MONTEGO BAY, St James — Promoted teams Violet Kickers and Cambridge FC will meet in their first-leg semi-finals of the St James Football Association/Sandals Resorts International Major League at the UDC Field, beginning at 3:30 pm today.

The return game will be played next week, with the winners on aggregate advancing to the final where they will face the winners of the other semi-finals between Lilliput Rovers and Heights FC.

Cambridge FC, who were the third team to be promoted from Division One last season in addition to the finalists Bogue FC and Violet Kickers, have made the most of their second chance with one of the best records this season and will start favourites to advance to the final.

The south St James-based club topped Zone Two on goal difference ahead of Heights FC — both on 19 points, both with five wins, four draws and a loss.

Cambridge FC had the better statistics, however, scoring the most goals in the league with 24 and conceding the least, just six in their 10 games, as O’Brien Bent led all scorers with eight goals while Damion James scored three.

Violet Kickers, winners of the then Senior League about five years ago, were the last team to qualify for the semi-finals after a 4-0 victory over Melbourne Mind Game last Friday.

Violet Kickers, the former two-time Premier League champions at their prime in the mid-1990s, and one of the oldest cubs in the parish and in western Jamaica, have won almost every competition they have participated in over the last four decades, but have been inconsistent for the last 10 years or so.

They were runners-up in Zone One behind Lilliput Rovers, winning their last four games after a lopsided loss to Irwin FC and will come into today’s game on a winning run.

Meanwhile, Montego Bay Boys Club beat Marl Road 3-1 on Sunday in a rescheduled Zone Two game to move out of relegation danger.

Boys Club came from a goal down to win their third game of the season and improved to third place on 11 points, on goal difference over MoBay City FC and Bogue FC.

Marcel Whyte gave Marl Road the lead after 17 minutes but Donovan Gayle brought Boys Club level in the 30th minute and both teams went into the half-time break locked at 1-1.

Anthony Drummond gave Boys Club the lead a minute into the second half before Brian Barker gave them an insurance goal in the 75th minute.