First Engineer Battalion capture Carenage league crown

FIRST Engineer Battalion captured the 2019 BPTT Carenage All-Star League championship trophy and cash prize of $15,000 when they stung Scorpion FC on penalty kicks in a hard-fought final, at the Carenage Recreation Ground, on Saturday.

Played before a large and appreciative crowd which included, Prime Minister and MP for Diego Martin West, Dr Keith Rowley and Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith, the battling Cumuto-based First Engineer Battalion outfit overcame a 0-2 deficit to finish regulation time 2-2.

With neither team clinching a winner despite good chances in regulation time, the match went straight to penalty kicks with First Engineer Battalion sending players and supporters in a frenzy of celebration with their perfect demonstration on the penalty line as they clinched the victory 5-3.

“We are very elated. The boys have worked hard throughout the season and have shown great discipline despite some adversities. It is really teamwork that saw us through,” said an ecstatic Kino Castillo, manager of the championship team.

First Engineer Battalion took home the BPTT League Championship trophy and a cash prize of $15,000 at the prize distribution ceremony which followed the league final. Carenage-based Scorpion FC earned $8,000 and the runners-up trophy. The Stanley Gomez Knock-Out trophy and $7,000 went to Big Yard, with runners-up 13 Possie collecting a trophy and $5,000.

In a short ceremony before the kick-off of the league final, Dr Rowley congratulated organisers of the league, Carenage-based Friends and Family Community Group (FFCG), team managers, coaches, players and supporters for making a difference in the lives of the people of the community. “One family can make a difference, one person can make a difference. When we work together, we can make our country a better place,” Dr. Rowley pointed out.

The Prime Minister thanked energy company BPTT for its support in partnering with the community of Carenage.

BPTT’s Community Sustainability and Stakeholder Relations Adviser, Joel Primus, congratulated FFCG executive management team, led by Kyron Williams, for its excellent work over the past years in the development of community life in Carenage, including the very successful football tournament. “BPTT recognises our involvement in your community as a partnership and not just sponsorship. One of our priorities is the development of our country’s human resources, and a result, our nation. There is a vast pool of talent in different spheres in Carenage and I urge you to continue to work hard to take your community to greater heights,” Primus added.

Also addressing the crowd were Griffith; Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, Denise Arneaud; and Councillor for Chaguaramas/Pt Cumana, Akilah Glasgow.

Nicola Johnson-Williams, events coordinator, FFCG, thanked BPTT for coming to the aid of the organisation by reviving the football league in 2018 following a two-year hiatus. She gave a rundown of the names of several sporting icons, including footballers, as well as cultural artistes, who have made Carenage a household name nationally, regionally and internationally over the years.