STETHS lead charge

Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

Reigning champions St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), St James High, Rusea's and Lennon High captured the four semi-final places in the 2010 ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup after coming up with favourable results in yesterday's final round of quarter-final games.

Champions STETHS, who only needed a draw from their Group One game against Glenmuir on their home turf in Santa Cruz, scored a hard-fought 2-1 win to emerge winners of the group with seven points. Denmark Gillings and Kayzee Broomfield scored for STETHS.

"I thought we played an excellent first half, but we were not as intense in the second half," said STETHS coach Andrew Edwards. "All in all, I believe we did enough today and got the result we wanted."

For Glenmuir, whose consolation goal came from the boots of Noel Johnson, their coach Patrick 'Jackie' Walters was gracious, despite seeing his team's bid for the title coming to an abrupt end. According to him, while he did not get the result he wanted, he was of the view that his team gave a good account of themselves.

In the second of the Group One games, 2008 champions St James marched into the semi-finals as the best second-place finishers, spanking Marcus Garvey High 4-0 in the first game of the Jarrett Park double-header to finish the quarter-final campaign with five points.

In what was a clinical performance, the Hugh Solomon-coached St James High showed very little respect to the Marcus Garvey team and secured their impressive win through double strikes by prolific strikers Jason Malcolm and Allan Ottey.

In Group Two, Rusea's came up against a stiff challenge from Old Harbour, but after a 0-0 first half, they changed gear and ran away with the second, for their comfortable 3-1 win. Top striker Brian Brown (2) and Junnel McDonald scored for the 'Russians' while Romario Behari got Old Harbour's lone goal.

"I thought we played a patient game today and in the end it paid off for us," said Rusea's coach Anthony 'Follies' Williams, whose team finished atop the Group Two standing with seven points.

In the second of the Group Two games, Lennon benefitted from a late penalty to clip Garvey Maceo 1-0 and in the process marched into the semi-finals as the only team in the last four that has never won the coveted title. Ewan Grandison converted from the penalty spot.

"It was a very tough game, but in the end we got the goal that we needed to secure our place in the semi-final," said Lennon High's coach Merron Gordon, whose team is yet to taste defeat this season.