Both former champions St George’s College and Wolmer’s Boys’ won their respective matches in yesterday’s second-round Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association/FLOW Manning Cup action at Spanish Town Prison Oval to go joint top of Group K.

St George’s College, last season’s losing finalists, kept alive hopes of returning to the championship match after battling from behind to beat Haile Selassie High 2-1.

Akeen Grandison opened the scoring for Haile Selassie with a gorgeous strike in the 19th minute.

The talismanic Alex Marshall equalised for St George’s in the 77th minute before substitute Akiiki Jackson scrambled home the winner for the ‘Light Blues’ with four minutes remaining.

In the second match of the double-header at the venue, Group K favourites Wolmer’s were too good for St Catherine High in a 3-0 victory.

Wolmer’s Andrew Daley scored a free kick in the 15th minute before Alphanso Gooden doubled the advantage in the 49th. Daley was on target again in the 80th minute to complete the scoring for the Heroes’ Circle-based team.

In yesterday’s curtain-raiser, Haile Selassie, who are rumoured to have parted ways with Coach Geoffrey Maxwell ahead of the start of the second round, took the lead when Grandison cut inside from the right before firing into the goal.

St George’s, looking short of match sharpness, then hit the back of the net twice, but both were ruled out for off-side.

St George’s player Ronaldo Watson had a chance to level the game inside the final 20 minutes, but he fizzed a left-footed grounder past the right upright.

Only minutes later the everdangerous Marshall combined with Jackson for the leveller. And it was a cunning link up between the two as Marshall headed on to Jackson, who returned the favour as two Haile Selassie defenders converged on him. Marshall was left with the easy task of rounding the goalkeeper and rolling the ball into the empty goal.

The hard-running Jackson ensured the North Street-based school escaped with all three points when he poked home from close range during a melee inside the Haile Selassie 18-yard box in the 86th minute.

The Haile Selassie sports master Judith Wynter, filling in on the touch line, said her team “counter-attacked St George’s in the first half”, but “lost discipline” in the second period. She did not confirm whether Maxwell had indeed moved on to coaching another schoolboy team.

Marcel Gayle, the St George’s assistant coach, said inactivity due to missing out on the Walker Cup Knockout and Super Cup competitions left his team rusty.

“We started a bit slow after that two-week break and Haile Selassie started out like a team on fire. Credit to the guys because they stuck to the plan and late in the game we got two goals and we are grateful,” Gayle said.

In the afternoon’s second encounter, Wolmer’s mostly cruised. They opened their account from a free kick from Daley in the 15th minute. St Catherine mustered a few first-half openings, but were unable to make their opponents pay.

But Wolmer’s soon exerted their dominance with a strong show before the half-time break.

Wolmer’s striker Gooden made it 2-0 with a deft lob early in the second half as St Catherine wilted.

Daley scored his second when he completed a lob of his own to give Wolmer’s the 3-0 win.