Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) president, Clement Radcliffe (second left) presents the coveted Olivier Shield to jubilant Rusea's High School players following their 2-0 triumph over Norman Manley at Jarrett Park yesterday. Rusea's were claiming their sixth lien. (Photo: Conroy Walker)

MONTEGO BAY - daCosta Cup champions, Rusea's, are the top schoolboy team for 2002 after capturing the all-island Olivier Shield final, 2-0, over Manning Cup champions, Norman Manley, in the second leg at Jarrett Park yesterday.

This was Rusea's sixth hold on the Shield - symbol of schoolboy football supremacy. The teams had battled to a 0-0 draw in Kingston last Wednesday.
A ninth-minute penalty by captain, Ricardo Collins, and a Dwayne Jumpp strike in time added in the first half did the trick for Rusea's.
Despite the cheers from the handful of vociferous Norman Manley supporters, a stern defensive unit led by Keniel Moodie proved too much for the Corporate Area champs.

Winning coach, Anthony Williams, was overwhelmed with his second schoolboy title of the season. He was all smiles with his mentor, Emerson Henry, close by.
"It was easy, even I did not want to say it. When we played them (Norman Manley) in Kingston, we saw where they were very weak and we knew we could capitalise on their weakness," he said.

"Once we put the ball on the ground and play a passing game, it would always be difficult for them," Williams said, adding that part of his game plan for the second leg was to nullify the movement of national under 17-player, Bryan Bayliss.
"Once we did that we knew it was all over," Williams remarked.
Alrick Clarke, meanwhile, said the chances his team created were not put away: "The forwards weren't aggressive enough, but it was not a bad game."

Despite a magnificent save by Rusea's goalkeeper, Jacomeno Barrett, to deny Norman Manley the equaliser, Rusea's won the first half on goals and possession and dominated most of the second.
From the first whistle it was evident Rusea's had come with a purpose. They earned a penalty kick after Adrian Spence handled the ball in a desperate bid to clear the ball from his danger area. Collins buried the spot kick.

The winners had the better of play from then on as the early goal seemed to stun their rivals.
Norman Manley came back into their own towards the end of the first half, but stern defending by the "Russians" kept them at bay.
Resigned to a 1-0 deficit approaching the half-time interval, bad luck struck for the losers after the Rusea's goalkeeper's long-range kick went straight at the opposite goal.

His counterpart, Jermaine Campbell, failed to collect cleanly and gave an alert Jumpp a gift. With the ball falling from his grasp, Jumpp slammed home from the edge of the box, sending the fair-size crowd into a frenzy.

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