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A stunning second-half volley and a coolly converted penalty helped an understrength Arima North Secondary hold off a spirited Trinity College East comeback, to win 4-2 in a rescheduled Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Premiership Division clash on Saturday at the Arima Velodrome.
Arima North’s triumph, paced by a double from midfielder Darren De Four, saw the “Dial Dynamos” skip from ninth to seventh in the 16-team standings with 16 points—albeit having played one game more than eighth placed St Mary’s College (15 points) and two more than ninth placed Trinity College (Moka) (also 15 points).
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
The biggest result of the evening came at Bourg Mulatresse though, as San Juan North Secondary held leaders Naparima College to a 1-1 draw.
After winning their first nine outings, “Naps” are now winless in successive matches and the consequence of that is St Benedict’s College are just one point away now.
St Benedict’s edged St Anthony’s College 1-0 at the Mahaica Sporting Complex today, to climb one spot to second—after Fatima College had to come from behind to hold Presentation College (San Fernando) 1-1 on Mucurapo Road.
On Monday 3 November, Naparima will host St Benedict’s in a rescheduled fixture at Lewis Street, San Fernando. And, at the moment, that contest looks likely to decide which school will be crowned Premier Division champions in 2025.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
At the Arima Velodrome, midtable safety was the target—as ninth place Arima North met 12th place Trinity College East.
Arima were without five starters including influential utility player Criston “CJ” Gomez. But they looked comfortable enough at the end of the first half, with midfielder Darren De Four’s glancing header and attacker Cristiano Hinds’ superb solo effort giving them a 2-0 lead.
However, comfort disappeared and chaos reigned in the second half, as Trinity East came roaring back.
“Blue Hawks” captain Deisean Plaza’s cracking finish within five minutes of the resumption halved the lead, but defender Terriq Thomas soon restored Arima’s two-goal cushion with a majestic volley from outside the area.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
Trinity substitute Akeem Abdallah took advantage of some suspect defending from the hosts to bring his team back into the game.
However, another substitute, Micha’el John, was tripped up in the box during injury time, and De Four slotted the penalty home to clinch the win 4-2 in front of Arima North’s adoring fans.
Known as “Double D” to his friends, De Four now has doubles in back-to-back outings for Arima—having missed their midweek trip to Fatima due to suspension.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
And, with his help, Arima have tightened their grip on mid-table safety and bolstered the sense of belief, ahead of a testing clash with Trinity College (Moka) on Tuesday.
For Trinity East, while they are still in the relegation quagmire, they showed enough in this game to inspire hope that they can survive the drop.
(Editor’s Note: See Wired868.com tomorrow for a full match report, with additional photographs.)
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
SSFL Premier Division results
(Sat 25 October)
St Benedict’s College 1 (Elijah David 61), St Anthony’s College 0 at Mahaica Sporting Complex;
Fatima College 1 (Jonathan Mason 32), Presentation (San F’do) 1 (Isaiah Jacob 4) at Mucurapo Road;
Arima North 4 (Darren De Four 23, 90+2 pen, Cristiano Hinds 44, Terriq Thomas 62), Trinity East 2 (Deisean Plaza 50, Akeem Abdallah 75) at Arima Velodrome;
San Juan North 1 (G Forde 64), Naparima College 1 (Jaydon Caprietta 47) at Bourg Mulatresse.
2025 Premier Division
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Naparima | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 4 | 31 | 28 |
| 2 |  St Benedict's | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 10 | 25 | 27 |
| 3 |  Fatima | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 33 | 21 | 12 | 26 |
| 4 |  Presentation | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 25 |
| 5 |  St Anthony's | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 14 | 10 | 19 |
| 6 |  QRC | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 17 |
| 7 |  Arima North | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 24 | 3 | 16 |
| 8 |  St Mary's | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 29 | 18 | 11 | 15 |
| 9 |  Trinity Moka | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 24 | -6 | 15 |
| 10 |  Signal Hill | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 12 |
| 11 |  San Juan | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 19 | 21 | -2 | 9 |
| 12 |  Malick | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 21 | 26 | -5 | 9 |
| 13 |  Trinity East | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 34 | -20 | 9 |
| 14 |  St Augustine | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 33 | -20 | 9 |
| 15 |  Scarborough Sec | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 29 | -18 | 6 |
| 16 |  Carapichaima | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 7 | 48 | -41 | 0 |
Upcoming fixtures
(Tue 28 October)
St Anthony’s College v Naparima College, 3.30pm, Westmoorings;
San Juan North v St Mary’s College, 3.30pm, Bourg Mulatresse;
Arima North v Trinity College, 3.30pm, Arima Velodrome;
Carapichaima East v Fatima College, 3.30pm, Ato Boldon Stadium;
Trinity East v QRC, 3.30pm, Trincity;
Presentation (San F’do) v St Augustine Secondary, 3.30pm, Mannie Ramjohn Stadium;
St Benedict’s College v Malick Secondary, 3.30pm, Mahaica Sporting Complex;
Signal Hill Sec v Scarborough Secondary, 3.30pm, Signal Hill.
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Vidia S Ramphal is a Trinidad and Tobago sports journalist, commentator, and producer with a passion for storytelling across cricket, football, athletics, and more. A UWI Psychology graduate with training in broadcasting and PR, Vidia brings insight, wit, and Caribbean flair to every assignment—whether behind the mic, in print, or on the sidelines.
