The winning South New Amsterdam teachers team
South New Amsterdam Teachers gave their counterparts from the North a trashing and a lesson in counting when they whipped them 6-1 in the feature game of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) triple-header Saturday night at the All Saints Primary School.
Playing under lights, North New Amsterdam started the game with great aggression, but were soon tamed and for most of the first half the teams shared possession equally.
However, former Berbice player Colin Bowery made good use of a pass that went across the goal midway in the first half.
When the half time whistle came, the score line was the same and the match seemed wide open.
On the resumption Rocky Hutson found himself in the right position to receive a pass from Bowery and made no mistake.
Although limping with a groin injury, the Tutorial Academy teacher continued on the field and netted twice more before Graham Thomas found the back of the net.
Not satisfied with his lone goal, Bowery scored again to make in 6-0. With some injury time granted to the players, Micah Erskine pulled one back for North.
Earlier, the female students played to a 2-1 game in favour of North New Amsterdam.
The North New Amsterdam girls made it almost impossible for South to score with solid defense from the likes of Taniean McWatt (Berbice High School [BHS]), Nerissa Grant (Berbice Educational Institute [BEI]), Sodia Smart (BHS) and Roshell Miller (BHS).
Together with the fast running striker in team captain Taniean Savory (BHS), North took the lead. However Shantia LeCock, who utilized her speed to play at every available part of the field, ensured that the score line was level at the halfway stage of the game.
Rocky Hutson scored a hat-trick for South New Amsterdam
In the second half, the rivalry continued and South seemed to be better able to get past the defense, but still could not change the score line.
In an effort to strengthen their defense, South replaced goalkeeper Abigail Walker, with National School’s triple jump record holder Daniela Joe – a move that could have cost them the game.
Marsha Narsaiah, playing just off the centre line, fired at a rolling ball and sent it straight to the goal, but by the time the ball reached the goalkeeper it was moving at a snail’s paste.
To the surprise of all, the goalkeeper missed it and Narsaiah scored her first goal at the inter-school level.
The boys game was played at a fast paste and seemed a mismatch, as some of the players from New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI), representing North, were at least 18 inches taller than their counterparts from the South. One spectator asked whether there was an age limit for the players.
But the disadvantage did not dampen the spirits of the boys from the South. In fact they embarrassed the taller guys and made one-on-one plays.
Six minutes into the game, Staffard Edwards of South (BEI) sent a shot that beat two defenders and found the goalkeeper slightly out of place to open the scoring.
Two minutes later Steffon Boucher (NATI) answered that goal. In the 14th minute, Edwards dribbled through the field and sent a powerful shot, which had goalkeeper Edmond Semple diving to his left, but could not hold on to the ball and Orin Glen completed the job for South.
In the second half of the game, North employed a more meaningful strategy and kept the ball more on the ground. They were rewarded with a goal when Jeremy Samuels got a free kick just off the corner line and just outside of the 20-yard box.
The shot went up and curved to the far end of the goal to find the back of the nets, despite an excellent attempt by goalkeeper Omari Bentham to end the game 2-2.
The GTU New Amsterdam Branch organized the event to raise funds for the branch.