daCosta Cup coaches thankful for break due to bad weather
Some coaches have welcomed the unplanned break in the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association/Wata daCosta Cup football competition as they say it gives their staff the chance to try to revitalise players during what has been a hectic schedule.
The quarter-finals of both the daCosta Cup and the Digicel Manning Cup competitions were set to start on Tuesday, but the passage of Tropical Storm Rafael west of Jamaica initially forced a one-day postponement.
However, with consistent heavy rains in some areas, the organisers announced on Tuesday that the restart will be pushed back a further three days.
Jermaine Douglas, coach of Clarendon-based Central High, told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday that the extra days off represented “a blessing in disguise.”
He added: “With the amount of rain we have been having in Clarendon, it would have been difficult to start earlier. This break also gives us a time to recuperate. At this stage of the season, the players need a break, especially teams in the Clarendon zones who play a lot of tough games — this gives us a time to recuperate.”
Frome Technical’s Cleighton Stephens agreed with Douglas.
“This is a good thing for us. At this time all the teams will have players with knocks and who will need a little more time to get better,” Stephens said.
Andrew Peart, coach of Glenmuir High, also welcomed the break.
“It’s the sensible thing to do. Postponing the games until the weekend gives all the teams the chance to prepare on the field, as for some [teams], the rains prevented them training on Monday prior to Rafael’s arrival,” Peart noted.
Munro College are to host Ocho Rios High in the lone game on Friday.
On Saturday, St Elizabeth Technical High School are to welcome McGrath High on Saturday, while there will be a double-header at Glenmuir High. Central High and Garvey Maceo High are to meet in the first game, followed by the clash between Glenmuir High and Frome Technical.
The quarter-finals are scheduled to continue next week with games set for Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.
The Under-14 and Under-16 football competitions are slated to resume on Thursday.
