Manning Cup preview

Teams to beat

KINGSTON COLLEGE

Position last year: Quarter-finals

Returning players: Senior Walker, Tazio Gilpin, Jason Greenland, Tarval Whittaker, Andre Johnson, Anthony Harvey, Rashane Garcia

Key players: Tazio Gilpin, Rashane Garcia

Name of coach: Trevor 'Jumpy' Harris

Coach's view: "Due to national Under-20 training we have been unable to put our squad together effectively. But KC is a resilient school. We have not won the competition over the past 25 years and the aim is to change this over the course of the next three years. If we get to the latter part of the competition this season, that would be an accomplishment."

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ST GEORGE'S COLLEGE

Position last year: Champions

Returning players: Devon Williams, Javaughn Francis, Deshawn Forbes, Davian Kelly, Carl Reid

Key players: Devon Williams (captain), Carl Reid, Deshawn Forbes

Name of coach: Neville 'Bertis' Bell

Coach's view: "It's never easy to repeat, but we are hoping we will be able to come up with the goods. It was tough the year before last year, was tough last year and we expect it to be equally tough this year. We have also been drawn in a fairly tough first-round group, but we are relying on experience and younger players to bring us through."

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EXCELSIOR

Position last year: Semi-finals

Returning players: Nico Brett, Lynden Reid, Javaughn Benjamin.

Key players: Nico Brett, Lynden Reid, Javaughn Benjamin

Name of coach: Leebert Halliman

Coach's view: "I don't think we can come out of this zone because I have lost 15 players out of my squad of 30, for various reasons, from last season. We will be using a number of our Colts players in the Manning Cup this year, and so I think we will have a better chance of winning the competition next year. We have had a poor pre-season because we didn't have our home field to train on until the middle of August. We also encountered a lot of financial problems because the school didn't have any money to help with our programme."

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JAMAICA COLLEGE

Position last year: Quarter-finals

Returning players: Ashani Walker, Shamal Thomas, Odane Greensword

Key players: Ashani Walker, Odane Greensword

Name of coach: Alfred Henry

Coach's views: "In general, we have a good crop of youngsters who are well disciplined. But we have no big expectations. We just plan to take each game as it comes. The immediate aim is to get out of our group. It's difficult to compare this year's team with those of former years. It's a matter of the players' mentality and we just have to wait and see."

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BRIDGEPORT

Position last year: Runners-up

Returning players: Adrian Crooks, Jermaine Morgan, Roger Bucknor, Shamari Shaw.

Key players: Jahmiel Hardware, Kenrick Preston, Tyshawn Renford, Ramone Howell, Robert Johnson.

Name of coach: Anthony Patrick

Coach's view: "We expect to do well this year because we have a number of senior players back from last year, and we also have the same backline of players from last season. The players are looking good going into this season and I am impressed with them, given what they did in the pre-season. We have a number of quality senior players who can win the Manning Cup for us, but they just have to go out and perform on the day."

Teams to watch

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ELTHAM

Position last year: Quarter-finals

Returning players: Jerome Grant and Dwayne Williams.

Key players: Steven Morant, Canniggia Johnson, Tajay Small.

Name of coach: Gregory Allen

Coach's view: "We are hoping to do well, but I believe that this is one of the weakest teams that I have ever coached at Eltham High. I think that we are in a very tough group with a lot of quality teams, and so it is going to take a lot of hard work from us to get out of it."

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CALABAR

Position last year: Quarter-finals

Returning players: Akeil Barrett, Wilburn Williams, Marlon Thompson and Chevonne Marsh (Messi).

Key players: Calabar is promising a total team effort but expects the returning players to lead the charge.

Name of coach: Alrick Clarke

Coach's view: "Based on what we have, we should do pretty well. We are working to go beyond the quarter-final stage. We have ambitions of winning it all this year and preparations are going pretty well so far in the areas that we are working on. It is going to be a total team effort and we are expecting an all-round performance. We are not expecting any one department to take us through; we are working on every area. So far the cohesion is not too bad, but we are working to improve the areas that we are weak in right now, such as the strength of the players, their maturity and their knowledge of the game. Knowing how to play is a key factor, and staying composed.

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WOLMER'S

Position last year: Quarter-finals

Returning players: Omar Holness and Amal Knight (goalkeeper)

Key players: The Wolmer's Boys team is also promising a team effort as they have a fairly new team. The team is, however, said to be well rounded and versatile. Players such as Desmond Campbell, Vance Rookwood, Chad Lewis and Giovanni Campbell, who made limited appearances last season from off the bench, are expected to step up to the forefront. Holness will be a change agent for the team.

