Just as they did in the Urban Area competition, Wolmer’s completed the ISSA all-island girls’ and boys’ U-19 Table Tennis double at the GC Foster College Auditorium on Wednesday.
The girls’ team secured a dominant 3-0 win over St. Mary High to claim their third straight all-island crown while the boys’ team defeated Titchfield High 4-1.
Jamaica College defeated Titchfield 5-0 to win the U-16 boys’ title while Immaculate Conception beat St. Hilda’s 3-1 to win the U-16 girls’ crown.
For Wolmer’s Girls’ team members Gianna Lewis and Liana Campbell, this win was an excellent way to close out their respective high school careers.
“Very relieved to be closing out with the all-island title,” Lewis told Sportsmax.tv.
“My team and I knew we had to bring our A game one last time and we did so,” she added.
Campbell called securing all-island success for the final time a “surreal feeling.”
“We embodied our school’s motto, ‘Age Quod Agis.’ Whatever you do, do it well. I am so proud of the team and myself and we’ll continue to excel in this sport,” she added.
The team’s third member, reigning JTTA National Champion Tsenaye Lewis, also reacted to the win.
“I am very, very happy with this victory especially since this is my last year playing alongside Liana and my big sister Gianna,” she said.
Lewis will still be at the school next year and hopes for continued success going forward.
“This is definitely how I envisioned the end of this era but now I hope we can defend our title for my final year next year,” she added.
The Lewis sisters will now turn their attention to national duty when they represent Jamaica at the Caribbean Youth Championships in Santo Domingo next week.
“We are looking forward to competing and representing our country again,” Tsenaye Lewis said.
Bradley Jacks is a budding journalist and an avid sports fan. His love of research and sports has led him to SportsMax.tv, a place where those passions work hand in hand to allow him to produce content.
ISSA Champions Cup draw sets up thrilling matchups
The stage is set for another thrilling chapter of schoolboy football as the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Champions Cup draw, conducted at SportsMax Studios on Tuesday, revealed a series of captivating matchups.
Chief among the fixtures to kick off this weekend’s quarterfinal round is the clash between reigning champions Glenmuir High and former champions Kingston College, as the tournament, which brings together the best from the Manning Cup and daCosta Cup competitions, promises fierce battles and a showcase of young talent.
Glenmuir High have been in impeccable form this season and are high-riding favourites to go all the way in the daCosta Cup. To begin their Champions Cup defence against Kingston College (KC) will certainly test their mettle, but they have so far displayed that they possess enough quality to overcome any challenge.
According to assistant coach Johnoy Chambers, Glenmuir, now making their fourth Champions Cup appearance, are riding high on years of developmental work.
“What we are doing at Glenmuir is just continuing the hard work we’ve been doing for the past three to four years. Being here is very important to us because the school strives to be the best both on and off the field," said Chambers.
Kingston College, a nine-time participant and winner in 2019, brings a legacy of dominance and is hungry to reclaim their place at the summit of schoolboy football.
In a historic clash, Ocho Rios High will make their second Champions Cup bow against debutants St Catherine High. Ocho Rios have been in good knick this season and will aim to continue that run of form, but St Catherine, under the stewardship of veteran coach Anthony Patrick, are determined to make an impact.
Patrick, a two-time Manning Cup-winning coach with Bridgeport, expressed pride in his team’s achievement.
“It’s a joy for me to have a team here. We’ve been building well from preseason, and it’s now coming out on the field. We are going to give it our best shot," Patrick declared.
In another interesting clash, Hydel High will mark their fourth appearance in the Champions Cup when they face Garvey Maceo, who are no strangers to the tournament with six appearances.
Hydel, known for their resolute defence and quick transitions, will be eager to stamp their authority on the competition. However, Garvey Maceo are seasoned campaigners, and their current crop of players will look to rise to the occasion in this encounter.
Meanwhile, Jamaica College (JC), a nine-time participant and 2022 Champions Cup winners, are peaking at the right time and, as such, will start favourites in their encounter against McGrath High, the reigning Ben Francis Cup champions.
