Live Action: Munro 1, STETHS 0

[Keegan]

Game in progress on CVM - STETHS looks really tentative going forward, which is odd considering that they are at home. Munro looks a decent team, but there is a tendency for the #10 & #19 to not be particularly enthused about involving anybody else in their game. STETHS #9 (their captain) has bags of touch and dismantled the Munro defender marking him to set up a great chance, but it went a-begging. There is maybe 5 minutes left in the game as I type this.

STETHS survives a penalty-scare as goalscorer Moses Watkiss is taken out in the box under a challenge by two defenders.

Well, there we are at the end of 90 minutes - Munro, winners again courtesy of Moses Watkiss.

(I eagerly await the result of the Clarendon College game )

[Sickko]

Clarendon won 3-0...hope you happy

[Keegan]

Clarendon won 3-0...hope you happy

Yes, thanks...

7 from 7!

[Karl]

Munro down STETHS again

Munro down STETHS again
published: Sunday | October 7, 2007

Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:
MUNRO COLLEGE widened their lead atop the standings in Zone E of the ISSA/Pepsi /Digicel daCosta Cup yesterday when they started their second round campaign with a 1-0 win over arch-rivals St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in Santa Cruz
.
Munro, who won the first-leg encounter 3-0, confirmed their superiority over STETHS courtesy of a first-half strike by Moses Watson, who had a very good game in attack for his team.

"Having won the first-leg game, we came into this match knowing we had the psychological edge and pretty much expected to win," said Munro's coach, Hopeton Gilchrist, whose team is now on 16 points - four more than STETHS.

margain of victory
"Although we would have been happier with a bigger margin of victory, the important thing is that we got the maximum three points," said Gilchrist. "Our plan is to keep focussed and get the job done because our ultimate aim is to win the daCosta Cup."

While Munro were stamping their class in Santa Cruz, former champions Cornwall College joint Zone A leaders with St. James High on 12 points, were having a disastrous afternoon in Falmouth, losing their 100 per cent win record in going down 2-1 to bottom-placed William Knibb, who garnered their first points of the season. "The work rate of the players was of a very high standard and it made quite a difference today," said Cassman Williams, coach of the William Knibb team. "Besides, it was about time that we gave our fans something to cheer about."

While Cornwall College were stumbling, Rusea's were making up important ground in Zone B as they moved within three points of group leaders Frome Technical (15) with a big 4-0 win over Merlene Ottey, which lifted them to 12 points. The game between Frome and Cambridge was blown off after 15 minutes because of heavy rain.

In Rusea's victory, Andre Atkinson (two), Roydell Moncrieffe and Damian Thompson (penalty) were the goalscorers.
"It wasn't a vintage Rusea's performance today, but we did what we had to do," said Rusea's assistant coach Anthony 'Follies' Williams. "We could have won by a wider margin as we also missed a penalty."



Zone A: William Knibb 2 Cornwall 1, Herbert Morrison vs Anchovy - rained out, St. James vs Irwin - rained out.

Zone B: Cambridge vs Frome - rained out, Rusea's 4 Merlene Ottey 0.

Zone C: Mannings 1 Godfrey Stewart 4.

Zone E: STETHS 0 Munro 1.
Zone H: Vere 0 Lennon 1, Kellits 1 Denbigh 7.

[Sickko]

