Fireworks expected in today's semi-finals

Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

The quest for supremacy in the 2010 ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup will move into its penultimate phase this afternoon with the playing of both semi-finals.

Reigning champions and Ben Francis KO winners St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) face Lennon High at Brancourt in Clarendon, while Rusea's High and St James High square off at Jarrett Park in Montego Bay. Both matches kick off at 3:00.

The red-hot STETHS aggrega-tion, fresh from a successful quarter-final campaign in which they drew 2-2 with St James and then registered 2-1 wins against Marcus Garvey and Glenmuir, respectively, are bubbling with confidence.

"We have not played against Lennon but we have seen them and know what to expect," said STETHS coach Andrew Edwards. "Our preparation has gone well and we are now ready ... we are confident that come 5 o'clock on Saturday we will be in the daCosta Cup final."

After playing second fiddle to Clarendon College in Zone H of the competition's preliminary round, Lennon have changed gears and are seemingly on a high following a solid inter-zone and quarter-final run, which saw them recording wins against Manning's (3-0), Munro College (5-1) and Garvey Maceo (1-0), and drawing against Manchester High (0-0), Rusea's (0-0) and Old Harbour (1-1).

"We are the only top team from Clarendon that has never won the daCosta Cup, and we are on a mission to change that this year," said Lennon's coach Merron Gordon. "We believe we are in a state of complete readiness for this game and we are not the least bit concerned that STETHS are unbeaten this season."

STETHS, who are on an impressive 16-game unbeaten run in the daCosta Cup, alongside a three-game winning foray in the Ben Francis KO, will look to players such as Romero Thompson, Akeemo Palmer, Denmark Gillings and Davian Ash to lead their quest to improve on their impressive 46 goals for and seven against record.

Lennon's chances will rest on the shoulders of quite a potent bunch, with the likes of Ewan Grandison, Odane Brown, Justin Johnson and Gerald Eastwood expected to mount a formidable challenge against STETHS.

Battle royal

In the second semi-final at Jarrett Park, a battle royal is expected.

After sailing smartly through the just-concluded quarter-final round with a 0-0 draw against Lennon and 3-0 and 3-1 wins against Garvey Maceo and Old Harbour, the Rusea's team, with an overall daCosta Cup record of 12 wins and two draws, is without doubt a class team, and one suspects that it will take a really special performance from St James High to rein them in.

"We have done the required preparation and it is now for us to go out and execute ... we have seen St James High many times and we have an idea of what we should expect from them," said Anthony 'Follies' Williams, who shares coaching duties at Rusea's with Emerson 'Diggy' Henry. "We are not saying we are going to win but we are very confident of doing so."

While it has not been a fluent season for St James High, the fact that they have only lost once in their 16 daCosta Cup games is clear indication that they cannot be slighted. However, while the team's coach, Pastor Hugh Solomon, is a man of faith, he must be somewhat concerned about his defensive record, having conceded 14 goals while scoring 36.

"I believe we have prepared well and we believe we have put together a plan that can lead us to victory," said Solomon.

Both teams are blessed with an abundance of quality players, so it will be interesting to see how the likes of the prolific Brian Brown, Jermaine Wozencraft, Nicodie Haughton, Ramon Foster and Wonnick Pinnock will measure up for Rusea's against the likes of Allan Ottey, Ricardo Morris, Jason Malcolm, Ajai Black and Keniel Kirlew, the main players for St James High.