Wales top table in first game

 

 
Weymouth Wales have cut to the front of the line in the Barbados Football Association’s Digicel Premier League after making a mess of Rendezvous when they opened their 2017 campaign this past Sunday night. Playing at the National Stadium in their first game of the season, last year’s third place finishers and Banks Beer Champions Cup winners whipped the losing finalists four goals to one after being tied at half-time.
 
Playing in the night-cap game, Wales drew first blood when Romario Harewood rocked the nets in the 13th minute. Back in Barbados again, Shandel Samuel levelled the score in the 35th to see the teams going into the break on even terms.
 
Play continued in the second with several fruitless exchanges until the inclusion of talented midfielder Hadan Holligan. The youngster tipped the scales in the 70th to set Wales on a path to victory. Twenty minutes later, as injury time rolled in, Stefan Cumberbatch decided that a one-goal victory was not enough for his team. Cumberbatch struck twice – first in the 90th, then again in the 95th to close out the beating.
 
At 6:00 p.m., defending champions University of the West Indies Blackbirds failed to bank in on the $500 bonus as they were forced to part ways as equals with Brittons Hill. The Blackbirds held the advantage after scoring in the 25th minute through Dario Harewood. Brittons Hill were able to bounce back in the 71st with UWI ending a man short. Travis Coppin equalised for the Valerie-based team with Andre Leslie being given his walking papers after a straight-red.
 
The evening’s first game was an open-and-shut case as the Barbados Defence Force Sports Programme easily dispatched Notre Dame. After the entire first half and most of the second, it looked as though the game would end in a goalless draw. However, Rashad Jules came to the party late and hit home twice with unanswered goals in the 86th and 90th minutes.

 

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