Munro beat rivals STETHS for a second time in D’Cup



SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — Munro College underlined their supremacy over St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) this season with a 1-0 win in their Zone E daCosta Cup return game at the STETHS Sports Complex here yesterday.
The pacy, powerfully built striker Moses Watkis scored the lone goal in the 43rd minute to keep Munro firmly on top of the Zone E points table.
Munro’s triumph followed their decisive 3-0 demolition of STETHS at Munro on September 22 and left football followers scratching their heads to remember the last time the Santa Cruz school had gone down twice in a single season to their arch rivals from Malvern.
Before a large crowd on a good, cushiony surface STETHS turned in a much improved performance on that of two weeks ago but in the end Munro deserved to win.
STETHS, showing good possessional method but short of punch upfront, got close in the ninth minute but striker Traverse Campbell who had a poor game hesitated and lost the chance.
Munro, playing a more direct brand of football gradually built pressure and Deighton Stuart breaking free saw his grounded shot well held by the Steths goalkeeper Camar Brooks.
The ever-dangerous Watkis who terrorised the STETHS defence all afternoon then headed wide from Kennard Brown’s rightside cross.
Attractive combination play by STETHS was capped by Ricardo Clarke’s diagonal cross from the right but from an acute angle on the left, Deshorn Brown’s shot was blocked by Munro’s ‘keeper Errol Reid.
Comar Pascoe opened up the Munro defence with a driving run down the left and a well placed grounded cross but Kenyann Jackson squirted his weak, sliding shot just wide.
Then on a fast break, Watkis made STETHS pay, heading a bouncing ball over the challenge of the advancing goalkeeper Brooks to score what turned out to be the winner with the half-time whistle fast approaching.
The game continued to flow from end to end in the second half but Munro got the cleaner chances.
Steths got their best chance of the second half when Brown’s athletic effort with an outstretched right foot bounced over the bar from Jackson’s lovely rightside cross.
Watkis looked certain to increase Munro’s lead when he ran through the defence on a perfect pass from Marc Lyn in midfield but the big striker’s left shot went wide of the far post with the goalkeeper well beaten.
And Munro’s Kennard Brown came close when his floated diagonal shot from the left found the far upright.
Munro’s coach Hopeton Gilchrist who says his “aim is to win the daCosta Cup this season” praised his team for remaining “disciplined” and “focused”. His task moving forward will be to get his team “a little sharper in midfield” and find a way to maintain “the concentration level” for all 90-plus minutes of a game.
Though disappointed in defeat, losing coach Kurt Brooks was pleased with the improvement in the play of his young team. “I think the guys played well in terms of keeping the ball. We got a couple of chances but just didn’t convert,” he said.
— Garfield Myers

[Sickko]

Port Antonio into play-offs; ‘Knibb’ upset Cornwall


BY PAUL A REID Observer writer
reidp@jamaicaobserver.com


PORT ANTONIO, Portland — Port Antonio High secured their place in the Zone L play-offs after a 2-1 win over Titchfield at Cader Park yesterday as the return round of the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup continued.
Port Antonio avenged their first-round loss to the Andrew Edwards-coached twotime finalists to extend their streak to four in a row. They have an unassailable 10 points in Zone L (a), with a game to go.
It is not all over for Titchfield, however, as they can still progress with victory over Fair Prospect in Wednesday’s final set of matches.
Fair Prospect’s chances of advancing were dealt a severe blow after they were edged 1-0 by Happy Grove, who were winning for the first time this season.
Another team also winning for the first time was William Knibb, who beat Cornwall College 2-1 at Martha Brae for their first points to avenge an opening-day defeat at Jarrett Park and snapping Cornwall’s perfect win record in Zone A.
Romando Anderson and Rajiv Service scored for William Knibb, with all three goals coming in the second half.
Cornwall are still leading the rain-hit Zone A, however, on goal difference over St James High, whose game against Irwin High at Jarrett Park and the Herbert Morrison vs Anchovy game as well as the Zone B encounter between leaders Frome and Cambridge were all called off due to heavy rains in the Montego Bay area.
Clarendon College, Manchester High and Spalding all managed to extend their perfect win records, however. Clarendon, with two goals from Damali Samuels, blanked home team Claude McKay, 3-0, to race to 21 points in Zone H with seven straight wins.
Lennon High and Denbigh, who are chasing Clarendon for second, were also winners. Lennon edged Vere 1-0 as the former winners lost for the third straight game. Denbigh crushed Kellits, 7-1, with Germaine Christian scoring six times to take his tally to nine, but stayed a point behind Lennon with 15.
Manchester edged DeCarteret 1-0 to stay on top in Zone F, while Spalding had a similar scoreline over Christiana in Zone G.
Godfrey Stewart, winners in 2005, continued their resurgence in Zone C with a big 4-1 thrashing of Mannings in the Sav-La-Mar ‘derby’ to climb into second place on goal difference over Petersfield with 11 points.