ goalkeeper Jaden Tasha; and
five minutes into the second half, the game was sealed by Mills Academy when Tasha was deemed by the referee to have crossed the goal line with the ball in his hands, after gathering same in the 20th minute.
Diamond United (7th in 2018), and Samatta Point/Kaneville which were making their debut appearance at this tournament, played to a 1-1 draw. Rick Ramatar had sent Diamond into the lead in just the second minute when he registered the first goal of the tournament, and Diamond were thus on course to take full points; but in the 17th minute, goalkeeper Romano Fraser gifted Samatta Point/Kaneville the equalizing goal when it was deemed by the referee that he had stepped over the line with the ball in his possession; thus the match ended 1-1.
A similar score line determined the Friendship All Stars (9th in 2018) vs Riddim Squad (debut) encounter, while a nil-all end determined the match between last year’s third and fourth place finishers: Agricola Red Triangle, and Swan Football Club which is based on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.
Matches continue next Saturday at the same venue.