Reigning champions St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) will have their supremacy tested by challengers Munro College in the three-day Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Grace Headley Cup final.

Play starts today at the Treasure Beach Sports Club in St Elizabeth.

STETHS, the all-island Kingpins of schoolboy cricket, have won 26 rural area Under-19 titles since winning the first in 1979.

Munro’s story is a lot different. After last lifting the rural area cricket crown in 1974, they have been overshadowed by STETHS.

Outside of the ‘David vs Goliath’ nature of the contest, there is the added interest because of the deep parish rivalry between the teams.

Munro, based only three miles outside of Malvern, rests at the highest point of the Santa Cruz Mountain.

A mere 14 miles away is the Elizabeth Technical compound, nestled at the foot of that mountain.

The opposing coaches are also past students of STETHS.

Long-time STETHS coach Clive Ledgister was a fast bowler in his heyday, while Munro’s Tedroy Bromfield, in his fourth season as head coach, is a former top-order batsman.

Bromfield predicts an uphill task.

“It will be a challenge because they always have a good team. They have been to the final many years so they know how to play a final,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

The clash between the two earlier in the competition saw St Elizabeth Technical coming out narrow victors.

“STETHS and Munro are rivals so anything they are playing against each other is always going to be very competitive. We play them all the while and we played them this year in the preliminary round and they beat us by three wickets. We are up for the challenge because we made some mistakes in that match,” added Bromfield, who was a top-order batsman for STETHS.

Munro, who reached the championship match after trouncing Tacky High by 186 runs at Three Hills in St Mary, will depend on batsmen Mark Parchment and Owen Campbell, as well as pacers Damarley Taylor and Deveraine Rowe.

Ledgister, hunting an eighth Headley Cup title in nine seasons, acknowledged the quality of Munro, but said his seasoned unit is expectant of a win.

“Munro is one school we have played against every single year and based on results against Munro we have always had good success. This is our 34th final in 37 years so I think we have all the reasons to be confident against Munro,” he said.

Ledgister suggested that the familiarity between the teams will work in his players’ favour.

“The type of success they have had recently is due to the presence of their coach Tedroy Bromfield. I’m happy for them and happy for ‘Teddy’ in terms of making it to the final. But I know the Munro team inside out. We play practice matches and are familiar with most of the guys so we expect to do well against them,” the St Elizabeth Technical coach said.

STETHS progressed to the final after an innings and 77-run victory over Vere Technical in Santa Cruz.

Captain and allrounder Ramaal Lewis, top-order batsman Odaine McCatty and wicketkeeper/batsman Romaine Morris are likely to spearhead the batting charge. Left-arm spinner Lanardo Salmon, off-spinner Lewis and allrounder Shahid Crooks, who bowls handy medium pace, are some of the bowling threats.