Defending champs Howard Cooke win again

Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:Defending champions Howard Cooke Primary School made it two wins from two starts in Zone A of the 2011 St James/Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS) Under-13 football competition on Thursday when they clipped Supreme Preparatory 1-0 at the Urban Development Corporation playing field in Montego Bay.

Howard Cooke, who started their title defence with a 1-0 win against Green Pond Primary on the competition's opening day, again showed their mettle, snatching victory against Supreme Prep courtesy of a well-taken goal by striker Garnet Hudson.

In another Zone A game played on Thursday, Green Pond rebounded from their opening day loss to Howard Cooke, with an emphatic 3-0 win against Lethe Primary, thanks to goals by Shawn Bradford, Jevon Scott and Marquis Cole.

In the day's final game, Irwin Primary blanked Vaughnsfield 2-0 in their Zone D game. Jason Walters and Okeen Medley got the goals for Vaughnsfield.

In games played on Wednesday, John Rollins Success Primary, behind a hat-trick from Reno Edmondson, defeated Mt Alvernia Preparatory 3-0 in their Zone C game. In the other two Zone C games, an Akeem Miller strike gave Barracks Road Primary a 1-0 win against Bogue, while Albion and Heinz Simonitch played out a 1-1 draw. Anthony Kerr scored for Albion while Heinz-Jack Hanigan replied for Heinz Simonitch.

good sportsmanship

"As was expected, things are going quite smoothly," said Hopeton Gilchrist, the competition's coordinator. "We are placing a lot of emphasis on discipline and good sportsmanship and we are getting that from the teams."

The competition, which has produced several national players, is now in its 21st season and is being contested by 30 teams, divided into five zones of six each.

Based on its format, three teams from each zone and the best fourth-place finisher overall will advance to the inter-zone round phase from which the quarter-finalists, semi-finalists and finalists will subsequently emerge.

The 30 teams, according to their respective zones, are as follows: Zone A - Howard Cooke Primary, Green Pond Primary, Tower Hill All-Age, Buckingham All-Age, Lethe All-Age and Supreme Preparatory. Zone B - Anchovy Primary, Mt Salem Primary, Flankers Primary, Saulters Hill All-Age, Salt Spring Primary and St James Preparatory. Zone C - Barracks Road Primary, Bogue Primary, Heinz Simonitch, Albion Primary, Mt Alvernia Preparatory and John Rollins. Zone D - Chetwood Primary, Catherine Hall Primary, St Noel's Preparatory, Irwin Primary, Glendevon Primary and Vaughsfield Primary. Zone E - Barrett Town All-Age, Team Work, Corinaldi Primary, Roehampton Primary, Somerton Primary and Granville All-Age.

The competition, which is sponsored to the tune of a record $1.5 million, will see the winning team taking home $26,000 and the VMBS Trophy. Second will earn $21,000 and third-place $15,000.