Tweet
St James High capture d'Cup
St James High capture d'Cup
Football
BY PAUL AREID Observer Writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, December 14, 2008
MONTEGO BAY, St James - St James High School captured their second title of the season after beating Spaldings High 2-0 in the final of the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup football competition at Jarrett Park yesterday.
Before a massive crowd, goals from Nicolie Barrett late in the first half and the competition's 'golden boot' winner, Allan Ottey, with his eighth goal late in the second, made the Montego Bay school the 13th to hoist the trophy.
Davion Reid (right), of St James High tries to stop striker Milton Christopher of Spalding High during the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup schoolboy final at Jarrett Park yesterday. St James won 2-0 to claim their second title of the season. (Photo: Paul Reid)
St James, who earlier in the season won the Ben Francis KO title, became the seventh school to win the rural area double and the third from Montego Bay after Cornwall College and Herbert Morrison.
St James High, who broke the two-year spell by Clarendon schools, will now move onto the all-island Olivier Shield Final against St George's College in Kingston on Wednesday, and Saturday at Jarrett Park.
The game lacked the spark and consistent high energy that both schools displayed throughout the season and was played at a pedestrian pace for long periods, especially at the start of the second half.
Captain Fabian McCarthy of St James High hoists the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup trophy after the presentation by Pepsi's David Chin following their 2-0 win over Spaldings in the final at Jarrett Park yesterday. (Photo:Paul Reid)
Spaldings controlled the game for most of the first half and created at least two clearcut scoring chances but failed to maximise their efforts.
Spaldings' failure was frustrating for coach Alexander Morgan, who told the Sunday Observer that at the half-time break he cautioned his team that "if they don't take their chances you will pay".
Morgan said his team "did not look motivated in the second half and it is hurtful to know that our top players did not play as well as they could today".
"They should have won the game after dominating the first half. We created the chances but did not make use of it...we gave up very soft goal," he said.
Hugh Solomon, coach of the victorious St James High, said while they were always confident they would win, they were tentative at the start, sitting back and seeing what Spaldings had to offer.
He said, however, that he thought they should have been up 2-0 by the end of the first 45 minutes.
St James had the first chance at goal when Garfield Hall's long range shot from the right side, hit the outside of the post and rebounded into play.
Spaldings' first chance came in the 11th minute when the dangerous Milton Christopher turned nicely on the edge of the 18 yards box, but his left-foot drive went just over the bar.
He had the first real chance in the 25th minute when St James High goalkeeper, Everette Nunes, failed to hold onto a misplayed clearance by Fabian McCarthy. Instead of dribbling into the box, Christopher tried to loop the ball into the goal but missed, placing the ball high.
The pace of the game picked up as the half ended as both teams traded chances. Luwayne Greenwood should have put Spaldings ahead in the 43rd minute when he was picked out at the right side by a cross from Christopher but crashed it off the underside of the crossbar with Nunes well beaten.
They paid for the miss two minutes later when goalkeeper Linroy Mundle's mistake allowed in a tame free kick from Barrett.
The kick was struck from well outside the area and despite getting behind the ball, Mundle allowed it to slip through his hands and fall over the line.
Barrett should have scored his second goal in the 67th minute when he pounced on a loose ball inside the Spaldings' 18-yard area but blasted the ball high into touch.
Spaldings had their best chance in the second half when Christopher and substitute Kevon Moore weaved their way deep into the Spaldings area, but the final effort was just off the mark as the ball bounced harmlessly past the far post.
With time running out, Ottey - who was kept in check for most of the game - got his one chance and buried it past Mundle after dribbling past two defenders.
Football
BY PAUL AREID Observer Writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, December 14, 2008
MONTEGO BAY, St James - St James High School captured their second title of the season after beating Spaldings High 2-0 in the final of the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup football competition at Jarrett Park yesterday.
Before a massive crowd, goals from Nicolie Barrett late in the first half and the competition's 'golden boot' winner, Allan Ottey, with his eighth goal late in the second, made the Montego Bay school the 13th to hoist the trophy.
Davion Reid (right), of St James High tries to stop striker Milton Christopher of Spalding High during the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup schoolboy final at Jarrett Park yesterday. St James won 2-0 to claim their second title of the season. (Photo: Paul Reid)
St James, who earlier in the season won the Ben Francis KO title, became the seventh school to win the rural area double and the third from Montego Bay after Cornwall College and Herbert Morrison.
St James High, who broke the two-year spell by Clarendon schools, will now move onto the all-island Olivier Shield Final against St George's College in Kingston on Wednesday, and Saturday at Jarrett Park.
The game lacked the spark and consistent high energy that both schools displayed throughout the season and was played at a pedestrian pace for long periods, especially at the start of the second half.
Captain Fabian McCarthy of St James High hoists the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup trophy after the presentation by Pepsi's David Chin following their 2-0 win over Spaldings in the final at Jarrett Park yesterday. (Photo:Paul Reid)
Spaldings controlled the game for most of the first half and created at least two clearcut scoring chances but failed to maximise their efforts.
Spaldings' failure was frustrating for coach Alexander Morgan, who told the Sunday Observer that at the half-time break he cautioned his team that "if they don't take their chances you will pay".
Morgan said his team "did not look motivated in the second half and it is hurtful to know that our top players did not play as well as they could today".
"They should have won the game after dominating the first half. We created the chances but did not make use of it...we gave up very soft goal," he said.
Hugh Solomon, coach of the victorious St James High, said while they were always confident they would win, they were tentative at the start, sitting back and seeing what Spaldings had to offer.
He said, however, that he thought they should have been up 2-0 by the end of the first 45 minutes.
St James had the first chance at goal when Garfield Hall's long range shot from the right side, hit the outside of the post and rebounded into play.
Spaldings' first chance came in the 11th minute when the dangerous Milton Christopher turned nicely on the edge of the 18 yards box, but his left-foot drive went just over the bar.
He had the first real chance in the 25th minute when St James High goalkeeper, Everette Nunes, failed to hold onto a misplayed clearance by Fabian McCarthy. Instead of dribbling into the box, Christopher tried to loop the ball into the goal but missed, placing the ball high.
The pace of the game picked up as the half ended as both teams traded chances. Luwayne Greenwood should have put Spaldings ahead in the 43rd minute when he was picked out at the right side by a cross from Christopher but crashed it off the underside of the crossbar with Nunes well beaten.
They paid for the miss two minutes later when goalkeeper Linroy Mundle's mistake allowed in a tame free kick from Barrett.
The kick was struck from well outside the area and despite getting behind the ball, Mundle allowed it to slip through his hands and fall over the line.
Barrett should have scored his second goal in the 67th minute when he pounced on a loose ball inside the Spaldings' 18-yard area but blasted the ball high into touch.
Spaldings had their best chance in the second half when Christopher and substitute Kevon Moore weaved their way deep into the Spaldings area, but the final effort was just off the mark as the ball bounced harmlessly past the far post.
With time running out, Ottey - who was kept in check for most of the game - got his one chance and buried it past Mundle after dribbling past two defenders.