Too close to call in BICO final

It is all or nothing today when the curtain comes down on the BICO National Sports Council’s Primary Schools’ Football Competition. A new champion will be crowned at the end of today’s final, which will see St. Cyprian’s Boys’ and Charles F Broome going head-to-head.

 

With both sides hailing from Zone 4, this is the first final for both and is expected to be a keenly-contested match. 

 

Charles F Broome topped the group with 23 points while St. Cyprian’s beat out Wilkie Cumberbatch (19) for second with 21. Today’s final will be a day of reckoning for the two as they parted as equals on a goal each when they met up in the preliminaries.

 

It will be interesting to see how they stack up against each other this time around as they have distinctly different styles of play. Charles F Broome have blasted their way through the competition unbeaten with an aggressive game. Their strengths lay in their midfield and offence with the likes of Khalil Vanderpool-Nurse, Ethan Taylor and Josiah Parris making the most of their opportunities at goal. 

 

Vanderpool-Nurse, who was named valedictorian at the school’s recent graduation, scored nine goals in the prelims and has also proven valuable on the way to the final with other goals. Josiah Parris has also scored nine in the earlier stages; and Ethan Taylor, who scored both goals in the two-nil semifinal against Arthur Smith Primary, was good for seven.

 

In the St. Cyprian’s camp, the team is made up mostly of Class 2s and depends heavily on tactics and strategy. Guided by Coach Ramon Greaves, St. Cyprian’s makes the most of all their positions and is a more-balanced side than their physically-bigger opponents. The team boasts several utility players with Marcus Whittington, who had eight goals before the playoffs, falling into that category. Dominic Downes (3) has an unassuming look about him but has proven dangerous on several occasions. In the middle, Jaydon Sealy has turned up to score four goals this season, while Seth Jones has very few goals to his name but is a terror on the wing as one of the smallest players in the competition.

 

Today’s final is slated to kick off at 11 a.m. at the National Stadium after the third-place playoff, which is to commence at 10 a.m.