Four schools will be hunting a spot in the Walker Cup final today when Calabar tackle Eltham High at 1:00 p.m. before Jamaica College (JC) play Charlie Smith at 3:00 p.m. at Stadium East.

A new champion will be crowned as holders Tivoli Gardens Comprehensive High failed to advance from their group and thus failed to qualify for the Walker Cup.

Of the four semi-finalists, only Calabar in 1976 and Charlie Smith in 1995, have tasted Walker Cup glory in the 45-year-old competition.

Defending Manning Cup champion Calabar, which lost to Tivoli Gardens on penalties last season, will once again be the team to beat.

However, the David Hunt-coached boys from Red Hills Road will have their hands full in seeing off a dangerous Eltham team.

Calabar

Calabar, with the likes of the sturdy Robert Palmer and Kirk Duckworth in defence, the powerfully-built Shane Bygrave, former national under-17 player Dwayne Smith, Kabari Palmer, Marlon Smith, Lennox Creary, Akeem Bennett and Cleyon Brown, should be hard to deny though.

The Gregory Allen-coached boys from Spanish Town came from behind to draw 2-2 with Calabar in last season's Manning Cup semi-final round and should give the favourites a hard time. Eltham, in their second season of schoolboy football, have one of the most talented players in Tremaine Stewart, and Calabar will have to pay special attention to him. Yet, Eltham is not a one-man team and the likes of Dwayne Hunter, Stephen Stewart, Andre Clarke, Rayon Whyte and Jamoy Sibbles could upset the applecart.

Jamaica College, the only team to beat Calabar this season, will have their hands full against an emerging Charlie Smith team in the other semi-final.

The Alfred Henry-coached boys from Old Hope Road depend a lot the talented Kaemmar Daley and if he is shut down then JC will struggle. Dwayne Williams came good against Norman Manley with two goals and will have to repeat that performance.

The Jerome Waite-coached Charlie Smith have been banging in the goals and should severely test JC today. The towering Dennis McKenley, who represented Arnett Gardens last season, has been marshalling the middle and a keen tussle is expected between himself and diminutive Daley.

- Howard Walker

Jamaica clash!

Jamaica's Under-20 footballers kick start their Carib- bean Zone second round CONCACAF-Under-20 qualifiers against the Netherlands Antilles in Haiti at 3:30 p.m. today.

The young Reggae Boyz are drawn in Group G which consists of Bermuda, The Netherlands Antilles and hosts Haiti.

The top three teams from the Caribbean second round will progress to the 2007 CONCACAF Under-20 Final Round along with Costa Rica, Guatemala and the United States of America with the hope of qualifying for the 2007 Under-20 World Cup.