Lots of action in BVI Primary Schools league soccer play

BY DEAN GREENAWAY

The future of BVI soccer culminated its first week on Saturday at the A. O. Shirley Recreation Grounds, with two exciting games in the BVI Football Association-Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, Under-9 Division Primary Schools league match-ups.

“It has been very exciting and we had some great games between the teams,” BVI Football Association Technical Director Ben Davies who heads the program said. “We’ve had four games played, and, in those games, we have had 14 goals scored which is tremendous. We have had a lot of support from the parents, fans and friends coming to support the school their children go to, and, probably the schools they used to go to. It’s really good fun.”

On Saturday, Shakeem Pondt led Francis Lettsome’s Lions to a 3-0 victory over Enid Scatliffe. Pondt scored two of his team’s three goals, with Romario Henry netting the other. The Lions were coming off Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Cedar School, on Austin Kiel’s goal. Enid Scatliffe suffered a 3-0 set back to the Seventh Day Adventist/Ebenezer Thomas Saints also on Wednesday. Saints’ Vadelle Cotton scored twice and Nathan Henry once.

Saturday’s other game saw the Enis Adams Eagles and the St. Georges Strikers playing to a 0-0 draw, after the Eagles stopped the Lenora Delville-Isabella Morris team, 1-0 in their opener, on Kyron McMaster’s goal. The Strikers played Montessori to a 1-1 draw. Andre Meade scored for the Strikers and Euwan Swain for Montessori.

With six months of practices, Davies said there’s a distinct improvement in the players’ from last year. “They have been working on their skills, techniques and playing small sided games, so, it’s really paying off,” he said.

Davies said those little skills—controlling the ball with all parts of the foot, inside, outside, pulling the ball back, trying to deceive your opponents with fakes and cuts—which they have been teaching them, are being demonstrated. “Its job satisfaction for me and the coaches that have been working with them to see that they are utilizing the skills that we have been teaching them in the games, which is basically what we have been trying to put over to them,” Davies pointed out. “The aggression that I’ve noticed is great and really bodes well for the future of BVI youth soccer.”