Primary Football League season opens with full slate
(L-R) Cayman Brac playing against Red Bay Primary in the recent PFL Opening Rally
(PFL): The 2015/2016 CUC Primary Football League (PFL) and Girls’ Primary Football League (GPFL) regular seasons began Saturday, 3 October, with games at various venues across Grand Cayman.
At the Annex Field, Cayman Brac’s Under-11 boys opened Group B play with a 3-0 victory over South Sound Schools. The Brac’s primary “target man”, Jamar McCoy, scored a hat trick with goals in the 15th, 24th and 29th minutes.
Trailing 3-0 at halftime was too much of a hurdle to overcome for the young South Sound School players but they refused to give in during the second half and created a few scoring chances of their own.
To enhance the developmental aspect of the game in the primary schools, which is the main focus of the PFL and GPFL, the PFL committee implemented the “mercy rule” in September 2013 and amended it last month. Initially this rule stated that scores would not be recorded after 6-0 (a goal differential of six such as 6-0, 7-1 or 8-2). The amendment specifies that scores will not be recorded after 4-0 (a goal differential of four such as 4-0, 5-1 or 6-2). Games will continue after the differential is reached but there will be no further goals recorded by the referee.
In other Group B games, it was Red Bay Primary defeating Bodden Town Primary 4-0 (Under 9 – mercy rule enforced); Red Bay Primary over Bodden Town Primary 4-0 (Under 11 – mercy rule); Prospect Primary losing to Cayman Prep 0-4 (Under 9 – mercy rule); Prospect Primary falling to Cayman Prep 2-6 (Under 11); NorthEast Schools beating Triple C 4-0 (Under 9 – mercy rule); and NorthEast Schools besting Triple C 3-1 (Under 11).
In the Group A game played at the Annex Field, Cayman International School’s Under 9s defeated Truth For Youth 4-0 (mercy rule) and the Under 11s scored a dramatic 2-1 victory over Truth For Youth thanks to a double from Jackson MacKay. Truth For Youth’s Marc Balbontin scored his school’s only goal.
In other Group A games, it was Sir John A. Cumber Primary vs. Savannah Primary 0-2 (Under 9); Sir John A. Cumber Primary vs. Savannah Primary 0-2 (Under 11); St. Ignatius Prep vs. George Town Primary 4-0 (Under 9 – mercy rule) and St. Ignatius Prep vs. George Town Primary 4-0 (Under 11 – mercy rule).
In the CUC Girls’ Primary Football League (GPFL), scores in Group A included Sir John A. Cumber Primary beating Savannah Primary 4-0 and St. Ignatius Prep 4 over George Town Primary 4-0 (both under mercy rule).
In Group B it was Prospect Primary losing to Cayman Prep 0-4 (mercy rule); NorthEast Schools falling to Triple C 3-4 and Bodden Town Primary beating Sir John A. Cumber Primary B 4-0 (mercy rule).
The 2015/2016 CUC PFL and GPFL regular seasons continue this Saturday, 10 October, with games at the Annex Field, St. Ignatius Prep, Old Man Bay Field in North Side, Triple C and Bodden Town.
