By: Orville Wright
In a thrilling face-off in the first match of the Sandals sponsored St Ann/ St Mary Business House football competition National Water Commission (NWC) beat Gran Bahia Principe 2-1.In the second match of the opening double header defending champions Couples Tower Isle and RIU Ocho Rios played to a 2-2 draw. Action was on Sunday July, 24 at the Drax Hall, Sports Complex, St Ann.
Gran Bahia Principe had the dominance with the ball in the first 20 minutes of the match, during which they had several shots towards goal. NWC had more agility over the hotel men but failed to get any shot off towards goal as the Gran Bahia’s back four stood strong and solid.
The demeanour of the coaches told a tale. NWC’s David Pryce could be seen yelling from the side lines begging his men to try some shots at goal while on the other bench coach of the Gran Bahia Principe, Stacey Benjamin was in a tranquil, relaxed state.
The match referee was verbally bashed by the spectators over several bad decisions they said he made. However, despite the passes, tackles and fast pace up and down the field neither team produced any goal in the first half of the match.
Segree Murray #9 was one of the top players in the first half, for Bahia.
The first goal of the game came in the 49th minute through a penalty kick after one of the hotelmen was pushed over by NWC’s goal keeper, Claydon Ennis in the six-yard-box. Shavar Brown #12 of Gran Bahia placed a powerful shot to into the left of the goal, making it 1-0, and sending Bahia supporters into wild cheering.
The NWC players, though disputing the penalty and being one down, kept up their game plan and were back in it in the 75th minute. Dwayne Ohlmes #5, deceived the Gran Bahia goal keeper, Rauel Wilson with a lobbed ball that caught him off guard and ended up over the goal line.
The second goal came in the 88th minute and the water men now seemed to have flooded Gran Bahia. It was a beautifully struck shot from the 6-yard-box by Ricardo Reid #10. There was no way back for Bahia as the whistle came after five minutes added time with no further goal, giving the NWC the victory.
