Jamaica Premier League club, Portmore United Football Club has signed national player Alex Marshall on a two-and-a-half-year contract.
Outstanding schoolboy footballer Dujuan ‘Whisper’ Richards is confident he already has the tools needed to contribute meaningfully to the Jamaican national senior team.
In recent weeks, a dominant season in the country’s high school level program has seen the player score 29 goals and contribute 19 assists to Kingston College.
An impressive haul by any standard, but more so it is the quality in some of his finishing that has sparked calls for the player to be given an opportunity with Jamaica’s senior squad.
Not everyone agrees with that particular assessment, however, as some believe the step-up in opponent quality might be a gap too far to bridge at this stage of the player’s young career and might even do more harm than good.
High school players being given an opportunity to feature for the country’s national team is rare but not unprecedented. In years gone by Kevin ‘Pele’ Wilson another schoolboy football standout, who represented Charlie Smith, was called into the national squad as a 17-year-old, and made his debut against Norway in 1995.
Another player, Ricardo ‘Bibi’ Gardner, who represented Wolmer’s in the Manning Cup, went on to be arguably the country’s most successful player after being handed his debut as a teenager in 1997, ahead of the country’s historic qualification for the 1998 World Cup. Based on his tremendous displays many believe Richards deserves similar consideration. He agrees.
“Yes, for sure, right now,” Richards told SportsMax.Tv’s InCaseYouMissedIt, when quizzed about his state of readiness in regard to representing the national team.
“Craig (Butler) has been saying this for like two years, three years now,” he added.
The often controversial Craig Butler is the agent and adoptive father to Aston Villa star Leon Bailey and has had Richards as part of his Phoenix Academy club for the past several years.
"That’s the reason I played Manning Cup to prove myself that nobody is lying, that Craig isn’t lying, my father isn’t lying. Nobody that has been saying I can play is lying,” he added.
Richards also revealed that the current season of the Manning Cup was his first and will also be his last as the player is expected to explore offers from around Europe.
Jamaica College are champions of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup for the 31st time after a thrilling 8-7 penalty-shootout win over rivals St. Andrew Technical (STATHS) at Sabina Park on Friday.
The teams, meeting in the decider for the third time in the last six years, played out a tense 1-1 draw in regulation time.
JC took the lead in the 27th minute through a brilliant strike from winger Jaheem Frazer. They almost doubled that advantage ten minutes after the second half commenced when striker Maquan Aldridge rose well but headed a Tarick Ximines cross off the post.
That miss proved to be a big one as STATHS got back on level terms four minutes later when Shakeone Satchwell capitalized on a defensive error to slot home his 14th goal of the season.
With no further goals between the two heavyweights, the dreaded penalty shootout was needed to decide the champion.
JC had the worst possible start in the shootout when Romaine Blake had his penalty saved by STATHS keeper Jaheem Williams.
After that, both teams held their nerve well scoring penalties back and forth before STATHS, at this point with the score being 4-4 in the shootout, had a chance to secure their first Manning Cup crown in 35 years.
Unfortunately for them, substitute Namar Nelson blasted his penalty over the bar, meaning the shootout entered sudden death.
In sudden death, each team converted their first three kicks before Rashaun Frankson became the second STATHS kicker to blast over, giving JC an 8-7 win and a 31st hold on the crown.
Earlier at Sabina Park, Tivoli Gardens High School won their fifth Walker Cup title and first since 2005 after their own 5-4 penalty-shootout win over Haile Selassie High.
Tivoli took the lead when Captain Daniel Watson scored from a close-range header in the 35th minute before Joshua Dewar got Haile Selassie’s equalizer in the 49th minute.
In the resulting penalty-shootout, both teams converted their first four spot kicks before Haile Selassie substitute Tyreece Francis had his kick saved by keeper Shakur Adair.
It will be an All-Clarendon final in this year’s daCosta Cup as Clarendon College and Central High got penalty-shootout wins over the Manning’s School and Manchester High, respectively, in the semi-finals at STETHS on Wednesday.
