Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

The exciting scramble for crucial points is set to continue today when action resumes in the second round of the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup, with 14 games spanning zones B, D, E, H and K, all starting at 3:30 p.m.

Today's big matchup should be the Zone E game at Lacovia between the home team, which leads the standings with 21 points; and third-place Munro College (14), who are now in desperate battle to put their inter-zone ambitions back on track.

While Munro have been floundering with a record of four wins, two defeats and a draw in seven games, the high-riding Lacovia, whom they held to 0-0 draw in the first round, have been all but ruthless, chalking up seven wins in their other seven games.

Unless Munro can improve on Saturday's 0-0 draw against Black River, today's game could be a cake walk for Lacovia.

St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), who sit in second place behind Lacovia on 18 points, should have things easy against the tame BB Coke, who suffered a crushing 9-0 defeat in the first round.

Race for zone supremacy

Should Lacovia falter and STETHS win big, it would throw the race for zone supremacy wide open.

In Zone B, where eight-time champions Rusea's hold a two-point lead atop the standings ahead of 2003 champions Frome Technical (16), a battle royal is anticipated between third-place Green Island (10) and newcomers Hopewell (8), who are both battling to keep their inter-zone aspirations intact.

In their first meeting, Green Island held the then rampaging Hopewell to a 2-2 draw on their home turf, but should be hard-pressed for a repeat or an improvement on the home ground of the Hopewell team, which has only lost once at home in three tries.

There are other two games in the group. Leaders Rusea's should run rings around the struggling Merlene Ottey, which they clobbered 6-0 in the first round on their home ground in Lucea.

Frome, 3-1 winners at home in their first round game against Knockalava, might find things much tougher at Knockalva on a surface many teams have complained about.

Interestingly, it should be noted that after a somewhat uncertain start when they lost to Anchovy (1-0) and Hopewell (2-1), Frome have been on a roll, winning three games and drawing one. The draw came against the ominous-looking Rusea's.

In Zone K, where the battle for the group's two inter-zone place remains a wide open affair, joint leaders St Mary Technical and St Mary High (17); and Tacky High (13) and Annotto Bay (10) will all be hunting maximum three points in their respective games to keep their aspirations intact.

Today's matches

Zone B

Rusea's vs Merlene Ottey at Rusea's

Knockalva vs Frome at Knockalva

Hopewell vs Green Island at Hopewell

Zone D

Ocho Rios vs York Castle at Drax Hall

Brown's Town vs A'Gallimore at Addison Park

Zone E

BB Coke vs STETHS at Downs Community Centre

Maggotty vs Black River at Maggotty

Lacovia vs Munro at Appleton Estate

Zone H

Clarendon College vs Lennon at Chapelton

Thompson Town vs Vere at Thompson Town

Zone K

Oracabessa vs Iona at Eden Park

Islington vs St Mary High at Clemhard park

Annotto Bay vs Brimmervale at Westmoreland Oval

Tacky vs St Mary Technical at Tacky