WESTERN BUREAU:
WITH THE St. James FA/Hart & Sons Senior Football League now on in earnest, unbeaten Tomorrow's People have opened a two-point lead atop the standings in the 12-team competition which carries a whopping $150,000 winners' purse.
In their last game, Sunday's fourth-round match against Moun-tain Villa, the slick-moving Tomorrow's People dominated but had to settle for a 0-0 draw as they failed to get on the scoresheet despite the many opportunities they created.
In other games played on Sunday, the struggling Reggae Lions recorded their first win of the season, blanking the high-riding Catherine Hall FC 2-0, their first defeat of the season, in a surprise result. In the day's third game, Juniors and Salt Spring Roses battled to a 1-1 draw.
Despite Sunday's loss to Reggae Lions, the Catherine Hall team, which is one of the favourites for the title, is locked in a three-way tied for second place with Seba Youths and ACES, as all three teams are on six points from three games apiece.
The remainder of the standings read: Juniors - 5, Salt Spring Roses - 5, Reggae Lions - 4, Violet Kickers - 3, Mountain Villa - 2, Melbourne - 1, Champions - 0 and Black Diamonds - 0.
43 goals scored
A total of 43 goals have been scored in the competition. Seba United have the best offensive record with nine goals. Catherine Hall and Salt Spring Roses come next in the standings with seven each.
The competition, which is sponsored to the tune of $1 million by the Hart family, will see the eventual champion earning qualification to the Captain's Bakery Western Confederation Super League - the qualifying tournament for the Cash Plus Premier League (CPPL).
The start of the season was affected by an impasse between the St. James FA and the St. James Referees Group which was settled following the intervention of the Jamaica Football Federation and the Jamaica Football Referees Association.
"The competition is now progressing smoothly as the problem with the referees is now behind us," said Lilli-Mae Crawford, the FA competitions' coordinator. "We are not anticipating any additional problems for the season."