Clarendon College will get a chance to win their 10th daCosta Cup title and first since 2019 after booking their place in the final with a 5-4 penalty shootout win over the Manning’s School in the first semi-final.
Manning’s took the lead in the 19th minute through a brilliant strike from Jhamaleek Porter before Keheim Dixon equalized for Clarendon College in the 52nd minute.
That score-line held through regulation meaning the finalists would have to be decided via a penalty-shootout. In the end, Clarendon College recovered from missing their first penalty in the shootout and held their nerve to eliminate last year’s finalists.
Their opponents in the final will be Central High who also needed a penalty-shootout to beat Manchester High in the second semi-final.
Central High took the lead through a close-range strike from captain Dylane Clarke in the 24th minute before Manchester equalized through a Nickoy Bartley penalty in the 55th minute.
Their game also ended 1-1 meaning penalties were needed once again. Through 10 penalties, each team only had one miss meaning they entered sudden death. A miss from Manchester’s Tyrese Douglas then set up an opportunity for Central to book a spot in their first ever daCosta Cup final which captain Clarke grabbed with both hands by comfortably slotting home the winning penalty for a 5-4 triumph.
The final will be played on December 3 at 4:15pm at STETHS.
Meanwhile, a new champion will be crowned in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup after Jamaica College and STATHS got wins over Mona High and defending champions Kingston College, respectively, in Tuesday's semi-finals at the National Stadium.
STATHS, who lost 2-4 to KC in last year's semis, got their revenge with a 3-2 triumph in the day's second game. Shakeone Satchwell opened the scoring for STATHS in the ninth minute before Rashaun Frankinson doubled their lead in the 25th. Nashordo Gibbs cut the deficit to one in the 31st minute before Dwayne Atkinson restored their two-goal lead in the 65th minute.
Dujuan Richards closed the gap again in the 89th minute but that was too little too late.
Joining STATHS in the final will be 30-time champions Jamaica College who got a narrow 2-1 win over Mona High in the earlier game. Donhue Mitchell struck in the sixth minute to give Mona, playing in their first ever semi-final, the early advantage.
JC responded as Tarick Ximines scored the equalizer in the 30th minute before Kevaughn Wilson converted a 58th-minute penalty to secure the victory.
The final will take place on December 2 at 6:15pm at Sabina Park.
This will be the third time in the last six seasons that JC and STATHS have contested the Manning Cup Final, with JC winning both previous meetings in 2017 and 2019.
Kingston College and Mona High will join Jamaica College and STATHS in the semi-finals of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup after wins in a double-header at Stadium East on Wednesday.
Defending champions Kingston College were first up and followed their 4-0 win over St. Georges College in their first game Saturday with a 5-0 win over Charlie Smith to move to six points from two games.
The second game saw Mona High get their second win in as many games with a 1-0 victory over St. George’s to book their spot in the last four for the first time in the school’s history. KC and Mona will meet on Saturday to determine who will progress as Group A winners while St. George’s College will play Charlie Smith at Jamaica College.
In the Tuesday Group B double-header at the same venue, Jamaica College beat Haile Selassie 2-0 to secure their spot in the last four before STATHS beat Wolmer’s Boys 1-0 to also advance. JC and STATHS will meet on Friday at Stadium East to determine the winners of Group B while Wolmer’s will tackle Haile Selassie at Jamaica College.
St. George’s College, Mona High, Charlie Smith and Haile Selassie all booked spots in the quarterfinal round of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup on Friday.
St. George’s followed up a 4-1 first leg win over Jonathan Grant on Tuesday with a 3-1 win at Winchester Park on Friday for a 7-2 aggregate win.
Mona High continued their unbeaten run so far this season with a 3-1 win over Tivoli at Jamaica College for a 5-1 aggregate score.
Charlie Smith rebounded from a first leg 1-1 draw with Campion College with a 2-0 win at Stadium East to progress while Haile Selassie got past Excelsior 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw in the second leg at Stadium East.
