By Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK
The Oshikandela Ramblers Football Club youth soccer tournament produced some excellent football last weekend.
The two-day tourney that was played on a league basis saw several teams taking part in five different age groups and the youngsters did certainly not disappoint the enthusiastic parents and soccer lovers that braced the chilly weather as they flocked to the Ramblers and the Wanderers fields to watch the youngsters strutting their stuff like seasoned campaigners.
Hosts Ramblers made sure the coveted La Novita Trophy for the Under-8 age group remained in Tunchel Street when they finished top of the standings ahead of cross-town rivals Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) A and B sides.
Swallows won the ASCO Car Hire Under-9 floating Trophy – edging ahead of KFA-A and SKW B while SKW-A proved too good for both the hosts A and B entrants in the Financial Consulting Services Under-11 floating Trophy division.
Swallows defeated KFA-A by 3 goals to 2 in the Under-9 final and SKW kept their nerves in the dreaded penalty shootout against their nemesis Ramblers-B after the two teams finished goalless in the final of the Under-11 age group that saw the Germans emerging 2-1 winners.
Group favourites Ramblers-A suffered a surprise exit at the hands of their second strings, who dispatched big brother by a solitary goal in the semifinal while SKW had the better of the exchanges in the other semifinal against SFC-A. SKW won 4-2.
Ramblers-A was victorious in the EXEC Consult Under-13 floating Trophy – brushing aside their opponents including favourites NYFDP whom they beat in the semifinal to finish top of the group ahead of SFC-A and NYFDP.
However, NYFDP succeeded where their siblings failed when the Under-15 side laid their hands on the Valco Sales floating Trophy, leaving SFC and KFA trailing in second and third places respectively.
DSSW showed very little respect for their hosts in the semifinal of the much-cherished Trentyre Namibia Under-17 floating trophy – beating the Tunchel Street Babes by a single goal without a reply. Ramblers had to be satisfied with third place behind Swallows after seeing off SFC with a comprehensive 3-Nil win in the semifinal.
The organizers of the tournament thanked the various sponsors for their financial contributions, trophies and medals, in particular Namibia Safari Services who provided balls and Oshikandela Dairies by taking care of remuneration for the match officials that contributed immensely to the overall success of the Ramblers Soccer Academy Youth Tournament.