WESTERN BUREAU -
THE Inter-Zone round of the Pepsi daCosta Cup schoolboy football competition kicks off today with 12 matches in six groups.
Today's games are set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. with the exception of the Jarrett Park double header where the first match starts at 2:30 and the second at 4:30 p.m. and the game at Wolmer's which kicks off at 3:00 p.m.
Seven-time champions Rusea's are out of the round. A press release from the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) stated that the Hanover-based school had withdrawn after it was discovered that there were no birth certificates for two of their players.
With the withdrawal of Rusea's Frome Technical were promoted to first place in Zone B and will play in Group Two of the Inter-Zone round while Anchovy High were promoted to second place and will contest Group One.
The winners of each of the six groups along with the best two second place teams will advance to the quarterfinals that will start November 4.
On paper, there are three interesting match-ups today, many time champions Vere Technical versus Munro at Alpart, Clarendon College vs. Black River at Black River and Dinthill vs. Glenmuir at Woodside.
The match up at Alpart will see a combined 16 titles, albeit none in the last 20 years since Vere won their ninth and last lien. Both teams have followed similar paths in the recent past, boasting success in other sports but have been improving over the past few years.
Munro won top honours in their zone for the first time in years while Vere were second in a zone that included Edwin Allen.
Black River are coming off the highest single game goal tally for the season with a 15-0 mauling of deCarteret to edge defending champions ST Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) on goal difference but will have all they can manage when they face a Clarendon team yet to concede a goal all season.
Black River will be on familiar turf and will have their home fans cheering them on but they will need more to overcome a confident Clarendon College team.
The Dinthill Technical versus Glenmuir game should be a close match between two teams accustomed to being in the Inter-Zone round.
Glenmuir survived a tough Zone I to beat out Garvey Maceo and Lennon High while Dinthill, one of the more potent scoring teams in the competition, were second to Charlemont in Zone J but should be one of the favourite teams to advance to the next round.
By Paul A. Reid
Staff Reporter
TODAY'S GAMES
Ferncourt vs. Cornwall at Drax Hall, Petersfield vs. Anchovy at Frome, Mannings vs. Frome and Cedric Titus vs. St. James at Jarrett Park, Vere vs. Munro at Alpart, Holmwood vs. Manchester at Porus, Clarendon College vs. Black River High at Black River Community Centre, Spalding vs. Denbigh at Mile Gully Community Centre, Dinthill vs. Glenmuir at Woodside, St. Thomas vs. Buff Bay at Eastern Bananas, Charlemont vs. Garvey Maceo at Dinthill and Seaforth vs. St. Mary Technical at Wolmers.