The other four quarterfinalists will be decided on Saturday. The fixtures and first leg scores are as follows:
Kingston College (0) vs Jose Marti (0) @ Stadium East 3:00pm
Jamaica College (5) vs Norman Manley (0) @Jamaica College
STATHS (2) vs St. Jago (1) @ Stadium East 1:00pm
St. Catherine (1) vs Wolmer’s (0). @ Spanish Town Prison Oval
Defending champions Kingston College were held to a surprising 0-0 draw by Jose Marti High in the first leg of their second-round tie in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup at Royal Lakes on Wednesday.
The second round of the Manning Cup will see 16 teams face off in two leg knockout fixtures to determine the eight teams to advance to the quarterfinals.
Kingston College advanced as winners of Group A while Jose Marti advanced as one of the best non-automatic qualifiers after finishing fourth in Group F.
Wednesday’s other second round fixtures saw Group B winners Jamaica College beat Norman Manley 5-0 at Calabar, STATHS (Group D winners) beat St. Jago (Group B third-place finishers) 2-1 at the Spanish Town Prison Oval and St. Catherine (Group B runners up) secure a 1-0 win over Wolmer’s Boys (Group E runners up) at Stadium East.
On Tuesday, Group E winners Mona High, the only team to have achieved maximum points from their 10 first round matches, continued their quest for a perfect season with a 2-0 win over Tivoli (third in Group C) at Stadium East.
Campion College (Group F runners up) and Charlie Smith (Group C winners) played out a 1-1 draw at Jamaica College while Haile Selassie (Group C runners up) and St. George’s College (Group A runners up) got 1-0 and 4-1 wins over Excelsior (Group F winners) and Jonathan Grant (Group D runners up) at Calabar High and the Spanish Town Prison Oval, respectively.
The second legs for the Tuesday fixtures will take place on Friday and the ones for the Wednesday games will happen on Saturday.
St. George’s College produced a spirited display to secure a 4-2 win over North Street rivals and defending champions Kingston College in their Group A fixture in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup at Stadium East on Saturday. It was KC's first loss of the season.
St. George’s took the lead through a header from striker Joshua Jackson in the 14th minute and doubled their advantage through Zabir Taylor in the 44th minute. Shortly after the start of the second half, Kingston College would find themselves level after quick goals from Teyshawn Mattis in the 47th and Nashordo Gibbs in the 49th minute. Brian Burkett then got a double, capitalizing on a defensive mistake in the 72nd minute before scoring again in the 91st, to secure all three points for St. George’s.
Both have already advanced to the next round and are now level on 21 points from eight games, with KC holding a slight lead on goal difference. Waterford are third in the group on 12 points after a 0-0 draw with Ardenne at home while Calabar beat Meadowbrook 5-1 at home to move a point behind Waterford in fourth.
In Group B, St. Catherine High beat Cedar Grove 3-0 at the Spanish Town Prison Oval to move to 19 points from eight games and secure their spot in the next round alongside leaders Jamaica College. St. Mary’s College beat Holy Trinity 4-2 at home in Saturday’s other group game.
Haile Selassie secured their progression from Group C with a 3-0 home win over Bridgeport. They now have 20 points, three behind leaders Charlie Smith, from nine games.
Mona High, who have also already progressed to the next round, now have nine wins from nine games in Group E after a 3-2 home win over Papine.
Excelsior will advance from Group F but will have to wait to see whether they will advance as group winners after playing out a 2-2 draw with Jose Marti at home to move to 21 points from their nine outings. They will be joined in the next round by Campion College who beat Kingston Technical 1-0 at home to move to 19 points, seven more than Jose Marti in third, from nine games.
Defending champions Kingston College and finalists Jamaica College were both in fine goalscoring form as action continued in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup this week.
KC remained perfect after seven games in Group A with an 8-0 thumping of Waterford at Stadium East on Monday. 22-time champions St. George’s College are three points behind their North Street rivals after a 2-1 win over Calabar at Winchester Park while Meadowbrook and Ardenne played out a 1-1 draw at the Constant Spring Field in the other game.
