From left, Calabar's Cleyon Brown, and Norman Manley's Kenrick Brown
Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
IT'S D-DAY for Calabar High and Norman Manley as the ISSA/Pepsi/JN Manning Cup season climaxes in Jamaica today with the final between both schools at the National Stadium.
It follows the third place curtain-raiser between St. Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) and St. Catherine at 1:00 p.m.
Calabar, last year's beaten finalists, are favourites to lift their first title in many moons, 28 years to be exact. The green and black-clad boys from Red Hills Road have not lifted the coveted Manning Cup since 1977.
That team comprised the outstanding goalkeeper Delgado Taylor, captain Peter Atkinson, Kendis Nangle, Omar Grant, Mark Brown, Howard Sewell and Stephen Weatherley.
Calabar, formed in 1912, got their first lien of the Cup in 1943 and it took them another 34 years before capturing their second title and only other title.
If that 34-year trend is to be continued, then Calabar is slated to win the Manning Cup in 2011, that's six years' time.
But the David Hunt-coached Calabar, dubbed 'Rabalac' in recent times, are only one game away from satisfying the thirst and hunger of a generation of faithfuls.
MOST CONSISTENT TEAM
Calabar have been the most consistent team, reaching their second final of the season after losing to Tivoli Gardens in the Walker Cup on penalties.
Robert Palmer, the outstanding sweeper and captain, will be marshalling his troops as usual and should get good support from goalkeeper O'neil Wilson, the skilful Ramone Palmer, Marlon Smith, Cleyon Brown, Shane Bygrave and Lennox Creary.
But their opponents, Norman Manley, are no strangers to the Manning Cup final and will be hunting their fourth title and their third since 2000.
Norman Manley, a relatively young school on the horizon, snatched their first title in 1996, 27 years after being formed.
They have subsequently won the Manning Cup in 2000 and 2002 and could become the most successful school since the start of the new millenium with a another title.
In 1996 the Peat brothers, Anthony and Marlon, Alberto Fray, Irvino English and Gerald Neil became folklore heroes when they lifted the schools first Manning Cup.
Nine years after, the Alrick Clarke coached-team hunt their fourth lien and could make Clarke one of the most successful Manning Cup coaches.
The blue and white clad Norman Manley will be relying on captain Andre 'Bullet Head' Pagon, Norman Bailey, goalkeeper Wayne Walker, Yanick Wray, Kenrick Brown, Kemar Thomas, Romario Campbell and Rushane Berry to upstage their opponents.
IMPRESSIVE
In fact, the boys from Maxfield Avenue have been the most impressive since the start of the second round and might be peaking at the right time.
Interestingly, the final pits Calabar, the most prolific school against Norman Manley, the team with the tightest defence.
Calabar have rattled in 50 goals while conceding nine, compared to Manley's goal tally of 23 and three against.
On September 10, 2005, 37 schools were competing for the Manning Cup, today only two have a chance of lifting the trophy named in honour the then Governor of Colonial Jamaica, Sir William Henry Manning in 1914.
Ninety-one years after, it will be a final worth going miles to see, with two evenly matched teams capable of producing moments of genius to win any game.
In a match that can go either way, it will boil down to the team that makes the fewer mistakes being crowned the 2005 champions.
