SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — Kason Clarke scored with a thunder bolt in the 31st minute to give Manchester High a 1-0 win over Green Pond High and a place in the Ben Francis Cup knockout final against defending champs St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) on Saturday.

On a cloudy afternoon at the STETHS Sports Complex, before a fair-sized crowd, Clarke collected a pass wide on the right and dribbled at pace past defenders before unleashing an unstoppable shot from 20 metres, which nestled in goalkeeper Errol Martin’s right-hand corner.

It was a deserved lead for Manchester High as they largely dominated the first half. They could have entered the half-time break with a bigger lead, but for faulty finishing.

Green Pond, from St James, were more enterprising in the second half and could have found the equaliser, but Kashief Brown’s unchallenged header from a corner hit the cross bar.

Minutes later, another glorious opportunity for Green Pond was wasted — the bulky Peter Campbell failing to kick with the Manchester goalkeeper Nicholas King at his mercy.

Jerome Haughton also came close for Green Pond, but his right foot shot went wide of the mark.

However, Manchester remained dangerous on the break and could have increased their lead when Kevann Stephens outran his marker but kicked just wide.

Manchester’s coach Sheldon Davis credited his team for “possessing the ball better” and showing more confidence than their opponents, particularly in the first half. He thought they defended stoutly in the second half, noting that the second- half loss of defender and captain, Adrian Smart, due to injury, negatively affected Manchester’s defensive work.

Green Pond’s coach Gregory Daley said his team paid the penalty for being “flat” in the first half. “They were much better in the second half, but couldn’t get the equaliser,” he said.