Pair of rematches highlight Walker Cup second round
Published:Wednesday | November 20, 2024 | 12:10 AMGregory Bryce/Staff Reporter
A PAIR of rematches highlight the second round of action in the ISSA Walker Cup knockout competition today as Excelsior and Eltham high schools redraw battle lines in the first game of a doubleheader at Stadium East at 2:00 p.m. before Mona take on St Jago for the second time this season at 4:15.
Excelsior and Mona, two of the teams eliminated from the quarter-finals of the ISSA Manning Cup, will seek to find some redemption for their season as they begin their Walker Cup campaign.
Excelsior will enter their fixture against Eltham knowing it will be a difficult challenge against the Spanish Town-based school.
The two last met during the second round of the Manning Cup where Excelsior came out 3-2 victors in a tightly fought contest.
The Eagles will be hoping they can repeat the result with a spot in the Walker Cup semifinals on the line.
Most of their hopes will rest on the shoulders of their talisman, Kimarly Scott, who has been electric in front of goal this season.
Eltham will be buoyed heading into the match as their last outing saw them dismissing Jonathan Grant 3-1 in the first round of the Walker Cup.
The match will also be a chance for redemption for the Gregory Allen-led team as their only defeat this season came at the hands of Excelsior, who had spoiled their impressive start to the season.
The second match of the evening will see last season’s Manning Cup champions Mona face St Jago in a testy rematch for both teams.
The last time the two teams met, Mona had hammered St Jago 6-0 in the Manning Cup second round.
Mona, the dethroned Manning Cup champions, enter the fixture off a disappointing run in the quarter-final round where they failed to win a game and will be looking for an immediate return to winning ways.
They will be hoping they can lay claim to the Walker Cup title, particularly in light of the news their head coach, Craig Butler, will be stepping away from the programme at the end of the season.
Butler had made the announcement after their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Kingston College (KC) in their final match of the quarterfinal round.
He is expected to be succeeded by Mona’s assistant coaches Kyle Butler and Ricardo Martin.
“This is where my schoolboy football journey ends, I will now retire from schoolboy football and allow my son and Ricardo to continue the dynasty,” he confirmed.
For St Jago, the match is a shot at redemption after their well-fought 3-2 win against Calabar in the first round of the Walker Cup.
After the win against Calabar, St Jago’s head coach Taniel McKenzie said he was confident his players could prove their quality in the knockout competition.