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Urban teams rule in Champions Cup

Published:Saturday | November 3, 2018 | 12:00 AMRobert Bailey and Kavarly Arnold
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Lionel Rookwood
Dinthill Technical's Karim Bryan (right) shrugs off a challenge from Holy Trinity's Phillion Lawrence during their ISSA Champions Cup encounter at Stadium East yesterday.
Ashley Anguin
Frome Technical High's Keith Blake (left) and Altiman Gordon of Camperdown battling for the ball during yesterday's ISSA Champions Cup match at the Montego Bay Sports Complex. Camperdown won 1-0.
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Schools from the urban ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup football competition dominated their rural ISSA/WATA daCosta Cup rivals on yesterday's second day of the 2018 ISSA Champions Cup.

Following Friday's opening double-header at Sabina Park, where the honours were shared, the urban standard bearers took control winning five of six matches. Four games went to penalty shoot-outs with only Cornwall College from the rural area coming out winners. Six Manning Cup and two daCosta Cup teams have advanced to the quarter-finals.

At the Stadium East, Holy Trinity High moved into the quarter-finals after a 4-2 penalty shoot-out win over Dinthill Technical. The teams were locked at 0-0 at full time.

In the second match at that venue, defending Manning Cup champions Jamaica College drubbed Mile Gully High 4-0 with Shaniel Thomas (15th), Norman Campbell (31st), Tajay Grant (54th) and substitute Isaac Scott (87th) getting the goals.

 

PENALTY SHOOT-OUT

 

Over at the Montego Bay Sports Complex, Camperdown High clipped Frome Technical 1-0 courtesy of a 56th-minute goal from Ziddon Brathwaite in the opening match.

In a tense penalty shoot-out in the second match of the double-header, Cornwall completed the lone win for the rural teams after they clipped Wolmer's Boys 3-2 on penalties. They were locked 1-1 at full time.

At the St Elizabeth Technical Sports Complex in Santa Cruz, last year's beaten Manning Cup finalists St Andrew Technical got past Manchester High 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw at full time. Charlie Smith High also got the better of Clarendon College 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 scoreline at full time.

At the Stadium East, Holy Trinity's head coach Devon Anderson said his team is aiming to make a very serious run for this year's title.

The Central Kingston-based Holy Trinity were perfect from the spot with Phillion Lawrence, Carlington Blackwood, Noel Bunsie, and captain Dante Grant converting their penalty kicks.

Anderson said he is confident his team can go all the way in this year's competition after falling at the last hurdle in 2014.

"I am glad for my kids because we have had a rough season, and so we are aiming to do well in this competition this year. Our aim is to reach the final [and win it] because we went there in 2014 and we lost to Jamaica College," the Holy Trinity coach said.

At the Montego Bay Sports Complex, Camperdown took a long time to settle down before getting the winning goal.

Coach Christopher Bender said the team was low on confidence following their Manning Cup exit.

Camperdown managed to survive a first half that saw Frome create a number of opportunities. Frome paid for their wastefulness when Brathwaite got the winner in the second half.

Frome were given a lifeline late in the second half when they were awarded a penalty, but leading goalscorer Giovani Mitto's shot was easily saved by Camperdown's goalkeeper Daniel Prince Smith.

"We are coming from a terrible loss the other day against Kingston College, where we needed just one point to go through to the semifinals (of the Manning Cup). The boys were a bit down so we had to lift them up, show them that we still believed in them," Bender said after his team's victory.

The draw for the quarter-finals will take place tomorrow.