Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:

ELEVEN-TIME champions Corn-wall College rescued their ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup season in fine style yesterday when they defeated Maldon High 2-0 to clinch the second inter-zone slot in Zone A.

The Dr Dean Weatherley-coached team, which needed to avoid defeat to join group winners St James High School as the inter-zone qualifiers from the zone, ensured their season would continue courtesy of goals by Scion Afflick in the 16th minute and substitute Jahmal Whittaker in the 85th.

"We knew what we needed to do today, so we basically prepared well and came here and executed," said Weatherley. "We are now looking forward to the inter-zone round where we expect to be very competitive."

The Maldon team, which lost on its home turf for the first time this season, must be cursing its luck as it missed a number of chances, including a 90th-minute penalty by star midfielder Jermaine Jackson.

Zone winners St James High clinched their place in the Ben Francis Knockout when they overpowered Spot Valley 4-1 to move to an unassailable 29 points and out of the reach of Cornwall, who have 23 points and an outstanding game.

'Good feeling'

"It is a good feeling to win the zone because that was our plan from the start of the season," said Pastor Hugh Solomon, coach of the St James High team which scored through Randy Myrie (two), Davion Reid and Ajohn Barker yesterday.

"We are looking forward to giving a good account of ourselves in the Ben Francis KO," Solomon said.

In Zone L, where the places are to be decided by a four-team play-off between the first and second-place finishers in the zones, Paul Bogle and St Thomas Technical emerged the qualifiers after yesterday's return games and advanced to the final.

St Thomas Technical, which had a 1-0 win against Fair Prospect in their first-leg game, scored a big 3-1 victory yesterday to take the two-way tie 4-1 on aggregate.

Paul Bogle, who defeated Happy Grove 2-0 in the first leg, were surprised 2-1 yesterday, but still advanced 3-2 on aggregate.

St Thomas Technical and Paul Bogle will meet in the play-off final tomorrow to decide which of them will contest the Ben Francis KO, slated to start next Wednesday.

In Zone D, the much-anticipated match-up between second-placed Cedric Titus (20) and third-placed Brown's Town (18) to decide which of them will join group leaders Marcus Garvey in the inter-zone round was not played as neither team claimed it received the requisite correspondence from ISSA.

The game has been rescheduled for tomorrow.

Zone A: Cornwall College 2 Maldon 0, St James 4 Spot Valley 1.

Zone D: Cedric Titus vs Brown's Town (not played)

Zone F: Belair 2 DeCarteret 2, Manchester 1 Bellefield 0, Porus 6 Cross Keys 1.

Zone K:St Mary Technical 2 Annotto Bay 1.

Zone L: St. Thomas 3 Fair Prospect 1, Happy Grove 2 Paul Bogle 1.