Battle of the CCs

In a match dubbed the ‘Battle of the CCs’ Cornwall College out of Montego Bay will face Clarendon College in the Ben Francis Knockout final at the National Stadium today. Match time is 3 p.m.

Cornwall will march into the final battle-hardened and hungry, carrying the weight of expectation and a tradition that demands excellence.

Acknowledging the team’s past experiences with Clarendon, Hector Wright, the coach of Cornwall, has encouraged the team to enjoy the final, while playing at their best. Wright, a first-year head coach, is seeking his first title.

“It is a very resilient group who will always try to go out and give their best. I am sure they are happy to be in the final after putting in all the hard work over the preseason,” said Wright.

“Both teams have met several times in the past, so I am sure the boys will be motivated by that. We have a young team, so hopefully they will get the experience and capitalise on as many chances as possible,” added Wright.

However, standing in their path are a relentless Clarendon College team which has been fearless in defending throughout the competition, backed with moments of attacking flair to earn their place in the final.

Devon Anderson, coach of Clarendon, said the focus will be on playing their game.

“I haven’t given much thought to Cornwall, I am focusing on my team. Everybody knows my task as a taskmaster is to ‘Go Hard or Go Home’. Don’t’ quit, don’t give up and through the season, they took on more of that image,” said Anderson.

“I have tried to change the mentality of the team somehow in terms of a never-say-die mentality. At the end of 90 minutes, if they play to instructions, they will be victorious,” added Anderson.

With back-to-back finals appearance, Clarendon are driven by the belief that this is their moment to shine.

Cornwall will be looking to their key players, national youth representative Carlondo Morris and Shakeem Gibson. For Clarendon, Justin Hayles and Anthony Reid are the leading goalscorers.

Both schools boast passionate supporters and have a tradition of producing big performances on big stages, setting the stage for a tense and entertaining showdown.

They share 11 Ben Francis titles, with Cornwall holding the record at seven tied with STETHS and Glenmuir.