Latest update April 7th, 2025 6:08 AM
NATI and NAMS set for intense battle in East Berbice finals
– After NATI oust BHS from competition
After over a month of intense and sometimes one sided football competition, the two finalists have been decided for the East Berbice leg of the Digicel Nationwide Schools Football Championship with favourites New Amsterdam Technical Institute NATI down to match skills against New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary (NAMS) in a game which is expected to bring out the best of the two teams.
While NATI came into the competition with a high reputation which they
The victorious New Amsterdam Technical Institute team poses for a photo after defeating Berbice High School on Friday.
lived up to hammering away at their opponents including a tournament high record 22-0 mauling of Port Mourant Secondary, NAMS who entered the tournament as a team to watch, maintained their composure and were quietly putting away their opponents as they gradually did what they had to do to make their way into the final.
Their biggest win was a 12-0 licking of School of the Nations, while their most impressive victory was stopping giant killers, the rampant and advancing Orealla Secondary School by a stunning 4-0 margin in their semifinal encounter.
NATI on the other hand, had to work overtime to get past Berbice High School (BHS) 2-1 in a bruising semifinal encounter which was played on Friday, at the Skeldon Community Centre ground.
The game which had all the pre-match hype as being arguably the game of the tournament lived up to all expectations.
Played in wet conditions due to continuous rainfall which left the outfield heavy, making ball control difficult both teams tried hard to secure the win. Once again, however, BHS choked at a decisive hurdle and must have only themselves to blame as they squandered many goal scoring opportunities.
Both teams were guilty of wasting opportunities, but BHS must consider themselves the main sinner as they somehow failed to make use of their opportunities in yet another competition and ended up on the losing side.
On one occasion they had as much as six consecutive corners as they built pressure, but failed to convert as NATI just could not get the ball out of their area.
On the counter, in fact, both goals netted by NATI were due to goalkeeper errors. The usually reliable James Isaacs in goal for BHS who had an outstanding competition had a terrible day as he struggled with the wet conditions and spilled both times.
The first one somehow eluded him and rolled unimpeded into the goal, while the second he dropped in front of him following a shot from outside the penalty area allowing the lurking striker to pounce on the loose ball to score.
Both times the striker was the prolific Jarrel Walters, who netted against the run of play on both occasions in the 19th and 82nd minutes of play as NATI employed the counterattacking method against their more balanced opponents.
BHS response came from the penalty spot off the boot of their play maker Mark Wrong in the 33rd minute.
The game was so intense at times it almost became physical.
In fact BHS is querying the legitimacy of the some of the NATI players and the organisers have their work cut out to query before kickoff time today. (Samuel Whyte)
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