Adrian Frater, News Editor
St James High School's star midfielder, Ricardo Morris (right), works his way past Irwin's Donovan Carey in yesterday's ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup game at Jarrett Park. St James won 3-1. - Photo by Adrian Frater
Western Bureau:
St James High School marched into the inter-zone round of the 2008 ISSA/Pepsi/-Digicel daCosta Cup schoolboy football competition yesterday afternoon and climbed to within a point of grabbing the lone Ben Francis Knock-Out slot from Zone A, when they brushed aside Irwin High 3-1 at Jarrett Park in Montego Bay.
The St James High team, which moved to an unassailable 26 points, got their goals through skipper Fabian McCarthy (two) and substitute Daniel Foote. Irwin got their lone goal from Romeo Clarke.
"We were not at our best today, as it was difficult to motivate the players who realised that all we needed was a point to secure our inter-zone place," said Pastor Hugh Solomon, coach of the St James High. "It is good to know that we are safely into the inter-zone."
Wide-open field
The battle for the other slot from the group remains wide open as both second-place Maldon (21) and third-place Cornwall College (20) both registered good wins.
Cornwall College, with two games to go, defeated Herbert Morrison 1-0, while Maldon, with one match outstanding, defeated Spot Valley 4-0.
In their next outing, Cornwall College and Maldon will square off in a game that neither team can afford to lose. A win for Maldon would see them advancing, while a draw for Cornwall College and a win in their final game would see them moving into the inter-zone.
In Zone L, where the four-team play-off to decide the group's two inter-zone places started yesterday, St Thomas Technical grabbed a 1-0 first leg advantage in the clash with Fair Prospect, while Happy Grove and Paul Bogle played to a 0-0 draw in the other game.
With the slots in the inter-zone phase of the competition quickly filling out, a number of teams will be looking to cement their place or strengthen their positions this afternoon when the competition resumes with 28 games across 10 zones.
With Zone B's Rusea's, Zone A's St James High and Zone J's Bog Walk already assured of their inter-zone place, Frome Technical from Zone B, Lacovia from Zone E, Spalding from Zone G, Lennon from Zone H and Old Harbour High from Zone I will all join them if they emerge victorious today.
In the game at Jarrett Park, St James High squandered numerous chances in a 0-0 first half, but took the lead four minutes into the second half when the overlapping skipper, McCarthy, fired home powerfully from 35 yards, making the score 1-0.
Irwin pulled level in the 67th minute when Clarke struck from inside the goal area to make the score 1-1.
However, substitute Foote regained the lead for St James in the 75th minute and then skipper McCarty sealed the issue two minutes from the end.
Yesterday's results
Zone A: St James High 3 Irwin High 1; Cornwall College 1 Herbert Morrison 0; Maldon 4 Spot Valley 0
Zone L: St Thomas Technical 1 Fair Prospect 0; Happy Grove 0 Paul Bogle 0
Today's games
Zone B: Frome vs Merlene Ottey at Frome; Anchovy vs Rusea's at Irwin; Knockalva vs Hopewell at Knockalva
Zone C: Maud McLeod vs Manning's at Maud McLeod; Godfrey Stewart vs Grange Hill at Godfrey Stewart
Zone D: Ocho Rios vs Brown's Town at Drax Hall; York Castle vs Marcus Garvey at York Castle; Cedric Titus vs Aabuthnott Gallimore at Cedric Titus
Zone E: Balaclava vs Locavia at Balaclava; Black River vs STETHS at Black River; Munro vs BB Coke at Munro
Zone F: Bellefield vs Porus at Bellefield; Belair vs Manchester High at Belair; Decarteret vs Cross Keys at Decarteret
Zone G: Spalding vs Edwin Allen at Spalding; Christiana vs Knox at Christiana; Mile Gully vs Holmwood at Mile Gully
Zone H: Clarendon College vs Thompson Town at Chapelton; Lennon vs Denbigh High at Lennon
Zone I: Old Harbour vs Central at Old Harbour; Tacius Golding vs Garvey Maceo at Soya Oval; Glenmuir vs Kemps Hill at Glenmuir
Zone J: Dinthill vs McGrath at Dinthill; Ewarton vs Bog Walk at Ewarton; Glengoffe vs Charlemont at Glengoffe
Zone K: Oracabessa vs Islington at Eden Park; Annotto Bay vs Iona at Westmoreland Oval; Tacky vs St Mary High at Tacky
