Shiva Boys, the defending South Zone champion of the BGTT/First Citizens Secondary Schools Football League will hope to delay handing over its title to runaway leader Presentation College of San Fernando, when matches resume today in all five zones from 3.45 pm.
Presentation, led by national youth striker Shackiel Henry’s 16 goals, heads the seven-team South table with maximum 30 points from ten matches, to be the lone team in the entire league with a 100-per-cent winning record, and is on a bye today while Shiva is eight points adrift with a match in hand.
Today, Shiva needs nothing less than a victory away to cellar-placed Moruga to stay in the title race ahead of its top-of-the-table meeting with Presentation on Saturday at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella. When both teams met in the first round Shiva came away with a 4-1 triumph and will be confident of picking up another three points, to keep the title race open at least for another round of matches.
In the two other South matches, former champions Naparima College, in third spot and four points behind Shiva travels to fifth-placed Princes Town while fourth-spot St Benedict’s College host Pleasantville at La Romaine. Up North, reigning zonal and national champions St Anthony’s College can also retain its title today depending on the outcome of its home clash with third-placed Fatima College and the meeting between second-placed East Mucurapo and Queen’s Royal College at Fatima Grounds, Mucurapo Road.
The “Westmooring Tigers” unbeaten in 25 matches dating back to the start of last year’s competition currently leads with 24 points from ten matches, six more than East Mucurapo and a win today over visiting Fatima coupled with anything but victory for East Mucurapo over the Royalians will see it secure yet another zonal crown ahead of their clash on Saturday.
At the other end of the table, Trinity and Diego Martin North, both with five points meet in a crucial relegation zone battle at Moka, Maraval. In the East Zone, the top four teams, Arima North (21 points), San Juan North (20), St Augustine (18) and reigning champion El Dorado East will face off with the title race still up for grabs.
The “Dial Dynamos” of Arima North, coming off a bye on the weekend will host San Juan North in a battle of the top two at Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, with both teams hoping for a better result than their first round 1-1 draw at Bourg Mulatresse while St Augustine needs to avenge a 2-1 first round away loss to El Dorado East. In the other East Zone match today, bottom team Toco, with only a point, needs a victory over visiting El Dorado West (six points) to keep alive its hopes of avoiding relegation.
The Central Zone is expected to go down to the final round of matches next Wednesday with top two, defending champion Carapichaima East, with 18 points from seven matches, and Chaguanas North, a point behind, facing struggling Presentation College of Chaguanas and Gasparillo, fourth and last in the standings, respectively.
Over in Tobago, Speyside will have a chance to climb to within one point of front-runners Scarborough today when it travels to Settlement for a clash with bottom-placed Roxborough. Scarborough leads the five-team table with 11 points from five matches, but has an off day today while Speyside is next with seven points.
Today’s BGTT/First Citizens SSFL zonal matches:
NB: All matches begin at 3.45 pm unless otherwise stated
North:
East Mucurapo vs QRC, Fatima Grds.
St Anthony’s vs Fatima, Westmoorings
Trinity vs D/Martin North, Moka, Maraval
East:
Toco vs El Dorado West, Toco
Arima North vs San Juan North, Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar
St Augsutine vs El Dorado East, St Augustine
South:
Moruga vs Shiva, Moruga
St Benedict’s vs Pleasantville, La Romaine
Princes Town vs Naparima, Princes Town
Central:
Presentation vs Carapichaima East, Presentation
Tabaquite vs Couva West, Tabaquite
Chaguanas North vs Gasparillo, Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva
Tobago:
Signal Hill vs Mason Hall, Signal Hill
Roxborough vs Speyside, Settlement