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Shane Calderon, John Stewart and Shastri Spencer were all on the score-sheet for St Augustine Senior Comprehensive, as the “Green Machine” copped its first Secondary Schools Football League title in fifteen years with a 3-1 win over Naparima College yesterday at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar, in front of a vocal crowd estimated at 5,000.


St Augustine started the brighter of the teams but found themselves trailing after 21 minutes, when an unmarked Kern Robinson was allowed to head home from a right-side corner. Kezi Lara, Naparima’s top marksman this season with eight goals, could have doubled Naparima’s advantage ten minutes later but his tame shot from well inside the box went straight to St Augustine custodian Nigel Parris.

Before the half, Calderon had two good opportunities to grab an equaliser for the “Green Machine,” but he was unable to hit the target on both occasions.

The second half started much like the first with St Augustine playing the more constructive football and their ambitious play finally bore fruit just seven minutes after the restart, when “Naps” goalie Leston Shade allowed a low, right-footed drive from Calderon to pass through his legs and into the goal.

In the 61st minute, Stewart capitalised on some indecision from three “Naps” defenders, who failed to clear a ball that was bubbling around in the area. He spanked the loose ball past a helpless Shade, sending the “Green Machine” supporters into a frenzy.

Smelling blood in the water, St Augustine threw more players into the attack in an attempt to kill off their opponents. They almost sealed the affair in the 63rd when a flick header from Calderon fell invitingly for Keron Hall, but an acrobatic save from Shade in the “Naps” goal prevented his sweetly struck volley from finding the net.

The East Zone champions, looking for a third item, began to leave holes in their defence and were almost made to pay in the 77th by Kern Peters, but he shot straight to a grateful Nigel Parris.

Naparima, in an attempt to get back into the match, were also guilty of leaving their backline open and the “Green Machine” put the match beyond them in the 84th when a quick counter-attack saw Spencer, who had been working hard on the left flank all evening, latching on to through ball from his strike partner Calderon and unleashing a “rocket” into the roof of the net from just inside the 18-yard box.

St Augustine:
Nigel Parris, Joel Williams, Jesse Martinez, Stephen Pierre, Elton John, Marlon Whitehall (Kevon Hall 37th), Devon Maxwell (Aaron Peters 78th) Matthew Ramirez (capt), John Stewart, Shastri Spencer, Shane Calderon.

Naparima:
Leston Shade, Dezi Lara (capt), Kevin De Verteuil, Renato Ramlochan, Deverne Wallace, Javed Mohammed, Kern Peters, Keron Garib (Adisa Connell 75th), Kezi Lara, Andrew Bailey (Sherrick Hillaire 53rd), Kern Robinson (Terrance London 86th).

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