Salt River Blackpool junior tournament a success

The exciting youth seven-a-side tournament was an instant hit and had a noteworthy turnout as parents, family and friends came in numbers to support their little soccer stars

Tournament director Iqbal Kasker said he was pleased with the support shown, and that the tournament was a successful one.

“I think it was an overwhelming success after speaking to a number of clubs that participated. Yes we had one or two glitches but that is all part of learning, but obviously we’ll improve on certain aspects for next season,” said Kasker.

“We set our goals to run efficiently and on time, and for the most, we ran about 20-minutes late which is not bad for the amount of games we played.

“I also think that the teams that won were the teams that deserved it. Also in the individual awards, we had no complaints from anyone.

“The tournament highlight was to see kids from all walks of life there. We had players from the Township to Camps Bay, that was definitely the highlight for me because it was never about promoting a competition for players to win, it was more about participation and fun,” he added.

The Blackpool under-11 side did their club proud as they remained unbeaten in the tournament and ultimately went on to claim the Cup Section winners’ trophy, following a tight contest and penalty shootout with PPG Langa.

Camps Bay secured the top spot in the under-nine division after defeating Meadowridge with a comfortable 5-0 throbbing. Camps Bay juniors showed a tremendous amount of maturity, they scored an impressive 18 goals and conceding just one in their six matches.

Mitchells Plain’s Woodlands United overcame favourites Meadowridge with a 2-0 win in the under-seven Cup Section.

The small sided tournament in aid of developing youth brought a sparkle to football scouts eyes , as the kids notched up an astonishing 302 goals during normal time from 186 matches played.