DEFENDING champions St George’s College and many-time champions Kingston College (KC) have both been exonerated by the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) of using ineligible players during the preliminary stage of the 2010 ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel Manning Cup competition.

George Forbes, ISSA’s competition co-ordinator, told the Observer that the schools have been cleared after a meeting yesterday.

“They have been exonerated because they produced last year’s report which proved the boys are qualified,” said Forbes.

Last week, Forbes indicated that KC, St George’s and Calabar High might be in breach of ISSA rules and sanctions could be brought against them, if found guilty.

ISSA rules stipulate that students must attain a certain average at the end of the previous term to

be eligible for the next season’s competitions.

Forbes had also stated that the two schools were alleged to have used players whose grades were not up to standard at the end of the last school year, but were given make-up tests at the start of this term to become eligible.

Both KC and St George’s College advanced to the quarter-final of the Manning Cup and that was why the fixtures for the next stage was delayed.

Calabar, on the other hand, failed to advance and thus the risk of losing points was not so significant.

The Manning Cup competition resumes on Friday with the some interesting quarter-final groupings, which will see the defending champions St George’s College facing Walker Cup champions Jamaica College, who eliminated them from this year’s Walker Cup knockout only last Saturday.

Completing Group II are Bridgeport High and KC.

Group I will be contested by Waterford High, Eltham High, Charlie Smith and St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS).

Former champions Excelsior High, Wolmer’s Boys’, Norman Manley and Tivoli Gardens are in Group III.