Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

Harbour View's Cleyon Brown (right) fends off a Portmore defender during the mid-season on February 10 at the Harbour View Mini Stadium. Both teams will be in action today. - ian allen

While they may be struggling to defend their title in the Cash Plus Premier League, Harbour View have certainly been stamping their class in the Coca-Cola Under-21 league. Today they will look to maintain or improve an eight-point lead over nearest contenders Portmore, when they take on Sporting Central at 3:30 p.m. at Brancourt.

Ten points off the leaders, Sporting are in fourth position, and with eight games left to go in the round, will entertain hopes of cutting into the lead. Sporting should not only be boosted by the fact that they are at home, but also that when the teams met in January they were able to hold Harbour View to a 0-0 draw.

Just off the pace, defending champions Portmore, who are on 26 points, can trim the lead to just one game in the best-case scenario. The St. Catherine team will take on an upbeat Tivoli, who despite being in eighth place on 19 points have won their last three games, in the second game of a double-header at Ferdie Neita Park. Portmore are winless in their last three encounters.

In the first game at Ferdie Neita Park, Arnett Gardens and Boys' Town take the Trench Town derby on the road, starting at 3:30 p.m. Boys' Town are in 10th place on 15 points, while Arnett are sixth on 21 points.

In third place, Waterhouse (24) will also be looking to keep the pressure on rivals Harbour View, and they are favoured to do so when they travel to Frome to face seventh-place Reno. Waterhouse are the league's hottest team and have won their last six games, including a 5-2 win over Arnett Gardens last week. Ninth place Seba United will be looking to improve their position when they take on fifth place St. Georges at the Lion's Den in Montego Bay.

The battle of the two bottom-placed teams will see August Town host Village at the UWI bowl. Almost mirror images of their premier league counterparts, winless August Town are at the bottom of the league with six points, while Village are just above them on nine points.