Mucurapo Senior Comprehensive chalked up their tenth win in 11 matches to maintain their four-point lead over second-placed St Anthony's College yesterday when they trampled Malick Senior Comprehensive at Fatima ground in their BG T&T Secondary Schools Football League North Zone match.
The 4-0 beating keeps them on course for the National League finals, although the scoreline was not quite a true reflection of the encounter.
Although "Compre" earned their comfortable victory, Malick did not help their cause much with a barrage of slip-ups at the end of the first half and during the second period.
Mucurapo started the game more brightly and with constant attack, but the Malick defence promised to give them quite a battle, closing out their rivals' early advances.
Malick, on the other hand, did not trouble Damean Rostant in the Mucurapo goal early on, having their first attempt only after 15 minutes.
The Malick defence held up well until the 30th minute, when Malick conceded a free kick in a dangerous area down the left flank. Keshawn Hunte obliged with a neatly-taken kick that snuck into an unprotected near post, Malick inexplicably not having opted for a wall.
Mucurapo kept on pressing and Malick had some fruitless efforts, including a near-miss by midfielder Jamal Maughn in the 39th minute, and a strike by Atiba Swift that went marginally overbar. Mucurapo led 1-0 at the half.
Three minutes after the restart in the 48th minute, a Hayden Tinto corner found an unmarked Swift, who shot at goal, only to hit teammate Stefan Ramdial on the goal-line at the far post to deny Malick a goal. On the counter-attack, Mucurapo doubled up, Richard Roy finding the net on his second attempt after a magnificent reflex parry from Malick 'keeper Gabriel Daniel kept out the initial strike.
Mucurapo had their third in the 60th minute as Nigel Arthur got into the act, collecting a pass at the edge of the 18-yard box and slotting under an advancing Daniel. 3-0 Mucurapo.
Malick had some bright spots, though, especially from the efforts of the hard-working Tinto, but he could not find the target and his teammates could not make good on their crosses, another shot, this time from Ramdial, rebounding off Maughn on the line of a vulnerable goal.
To add insult to injury, Shervon Jack got Mucurapo's fourth in the 81st minute, sneaking into the penalty area from the left and beating Daniel.
At St Anthony's ground in Westmoorings, the home team hammered CIC 4-0, Troy Thompson and Akil De Freitas each finding the net twice.
And Fatima inched past Morvant/Laventille 4-3 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, while QRC pipped Tranquillity Government 3-2.
16