Paul Clarke, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Green Island High produced a spirited display to delay Rusea's High's efforts to win Zone B of the ISSA/Gatorade/Digicel daCosta Cup, holding them to a 1-1 draw in Hanover yesterday.

The result leaves the defending champions on 15 points, two ahead of their nearest rivals, with one match remaining.

The home team held all the answers in the first half and stood firm in defence, while working the offside trap successfully on a number of occasions.

first-half lead

In the 41st minute, Green Island took a surprising first-half lead, when Dante Forbes swung in a corner kick that beat Rusea's keeper Richard Trench at his near post.

Green Island were under threat in the next minute when Anthony Walker, the Rusea's forward, burst into the area and was brought down. The referee pointed to the spot, but substitute Curtis Taylor fired his shot straight at Robinson in the Green Island goal, denying his team an equaliser.

In the 27th minute, the visitors threatened again with Walker bringing out the best in Robinson, who dived at his feet to stop the speedy forward from opening the scoring.

A minute later, Walker again called Robinson into action, but the goalkeeper proved he was on top of his game, blocking a point-blank effort. Luckily for his team, the follow-up shot drifted over the crossbar.

However, in the 72nd minute, Lennox Samuels proved Robinson was beatable, when he scored the equaliser.

Robinson was the man between the draw and a loss, making several stupendous saves in the second half to deny Rusea's the three points, which means that Frome could still end up winning the zone on Saturday if they beat Green Island and Rusea's lose to Cambridge.

Yesterday's Results

Zone C

Holland 1 Muschett 0

Zone E

Maggotty 2 Balaclava 0

Munro 2 Black River 0

STETHS 5 Lacovia 0

Zone I

Cedric Titus 2 Brown's Town 0

York Castle 4 Ocho Rios 1

Zone O

Paul Bogle 8 Yallahs 0

Morant Bay 0 St Thomas Tech 1

Seaforth 3 Robert Lightbourne 0