Spoils shared at ISSA/FLOW schoolboy football awards

Photo: Peter Lee Vassell collects the Golden Boot for his DaCosta Cup teammate Jourdaine Fletcher, while Duhaney Williams collects the Golden Boots for the Manning Cup from FLOW Sponsorship Manager Stephen Miller, at the ISSA/FLOW Schoolboy football awards at the Terra Nocva Hotel on Friday.

Jourdane Fletcher of the invincible DaCosta Cup champions, Cornwall College and Duhaney Williams, of four time back to back Manning Cup and Olivier Shield champions, Jamaica College, were the toast of the ISSA/FLOW Schoolboy Football awards, held at the Terra Nova Hotel on Friday. Both strikers led their respective schools in goal scoring and they both claimed the Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards for their respective competitions.

Fletcher scored a total of 35 goals all told for Cornwall College during the season, but was awarded the Golden Boot for the 13 goals scored in the DaCosta Cup after the first round. Williams was awarded the Golden Boot for the Manning Cup for his seven goals during the same period during the urban area competition.

Cornwall College enjoyed a dream season in the rural area competition, winning all their games played on the way to winning their first DaCosta Cup title in 15 years. It could not have come at a better time as the institution celebrates their 120^th anniversary.

Key midfielder, Peter Lee Vassell, who provided a number of assists for Fletcher collected the trophies and prizes of cellular phones from sponsors FLOW on behalf of his teammate who is away on international duty.

Vassell was delighted with the achievements of himself and his teammates and promised that there was more to come.

“It was a wonderful season. We went through a lot. It was a hard summer and we made a huge sacrifice to give up our holidays for football, it was a hard summer and a hard season. We had to be disciplined and take it one game at a time. It was an exceptional response from the school community when we won.”

“There are better things to come,” Vassell promised. “I can’t tell you as yet, but look out for greater things from me.”

In a season when there were no dominant teams in senior schoolboy football, the trophies were spread far and wide.

The rural area knock out title, the Ben Francis Cup, was won for the very first time by Lennon High school, when they defeated six time defending champions St. Elizabeth Technical High School in the finals and it was an extra special achievement for their coach Merron Gordon.

“It is very, very important (to win this title). We have been a quality team over the years, but we have never won a title. After winning so many titles in female football as a coach, I wanted to top this off with a male title.  It was a very, very deserving one. After going close in 2010, we won this title. It was very, very important for us.”

Now that the Lenno appetite has been whetted, the quest for more silverware will be on in earnest.

“We want to use it at a stepping stone. We want to bring in a few players, especially sixth formers. But we have a programme at Lennon and we have a nice junior team, so we should be competitive again,” Gordon assured.

Kingston College also broke a long winless streak when they claimed the urban area knock out title, the Walker Cup, while Wolmers’ Boys had their first hold on the Champions League of schoolboy football, the prestigious Super Cup trophy.