KINGSTON, Jamaica — St George’s College (STGC) regained the Roper Cup and the Pancho Rankin Cup on Saturday when they won two of the three games against Kingston College (KC) as the football festival returned with a goal glut after a two-year break caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite a heavy afternoon downpour, football fans turned out in their numbers as one of the most anticipated pre-season football competitions returned to the local football calendar.

The first game of the afternoon set the tone for the day as STGC’s Under-40 team ran out 3-1 winners over KC. The STGC team boasted several former Manning Cup standouts and not surprisingly they dominated the game from start to finish.

MVP Martin Davis opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Nathaniel Campbell made it 2-0.

KC pulled one back but Akeem Robotham made the game safe for STGC when he made it 3-1 late in the second half. STGC won the Over-40 game 2-0 but it was not an easy win as the score line suggests.

Orlando Walters put STGC up early, but KC took control of the game and created quite a few chances. However, excellent goalkeeping from the ageless Antar Freeman kept the Fortis strikers at bay.

Then with the final kick of the game, former STGC Manning Cup winning goalkeeper and Tivoli Gardens and Reggae Boyz custodian Edsel Scott, showed his outfield skills with a sublime finish to make it 2-0 to the hosts.

The final match of the day between the current Manning Cup teams turned out to be a treat for the fans at Winchester Park. KC rushed to a 2-0 lead courtesy of goals from Dujuan Richards and Damoie Byfield before a stunning turnaround saw STGC lead 3-2 at half time.

Justin Nelson began the STGC revival with his first of the afternoon. Raheem McIntosh levelled for his team before Nelson put George’s ahead two minutes before the half time break. Demario Daley levelled the scores for KC a minute after the interval but no sooner than they were level, KC were taking the ball out the back of their net for a fourth time when McIntosh netted his second of the afternoon.

Not surprisingly, KC drew level again when Richards got his second of the game to make it 4-4 from the penalty spot with half hour left in the game. And the goals kept on coming when Nelson completed his hattrick to make it 5-4 to the Light Blues.

STGC’s assistant coach Marcel Gayle praised his hattrick hero for a splendid performance

“Justin Nelson was fantastic today. He was easily the man of the match. It was a good way to end the preseason.”

After a woeful time in the Manning Cup last season, Gayle is more hopeful this year.

“We still have a lot of work to put in, we still have some areas to improve on. We are much better than last year, that’s undoubted. We are much more competitive this year than last year.

“These are the same boys that would have garnered some experience. We are going to take it a game at a time, but we are looking much better than last year,” he said.

KC head coach Raymond Watson was delighted with the game and more so the return of spectators to the matches.

“The fans came out for some games last year. To be open totally for the fans from the beginning of the season must be a plus and we must also credit the organizers for getting the competition back on track,” he said.

The two schools have been drawn in Zone A of the Manning Cup and will face each other twice in the first round of the competition.