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This was Ingham Pups’ second carnival victory of the season so far, they went 1-nil down in this final... But a Beatts double, plus goals from Sammy Pearce, Archer Carr and Thomas Martin helped fire Ingham to victory. Huxley Beatts scored a last-gasp winner to seal a 5-4 win for Ingham Pups over Brothers in the Kelso Cup grand final in Townsville. The goal was the culmination of a dramatic comeback for Ingham’s under-7s, who twice came from behind in the final, to overcome a side that beat them 6-1 in the group stage of the competition.
Coach Melissa Carr said, "The boys dug deep and brought their A-game when it mattered most. After going down 6-1 to this side in an earlier match, some would have given up - but not these boys," she continued with pride, "It’s a testament to their attitude and the bond they’ve formed as a team."
Brothers levelled on the stroke of half-time and then roared into a 4-2 lead after the break. Archer Carr sparked the comeback for Ingham, curling the ball over four players and into the net to make it 4-3.
Thomas Martin then equalised to make it 4-4, setting the stage for Beatts to grab that late winner. Earlier in the day, Ingham Pups had sealed wins over Ingham Cubs (4-2), JCU Riverway (4-2) and Brothers Blue (3-0) before going down 6-1 to Brothers Red in their final group game.
Pups bounced back to win their semi-final 5-nil over Brothers Blue, sending them into the final, which they won 5-4 over Brothers Red. Patrick Pearce (4 goals) and Cristiano Rapista (2 goals) were also on the scoresheet for Pups during their six games on the day.
There were strong performances all-round from Ingham’s juniors in the Kelso Cup, with Ingham Cubs under-7s, coached by Cameron Blanco, reaching the semi-finals, and Ingham’s under-6s, led by Brenden Accornero, reaching the grand final and finishing runners-up at the event in Kelso, Townsville, on Sunday 14 July. Ingham’s under-13s girls also finished runners-up, having reached the grand final with some impressive performances.
Contributed with thanks by Jonny Pearce.
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