By Paul A. Reid, Staff Reporter 
Vere Technical's goalkeeper, Jason Nelson, goes to his right to parry a shot from Rusea's Comprehensive's Damion Watson for a corner in the first half of their Pepsi/Sports Plus daCosta Cup quarter-final game at Frome yesterday. Vere defenders Richardo Williams (No. 3) and Clinteast Scott (No. 5) rush back to help out. - Patrick Campbell
WESTERN BUREAU:
RUSEA'S COMPREHENSIVE and Bellefield took the leads in their respective groups as the quarter-finals of the Pepsi/Sports Plus daCosta Cup competition got under-way yesterday.
Rusea's turned back Vere Technical 3-0 at Frome to lead Group One while Bellefield lead Group Two on goal difference after their 2-0 win over Edwin Allen at Brancourt field. Brian Walcott in the first half and Gary Roach in the second scored for Bellefield.
St. James High came from a goal down to beat St. Thomas Technical 2-1 at Drax Hall and are tied for the lead.
Dean Yates scored twice to lead St. James after Michael Thomas had given St. Thomas the lead in the first half.
In the other game, played at Elleston-Wakeland Centre in Falmouth, defending champions Cornwall College came from a goal down to lead 2-1 but had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Glenmuir.
Denzil Watson and Ryan Maxwell scored for Glenmuir while Oniel Blake and Garrick Gordon got Cornwall's goals.
Despite brilliant sunshine and no rain for the past two days, the turf at the Frome Sports Club was still heavy as Rusea's rushed to an early 2-0 lead over Vere.
Defender Jermaine Ennis shot Rusea's into the lead after just seven minutes when he was in the right position to stab home a loose ball from the middle of a disorganised Vere defence.
If the first goal was a gift, the second was taken by force. Ricardo Facey timed a corner well and headed it powerfully past goalkeeper Jason Nelson to double the score after 15 minutes.
The shock of the two early goals spurred the Vere team into attack and Deon Higgins, Sanjay Morgan and Headley Boothe looked capable of pulling at least a goal back but for some woeful finishing and some courageous goalkeeping by Jacomeno Barrett in the Rusea's goal.
Barrett was caught on the edge of his 18-yard box in the 23rd minute but managed to prevent Higgins and Kemar Brown getting past him with a series of acrobatic saves.
The lanky goalkeeper was off his line again five minutes later to intercept a pass meant for Higgins after the forward had managed to breach the Rusea's defence.
Vere's best chance to score in the game came two minutes before the break when Higgins, seeing Barrett off his line, looped a shot just inches wide of the target.
The second half failed to live up the first with both teams missing a spate of chances.
Rusea's got their third goal on the stroke of full-time when Barrett scored from the penalty spot. In attempting to clear the ball out of his area, a Vere defender fell on the ball, accidentally trapping it to his body with his left hand giving referee Cliffrence Daley no option but to award the spot kick.
YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
Group One:
| Rusea's | 3 | Vere Tech | 0 |
| Cornwall | 2 | Glenmuir | 2 |
Group Two:
| Bellefield | 2 | Edwin Allen | 0 |
| St. James High | 2 | St. Thomas Technical | 1 |
