Needing only a point, Naparima College got just that with a 2-2 draw against St Anthony's College and secured the BGTT Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Premier Division Big-Four title, with a superior goal difference.The competition was played in a round-robin format, with the South Zone school and recently crowned Premier Division champion, claiming the Big-Four title having conceded one goal less than St Anthony's after three matches.
The match was played at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella, with Naparima starting at full pace, scoring two goals within the opening six minutes, before allowing St Anthony's back into the match.Akinola Gregory, who entered the match in top form, opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a solo effort, mere moments before "Naps" doubled up from national Under-20 forward Nicholas Dillon in the sixth.
Less than two minutes St Anthony's got an immediately reply with a scrambled goal, finished by Kwesi Allen, the team's leading goal scorer, who got the equaliser in the dying moments of the match.
St anthony's needed a win given its inferior goal difference to Naparima, but would again finish second best to star-studded South Zone school.At the end of the new-look Big-Four round-robin competition, Naparima and St Anthony's finished first and second, respectively, with seven points each while San Juan North placed third with a 2-1 home win over Tobago Championship winner, Speyside Secondary.
The next course of action for the four teams is InterCol action in their respective zones, starting next week.On Tuesday, the last team to join next year's Premier Division competition will be decided when Princes Town West and Trinity College meet in the Championship Division Big-Eight third-place playoff. Tomorrow, QRC and Fyzabad, both of which have already been promoted, will meet in the final a day later.
Results & Fixtures
Naparima 2 (Akinola Gregory 5th, Nicholas Dillon 6th) vs St Anthony's 2 (Kwesi Allen 8th, 88th)
San Juan North 2 vs Speyside Secondary 1
Tomorrow
Championship Big-Eight final
QRC vs Fyzabad, venue to be announced
Tuesday
Championship third-place playoff
Princes Town West vs Trinity College, Hasely Crawford Stadium, 5 pm