On Tuesday, Jamaica College put nine past Holy Trinity without conceding at home to move to 19 points from seven games to lead Group B. Second-placed St. Catherine, the defending Walker Cup champions, suffered a setback with a 1-2 loss to third-placed St. Jago at the Spanish Town Prison Oval to remain on 16 points after their seven games. St. Jago trail them by four points in third. Cedar Grove beat St. Mary’s College 2-0 at home in the group’s other game.
Also on Tuesday, Charlie Smith and Haile Selassie both secured wins to stretch the gap between themselves and the rest of Group C. Leaders Charlie Smith got by Edith Dalton James 2-1 at Edith Dalton to move to 20 points from their eight games. Haile Selassie got a crucial 1-0 win over Tivoli at home to move to 17 points from their eight games. Their opponents are third with 10 points but have a game in hand over the top two. Bridgeport are two points behind Tivoli in fourth after a 2-1 win over Vauxhall at Dunbeholden.
In Group D play on Saturday, leaders STATHS and second-placed Jonathan Grant played out a 3-3 draw in a top-of-the-table clash at Jonathan Grant. STATHS still leads the group with 18 points from eight games while Jonathan Grant are just a point behind while having played one less game. Norman Manley have also played seven games and are four points behind Jonathan Grant in third after a 3-0 win over Spanish Town at Maxfield Park. Tarrant beat Dunoon 5-0 at Excelsior in the other game.
Mona now has 24 points out of a possible 24 to lead Group E after securing a 1-0 win over Wolmer’s Boys at home on Tuesday. Wolmer’s remain second in the group on 15 points from their eight games. Hydel missed out on a chance to leapfrog Wolmer’s and are now within a point of them in third after a 0-0 draw with Camperdown at Royal Lakes. Papine won the battle of the two bottom teams in the group 2-0 over Kingston High at Papine.
Excelsior and Campion College continue to set the pace in Group F after home wins over Clan Carthy and Cumberland, respectively. Excelsior won 2-0 to move to 20 points from eight matches while Campion College were 4-0 winners to move to 16 points from their eight games. Kingston Technical beat Jose Marti 1-0 to join their opponents on 11 points.
Defending champions Kingston College, 22-time champions St. George’s College and defending Walker Cup champions St. Catherine High all scored wins on a goal-filled Friday in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup.
Friday’s action saw 32 goals being scored in just four matches with the highest scoring game being St. Catherine’s 10-0 win over St. Mary’s College at the Owen Palmer Oval.
St. Catherine now have 16 points from six outings and are level on points with leaders Jamaica College in Group B, trailing them by 10 on goal difference.
Kingston College secured a 9-0 victory over Ardenne at Stadium East for their sixth win in as many games to remain three points clear of their North Street neighbours St. George’s College in second.
St. George’s got their own 9-0 victory over Meadowbrook at Winchester Park to move to 15 points while Calabar and Waterford played out a 2-2 draw at Calabar in the other group game. Waterford are third with 11 points while Calabar are fourth with eight.
Mona High recorded a come-from-behind 4-3 win over Camperdown High at Excelsior on Thursday to remain undefeated in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup.
Mona took the lead through Kshaine Gordon in the 22nd minute before Camperdown would reply only a minute later through a header from striker Devante McCrea.
Mona re-took the lead in the 31st minute though Zhaine Pinnock after some questionable goalkeeping by Camperdown’s Howain Jones. It was all square again after the 34th minute when McCrea got his second of the game after slotting the ball into an empty net.
In the 47th minute, Camperdown found themselves ahead for the first time through a left-footed strike from Shelton Ricketts. Pinnock got his second of the game in the 75th minute to make it 3-3 before centre-back Donhue Mitchell came up with Mona’s winner in the 88th minute.
With their seventh win in as many games, Mona leads Group E comfortably with 21 points. Wolmer’s Boys rebounded from back-to-back losses to Mona and Camperdown with a 5-1 win over Papine High at home to remain second on 15 points while Hydel trail them by two points in third after a 2-1 win over Kingston High at Breezy Castle.
