HOLMWOOD Technical were expected to start favourites in the 2014 ISSA Rural High Schoolgirls Junior and Senior Leagues, respectively, as the competition got underway on Tuesday at several venues.

Coached by Carline Graham, the Holmwood team captured both the Junior and Senior Rally competitions played last Thursday at Manchester High School. They defeated Manchester High in both the final of the Junior and Senior Leagues.

Holmwood’s first matches of the season in both the Junior and Senior Leagues are scheduled to be played next Wednesday where they will be the hosts at Holmwood’s school court.

Holmwood are the reigning Senior League champions, while St Elizabeth Elizabeth Technical High (STETHS) are the current Junior League champions. STETHS and Holmwood are also the defending All-Island Junior and Senior League champions, respectively.

STETHS defeated Urban Area champions The Queen’s School in the Juniors, while Holmwood also beat The Queen’s School in the Seniors for the All-Island Championship titles.

The matches scheduled today are: Zone ‘A’ — Rusea’s High vs Cambridge High; Zone ‘B’ — Spot Valley High vs Holland High; Green Pond High vs Herbert Morrison High; Zone ‘D’ — Lacovia High vs St Elizabeth Technical High (STETHS); Maggotty High vs Lewisville High; Zone ‘E’ — Porus High vs Knox College; Mile Gully High vs Spalding High; Zone ‘G’ — Gravey Maceo High vs Glenmuir High; Zone ‘I’ — McGrath High vs Guy’s Hill High; Dinthill Technical vs Ewarton High; Zone ‘K’ — Ocho Rios High vs St Hilda’s High; Zone ‘L’ — Titchfield High vs Morant Bay High.

Home teams are named first with the Juniors to start at 2:30 pm, followed by the Seniors at 3:30 pm.

Matches scheduled for tomorrow are Zone ‘B’ — St James High vs Muschett High; Montego Bay High vs William Knibb High; Zone ‘C’ — Little London High vs Green Island High; Belmont High vs Manning’s High; Zone ‘D’ — BB Coke High vs Black River High; Hampton High vs Newell High; Zone ‘G’ — Kemps Hill High vs Vere Technical; Zone ‘K’ Ferncourt High vs Westwood High.

Some 82 rural high schools are contesting the Junior and Senior Leagues with the top-two teams from each zone qualifying for the Inter-Zone Round. They will be divided into four groups with the winners and runners-up to advance to the quarter-finals to be played in a knock-out format.