Photo: Celebrating fans at the LIME Super Cup at Sabina Park on match day one
The first day of the inaugural staging of the LIME Super Cup provided lots of excitement at all three venues. The fans were treated to good football, played on three of the best playing surfaces in Jamaica, and it was a good look for football in Jamaica. The support was there for our youngsters, as all three venues were packed with supporters.
The LIME Super Cup is creating a buzz and it is also referred to as the Jamaican Champions League of schoolboy football.
Some of the games provided surprise results and the stage is set this Saturday for another exciting day of football.
The matches will be played at the National Stadium and Sabina Park with both venues hosting a double header.
At Sabina Park Jamaica College will face off with Hydel High at 3p.m. in what should be a very interesting fixture.
The two teams met once this season with Jamaica College scoring a controversial 2-1 win with doubts surrounding a penalty call in favour of the “True Blue”. Hydel has a good unit and led by top scorer Stephen Barnett who has 13 goals in all competitions, will be looking to get the better of the Old Hope Road school this time around, in what is surely a revenge match for the Donovan Hayles coached boys. JC is unbeaten all season however, and sees winning the LIME Super Cup as part of their destiny.
The second match of the double header will see St Elizabeth Technical take on Camperdown High at 5 p.m. This will again call for lights at the cricket mecca. The two teams who know little about each other, will be looking to advance to the semi-final stage of the competition. STETHS carries the hopes of rural Jamaica as 6 of the 8 DaCosta Cup teams were eliminated on match day one. As defending champions of the rural area crown a lot will be expected of STETHS and they will be confident after their five goal mauling of Denham Town at the National Stadium last weekend.
Camperdown on the other hand will be looking to gain the respect they think has been lacking this season by claiming a big scalp as they hunt a berth in the semis. Boasting few stars, the red and blue clad outfit has gained success by their work as a unit on the field of play and will have to be at their best to come away with a victory against the DaCosta Cup big boys.
The National Stadium has two thrilling matches as well. First it will be the Garvey Maceo against Holy Trinity High at 3p.m. Garvey Maceo’s demolition of Charlie Smith last weekend set tongues wagging and should they turn up in similar form, Holy Trinity may be in for a rough ride. Captain Ryan Scott was in devastating form, scoring a brace and providing the assist for the other, in their 3-1 win over Charlie Smith and a lot will be riding on his shoulders yet again.
Holy Trinity also surprised many with their penalty shoot-out win over DaCosta Cup powerhouse Clarendon College. Many spectators of “CC” made the short trip into Kingston for the game and left Sabina Park disappointed after seeing their team lead the game only to be shot down at the spot. A win for Holy Trinity will be regarded as yet another upset.
The most anticipated game of the quarter-final round is the feature game at the National Stadium between St Georges College and Wolmer’s Boys at 5p.m. The game is expected to be a keen tussle between two of the favourites in the competition. Wolmers knocked out STGC in semi-finals of the Walker Cup last year so the Sky Blues will be seeking some amount of revenge after they finished last season empty handed.
Both teams are well coached and having played each other in the final stages of both the Manning and Walker Cups many times in the last few years, there are few secrets between them. They both have similar playing styles as Ludlow Bernard (Wolmers) and Bertis Bell (STGC) believe in playing a passing game. The National Stadium showed signs of wear and tear after the Red Stripe Premier League double header on Monday night, but it is hoped that the surface will be ok for the two matches come Saturday.
LIME has undoubtedly scored big with the Super Cup by way of exciting football and a great fans experience and spectators at both venues can expect wonderful and exciting football again this weekend.
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