James Murphy
INTERNATIONAL 6 d APOLLO 1
TENSION’S are always high when traditional rivals Apollo and International meet in Limestone Coast soccer.
That was no different on Sunday when the A Grade opponents clashed at Webb Street for the opening round of the 2024 season.
To add to the occasion it was a grand final rematch and also the annual Mr Thomas Cup.
The Cup is played between the two clubs in honour of the late Mr Thomas, who was actively involved in both clubs throughout his life.
This year the Cup returned to Inter, following Apollo’s success in 2023.
The match started as an arm wrestle, with both teams pushing hard from the first whistle.
A red card to Apollo’s Chris Bytheway seemed to spark the home side and shortly after Caine Ellis scored to put Apollo up 1-0 19 minutes in.
In typical Inter fashion the boys in black and blue were quick to respond and after a scuffle in the goal square a penalty taken by Matt Bueti awarded him his first goal.
The second came just three minutes later and suddenly Inter had seized a lead it would not give up.
The remainder of the half went without score and Inter entered the break with a handy buffer.
The guests extended the margin early in the second half when Cedar Sopha scored in the 46th minute.
From there Apollo was left on the backfoot and while the hosts managed to prevent further damage for the middle portion of the half, they were unable to convert their own opportunities.
Bueti scored his third in the 79th minute which reopened the floodgates and his fourth and final success came in the form of another penalty goal in the 85th minute.
Dan Allwright wrapped things up with a 90th minute goal and at the final whistle it was a big 6-1 win for the reigning premiers.
BLUE LAKE 4 d NARACOORTE 3
A thrilling encounter at Malseed Park concluded with Blue Lake claiming a 4-3 win over a visiting Naracoorte outfit.
The match started with plenty of back and forth, before Naracoorte opened the ledger with a goal to Mojtaba Hussaini in the 21st minute.
However, Naracoorte’s lead was short lived and a hat-trick to Shar Nay Than propelled the Rangers into the lead.
He scored all three in a six-minute purple patch and while Naracoorte’s Kevin Marshall did respond late in the half, Blue Lake remained a goal clear at the break.
The second term had intensity levels remain high, with both teams fighting hard for a look in.
Defences stood tall and it was not until the 75th minute another goal was scored.
That came from Marshall, who put one through for the visitors to level the game at three goals apiece.
He was dealt a yellow card soon after, while another yellow was given to Blue Lake’s Richard Kinyabugma as tension started to rise.
As the game boiled down the next goal was vital and eventually it was Shar Nay Than who sealed the deal.
His fourth goal for the day put the Rangers up by one in the 82nd minute and from their the hosts held on for the win.
With plenty of talent in the Blue Lake roster, the result was still a positive for Naracoorte.
However, with just the five teams in the A Grade competition this year, Naracoorte will need to step things up if it is to stand a chance of breaking into the top four.
For Blue Lake it was a good outcome and would have given the side confidence in its ability to ride out a game heading into yesterday’s Anzac Day clash with International.
Round 2 will have just one A Grade fixture played on Sunday, with Naracoorte set to host Gambier Centrals, while Apollo has the bye for the round due to Millicent’s absence in the senior competition this season.
