HOLMWOOD Technical will continue to the defence of their ISSA/Digicel Rural Area Senior League title with a trip to Belmont Academy in Westmoreland to face Manning’s School in the quarter-final. However, the game that could well be the tie of the round is the Denbigh High-STETHS clash at Clarendon Park.

While STETHS placed second to Manchester High in their second-round group, they will by no means enter the contest as underdogs. The Santa Cruz-based school were only pipped to first place on goal average and, like Denbigh, are yet to taste defeat this season.

Denbigh will, however, go into the fixture with a much more potent offence, having scored 86 more goals than STETHS in five second-round games.

Also at Clarendon Park, Manchester High, winners of Group Two, will face Edwin Allen, who placed second in Group Three, while Bishop Gibson and Titchfield High will meet in the other quarter-final at GC Foster College.

In Westmoreland, Holmwood — based on form and pedigree — are widely expected to stave-off Manning’s, while the Bishop-Titchfield duel could go either way.

The Carline Graham-Powell-conditioned Holmwood have won all games played this season — stretching back to the preliminary round — and, except for the Titchfield High game which they won 32-31, averaged some 50 goals per game to top their second-round group.

Manning’s, on the contrary, placed second to Bishop Gibson in a relatively easy Group One — averaging 31 goals per game against the likes of Anchovy High, Hampton, William Knibb and Albert Town.

Bishop Gibson, who topped that group with maximum 15 points, will face a Titchfield team that gave the defending champions a major scare in a top-of-the-table Group Four tie, before surrendering by a single point.