By Paul A. Reid, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
HIGH-RIDING Frome Technical will seek to qualify for their second schoolboy football final this season when they take on Munro College in one semi-finals of the ISSA Ben Francis Knockout at the New Town Community Centre in Black River this afternoon at 2:45 p.m.
The Boysie Nicholson-coached Frome Technical beat former champions Cornwall College 2-1 in sudden death extra-time at Jarrett Park on Saturday to book their place in the final of the Pepsi/Sports Plus daCosta Cup competition and are awaiting the other finalist after Clarendon College and Titchfield meet in a replay at Prison Oval tomorrow.
In the other semi-final at Brancourt in Clarendon, Cornwall College and Seaforth High will be seeking to rejuvenate their seasons as they aim to qualify for Saturday's final.
The organisers expanded the field in the Ben Francis competition from the four semi-finalists in the daCosta Cup competition to the eight quarter-finalists in an effort to create more competition.
Seaforth and Munro, who both failed to make it to the last four of the daCosta Cup, are the major beneficiaries and are still in with a chance of winning a title.
Seaforth will be in their first national semi-final while Munro will be bidding for their first lien on the Ben Francis KO title and first national Under-19 schoolboy football title since 1964.
All the attention will be on Frome however, but coach Nicholson thinks the players have matured enough and can handle the pressure.
He may be forced to make some changes to his starting team as three starters are on two yellow cards each and he is trying to save them for the final.
Nicholson told The Gleaner yesterday that captain Triston Cunningham, Steven Bennett and top scorer Errol Bryan could be held out and Omar Meylor, Ryan McIntyre and Ricardo Kerr brought in as their replacements.
Munro have played twice in the past 11 days and will be well-rested coming off a 3-1 beating of Dinthill Technical last Wednesday.
The teams will meet for the first time since 2000 when they shared wins, Munro winning in the daCosta Cup quarter-finals while Frome returned the favour in the Ben Francis semi-finals. Both games were played at Black River.
Today, based on form, Frome will be given the edge to win and return to the Ben Francis KO final for the second time since 2000 when they lost to Cornwall College 3-2 in sudden death extra-time.
Cornwall's coach, Dr. Dean Weatherly, said his players were disappointed with their loss on Saturday but were ready to bounce back and go for the Ben Francis title.
Cornwall will return to full strength for their first meeting with Seaforth with the return of defender Andre Moore and top scorer Jahvan Russell who were suspended for the game against Frome.
Seaforth, who just missed the semi-finals of the daCosta Cup - beaten by Frome on goal difference and who spanked Holmwood Technical 4-1 in their quarter-final game on Wednesday, will be gunning for their first final at this level and will be hoping Mervin Miller, who scored twice, and Dwayne Bryden will come prepared to take on the tough Cornwall defence.