Jamaica College’s decorated history speaks for itself, and members of Davion Ferguson’s current unit are seasoned in high-stakes matches. Still, they will be relying on tactical discipline to continue their rich history, while McGrath, buoyed by their recent cup triumph, will look to continue their upward trajectory.
Champions Cup Fixtures
Hydel High vs Garvey Maceo
Ocho Rios High vs St Catherine High
Jamaica College vs McGrath High
Glenmuir High vs Kingston College
KC, JC through to Manning Cup semis as champs Mona booted
A new ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup champion will be crowned after Kingston College (KC) registered a decisive 2-0 victory over reigning titleholders Mona High in their Group A quarterfinal showdown at Stadium East on Friday.
Kvist Paul (8th) and Demario Dailey (70th) did the damage for Kingston College in a win that not only ended Mona's campaign but also propelled the North Street-based team into the semifinals alongside Jamaica College (JC), who trounced Tivoli High 4-0 in a simultaneous fixture at the Ashenheim Stadium.
By virtue of the results, Jamaica College topped the group on seven points, one point ahead of Kingston College (six points), while Tivoli High (three points) and Mona High (one point) will now turn their focus to the Walker Cup knockout competition for redemption.
Kingston College’s Head coach, Vassell Reynolds, lauded his team's composure and execution.
"It was a fantastic performance. We knew Mona would come out strong, but the boys stuck to the game plan and delivered when it mattered. Now, we look ahead to the semifinals, but as always, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. The aim is to keep the boys grounded and focused, and we will see what happens when that time comes,” Reynolds said.
With a lot at stake for Mona in particular heading into the contest, it was expected to be a close affair, but the manner in which Kingston College started ensured otherwise.
In fact, Mona had very little say in the contest as Kingston College’s show of intent resulted in an early strike inside 10 minutes. Damaine Smith delivered a perfectly placed corner kick, which Paul rose to meet and headed past Mona's goalkeeper, Riquelme Edwards.
Mona High, desperate to respond, almost found themselves further behind in the 15th minute when Dailey fired wide from a promising position.
As Mona struggled to contain Kingston College’s tactical discipline and attacking enterprise, Deshawn Byfield almost added his name to the scoresheet but had his effort dramatically cleared off the line by Dante Peralto.
Despite KC’s dominance, Mona’s goalkeeper Edwards produced a string of superb saves to keep his team in contention.
Just before halftime, he acrobatically parried a powerful shot from Kajay Fletcher, diving full stretch to his right, and Byfield failed to capitalize on the rebound.
Seconds later, Edwards was called upon again to deny a stinging shot from Smith.
Matrim Martin then unleashed a venomous right-footer, but Edwards once more stood tall, ensuring the scoreline remained 1-0 at the break.
The purples continued to assert their authority on the resumption as Dailey threatened in the 68th with a firm shot from close range that went straight at Edwards.
However, the Kingston College striker, sporting the number nine jersey, made amends two minutes later. Sent on his way by a brisk through pass, Dailey powered a low drive past a flat-footed Edwards to double Kingston College’s lead and effectively end Mona’s hopes of a comeback.
JTTA National Junior and Senior Trials set for this weekend at National Arena
The Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) National Junior and Senior Table Tennis trials will take place on November 16 and 17 at the National Arena in Kingston.
This weekend will see players in the Senior Male and Female and Under-15 Boys and Girls categories vying for places on the nation’s team to the 2025 Caribbean Table Tennis Championships.
Action on Saturday’s first day will see play going on from 9:00am-5:00pm with a lunch break at 1:30pm while, on Sunday, play will commence at 9:00am and end at 3:00pm with a lunch break the same time as the day before.
JTTA President Ingrid Graham spoke on what she expects during the weekend’s events.
“I’m expecting some upsets in the senior trials but, overall, I expect some great games throughout,” she said.
Trials for both Under-19 categories will take place in early December.
The 2025 Caribbean Regional Championships are scheduled for March 31-April 7 in Bridgetown, Barbados while the Caribbean Regional Youth Championships are set for April 8-13 in the same place.
Sponsors for this weekend’s trials include Insports, Sports Development Foundation, Jamaica Olympic Association, Western Sports, Mother’s and Auto Channel among others.
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