Charlie Smith whip Vauxhall 5-1

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

Michaelos Martin and Omar Price each scored a double to guide Charlie Smith High to an impressive 5-1 victory over Vauxhall High in their Group C encounter of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Gatorade/Digicel Manning Cup match at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex yesterday.

Martin netted his goals in the first and 37th minutes, while Price scored his brace in the 22nd and 42nd. Javoni Simms got Charlie Smith's fifth goal in the 87th minute. Vauxhall got on the scoresheet courtesy of an own goal by a Charlie Smith defender in the 89th minute.

Joint leaders

In the group's other games, Wolmer's Boys were held to 1-1 draw by Ascot High and Dunoon High and Haile Selassie High played to 0-0 draw.

Yesterday's win pushed the Jerome Waite-coached Charlie Smith to joint leaders of the group with Dunoon with four points each.

They are followed by Ascot, Wolmer's and Haile Selassie who are all on two points. Vauxhall are yet to get off the mark.

Waite was pleased with his team's efforts, but admits they still have a lot of work to be done in their overall play.

"It is all good that we got three points, but for a team which dominated the opposition and missed at least 18 clear chances in the second half, it means that I have a lot of work to do," said Waite, whose team last won the competition in 1995.

"We are hoping that as the season goes on they will get better because we have a lot of work to do in defence and offence," Waite added.

At Heroes' Circle, Keneiko Thomas gave Ascot a surprise 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute when he netted from the penalty spot. However, Ascot were reduced to 10 men on the stroke of half-time, when Hakeem Brown was sent off for violent conduct.

Wolmer's took advantage of this early in the second half, when Kemo Wallace gave them the equaliser in the 54th minutes, when he headed home past goalkeeper Shomoya Morgan.

Ascot were further reduced to nine players in the 64th minutes as Xavier O'Meally was given marching orders, after receiving a second yellow card.

However, the Ludlow Bernard-coached Wolmer's failed to capitalise on their two-man advantage, as they squandered a number of clear-cut chances.

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  Yesterday's results

Group A: Calabar 8 Holy Trinity 0, Greater Portmore 0 Excelsior 6.

Group C: Charlie Smith 5 Vauxhall 1, Wolmer's 1 Ascot 1, Dunoon 0 Haile Selassie 0.

Group E: Spanish Town 0 St George's College 0, Edith Dalton James 0 Tarrant 3, Meadowbrook 0 Innswood 0.