Kingdom of football: Barclays Capital ISF

Showing posts with label Barclays Capital ISF. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Lifting the cup

Sraing Titchhy holds the championship trophy surrounded by his Academy teammates having just won the U-14 Champions League for the 2nd year running

The Phnom Penh Crown U-14 teams were successful in capturing both of the Barclays Capital Indochina Starfish Foundation Championships on offer at the end-of-season play-offs at the Army Stadium on Sunday. They shared the day with a series of games between teams made up of deaf players. The work that the Starfish Foundation do in giving children between the ages of 10-18 the opportunity to take part in regular sporting activities, in this case football, both boys and girls, as well as learning fundamental values of sportsmanship and the rights and wrongs of addictive behaviour, are to be highly commended.

The Crown U-14 B-Team took the championship trophy with a 3-2 success over KDFO's Blue Flag team (photos courtesy ISF)

Sunday, March 25, 2012

More Academy success

Beaming smiles from Sath Rozak and Ken Chansopheak after their 2-0 cup final success

Today was cup final day for the Phnom Penh Crown Academy and the non-Academy youngsters who turn out every Sunday in the Barclays Capital-sponsored ISF U-14 league competitions. Both had won their way through to the play-off final and kicked-off at the same time at the Army Stadium earlier this afternoon. The Academy team had already won 10 out of 10 matches in the Champions League competition and then beat the Flying Tigers 5-1 in last weekend's semi-final. Their cup final opponents were none other than their main rivals Preah Khan Reach, beaten 4-0 in their league meeting, so itching for revenge. Playing thirty minute halves, Crown took the lead after eight minutes when Yeu Muslim's cross was diverted past his own keeper by a PKR defender. That was just after skipper In Sodavid had flashed a shot against the cross-bar. At the other end, keeper Chhuot Senteang pushed a free-kick onto the Crown bar. Eight minutes after the restart, Vat Samnang continued his habit of scoring important goals, when he raced past his marker and fired in a vicious shot from an acute angle for Crown's second goal. Moments later, Sodavid crashed a shot against an upright. No more goals though a few near misses and Crown were jumping for joy at the final whistle, after teaching their rivals another footballing lesson. In the mixed B-team with four Academy players, they met KDFO's Blue Flag in the U-14 Premier League final and were also cock-a-hoop after winning 3-2 with Svang Samnang scoring twice and Ly Heng grabbing the winner. A perfect day at the ISF finals for the Crown youngsters.

The PPCFC team for the 1st half. Back: Sakrovy, Senteang, Sovann, Baraing. Front: Sodavid, Muslim, Ponvuthy, Piphop, Rozak

The 2nd half line-up. Back: Titchhy, Sovann, Sodavid, Senteang, Chanpolin. Front: Samnang, Noeut, Piphop, Sakrovy

The 17-strong PPCFC Academy squad for the ISF Champions League final

The U-14 Premier League squad representing PPCFC

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Raining goals

The Academy team that rattled in 14 1st half goals. Back Row LtoR: Sovann, Baraing, Sodavid, Ponvuthy, Sakrovy. Front: Phearath, Noeut, Rozak, Samnang

It was raining goals at the RSN Stadium this morning, with the two Phnom Penh Crown teams recording convincing scorelines in the Barclays Capital ISF matches. The B-team (a mix of Academy and non-Academy U-14s) in the Premier League went first, beating Andong 11-2 with Ly Sovannara scoring four and birthday boy Heng netting a hat-trick. Then it was time for the full Academy team to strut their stuff in the Champions League and they went to town on their opponents from Andong, registering their biggest win of the season to-date, 22-0. It was legalized football murder as In Sodavid netted within two minutes and the goals just kept coming. Pov Ponvuthy was in red-hot form, hitting a hat-trick in as many minutes, and an Andong defender volleyed into his own net before the twinkle-toes of Mat Sakrovy joined the fray, scoring four in two, two-minute spells. Ponvuthy raced clear to add two more to his tally to bring it up to five, Vat Samnang, Sodavid and a scorcher from Sath Rozak earned Crown a 14-0 half-time massacre. Within a minute of the re-start, Ken Chansopheak scored and Suon Noeut added two more before Andong packed everyone into their box. Choun Chanchav whacked a free-kick through the wall, Theang Chhaya scored from the penalty spot as Andong started picking up bookings, before Orn Chanpolin with two and Chhaya rounded off a comprehensive 22-0 drubbing. The woodwork assisted in lessening the score by half a dozen as well. PPCFC now lead the Champions League table after 10 games, with 10 wins, 120 goals scored and none conceded. Knee injuries ruled out Yeu Muslim and Phoeun Sopheak, the latter is due to go to New Zealand for testing with the club's Asia Pacific Academy partners but faces a race against time to be fit.

Pov Ponvuthy firing in one of his 5 goals in the match

Vat Samnang drives through with his left foot to score his goal

Twinkle-toes Mat Sakrovy on his way to scoring one of his 4 goals

In Sodavid volleys in his 2nd goal with Ponvuthy admiring

Vat Samnang tearing down the left wing

The 2nd half PPCFC line-up. Back Row LtoR: Piphop, Baraing, Chanpolin, Titchhy. Front: Chhaya, Phearath, Chanchav, Noeut, Chansopheak

Coach Bouy Dary giving 1-on-1 advice to Mat Sakrovy

More advice from coach Dary, this time to Seut Baraing

The half-time team talk

The Crown B-team were also amongst the goals, winning 11-2. Ly Sovannara (22) scored 4 goals.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Double Crown triumph

The Crown Champions League team collecting their winning prize

The mixed Premier League team line up for their prize-giving

The RSN Stadium at Tuol Kork was the venue for the start of the third Barclays Capital Indochina Starfish Foundation football league today with five pitches awash with boys and girls football matches throughout the day. The age groups were U-10s and U-14s as well as U-18 girls and the matches also included a team of deaf players from Krousar Thmey amongst the 46 teams taking part. I spoke to a lot of players from the teams who converged on the RSN Stadium and they all said how much they loved playing the games, whether they win or lose. It was so refreshing and a tribute to the work done by the ISF folks with squads from NGO’s, orphanages and schools making up the majority of the teams. The home team, Phnom Penh Crown entered two teams in the U-14 Champions and Premier Leagues, and they both won their respective championships on the day. With all games twenty minutes in duration, it was 7-a-side and the Champions team for Crown were all Academy boys. They beat Komar Athyreach 5-0, Preah Khan Reach 3-1, got a bye in the quarter-final and then beat Sunrise Kandal 2-0 in the semi. With two goals from Mat Sakrovy they then overcame Maruhan Japan Bank/PSE 2-0 in the final. Their passing was crisp and quick, each player played unselfishly and they always had enough gas in the tank to beat their opponents. For Crown's Premier team, it was a mix of Academy and non-Academy boys, including four U-10s. They found it a bit tougher but still won through to the Premier final, where they beat the ISF Flying Tigers team on penalties, with Svang Samnang netting the winning spot-kick after making two saves as his team's keeper. The day's winning teams in the boys and girls league were presented with their prizes of soft drinks and biscuits and will carry on with the championships every week between now and March at the same venue.