MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Hard work: careful planning, willpower, hunger. That’s what Sheldon Davis reckons is responsible for Manchester’s victory in the just concluded Juici Patties Under-15 competition, which has broken the long-standing St Catherine-Clarendon duopoly on youth football in the South Central Confederation.

The mid-island parish achieved the feat after last Friday’s 1-1 draw with St Elizabeth left them one point clear of the dethroned St Catherine at the top of the four-team table.

The stalemate, achieved at the Treasure Beach Sports Park, was their third in six games. It also means Manchester completed their schedule with an unbeaten record, scoring seven goals while conceding three in six matches. Coach Davis has, however, credited the preparatory work done two months prior to the start of the competition for their success.

“I actually started the process from April by scouting players in the parish Under-15 competition,” Davis said. “I would go to these games, watch the players and then make my selection. It wasn’t always easy, but we had a goal.”

Now that the toiling has paid off, Davis has described the feeling as awesome. “We have been trying to win this competition for a long time. Now that we have finally done it, I am elated. It is really a great feeling,” he said.

While this is certainly their first title in more than a decade, it’s still uncertain if they have ever won the competition, which began in its current format almost 30 years ago. “I heard that we won it probably about 20 years ago, but I’m not sure,” reasoned a beaming Dalton Wint, the Manchester Football Association president.

Whether this is their first or second title, Wint has hailed it as a potential turning point for the game in Manchester. Now he wants to build on this triumph, with a specific aim at the club level.

“This shows that what we have been doing — placing emphasis on youth football — is now paying off,” Wint said. “This success is also visible at the schoolboy level, plus in recent times a number of players from the parish have been called up to the national programme.

“What we are doing now is trying to improve the structure of the clubs in the parish so that they will be able to facilitate these youngsters.”

Meanwhile, St Catherine, who had retained their Under-13 crown, placed second in the Under-15s. Clarendon, for the first time in recent memory, placed third in both age groups, with only the Confederation’s whipping boys St Elizabeth, who earned one point from a combined 12 games, finishing below them.

Manchester and St Catherine will now represent the region in the national competition, which is scheduled to get under way this Sunday.