Camphill's Football Team have won the Ballymena & District Primary Schools' F.A. 7-a-side League for the second time in three years! Playing through very mixed weather conditions on Thursday afternoon, we competed against the three other schools who had qualified for the finals at the Ballymena Showgrounds 3G pitch. Our first match was against Fourtowns, who had won the other 7-a-side tournament back in October, so despite taking the lead through Taylor, we were reasonably happy to finish with a one all draw. However, with Gracehill beating Ballykeel on the other pitch, we knew we needed a win against Gracehill in our next match to retain a realistic chance of success.
A hugely committed performance saw us control the first half and establish a two goal lead, through great team play finished off by Brooklyn and Carter. As expected, Gracehill piled forward and eventually pulled a goal back to set up a tense final three minutes, but Matthew organised a resolute defensive performance to ensure we saw the game out. With Ballykeel having defeated Fourtowns, it meant that going into the last round of matches, three teams could still win! For Camphill a win against Ballykeel would guarantee the title, but a loss would see us miss out. A draw in our game alongside a Gracehill win would see them claim the trophy despite losing to us, so it was all to play for.
Camphill largely controlled the first half but were unable to create a breakthrough and knew that Ballykeel would have the advantage of the wind behind them in the second half. It also became clear that the knocks two of our key players had picked up in earlier games were now restricting their movement and we would need to replace them at half-time. So it truly was a great squad effort that kept us playing well and concentrating on our own game, not being distracted by what was happening on the other pitch.
As the final whistle sounded, the scoreless draw meant we had finished above Ballykeel but had Gracehill scored? After a tense wait whilst the teachers confirmed all the results, the boys were overjoyed to hear that the other game had also been a nil-nil draw meaning Camphill had secured the trophy. A few moments later, our captain Matthew was receiving the impressive shield and celebrating a memorable triumph with his teammates. With one title secured, the team moves forward to the semi-final of the Senior Cup, the most prestigious tournament in the local area and the one trophy that has always proved elusive for Camphill...
Congratulations to the entire squad, all of whom contributed to Camphill's victory and fully deserved their medals.
Squad: Harry, Tyrese, Matthew (c), Jude, Brooklyn, Carter, Taylor, Denzil, Daniel & Ben.
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