Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer
The Manning Cup's leading goalscorer, St George's Kamal Malcolm (second left), who has 21 goals to his credit, is congratulated by teammates after scoring against Jamaica College (JC) in the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel Manning Cup at Constant Spring yesterday. JC won 3-2, but both teams advance to the semis.

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

HIGH-RIDING St Andrew Technical (STATHS) will face St George's, while reigning champions Jamaica College (JC) and Bridgeport will meet in the semi-finals of the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel Manning Cup after results went in their favour during yesterday's final set of second-round matches.

STATHS, who last won the title in 1987 and who were locked in a three-way battle with Excelsior and Calabar for a spot from Group Two, came from a goal down to earn a valuable 1-1 draw with Calabar.

JC, who needed to defeat Group Three rivals St George's to re-ignite their championship defence, did so with a 3-2 result.

The game between Waterford, who stood an outside chance of advancing, and Eltham ended 2-1 in the latter's favour, while the Excelsior-Tivoli Gardens clash at Winchester Park finished 2-2.

St George's, who finished on six points, qualified as the best second-place team ahead of Group One contenders Wolmer's (four) and Excelsior (three), while Bridgeport, who booked their spot on Friday, qualified as winners of Group One.

The semi-finals, which is scheduled for next week Saturday, will be played at a venue to be announced.

Excelsior and Calabar, who were both hoping for the double, will now turn their attention to the final of the Walker Cup, which will be replayed as the curtainraiser to the final of the Manning Cup on November 29.

On a rainy day, which left the Constant Spring playing field (where two of the day's four matches were played ) wet and muddy, JC were the first team to advance.

Playing at 1 p.m., the same time as Waterford versus Eltham match-up at the Spanish Town Prison Oval, the boys from Old Hope Road came from two goals down to pip St George's, ourtesy of strikes from Odane Greensword, Saeeb Robinson and substitute Nico Wright.

The league's leading goalscorer, Kemal Malcolm (21 goals) and Dane Ewars had given the Light Blues the 2-0 lead.

"It was a hard-fought game. As defending champions if we were to go out, we told ourselves we were going to go out fighting. And that is what the team did today, fight," said JC coach Alfred Henry.

St George's coach, Neville Bell, was gracious in defeat.

"JC did brilliantly. The surface was poor and made playing difficult but they fought back. I thought we should have buried the game in the first half when we created close to 10 chances, but that is how it goes," Bell said. "We will just have to turn our attention to the semi-finals where we hope to do much, much better."

In the venue's second match-up between Calabar and STATHS, the former took the lead in the fifth minute via a well-placed freekick from Ewars.

But STATHS, refusing to lay down and die, kept up the fight against the green-and-black standard bearers, and 10 minutes into the second equalised through substitute, Odaine Ellison.

With news that the Excelsior-Tivoli game was petering out to a draw, STATHS then held on to the draw, which was enough to see them through.

"The conditions really affected us, but we were able to stick in and get the result we wanted," said STATHS coach, Keith Nichol. "I have to give the guys a lot of credit, and the hope is that we will bring this fight into the semi-finals."