2 months ago
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THE 14TH staging of the David ‘Wagga’ Hunt Classic will take centre stage this Saturday at the UWI Mona Bowl as the pair of Calabar High School and Kingston College will lock horns in the day’s featured encounter.
The classic, named in honour of the late former Kingston College student and Calabar football coach, continues to be played under the theme ‘rivals, not enemies’ to exemplify the commitment Hunt had for developing student athletes at both institutions. Hunt is famously remembered for guiding Calabar to Manning Cup and Olivier Shield glory in 2005, following a 28-year title drought.
According to Leighton McKnight, member of the David ‘Wagga’ Hunt Foundation, before Hunt’s passing in 2007, he was adamant about creating a solid relationship between the two schools.
Mcknight said that, after Hunt’s death, a foundation was created and members decided that a football match was the best way to carry on his legacy.
“He was very integral in youth development, especially for the less fortunate, as this was his mantra. He was very involved in football and everyone knows about the rivalry between Kingston College and Calabar, which sometimes got out of hand. Therefore, he tried to foster better relationships between the schools,” said McKnight.
The day’s activities are set to commence at 2 p.m. with a clash between the UWI Pelicans and the St George’s Masters, followed by August Town versus Harbour View and then the featured match.
McKnight explained that the foundation also hands out scholarship opportunities to student athletes.
“They’re three fundamental aspects to the scholarship: Your scholastic performance, your extra-curricular activities, and, lastly, your needs. You must be a youngster with good potential but cannot afford it. We then take those students from grade eight to 13 and give them 150,000 per year. Some of these recipients have gone on to be lawyers, doctors and robotic engineers,” said McKnight.
Mcknight added that this Calabar-Kingston College encounter is expected to be a tightly contested affair with the teams using the match as a Litmus test for the upcoming ISSA/Manning Cup season.
“The featured game will be the climax, as we’re expecting a good clash between the current Manning Cup teams from Calabar and Kingston College. Both teams want to use this as a gauge for the upcoming Manning Cup season.”
English (US) ·