BOYS from three inner-city high schools were the cream of the crop at the just concluded Digicel Kick Start Clinic. The annual clinic, which has been taking place for the past four years was under the instruction of Liverpool legend John Barnes and national team coach Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore.

At the end of the clinic six boys were selected from a group of 34, of the six chosen, four have automatically earned a place at the Digicel training camp in Trinidad while the other two hotshots will be given a second chance to vie for a place in Trinidad.

The top four included; 14-year-olds Chevaun Crooks of Tarrant High and Kadeem Williams of Tivoli Gardens High, 15-year-old Kevon Deacon of Waterford High and 16-year-old Steffan Logan of Jamaica College.

The two hotshots were Holy Trinity’s Shamar Dinnal and Jamaica College’s Dominic James, who were both 15 and 14 years respectively.

While all the boys were elated at being selected from a very competitive group of players, James of Jamaica College was disappointed with himself for not being chosen in the top four, however it’s looking forward to his chances as a hotshot.

A confident Kadeem Williams representing Tivoli Gardens High, told the TEENage Observer he had no doubt that he would have been chosen and his already looking forward to impressing the selectors in Trinidad. A more submissive Kevin Deacon while very happy in being selected sees more room for improvement in his game.

All the other boys were presented with a certificate of participation and a gift bag courtesy of corporate sponsors Digicel. The chosen boys from Jamaica will meet up with the others players from across the Caribbean for a training camp in Trinidad, where the best player will be selected for a trial with English Premier League outfit Sunderland FC.

Head coach John Barnes at the presentation ceremony had high praises for the group of players, while commenting that this was the best group of players he saw across all the islands, Barnes also added that they were also the oldest. The former Liverpool player urged the young boys to take life’s disappointments has a stepping in stone instead of a barrier, as they go forward in developing their careers as professional football players.