Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
( L - R )HUNT AND FIGARO
JAMAICAN SCHOOLBOYS will start their defence of the Jamaica/Trinidad and Tobago Friendship Trophy, when the All-Manning Cup team tackles the Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) All-Schools team in the first leg at the Constant Spring Sports Complex today at 3:00 p.m.
The Friendship Trophy will be decided on Thursday when the T&T schoolboys travel to Brancourt, Clarendon to play the All-daCosta Cup team in the second leg. The team with the better aggregate scores will be the victors.
Last year, Jamaica invaded the country of their T&T counter-parts and won both games 2-1, with Glenmuir's prolific striker Steve Morrissey leading the way for a 4-2 aggregate win.
This year, the All-Manning team has the job of getting Jamaica off to a good start in the first leg and coach David Hunt thinks the lads will seize the opportunity and perform well.
"The guys are well motivated because it is a chance for them to get international exposure and a chance to be included in an All-Stars team," said Hunt, who coached Calabar High to Manning Cup glory.
Meanwhile, Selris Figaro, one of two coaches of the 18-man squad Trinidadian team, said they are confident and raring to go, although he has no knowledge of his Jamaican counterparts.
"We have no knowledge of them. We have never seen them play or train. We have no time for that ...we have time to play football," he said confidently.
"We are taking this very seriously. There is always a rivalry with Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago," said Figaro, who played on the 1973 Trinidad and Tobago team that just failed to qualify ahead of Haiti for the 1974 World Cup Finals in Germany.
The Trinidadian team has two under-17 national players and are described by Figaro as "a very disciplined bunch of guys".
The Trinidad team arrived in the island on Sunday and had two training sessions yesterday. The first was at Campion College in the morning and later at Excelsior High School in the evening.
The All-Manning team had two training sessions last Thursday and Saturday morning and the aquad has been trimmed to 20 for the game.
All-Manning squad:
Goalkeepers, Oneil Wilson (C'Bar), Wayne Walker (N. Manley); Defenders, Robert Palmer, Kirk Duckworth, Miguel Malcom, (C'Bar), Kemar Rodney (Mona), Duane Dilworth (St Catherine); Midfielders, Norman Bailey (N. Manley), Nicholas Beckett (Wolmers), Troy Watson (STATHS), Kenardo Forbes (Bridgeport), Dwayne Smith (M'Brook), Kemar Bennett (St Catherine), Ramoan Palmer, Lennox Creary (C'Bar); Forwards, Jermaine Allen (Tivoli), Kemar Daley (JC), André Pagon (N. Manley), Craig Hunter (Charlie Smith) and Marlon Smith C'Bar).
