By Paul A. Reid, Senior Staff Reporter WESTERN BUREAU:
CARLINGTON SMITH scored the first hat-trick of the 2002 Pepsi/Sports Plus daCosta Cup schoolboy football competition yesterday as Old Harbour romped to a 4-0 win over Bustamante High in Zone I.
The win put Old Harbour in the early lead in the zone after last season's beaten finalists Glenmuir were held to a 0-0 draw by Lennon High.
In Zone A, William Knibb Memorial High joined defending champions Cornwall College in the lead after beating Anchovy Comprehensive 3-1 at Martha Brae with Recardo Geddes getting two goals. Geddes scored once in either half as the home team weathered a second-half comeback attempt by Anchovy.
Meanwhile, Holmwood Technical signalled that last season's third-place finish in their zone was rebuilding in preparation for this season as they made a good start with a 3-1 win over returnees Albert Town 3-1.
In one surprise result in Zone B, seven-time champions Rusea's were held to a 1-1 draw by Merlene Ottey High at Pond Side in Hanover.
At Martha Brae, both teams entertained a fair-sized crowd with an interesting and keenly contested game. The Paul 'Tegat' Davis coached William Knibb settled down early and looked most likely to score first. They came close in the 26th minute when Geddes worked his way through the Anchovy defence but his powerful shot was denied as Anchovy goalkeeper Rayon Reid pulled off a brilliant save going to his left to snatch the ball out of the air.
However, Reid had no answer three minutes later as Geddes powered one under the goalkeeper's diving body to open the scoring. Reid was called on to make another brilliant save when he raced off his line to snatch the ball from Kevon Pinnock on the stroke of halftime.
Delroy Elliss made it 2-0 four minutes into the second half when he beat Reid from about 30 yards with a looping shot that hit the back of the net with some power.
Anchovy did not roll over and die however and stormed back to pull a goal back in the 63rd minute thanks to a mistake by William Knibb's goalkeeper, Claydon Ennis. He left his line tentatively to intercept a clearance from the Anchovy defence but misjudged the ball and allowed Ren Gillespie to get around him and head the ball into the open goal.
A similar mistake by Ennis almost allowed another goal six minutes later but he managed to gather the ball on the second attempt.
The home team still had a goal left and it was Geddes who was well placed to score in the 79th minute when he was left unmarked on the left side of the penalty box and his shot just hit the base of the far post and bounced into the goal, leaving Reid stranded on the spot.
Ellis should have added another less than a minute later when he had Reid at his mercy but hit a tame shot straight at the custodian.
YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
Zone A: William Knibb 3 Anchovy 1.
Zone B: Grange Hill vs Frome - postponed, Merlene Ottey 1 Rusea's 1.
Zone D: Aabuthnott Gallimore 1 Ocho Rios 0, Cedric Titus 2 Ferncourt 0, Marcus Garvey 2 Brown's Town 0.
Zone F: Denbigh 0 Manchester 1, Bellefield 2 Porus 1, Winston Jones vs May Day - DNP.
Zone G: Albert Town 1 Holmwood 3, Mile Gully 0 Spalding 1, Christiana 2 Alston 0.
Zone H: Clarendon 1 Garvey Maceo 1.
Zone I: Lennon 0 Glenmuir 0, Old Harbour 4 Bustamante 0.
Zone J: Ewarton 1 Glengoffe 1 (game blown off early).
Zone K: Brimmervale 1 St. Mary High 1, Titchfield 1 Islington 1.
Zone L: Morant Bay 1 Happy Grove 2, Yallahs 0 St. Thomas 2.
