Newham Primary Schools’ captain James Lynskey lifted the Crisp Shield at the weekend – 67 years after West Ham’s legendary skipper Bobby Moore had done the same for Barking in the inaugural 1951 competition.
The last time Newham had claimed the silverware was in 2000 and the current crop ended their long wait with a win against Lewisham at Brampton Manor Acato cap a fantastic season.
David da Silva Mendonca hit the woodwork from a free-kick early on, before defender Amara Nallo opened the scoring with a volley.
Anthony George made it 2-0 in the second half, but Newham had Emmanuel Olatunji to thank for a penalty save five minutes from time to prevent a Lewisham fightback.
After getting a bye in the first round as West Kent withdrew, Newham had beaten Camden & Islington 3-1 thanks to goals from Nallo (2) and Mendonca and seen off local rivals Redbridge 7-2 after four goals from Anthony Gregory, with others from Kajus Petkus, Shay Bailey and Yahya.
Micah Mbick hit four goals in a 6-2 win over South London, as Gregory grabbed a brace, before Mendonca and Nallo both netted hat-tricks in a 9-2 win over Barnet, with Gregory, Mbick, Petkus and Lynskey also on target.
And following their memorable final win, Lynskey received the prestigious trophy from Grant Leppard and Dave Agass MBE, to add to several other pieces of silverware won earlier in the season.
Newham had won the Essex , South East and National 7-a-side titles – the latter at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena – and also taken the South East 9-a-side crown, before losing the National final on penalties at Liverpool’s Academy ground.
Manager Paul Belcher, the PE lead at Tapscott Learning Trust, said: “This has been our first season managing the Newham district team and we’ve been very fortunate to work with such a talented group of players. Winning the Crisp Shield has capped a remarkable season.”
Newham: Emmanuel Olatunji (Rosetta), James Lynskey (Sandringham), Given Said (Rosetta), Kajus Petkus (Gallions), Shay Bailey (Scott Wilkie), Frankie Morgan (Rosetta), David da Silva Mendonca (Gallions), Amara Nallo (Calverton), Micah Mbick (St Helens), Anthony Gregory (Curwen), Ronaldo Nadda (Plaistow), Obaid Rehman (Godwin).
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