Munro College and Alpha Academy clinched the ISSA Jamaica Hockey Federation Under-14 School League titles yesterday in contrasting styles at the Mona facility.

Leading goalscorer Amin Miller netted both goals in Munro's 2-1 win over Tivoli High, while Alpha's Genieve Smith converted the only flick in the penalty shoot-out against St Andrew High. Miller scored in the second and 17th minutes with Tivoli's Odean Elliot knocking in his team's lone goal in the ninth minute. Miller topped the league with 11 goals.

Ramesh McCalla (left) of Tivoli Gardens High challenges Munro's Jason McPherson during yesterday's ISSA Jamaica Hockey Federation Under-14 schoolboys final at the Mona facility. Munro won 2-1. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)

Munro's coach Jerry Rowe said afterwards: "We are glad for the win, but disappointed with the waterlogged field that hindered play."

Tivoli's coach Eton Knight noted that Munro exacted revenge after losing 0-1 to his boys in the preliminaries. "Tivoli played very good, especially that all but three were playing hockey in their first season," he noted.

Alpha girls were taller and faster and used that to their advantage throughout the match. St Andrew captain Demi Nicholson, a stalwart in midfield and director of operations, and her goalkeeper Tamara Edwards, stopped the Alpha assault during regular play for the Dr Michelle Holt-coached girls. After regulation and extra time, the match was still locked 0-0 before the dreaded penalty shootout.

Heavy rains pelted the sand-filled artificial turf in the dying minutes of the game and showed up the atrocious state of the playing surface. The waterlogged field also made penalty taking a nightmare. Of the six attempts, Smith was the first and only player to convert and according to Dr Holt, only because the outstanding goalkeeper Edwards was not ready.

Alpha's coach Kirk King admitted that his team entered the final as favourites, as he exposed his young girls to play in Under-19 competition from a very young age. Dr Holt said that she was seeing most of the "Alpha players for the first time". St Andrew's Kamille Griffiths topped the league with 12 goals.

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