DAVID SCARLETT
UNION Hall United were crowned champions of the Shahdon Winchester Foundation annual football tournament at Skinner Park, San Fernando, last Saturday.
The foundation was founded in 2021, two years after the untimely passing of Winchester, the former Naparima College, W Connection and national footballer who died in a vehicular accident in 2019.
Winchester and three of his friends were killed in a crash along the Solomon Hochoy Highway near Gasparillo. He was 27 years old.
The competition was the fifth edition of the initiative, but the first of its kind having shifted from an adult round-robin tournament in the previous four years to an under-15 fixture on this occasion.
Union Hall United impressively went unbeaten in the five-team tournament without conceding a single goal. They overcame Dunstan Williams Soccer Academy (nine points), Penal Is Love (six points), Carrot Shed Football Team (three points) and Victoria Football Academy (zero points).
Lana Winchester, Shahdon’s mother, told Newsday that the foundation saw its vision come to life by providing a platform for young footballers to do what they love.
She said, “Watching the youths take the field brought back memories of Shahdon taking part in numerous youth tournaments years ago.
“The event was a success – better than we expected. We look forward to continued support, as this is just the beginning of what the Shahdon Winchester Foundation has to offer.”
Although they finished second, Dunstan Williams Soccer Academy had the top scorer of the competition as O’Shea Watson won the golden boot with four goals.
Union Hall’s Samuel Belfon and Stephon Richards of Carrot Shed were both one goal short of Watson’s tally with three goals each.
The highly anticipated exhibition match between the "Naps" Old Boys and "Pres" Old Boys was the showpiece event following the tournament.
The match served to honour Winchester (Naparima College) and former national player Akeem Adams (Presentation College). The latter died from complications after he suffered a massive heart attack in his apartment in Hungary, where he was playing for Ferencváros. He was 22.
The players also commemorated Gary Prescott, one of Shahdon’s former Naparima College coaches, who died in 2021.
Naparima featured some of Winchester’s former team-mates such as Nigel Wright, Jayson Joseph, Anthony Parris, Dwayne Edwards and Amale Quashie.
[caption id="attachment_1132781" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Action in the Shahdon Winchester Foundation under-15 football tournament. -[/caption]
Representing Pres – the Akeem Adams XI – were Prison Service FC’s Weslie John, Andre Benjamin, Stephon Campbell, Arvid Applewhite, Tristan Khan and former TT U-20 striker Juma Clarence.
In true fete-match fashion, the showdown was played in thirds rather than halves.
The game proved to be a rollercoaster. Naps went 1-0 up courtesy a Dwayne Edwards penalty early in the first third. However, Pres rapidly recovered and scored thrice in quick succession through Tristan Khan and
