CLARENDON PARK, Clarendon — Former champions Clarendon College will take on Manchester High in one of the featured games as the Inter-zone round of the ISSA/Flow daCosta Cup schoolboy football competition gets underway today with nine matches.

Those games include double-headers at Juici Field, Jarrett Park, Frome Sports Grounds, and Lyssons Field.

Another six first-round games will be played tomorrow to complete the set of games that were postponed as the match-ups were to be confirmed after two rescheduled games set for yesterday.

Two of the 32 spots were yet to be filled: the runners-up from Zone K and the second team from Zone I.

With the start of the Inter-zone round today, however, the intensity is expected to raise a few notches as the race for the quarter-final places and also spots in the first round of the FLOW Super Cup will start in earnest.

Manchester High, under the tutelage of Andrew Edwards, have not lost all season, and could be seriously tested for the first time by a Clarendon College outfit that will think they have to make up for last year when they failed to get past the quarter-final stages.

Clarendon College lost their perfect record on Monday, losing 0-2 to Lennon High in a game that mattered more to Lennon as Clarendon had already won their first-round zone and had little at stake.

The experienced Creighton Charlton, who was part of the Clarendon College team that won the daCosta Cup two years ago, is expected to lead his team along with Ricardo McIntosh.

Kemar White and Brandon Brown are the main threats for Manchester High, who will be hoping to go further than last year when they were semi-finalists in the daCosta Cup and Ben Francis KO competitions.

Still basking in their success over Clarendon College on Monday, Lennon will now set their sights on Mile Gully, whose only blemish this season was a draw and a loss to Manchester High.

The high-scoring Lennon team will, however, face a Mile Gully team that has only given up three goals all season, as only Manchester High have been able to breach their fortress.

Defending champions St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) usually turn up the intensity at this time of the season and will take aim at Holmwood Technical when they meet at Manchester High.

Despite managing just 18 goals in eight games after their 10-1 start against Black River, the champions are still potent and their players will know what will be expected come the ‘business end’ of the season when one slip-up could mean disaster.

Holmwood Technical, under Coach Sheldon Davis, have been mostly ruthless in Zone G, but will find the STETHS team a much stronger opponent than they have seen all year.

At Jarrett Park, Cornwall College will take a 10-game winning run, the best in the competition, into their first meeting with Cedric Titus at this stage of the competition.

Cedric Titus were declared winners of Zone C after edging Spot Valley and will come into the game after back-to-back draws, and having given up an early 2-0 lead to an inspired William Knibb a week ago.

Jourdaine Fletcher has had his most productive first round ever with 12 goals and is expected to lead the Cornwall College attack that produced 35 goals.

St James High’s youthful brigade, led by 14 year-old Tyrique Clarke who has scored eight of his team’s 19 goals, will test Spot Valley’s resolve in the first game of the double-header.

Vere Technical have been enjoying their best season in decades, and despite having to travel to York Oval, should start favourites over Seaforth High in the second game of the double-header.

Both games at Frome are expected to be close. Rusea’s High should be tested by 2005 winners Godfrey Stewart, who emerged the winners in Zone D, which lived up to its reputation again with a closely fought battle for points from the very first day.

Both Green Island High and Petersfield had to win matches on Monday to advance and will hope to steal the march on each other as both will have quarter-final aspirations.

Today’s games

Lennon vs Mile Gully@ Juici Field — 1:00 pm

Clarendon College vs Manchester @ Juici Field — 3:00 pm

Holmwood Tech vs STETHS@ Manchester High — 3:30 pm

St James vs Spot Valley@ Jarrett Park — 2:00 pm

Cedric Titus vs Cornwall College @ Jarrett Park 4:00 pm

Petersfield vs Green Island Frome Sports Club — 1:30 pm

Godfrey Stewart vs Rusea’s @ Frome Sports Club — 3:30 pm

Paul Bogle vs Kemps Hill @ Lyssons Field — 1:30 pm

Seaforth vs Vere @ Lyssons Field — 3:30 pm