Notre Dame slow Wales’ title bid

Claytons Kola Tonic Notre Dame showed why they are archrivals of fellow powerhouses, Weymouth Wales, by slowing down their opponents’ romp towards a 14th league title with a 1-0 victory in the key Digicel Premier League football game at the National Stadium Sunday night.
Although Notre Dame cannot take the crown and Wales, with three games in hand, are highly expected to pip the Barbados Defence Force for the top spot, the Dames went into the match keen on ensuring that Wales would not win to move to 39 points, a height that only the BDF could mathematically challenge.  
Furthermore, the Dames were bent on reversing their 1-2 first-round loss while denying Wales their record of completing the Premiership unbeaten.
With fierce tackles and stout defence from both sides, the game took a turn when a free kick
 from the Dames was fluffed by goalkeeper Greg Jones who pulled the ball from the air and dropped it, allowing Dwayne Mars to pounce and rock the nets in the 13th minute.
With that one-goal advantage, the Dames then switched on a stifling defence which saw even leading goalscorer Dwayne Stanford being neutralized with the Eric Alleyne-coached team looking far from champions-in-waiting as they failed to make any serious runs at the Dames.
It was only the strength of Wales’ midfield which denied Notre Dame any more goals.
That key game was sandwiched by two high scoring matches.
Dayrells Road guaranteed their second year in the Premiership and doomed Pinelands to relegation to Division 1 for 2013.  
Deposed kings, Meridian Castrol Youth Milan, repeated their first-round five and denied Pinelands their two responses thanks to double strikes from Josimar Skinner and Norman Forde.
Skinner struck in the fifth and 31st minutes to carry Milan to a 2-0 advantage at the break. Two minutes into the second half, Shane Hinds scored before the irrepressible Forde shot home in the 52nd and the 88th.  
Pinelands’ only entries on the score sheet were yellow cards for Randy Burrowes and Kamal Thompson.
The night-capper saw three goals being scored in the first eight minutes as KDJ Auto Parts Gatorade Dayrells Road edged Gall Hill 3-2.  
Ryan Griffith scored in the fifth minute for Gall Hill with Curtis Odle replying almost immediately in the sixth minute.
Two minutes later, Kelly Lovell added another goal for Dayrells Road.
The game seemed heading for a draw after Julian Nicholls, son of Gall Hill stalwart, Cedric Nicholls, evened the contest with a strike in the 69th minute.  
However, seconds before the whistle, Damien Parris eluded Gall Hill’s defence and booted home to give Dayrells Road their third goal and another year in the Premiership. (KB)