In a tense Thursday showdown at Speightstown Playing Field, Ellerton secured the last remaining spot in the Prime Minister’s Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought 2-1 round-of-16 victory over Notre Dame. The triumph locks the St George-based side into the final eight bracket, where all quarter-final fixtures are scheduled to kick off at Friendship Playing Field on November 19.
Division One powerhouse Notre Dame drew first blood, when forward Winston Maynard slotted home a 21st-minute strike to put his side ahead. Ellerton’s early uphill battle grew steeper just eight minutes later, as veteran central defender Shane Codrington picked up the contest’s first yellow card. But the team’s long-serving captain Shaquille Belle, who was later named official Player of the Match, stepped up to steady the ship, notching a 39th-minute equalizer to level the terms before the halftime whistle blew with no further score changes.
The second half saw 57th-minute substitute Ethan Squires fire in the go-ahead goal to complete Ellerton’s turnaround, as the side dug in to defend their narrow lead for the rest of the fixture and lock in their spot in the next phase of the prestigious local tournament. Post-match, Belle told reporters he had anticipated the grueling physical contest, noting the slippery pitch conditions forced his squad to make quick tactical adjustments to grind out the desired result. He confirmed the team would return to intensive training sessions immediately to prepare for their upcoming quarter-final opponent. The full quarter-final draw pits Empire against Brittons Hill, Paradise against Pride of Gall, St Andrew Lions against Ellerton, and defending champions Weymouth Wales against Kickstart Rush in a rematch of last year’s title decider.
Earlier that same evening, the women’s division delivered a lopsided 4-0 shutout win for R.F Prime over Weymouth Wales, with Player of the Match Kerisha Catlyn bagging a brace to lead her side to three critical points. The dominant performance lifted R.F Prime to second place in Group One with nine points, trailing only league leaders Paradise who hold the same point total but boast a superior goal difference and one unplayed group fixture remaining.
R.F Prime stormed out of the gates immediately, with Catlyn opening scoring in the second minute of play. Daphne Watson-James extended the lead to 2-0 in the 36th minute, before Taryn Sutherland converted an injury-time penalty to send her side into halftime with a commanding three-goal cushion. Catlyn sealed the comprehensive victory with her second goal of the night in the 60th minute, wrapping up R.F Prime’s full slate of group stage matches. In post-match comments, Catlyn was quick to credit her teammates for the win, noting that her personal goal tally would not have been possible without collective team effort, and stating that the squad’s sole focus now is securing a spot in the division’s final.