Trio secures semi-final berths in schoolboy hockey

Paul Burrowes

Monday, February 13, 2012

The Under-19 Hockey Schools League enters its fourth and final week today with the boys from defending champions Jamaica College, Mona High and Excelsior High schools booking their places into the semi-finals.

Black River High will try to pip Kingston College for the other semi-final spot when they tackle Tivoli Gardens High in a rescheduled Zone B match at 12 noon at the Mona Hockey facility.

Mona High and Excelsior High advance from Zone A with 13 and 10 points, respectively, while JC secured their berth from Zone A with 10 points along with a superior goal difference of four.

KC, also on 10 points but with a goal difference of two, will fail to make it into the semi-finals if Black River High (seven points and goal difference of three) beat Tivoli Gardens High today.

For the girls, another perennial battle between defending champions St Andrew High and Papine High looms as they lead the eight-team girls league with 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Trailing are Alpha Academy (10 points), Immaculate Conception High (eight points), Excelsior High (seven points), Mona High (five points), St Hugh's High (one point) and cellar dwellers Wolmer's High on nought.

After the rescheduled boys match today, four scheduled girls matches will get under way this afternoon.

Alpha seek a must-win against Immaculate at 1:00 pm, Mona High will take it to St Hugh's at 2:00 pm, Wolmer's will try to hold Excelsior at 3:00 pm and St Andrew High clash with Papine High in what could be a dress rehearsal for the final on Thursday.

St Andrew's Kamille Griffiths, Papine's Samantha Jones, and Alpha's Shannar White have been the outstanding goalscorers so far in the girls category.

Leading goalscorers for the boys are Excelsior's Akeem Murray (five goals), Mona's Jevaughn Osbourne and Leon Waugh (three goals apiece), and KC's Leon Kerr and Daron Harrison (each on two goals).