Jamaica College got their fourth win in a row to remain at the top of Group B. The 30-time champions went to Cedar Grove and got a convincing 4-0 win to move to 16 points from six games. St. Catherine are second with 13 points from five outings and will look to go level on points with JC when they oppose St. Mary’s College at the Owen Palmer Oval on Friday. St. Jago are four points behind St. Catherine in third after a 5-2 win over Holy Trinity at Excelsior.
In the lone Group D encounter, Jonathan Grant beat Spanish Town 1-0 at the Spanish Town Prison Oval to move to 16 points, one behind leaders STATHS.
The top two teams in Group F, Excelsior and Campion College, played out a 0-0 draw at the latter. Excelsior now has 17 points after seven games while Campion has 14. Jose Marti is third with 11 after a 2-0 home win over Clan Carthy.
Defending champions Kingston College maintained their spot atop Group A of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup with a comfortable 7-0 win over Meadowbrook High at the Constant Spring Field on Tuesday.
KC now leads the group with a perfect 15 points from five games, three points more than their North Street neighbours St. George’s College who avenged their shock loss to Waterford earlier in the season with a 3-0 win at Winchester Park. The other group game saw Calabar beat Ardenne 2-0 at Ardenne.
Charlie Smith leads Group C by three points after a 3-0 win over Bridgeport at Dunbeholden. After three wins in a row, Charlie Smith now has 17 points from seven outings. Haile Selassie remain second with 14 points after a 2-2 draw with Vauxhall at Vauxhall while Tivoli have 10 points in third after a 4-2 home win over Edith Dalton James.
STATHS now have a four-point lead in Group D thanks to a 5-0 win over Dunoon Technical at Excelsior. They now have 17 points from seven games, four more then Jonathan Grant, who beat Spanish Town 4-1 at home, in second. Norman Manley is third with 10 points after a 4-1 win over Tarrant at Tarrant.
Excelsior got their fifth win in a row, 1-0 away at Cumberland, to move to 16 points from six games and lead Group F. Campion College trail them by four points in second after a 0-0 draw with Jose Marti at Jose Marti. There were also no goals between Kingston Technical and Clan Carthy at Kingston Technical in the day’s other group game.
Defending champions Kingston College are still undefeated in the 2022 ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup after securing a comfortable 3-0 win over rivals Calabar at Calabar on Saturday.
KC now leads Group A with 12 points after four games, two points ahead of Waterford who hammered Meadowbrook 5-0 at home. KC’s North Street neighbors and 22-time Manning Cup winners St. George’s College are third on nine points after a 3-0 win at Ardenne.
30-time champions Jamaica College got their third straight win and fourth in five games with a 10-0 demolition of St. Mary’s College at St. Mary’s College. JC now leads Group B with 13 points, the same amount as St. Catherine High who beat Holy Trinity 3-0 at the Spanish Town Prison Oval on Friday. Cedar Grove scored an upset 2-1 home win over St. Jago in the group’s other Saturday game.
Charlie Smith beat Haile Selassie 2-1 in a Group C top of the table clash at the Tony Spalding Sports Complex to move to 14 points from five games, one ahead of their opponents. The group’s other games saw Bridgeport and Edith Dalton play out a 1-1 draw at Dunbeholden and Vauxhall lose 1-2 to Tivoli at home.
STATHS moved to 14 points to remain at the top of Group D after a 2-2 draw with Norman Manley at home. Jonathan Grant is still second after a 3-1 win over Dunoon at Excelsior while Spanish Town beat Tarrant 2-1 at the Spanish Town Prison Oval in the other game.
Mona High continued their red-hot form in Group E with a 6-0 win over Kingston High at Breezy Castle, their sixth win in as many games. Mona are now six points ahead of their closest challengers, Wolmer’s, who suffered a 1-0 defeat to Camperdown on Friday at the Alpha Institute, their second straight loss after winning their first four games. Hydel beat Papine 3-0 at Royal Lakes to move to 10 points from their six encounters.
