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THE 2011 Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Gatorade/Digicel Schoolboy football competition gets underway today with a double header at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall, St James.
In the first game at 2:00 pm, last season's treble winners Jamaica College will kick off the Manning Cup football competition against Group D rivals and former champions Camperdown High, while nine-time champions Rusea's High will start the defence of their daCosta Cup title when they take on Green Island High in a Zone B game set to start at 4:15 pm.
Despite losing several players, including inspirational goal scoring captain Ashani Walker, Jamaica College have consistently churned out strong teams in recent years and are tipped to get the better of the Camperdown team.
JC swept all before them last season to cop the Manning Cup, Walker Cup and Olivier Shield titles to undisputedly secure the tag of all-island kingpins. The Old Hope Road-based aggregation was successfully defending the Walker Cup after taking it in 2009.
Conversely, Camperdown High have not enjoyed the best of times over the last decade and despite decent showings in 2009 and 2010, failed to make the quarter-final round.
The east Kingston-based school also faltered twice against JC in last year's group stages and despite recently acquiring the services of past student and former Humble Lion coach Christopher Bender, are again expected to find the going tough.
No other matches will be played in the Manning Cup today, but nine are set for Monday.
In Group A, 2004 winners Excelsior High entertain Mona High, while Holy Trinity will host Greater Portmore and St Catherine High are scheduled to face Calabar High.
Many eyes will be on the Mountain View Avenue-based Excelsior after former Waterhouse coach Boris Johnson was brought in to fill the void left by veteran coach Leebert Halliman.
In Group C, former champions Charlie Smith will visit St Catherine-based Ascot High, while Vauxhall High welcome neighbours Dunoon Technical and Haile Selassie square off with the formidable Wolmer's Boys' team, guided by Ludlow Bernard.
Wolmer's, playing without several of their national Under-17 players, won the recent St George's College Invitational Tournament after easing by the Neville 'Bertis' Bell-coached hosts 3-1 in the final at Winchester Park, North Street.
Group E favourites St George's College entertain Edith Dalton James at their North Street base in what is expected to be a one-sided affair. The other matches in the group will see Tarrant High hosting Meadowbrook and St Catherine-based rivals Innswood High and Spanish Town High clashing.
Forty-one schools will contest this season's Manning Cup competition, which has been divided into seven groups, alphabetically named from A to G, instead of the six that were used last year.
A whopping 16 matches will be played today in the rural area daCosta Cup competition. The opening ceremony for the start of the 2011 schoolboy season will preclude the urban area curtain-raiser.
Yesterday Anthony 'Follies' Williams, assistant coach of the Hanover school that beat Lennon High last year to capture the title, told the Observer they were "as ready as they can be".
Williams reported they had lost four members of the starting team from last season, but said he was confident they would be able to find useful replacements.
Among the replacements expected to take their place in the starting team are midfielder Junell McDonald and left back Damion Alexander who came off the bench last year.
Last season's golden boots winner Brian Brown will be back along with Under-17 World Cup representative Anthony Walker and Nicoy Haughton.
Green Island will be returning to the competition after a two-year absence and will be one of six other schools seeking a spot in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, for the first time, the organisers will schedule other games on the opening day and 15 other games are down to be contested today, including Ben Francis Cup champions St Elizabeth Technical in Zone F.
The Andrew Edwards-coached STETHS will face DeCarteret College in Santa Cruz, while Lennon High will open their campaign in Zone H away to Thompson Town.
— Sanjay Myers/Paul Reid
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz1XXaq89mD
In the first game at 2:00 pm, last season's treble winners Jamaica College will kick off the Manning Cup football competition against Group D rivals and former champions Camperdown High, while nine-time champions Rusea's High will start the defence of their daCosta Cup title when they take on Green Island High in a Zone B game set to start at 4:15 pm.
Despite losing several players, including inspirational goal scoring captain Ashani Walker, Jamaica College have consistently churned out strong teams in recent years and are tipped to get the better of the Camperdown team.
JC swept all before them last season to cop the Manning Cup, Walker Cup and Olivier Shield titles to undisputedly secure the tag of all-island kingpins. The Old Hope Road-based aggregation was successfully defending the Walker Cup after taking it in 2009.
Conversely, Camperdown High have not enjoyed the best of times over the last decade and despite decent showings in 2009 and 2010, failed to make the quarter-final round.
The east Kingston-based school also faltered twice against JC in last year's group stages and despite recently acquiring the services of past student and former Humble Lion coach Christopher Bender, are again expected to find the going tough.
No other matches will be played in the Manning Cup today, but nine are set for Monday.
In Group A, 2004 winners Excelsior High entertain Mona High, while Holy Trinity will host Greater Portmore and St Catherine High are scheduled to face Calabar High.
Many eyes will be on the Mountain View Avenue-based Excelsior after former Waterhouse coach Boris Johnson was brought in to fill the void left by veteran coach Leebert Halliman.
In Group C, former champions Charlie Smith will visit St Catherine-based Ascot High, while Vauxhall High welcome neighbours Dunoon Technical and Haile Selassie square off with the formidable Wolmer's Boys' team, guided by Ludlow Bernard.
Wolmer's, playing without several of their national Under-17 players, won the recent St George's College Invitational Tournament after easing by the Neville 'Bertis' Bell-coached hosts 3-1 in the final at Winchester Park, North Street.
Group E favourites St George's College entertain Edith Dalton James at their North Street base in what is expected to be a one-sided affair. The other matches in the group will see Tarrant High hosting Meadowbrook and St Catherine-based rivals Innswood High and Spanish Town High clashing.
Forty-one schools will contest this season's Manning Cup competition, which has been divided into seven groups, alphabetically named from A to G, instead of the six that were used last year.
A whopping 16 matches will be played today in the rural area daCosta Cup competition. The opening ceremony for the start of the 2011 schoolboy season will preclude the urban area curtain-raiser.
Yesterday Anthony 'Follies' Williams, assistant coach of the Hanover school that beat Lennon High last year to capture the title, told the Observer they were "as ready as they can be".
Williams reported they had lost four members of the starting team from last season, but said he was confident they would be able to find useful replacements.
Among the replacements expected to take their place in the starting team are midfielder Junell McDonald and left back Damion Alexander who came off the bench last year.
Last season's golden boots winner Brian Brown will be back along with Under-17 World Cup representative Anthony Walker and Nicoy Haughton.
Green Island will be returning to the competition after a two-year absence and will be one of six other schools seeking a spot in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, for the first time, the organisers will schedule other games on the opening day and 15 other games are down to be contested today, including Ben Francis Cup champions St Elizabeth Technical in Zone F.
The Andrew Edwards-coached STETHS will face DeCarteret College in Santa Cruz, while Lennon High will open their campaign in Zone H away to Thompson Town.
— Sanjay Myers/Paul Reid
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz1XXaq89mD