Clarendon teams set for another dominant year

Six Clarendon teams will be aiming to continue the parish’s dominance when the round of 16 of the Rural Area ISSA daCosta Cup football competition gets under way tomorrow, following impressive performances in the second round.

Three teams - Glenmuir, Denbigh, and Clarendon College - topped their respective groups, while Kemps Hill, Central High, and Garvey Maceo also secured qualification.

Glenmuir led Group Two with 13 points, Denbigh topped Group Three with 10 points, and Clarendon College finished atop Group Five with a maximum 15 points. Kemps Hill ended second in their group with 10 points, while Central High qualified as the best third-placed team with 10 points. Garvey Maceo also advanced after securing one of the four best third-place spots with seven points.

The Clarendon teams will be hoping to replicate their success in the Ben Francis Cup knockout competition, where Glenmuir, Clarendon College, and Denbigh all advanced to the semi-finals.

Glenmuir will spearhead the parish’s challenge in Zone Two, where they will be joined by Kemps Hill, Manchester High, and defending champions St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), who qualified as the third-best third-place team.

The Ashani Mullings-coached Glenmuir have yet to concede a goal in the competition and will be seeking to add the daCosta Cup title to their recent Ben Francis Cup triumph. They scored an impressive 25 goals during the second round.

Clarendon College, the 2023 champions, will renew their rivalry with Denbigh High in Zone Three. The teams met in the Ben Francis Cup semi-finals, where Clarendon College advanced after winning a penalty shoot-out following a goalless draw.

Denbigh, one of the surprise packages of the competition, have earned a reputation as giant killers and will be hoping to claim more major scalps as they pursue a place in the latter stages.

Lacovia High and Dinthill Technical complete the Zone Three line-up. Clarendon College were one of only two teams to win all their matches in the second round.

Former champions Frome Technical will lead the teams in Zone One, where they will be joined by Cornwall College, Ocho Rios High, and Garvey Maceo.

McGrath High, beaten finalists in 2024, will headline Zone Four. They will be joined by Manning’s School, who won all their second-round matches, along with Munro College and Central High as the teams battle for places in the quarterfinals.