In the annual CSC vs Chevening football match, Cheveners competed to retain the championship title the team won last year.
On Saturday, 29 June 2019, the annual CSC vs Chevening football match took place at Norton Sports Park, Sheffield. This annual event brings together scholars funded by both The Commonwealth Scholarships Commission in the UK (CSC) and Chevening for an afternoon of sports, relaxation, and networking.
Organised by Commonwealth Scholar and South East Regional Network Coordinator, Damilola Olisa, approximately 60 CSC and Chevening Scholars attended the match to play, cheer, and support their teams.
The match kicked off at 14:00, shortly after a quick team warm up on both sides, and Chevening FC were off to a great start. However, with a strong defence from the CSC team, Chevening FC found it very difficult to score. However, that did not stop the team from putting up a good fight with goalkeeper Jose Davila from Honduras not once but twice blocking the opposing team from scoring.
Despite the team’s best efforts, at the end of the first half, the CSC team had scored three goals and Chevening FC, none.
Chevening Scholarships are aimed at future world leaders and like the future leaders they are, the team’s spirit did not waver and their energy remained high.
After a short break, the whistle was blown for the start of the second half and within five minutes, to the delight of all CSC supporters, the score was 4-0.
Not willing to accept defeat, Chevening FC had a burst of extravagant energy and scored two goals, one after another, in quick succession.
The fans cheered, social media supporters cheered, and most of all, the team cheered! They were back and they weren’t going to make it easy for CSC to win.
With the score at 4-2, the team fought hard and their energy continued to rise. They kept the CSC players on their toes, and with their incredible tackles and dribbles across the field, they managed to tire some of the CSC players.
Then came a huge blow for Chevening FC. It was the gut-wrenching moment the team scored an own-goal!
With 15 minutes left to the game, and with a 5-2 score from a match characterised by surprises and shock, there was still all to play for from both teams. Premier League teams had turned games around before and so could Chevening FC!
There was even more to prove now after the own-goal, the team were more determined than ever and in those final minutes, scored another goal. Aiming to dominate the last few minutes of the game, they focused their attention on tackles and blocking strikers.
The CSC team continued to play well and made strong passes keeping the ball away from their goal post, and with the final whistle blown, the match ended and the celebrations (from both sides) started.
In the end, CSC had scored 4 goals and Chevening FC had scored 4 goals, bringing the final score to 5-3.
A short awards ceremony followed a much-needed snack break and shortly thereafter, scholars from both scholarship programmes were able to go home.
Well done to all who attended to play, cheer, and help with the organisation and running of the event. Congratulations to the CSC team on their win this time. Chevening FC will be back for the title next year.
You can view more photographs from the event on the CSC Flickr page.
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