Richard Bryan, Star Writer

Central Jamaica venues will host the first set of matchups in the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup quarter-finals, where the top-eight teams are drawn in separate zones of four, from which the top two in each will make the semi-finals later this month.

Group One will consist of defending champions St James High, Ben Francis Cup champions Glenmuir High, St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) and Frome Technical which advanced as the best second placed team. The STETHS facility in Santa Cruz will feature the home-side against St James.

beaten finalist

Group Two, which appears the weakest, if only on the basis of championship experience, comprises of last year's beaten finalist Spaldings High, 2007 champion Garvey Maceo High, Marcus Garvey Technical, which topped Group Two and Manchester High.

Kirkvine will host the matchup between Spaldings and Marcus Garvey. However, most interest will likely surround the double-header scheduled for the Jamalco Sports Ground in Clarendon.

At 1 p.m., Manchester High goes up against Garvey Maceo while the scheduled 3 pm game features Glenmuir and Frome.

intriguing scrutiny

The form of STETHS in Group One and Garvey Maceo in Group Two commands the most intriguing scrutiny. STETHS played second fiddle to Munro in the preliminary zone, then were steady in earning a draw against Lennon, a team Manchester High walloped 5-0, and then edged Edwin Allen 1-0. However, they exceeded all expectations putting in a marvellous team effort to defeat the highly-fancied Manchester High at Kirkvine 2-0. The influence of former player and coach Wendel Downswell, as well as his presence on the bench in assisting regular coach Andrew Edwards was quite noticeable.

A loss to STETHS in front of their home fans may have dented the pride of Manchester, but it may be a blessing in disguise., as it allowed them to be drawn in a more comfortable group as they push for this best-ever run in a daCosta Cup campaign.

In topping Group Six, Garvey Maceo has scored more goals than any team since the second round started, including outclassing St Mary High 9-0 and eliminating Dinthill 4-1.