Defending Walker Cup champions St Catherine off to winning start
Published:Thursday | November 10, 2022 | 3:29 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS St Catherine started off their title defence of the Walker Cup in empathic fashion, dismissing rivals St Jago 2-0 at the Spanish Town Prison Oval yesterday.
What started off as a cagey encounter between the pair grew to match the expectations of a St Catherine derby in the second half when defender Nathel Ellis met Dwight Gentles’ corner kick in the 47th minute. Captain Romaine Walters would make the result safe from the penalty spot three minutes later.
Anthony Patrick, head coach of St Catherine, was pleased with the efforts of his team despite using a younger line-up than usual.
“Well, I must give the boys a thumbs up. One of our senior player in Nickyle Ellis was out, and we brought in some 14 and 15-year-olds to give them a run (playing time), and they did well while playing deep into the game. I think in total, they did well,” said Patrick.
After being locked scoreless at the halfway stage, Patrick disclosed that the team’s fortunes turned with the advances of his wingers.
“We asked the senior players, the two flank players, to give us an extra punch up front, and they did just that. I also requested for them to win two penalties for us, and they won one, so that was enough. We are just trying to take it game by game,” said Patrick.
Despite ending the season without silverware, St Jago coach Garnett Lawrence was proud of what he saw throughout the season.
“If we had put away our chances, it would have been a different game, but this is the defending champions that we’re playing, and they are going to dig deep and find a way. It was a satisfactory season. We have a lot of young players who can return next year, and we are looking forward for an early start in training. All of us are extremely happy for where we are now, the progress, and what we want to achieve in the future,” said Lawrence.