Group F play saw Excelsior go to Kingston Technical and scrape a 2-1 win to move to 13 points from five games, maintaining a two-point lead over Campion College who beat Clan Carthy 1-0 at home. Jose Marti is third on seven points after a 5-1 win over Cumberland at home.
Mona High maintained their perfect start to the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup with a 3-1 victory over Wolmer’s Boys at Stadium East on Wednesday.
Mona, after beating the previously undefeated Wolmer’s, now have 15 points from five games and boast an impressive goal difference of 28 having scored 33 goals and conceded just five.
Earlier at Stadium East on Wednesday, Camperdown and Hydel played out a 1-1 draw. Hydel and Camperdown now sit third and fourth in Group E with seven and five points, respectively.
The other Group E fixture saw Kingston High beat Papine 2-1 at home for their first win in five tries.
Jamaica College moved to the top of Group B on goal difference with a 4-0 win over St. Jago at Jamaica College. The 30-time champions now have 10 points, the same amount as St. Catherine High who got a 6-0 win at Cedar Grove. JC has a goal difference of 19 while St. Catherine has a goal difference of 10.
Holy Trinity beat St. Mary’s College 5-1 at Bell Chung Oval in the other Group B encounter.
STATHS are now in a dominant position in Group D after a 6-0 win over Tarrant moved them up to 13 points from five games, six more than second placed Jonathan Grant, who secured a 2-1 win over Norman Manley at Maxfield Park. Dunoon got a 2-1 win over Spanish Town at Excelsior in the other Group D fixture.
22-time champions St. George’s College were stunned by Waterford High in the ISSA-Digicel Manning Cup on Wednesday.
In the match played at Waterford, the hosts pulled off a shock 3-2 win over the North Street-based school to move to seven points from three games, good enough for second in Group A.
Defending champions Kingston College moved to the top of the group with a 3-1 win over Meadowbrook at Stadium East, their third win in as many games.
In Wednesday’s other Group A clash at Calabar, the hosts secured a 6-1 win over Ardenne.
In Group B, 30-time champions Jamaica College moved to seven points from their three games with a 4-2 victory over Holy Trinity at the Bell Chung Oval.
Group D saw Norman Manley beat Spanish Town 3-0 at the Spanish Town Prison Oval while STATHS and Jonathan Grant played out a 2-2 draw at STATHS.
There were 11 matches played on Tuesday as well.
In Group F, Excelsior pulled out a 2-1 win over Clan Carthy at the Alpha Institute to move to seven points from three games, maintaining a two-point lead over Campion College, who secured a 2-1 win of their own against Cumberland at Cumberland.
The other Group F match saw Jose Marti grind out a 1-0 win over Kingston Technical at home.
Group C saw Haile Selassie and Charlie Smith both move to seven points from three games. Haile Selassie went to Tivoli High and secured a 3-1 win while Charlie Smith beat Edith Dalton 3-1 at the Tony Spalding Sports Complex. Vauxhall and Bridgeport drew 2-2 at Vauxhall in the other group encounter.
Mona High were Tuesday’s biggest winners with a 9-2 result against Camperdown in Group E to move to a perfect nine points from three matches. Joining them on nine points were Wolmer’s Boys who beat Papine 2-0 at Papine. Hydel hammered Kingston High 7-1 at Royal Lakes in the third group game.
Dunoon secured a 2-0 win over Tarrant in Group D while in Group B, St. Catherine beat St. Jago 1-0 at the Spanish Town Prison Oval.
Action continues Friday with 10 matches. Group F will see Campion College visiting Kingston Technical, leaders Excelsior visiting Jose Marti and Cumberland hosting Clan Carthy.
In Group C, Bridgeport and Haile Selassie will do battle at Dunbeholden, Vauxhall will host Edith Dalton and Tivoli will host Charlie Smith.
The lone Group D clash will be between Spanish Town and STATHS at the Spanish Town Prison Oval.
Group E will see Camperdown and Kingston High clash at the Alpha Institute, Papine host leaders Mona and Wolmer’s host Hydel.
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