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Red Sharks, Angels rematch in JRLA Knockout

Published:Saturday | October 5, 2019 | 12:12 AMDaniel Wheeler/Gleaner Writer
Eric Groves of West Kingston Hyenas kicks a goal in his team’s win over Liguanea Dragons during a recent Jamaica Rugby League Association National Knock Out match.
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Eric Groves of West Kingston Hyenas kicks a goal in his team’s win over Liguanea Dragons during a recent Jamaica Rugby League Association National Knock Out match.

The Duhaney Park Red Sharks look to take another step forward towards back-to-back titles when they face the GC Angels in the semi-final of the Jamaica Rugby League Association (JRLA) National Knockout Competition at the Duhaney Park Mini Stadium at 2 p.m.

The second semi-final will feature the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) Spartans versus the West Kingston Hyenas playing at 4 p.m. at the same venue.

This will be the second time in recent weeks that the Sharks and the Angels have faced each other for silverware. The two locked horns in the recently concluded JRLA National Club Championships in late September, where the Sharks captured their seventh straight title in a 24-16 win.

Duhaney Park’s road to the final was not without adversity as they needed a last-second try from Jenson Morris to defeat the Washington Boulevard Bulls 10-8 on Sunday at Up Park Camp. Red Sharks captain Khamsi McKain got on the score sheet as well as Javian Bryan to fuel the champions return to the semi-finals with a try and a goal kick, respectively.

Early scare

The Angels survived an early scare in their opening round against the St Elizabeth Sledgehammers to eventually record a comprehensive 40 to 8 victory over the Division Two outfit. The Sledgehammers opened an eight-point lead over the JRLA Club championship finalist through tries from Akino Pennycooke and former national player Kenardo Morgan. However, the Angels’ response in the second half was quick and devastating, scoring 40 unanswered points to put the match out of reach. Antonio Bake and Adrian Brown led their team’s second-half surge with two tries each while Kareem Harris, Tahjay Lynch, and Lindell all supplied tries to guide their team towards an opportunity for revenge against the defending champion, Sharks.

The second semi-final features two teams that recorded major upsets. New team West Kingston Hyenas produced the first shock of the tournament with a 12-4 win over the Liguanea Dragons while the CMU Spartans registered an 8-6 over Division One team Jamaica Defence Force Warriors.