Clarendon College took another step toward glory in the ISSA/Wata Ben Francis Cup when they edged Denbigh High 1-0 in a lukewarm semi-final encounter at Glenmuir High School on Tuesday.

A second-half penalty converted by Justin Hayles (54th) proved decisive for the dethroned daCosta Cup champions, who will face St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in the final, as both seek to cap their season on a high.

Clarendon College’s manager, Richard Palmer, praised his young team’s composure under pressure.

“First I must say congratulations to the guys; I don’t know if you realised that this is basically our Under-16 team because we made a drastic move after the daCosta Cup to cut all the last-year players and played these boys. They did well because we didn’t expect to come this far, so whatever we got we would have been pleased with because this is basically preseason for these players,” he said.

Both teams approached the game cautiously in the opening exchanges, seeking to establish control without taking unnecessary risks.

Clarendon issued the first warning in the second minute when Hayles unleashed a shot from outside the 18-yard box, but it lacked the power to trouble Denbigh’s goalkeeper, Jamar Johnson.

Denbigh responded six minutes later when Dushawn Anderson delivered a teasing cross into the area, only for Teyo Cross to head narrowly wide.

As the match settled into a rhythm, Denbigh began to look the more threatening side. Lashawn Barnaby won a free kick in the 17th minute after being brought down just outside the area, but Marlon Murray’s effort sailed high and wide, wasting a promising opportunity.

Clarendon, although under pressure, had a golden chance against the run of play in the 38th minute. Nicholy Forbes found himself with time and space inside the box but rushed his shot which went wide to the relief of Denbigh’s defenders.

With the game goalless at the break, both teams would have been eager to notch the go-ahead goal, and it was Clarendon College that found success nine minutes into the resumption.

A Denbigh defender was penalized for handling the ball inside the area, gifting Clarendon a penalty, which was calmly converted by Hayles.

Denbigh, stung by the setback, intensified their efforts in search of an equalizer. They pushed forward relentlessly, putting Clarendon’s defence under sustained pressure, but failed to make that spell count and, as such, were left ruining what could have been.

Denbigh coach Garfield Carney commended his players for their effort despite the loss.

“I think the Clarendon team possessed the ball much better than us and we were left chasing the game. But I must say well done to Denbigh; we did well this season, and we hope for a better season next year,” he noted.

Six-time champions St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) are on course to secure another ISSA/Wata Ben Francis Cup crown as they showcased resilience and attacking flair to secure a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Frome Technical in a closely contested semi-final encounter at Glenmuir High School on Tuesday.

A brace from Trinidadian Kaieem Lewis (64th and 73rd) and a first-half strike from Justin McPherson (17th) saw STETHS into the final after

Frome took the lead twice through Antwayne Cooper (3rd) and Stevaughn Spence (50th).

STETHS now await the winner of the Clarendon College versus Denbigh High clash.

Winning coach Omar Wedderburn lauded his team’s fighting spirit and welcomed the prospect of possibly capping their season with silverware.

"Well, the boys have to want it more than me. I really want to be in the National Stadium to end the season, and I asked what their plan was. They showed what they want, so from here it’s the road to the National Stadium. PPW…play, perform, win—that is our focus for the next game,” Wedderburn declared.

The match was a rollercoaster of emotions for both teams, more so for STETHS, who were asked to chase the game from the start.

This, as Frome Technical wasted no time asserting themselves and briskly broke the deadlock when Uriel Lemphard's pinpoint long pass found Cooper, who headed past a hesitant Johnoi Steadman in goal for STETHS.

The early strike stunned the STETHS faithful as Frome maintained the pressure in what was a decent passage of play. They forced errors in STETHS' backline, but despite creating opportunities, failed to convert their dominance into a second goal.

STETHS slowly settled into their rhythm and went close in the 16th minute through Henry Johnson, but his left-footed effort was tipped over the bar by Frome’s custodian, Oral Davis.

However, STETHS got their breakthrough a minute later when McPherson’s shot from deep inside the box took a wicked deflection, leaving Davis helpless.

McPherson continued to trouble Frome’s defence, but his 37th-minute shot was comfortably gathered by Davis.

At the other end, Frome’s Stevaughn Spence unleashed a venomous right-footer from the edge of the 18-yard box in the 40th minute, forcing Steadman into a diving save to keep the scores level at halftime.

Much like they did at the start, Frome again came out on the front foot and broke the deadlock five minutes in through talismanic captain Spence, who registered his 21st goal of the season with a stunning free-kick from a tight angle, beating Steadman at his near post.

Frome seemed poised to hold onto their advantage, but STETHS had other ideas.

Lewis, the Trinidadian standout, began to assert himself in the second half. In the 61st minute, his low shot was brilliantly kept out by Davis’ outstretched leg, and moments later, Davis again denied Lewis with a close-range save.

But persistence paid off in the 64th minute when Deandre Barnett danced through two defenders and slid a precise pass across the goal for a perfectly positioned Lewis to tuck home and pull STETHS level.

With momentum firmly on their side, STETHS pushed forward relentlessly and found the winner when Lewis produced a moment of individual brilliance, slipping past three Frome defenders before driving the ball past a hapless Davis at his near post.

Frome tried desperately to respond, but the STETHS held firm to break their opponents’ hearts.

Frome’s Head coach, Cleighton Stephens, expressed pride in his team’s performance despite the loss.

“I can’t say what went wrong in the backline today. It is like they didn’t want to play anymore football because those last two goals were really soft. But there are a lot of positives we can take away because we showed character and we were fighting, but congratulations to STETHS and well-tried Frome,” Stephens said.