By Paul A. Reid, Senior Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
RUSEA'S COMPREHENSIVE, St. Elizabeth Technical High (STETHS) and Grange Hill Comprehensive took big steps towards a place in the quarter-finals of the Pepsi/Sports Plus daCosta Cup football competition after scoring their second wins in the inter-zone round yesterday.
Rusea's and Grange Hill went 2-0 up inside the first 15 minutes after the beating Marcus Garvey and Cedric Titus respectively while STETHS edged Spalding 1-0.
All three teams are on six points and need only a draw in Saturday's final round to advance to the final eight. Rusea's lead Group One, Grange Hill are on top in Group Two with William Knibb to play their second match of the round against Little London at Jarrett Park today while STETHS lead Group Three. Khusha Ramsey and Martin Williams scored for Grange Hill.
Defending champions Cornwall College, Porus and Garvey Maceo kept their hopes of making the quarter-finals alive after scoring their first wins yesterday.
Cornwall, with goals from Kirkland Smith and Lushane Brent-Harris, edged Mannings School 2-1 at the Frome Sports Grounds; Porus eliminated former champions Clarendon College with a 3-1 win at Brancourt while Garvey Maceo upset Bellefield 2-0 at Mile Gully.
At the Elletson-Wakeland Community Centre in Falmouth, Rusea's raced to a quick 2-0 lead after Kevin Bryan and Ricardo Collins scored in the sixth and ninth minutes respectively.
The game started 45 minutes late due to the late arrival of the referees but Rusea's wasted no time in going ahead. Marcus Garvey's goalkeeper Selvin Hinds was slow off his line to get to a bouncing ball down the right side of the penalty area and Bryan, who scored twice in his school's 6-0 drubbing of Mannings on Saturday, made him pay with a header into the roof of the goal.
Collins appeared to have surprised even himself three minutes later when his looping shot from almost the half line, eluded Hinds and dipped under the bar for Rusea's second goal.
The early deficit forced some reorganisation by the Marcus Garvey coaching staff and despite pulling out central defender Carlton Battick and inserting national Under-17 striker Donovan Miller they failed to trouble the Rusea's goalkeeper Jacomeno Barrett throughout the game.
YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
Group One: Rusea's 2 Marcus Garvey 0, Cornwall 2 Mannings 1.
Group Two: Grange Hill 2 Cedric Titus 1.
Group Three: Porus 3 Clarendon 1, STETHS 1 Spalding 0.
Group Four: Bellefield 0 Garvey Maceo 2, Munro vs Holmwood - abandoned rain.
Group Five: Charlemont vs St. Thomas Technical - waterlogged field at G.C. Foster, Titchfield 2 Glenmuir 2.
Group Six: Seaforth 0 Dinthill 0, Old Harbour 0 St. Mary 1.
TODAY'S GAME
Group Two: William Knibb vs Little London - Jarrett Park.
