Adrian Frater, News Editor

Sheldon Jackson, (left) of Maldon, who had a brilliant game, gets the better of Green Pond's Ricardo Ellis in Saturday's daCosta Cup game between the two teams. Maldon won the game 3-2. - Adrian Frater photo

Western Bureau

The exciting scramble for crucial points is set to continue today when action resumes in the second round of the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup, with 14 games spanning zones B, D, E, H and K, all starting at 3:30 p.m.

Today's big match-up should be the Zone E game at Lacovia between the home team, which leads the standings with 21 points, and third-place Munro College (14), who are now in a desperate battle to put their inter-zone ambitions back on track.

While Munro have been floundering with a record of four wins, two defeats and a draw in seven games, the high-riding Lacovia, whom they held to a 0-0 draw in the first round, have been all but ruthless, chalking up seven wins in their other seven games.

Unless Munro can improve on Saturday's 0-0 draw against Black River, today's game could be a cakewalk for Lacovia.

St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), who sit in second place behind Lacovia on 18 points, should have things easy against the tame BB Coke, who suffered a crushing 9-0 defeat in the first round.

Should Lacovia falter and STETHS win big, it would throw the race for zone supremacy wide open.

In Zone B, where eight-time champions Rusea's hold a two-point lead atop the standings, ahead of 2003 champions Frome Technical (16), a battle royal is anticipated between third-place Green Island (10) and newcomers Hopewell (8), who are both battling to keep their inter-zone aspirations intact.

Today's games

Zone B

Rusea's vs Merlene Ottey

Knockalva vs Frome

Hopewell vs Green Island

Zone D

Ocho Rios vs York Castle

Brown's Town vs A'Gallimore

Zone E

BB Coke vs STETHS

Maggotty vs Black River

Lacovia vs Munro

Zone H

Clarendon College vs Lennon

Thompson Town vs Vere

Zone K

Oracabessa vs Iona

Islington vs St Mary High

Annotto Bay vs Brimmervale

Tacky vs St Mary's Technical

Saturday's results

Zone A

St James 5 Herbert Morrison 2

Irwin 2 Spot Valley 0

Maldon 3 Green Pond 1

Zone B

Frome 5 Hopewell 0

Anchovy 2 Knockalva 1

Rusea's 2 Green Island 0

Zone C

Grange Hill 1 Mannings 0

Zone I

Garvey Maceo 4 Central 0

Old Harbour 1 Kemps Hill 0

Glenmuir 5 Tacius Golding 1