Name of coach: Ludlow Bernard

Coach's view: "I expect the team to do well as they have been through three months' rigorous training and they have responded well. They are very enthusiastic and are raring to go, I expect them to do well as they are a confident bunch. Our defensive organisation is an area that we have emphasised from day one, being that it is a young team. We have offensive persons who can give us that one or two goals that we may need and I think defensively we can sustain any pressure that will come at us."

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CHARLIE SMITH

Position last year: Finished third in their first-round zone.

Returning players: Kemar Brown, Al Nesbeth, Jevaughn Simms, Omar Pryce, Vishinul Harris and Lennox Russell, to name a few.

Key players: Most of the returning players and new boy Andrew Allen

Name of coach: Jerome Waite

Coach's view: "I am definitely expecting the team to do better than last year and that is to move out of the first round. Over the years, Charlie Smith is the type of team that plays attractive football. We had some high points and some low points during preparation. The high point is that the pre-season preparation as it relates to background work was fairly good. Nutrition-wise and where equipment are concerned we are falling short there.

Charlie Smith has also suffered two major setbacks. One of their players, Kemar McGhie, his leg was broken during pre-season training. The school was also broken into last weekend and four of the team's six footballs, which they use for training, were stolen.

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NORMAN MANLEY

Position last year: Quarter-finals

Returning players: Jamel Hamilton, Rushane Lewis, Oneish Degouth.

Key players: Ramone McGregor, Dean Phillips, Neco Reynolds, Kimani Henry, Neco Brooks.

Name of coach: Miguel Coley

Coach's view: "We have a team that can win, and so we are definitely going all out to win the competition this year. The guys are more mature and they have been gelling well together, as a team, and I believe that as the competition goes on they will get a lot better. I think most of the teams in our group are well prepared, and so it is going to be challenging for us, but we are up to the task."

manning cup Zones

Zone A : Camperdown High, Cumberland High, Jamaica College, Kingston High, Oberlin High, St Mary's College, Waterford High

Zone B: Ascot High, Bridgeport High, Dunoon Tech, Haile Selassie High, Jose Marti Tech, Tivoli High, Vauxhall High

Zone C: Calabar High, Charlie Smith High, Excelsior High, Innswood High, Kingston Tech, Papine High, St Andrew College

Zone D: Holy Trinity High, Meadowbrook High, Mona High, Norman Manley, Pembroke Hall High, Penwood High, St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS)

Zone E: Ardenne High, Donald Quarrie, Edith Dalton James, Spanish Town High, St George's College, St Jago High, Wolmer's Boys

Zone F: Campion College, Eltham High, Hydel High, Jonathan Grant, Kingston College, St Catherine High, Tarrant High

Past Manning Cup winners

2009 St George's

2008 St George's

2007 Jamaica College

2006 Bridgeport

2005 Calabar

2004 Excelsior

2003 Excelsior

2002 Norman Manley

2001 Bridgeport

2000 Norman Manley

1999 Tivoli

1998 Dunoon

1997 competition called off

1996 Norman Manley

1995 Charlie Smith

1994 Wolmer's

1993 Excelsior

1992 St George's

1991 Ardenne

1990 Charlie Smith

1989 Excelsior

1988 Charlie Smith

1987 STATHS

1986 Kingston College

1985 Kingston College

1984 St George's

1983 St George's

1982 Camperdown

1981 Kingston College

1980 Excelsior

1979 Camperdown

1978 Camperdown

1977 Calabar

1976 Tivoli

1975 Kingston College

1974 Jamaica College

1973 no competition

1972 no competition

1971 Wolmer's

1970 Kingston College

1969 Excelsior

1968 Jamaica College

1967 Kingston College

1966 no competition

1965 Kingston College

1964 Kingston College

1963 Jamaica College

1962 Jamaica College

1961 Jamaica College

1960 no competition

1959 St George's

1958 Kingston College

1957 Kingston College

1956 St George's

1955 St George's

1954 no competition

1953 Excelsior

1952 Kingston College

1951 Kingston College

1950 Kingston College

1949 Kingston College

1948 St George's

1947 St George's

1946 Jamaica College

1945 St George's

1944 no competition

1943 Calabar

1942 Jamaica College

1941 Jamaica College

1940 Jamaica College

1939 Wolmer's

1938 Wolmer's

1937 St George's

1936 St George's

1935 St George's

1934 Jamaica College

1933 Jamaica College

1932 St George's

1931 Wolmer's

1930 Wolmer's

1929 St George's

1928 St George's

1927 St George's

1926 Wolmer's

1925 Wolmer's

1924 Wolmer's

1923 Wolmer's

1922 Jamaica College

1921 Jamaica College

1920 St George's

1919 Jamaica College

1918 Jamaica College

1917 Jamaica College

1916 Jamaica College

1915 Jamaica College

1914 Jamaica College

1913 Jamaica College

1912 St George's

1911 no competition

1910 Jamaica College