Adrian Frater, News Editor
Members of the victorious Garvey Maceo team hold aloft the DaCosta Cup after they defeated Glenmuir High in a penalty shoot-out at Brancourt last season. - File
WESTERN BUREAU:
WHILE THEY no longer have the services of prolific striker Ashton Bennett, the man who lit up their campaign with 37 goals last season, champions Garvey Maceo, with 75 per cent of their victorious team lining up to defend their title, must be the team to beat this season.
"We no longer have Bennett (Ashton) but we still have a number of quality players," said coach Jeffrey Hewitt, who guided the team to an impressive 16 wins, four draws and one defeat last year. "Although we are rebuilding, we are nonetheless quite optimistic about our chances this year," he said. If Garvey Maceo's performance in the Links FM 20/20 tournament, which they won in early August, is anything to go by, the Clarendon outfit, which boasts quality players like Shawn Fogah, Richard Allen and Mikhail Howell, looks set to make it another testing year for the other teams. As for the team's lining up to dethrone Garvey Maceo, those seemingly in with the best chance are parish neighbours Glenmuir, who will be battling them for group honours and Ben Francis Cup Knockout places, Rusea's, who looked quite sharp in the Links FM 20/20 tournament and Cornwall College, who have invested much time and resources in their preparations this year.
While Garvey Maceo and Glenmuir should dominate Zone I, they would overlook resurgent Kemps Hill at their peril as this team has reportedly been quite exciting in pre-season preparations and could prove a hard team to beat, especially if players like Derrick Planter and Glastan Davis measure up to expectations.
Over in Zone A, Cornwall College should have a fight on their hands and it would be unwise of them to be thinking about the inter-zone round with teams such as St. James High, Herbert Morrison and Irwin all gunning to strip them of their zone champions status.
Despite their great promise, Rusea's should not have things all their own way in Zone B as they will face quality opponents including the usually classy Frome Technical, Green Island and Anchovy. Any foul-up could see them on the sidelines at the end of the competition's preliminary round.
Except for Zone E, where traditional big guns St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) and Munro College are the leading lights, the other zones are not expected to figure prominently although schools such as Zone H's Vere Technical and Clarendon College and Zone CÕs Godfrey Stewart and Mannings all have history and pedigree. In the case of Munro College and STETHS, once senses that if they are able to stay focussed for the entire season, their chances are as good as any other team. In the case of Munro College, they were most unfortunate last year as they only lost once.
THE GROUPS
Zone A
Cornwall College
Green Pond
Herbert Morrison
Spot Valley
Irwin
Maldon
St James High
Zone B
Anchovy
Frome Technical
Green Island
Hopewell High
Knockalva Technical
Merlene Ottey
Rusea's
Zone C
Godfrey Stewart
Grange Hill
Mannings
Maud McLeod
Petersfield
Zone D
Aabuthnott Gallimore
Brown's Town
Cedric Titus
Marcus Garvey
Ocho Rios
York Castle
Zone E
BB Coke
Balaclava
Black River
Lacovia
Maggotty
St Elizabeth Technical
Munro College
Zone F
Belair High
Bellefield
Cross Keys
DeCarteret College
Manchester High
Porus
Zone G
Christiana High
Edwin Allen
Holmwood Technical
Knox College
Mile Gully
Spalding
Zone H
Clarendon College
Claude McKay
Denbigh
Lennon
Thompson Town
Vere Technical
Zone I
Central High
Garvey Maceo
Glenmuir
Kemps Hill
Old Harbour
Tacius Golding
Zone J
Bog Walk
Charlemont
Dinthill Technical
Ewarton
Glengoffe
McGrath
Zone K
Annotto Bay
Brimmervale
Iona
Islington
Oracabessa
St Mary High
St Mary Technical
Tacky High
Zone L
Buff Bay
Fair Prospect
Happy Grove
Port Antonio
Titchfield
Zone L b
Morant Bay
Paul Bogle
Robert Lightbourne
Seaforth
St Thomas Technical
Yallahs
