Let's play ball!
PAUL A. REID
Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:

In left pic., Cornwall College captain Garrick Gordon and teammates showoff the Olivier Shield last December after beating Manning and Walker Cup champions Bridgeport (right pic) 7-0 in the second leg to lift the Shield 9-3 on aggregate after losing the first leg 2-3. - File

Western Bureau: DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Cornwall College and arch-rivals Herbert Morrison Technical renew their rivalry this afternoon at Jarrett Park, kicking off the 53rd season of daCosta Cup schoolboy football.

The game between the Montego Bay schools will start at 4:00 pm, following a 1:00 opening ceremony and 2:00 Manning Cup showdown featuring champions Bridgeport High going up against Campion College.

Today's daCosta Cup game is expected to be a close and exciting contest in Zone A, which has Anchovy and Muschett as resturning teams.

Anchovy contested Zone B last season whereas Muschett sat out the year. All five teams in the zone have their eyes set on advancing to at least the inter-zone stage.

Cornwall College, crowned national schoolboy champions last season after sweeping all three titles at stake, has been hit hard by graduation, losing as many as nine players from the team which started the first leg of the Olivier Shield against Bridgeport.

Midfielders Dane Richards, who just returned from England with the national senior squad, along with Kirkland Smith, are the only returning players. Shawn Bucknor, who sat out all of last season, will return to lead Cornwall's attacks.

Goalkeeper Tedroy Watson, who saw limited action for the pas two seasons, will be between the sticks. Newcomers Omroy Wilson and Lushane Brent-Harris are expected to feature in coach Dean Weatherly's quest for a third straight title.

Herbert Morrison have a seasoned unit, retaining approximately 50 per cent of the team which was third in the zone last season and will be a factor this year.

Midfielder and skipper Navrado Fisher will play a big role along with Kemoy Hinds and Jermaine "Bubby" Bucknor in the line-up.

Bridgeport's coach, Anthony Patrick, yesterday told STAR Sports that after retaining eight players from last year's starting team and six from the bench, he was confident the team will do well this season.

Describing Bridgeport as being "very strong", Patrick said they were confident they would get the season off on a good note.

The Bridgeport coach said he did not know much about Campion, only that they were third in their zone last season and failed to qualify for the quarter-finals despite having some good players.

Dangermen Kemar Petrikin as well as Dean Thompson and Mark Newsome are back in school and are expected to lead the attack against Campion.

Published in the Star on September 09, 2002