Left: Nicholi Barrett of St James High , Right: Shammar Shelton of St George's College. - file photos

The battle for all-island supremacy in schoolboy football kicks off tomorrow when Manning Cup champions St George's College face daCosta Cup winners St James High in the first leg of the Olivier Shield at the Constant Spring Sports Complex starting at 3:00 p.m. The second leg will be played on Saturday in Montego Bay.

St George's College won the the 2008 Manning Cup, their first in 15 years, by defeating Jamaica College 2-0 in the final three weeks ago at the National Stadium. However, despite their lengthy lay-off, Kemal Malcolm, captain of St George's College, is very optimistic about his team's chances.

"I don't think it will affect us because during this time we have been playing a lot of practice games against some quality opponents," said Malcolm, who is the leading goal scorer in the Manning Cup this season.

"We are very confident but we are not going to take them lightly because they are a very good team," said Malcolm.

Hunt for goals

Malcolm, along with Shamar Shelton will once again lead the North Street based-team hunt for goals, while Kemar Cummings, Carl Reid and Dan Evans are the top three in midfield. Brehmer Harris and Addino Chambers will be in charge in defence.

St James, who on Saturday won their first daCosta Cup crown after defeating Spaulding 2-0 in the final, also claimed the Ben Francis knock-out trophy earlier in the season and are seeking to complete the 'triple crown'.

"We are very confident that we can go all the way and win the triple," said Hugh Solomon, coach of St James.

Solomon added that he has never seen St George's College team in action and he knows nothing about them.

"If you want to be the best you have to beat the best at anytime and anywhere and I believe that we are the best team in the country," said Solomon.

Allan Ottey (23 goals) and Nicholi Barrett (21) will be spearheading the hunt for goals, Ricardo Morrison and Ajohn Barker will lead their charge in midfield for St James.