Paul-Andre Walker, Staff Reporter
MUNRO COLLEGE and Papine High will contest tomorrow's Jamaica Hockey Federation/Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association Under-19 championship final after notching semi-final wins at the Mona hockey field yesterday.
Munro College unseated defending champions Jamaica College in a closely fought 2-1 contest while Papine had an easier time, drubbing Mona in a 6-1 affair. For Munro, Gerren Rowe was again on the scoresheet, smacking home the first of his team's goals.
At the end of the first half, Jamaica College, like true champions, seemed sure they would get back into the game but they faltered upon resumption and a Munro counter-attack was put away by Oshane Hasely.
Undaunted, the Old Hope Road boys fought back and got on to the scoresheet through Geovani Gordon.
After the game, Jamaica College coach Orane Charlton said his team didn't turn up to play.
"Some of the key players were absent for the beginning of the game. In the second half the players came back but they didn't really get going," Charlton said.
BITTER DEFEAT
"Something was missing today. This was a bitter defeat, but we'll regroup and come back for the game on Thursday," said Charlton.
Munro coach Fitzroy Rowe was of the opinion that his team wanted the victory more.
"The thing is, as champions, JC never wanted to go out like that and they really wanted it but we needed it more than they did today," said Rowe.
In the day's earlier semi-final, a frantic start from Papine blew away the hopes of Mona before they knew what hit them.
In the fourth minute, Charles Burton got on to the scoresheet with the first goal of his hat-trick.
He was again on target in the sixth minute before completing his scoring in the 12th.
Two minutes earlier, Terrick Spence scored and Kimmar Carney scored in the 35th.
In a second half that was much slower, Glenworth Palmer had a 42nd strike, while Daniel Lunan got Mona's consolation goal in the 47th.
Papine will face Munro tomorrow at 3:30 p.m., while Jamaica College and Mona get the ball rolling in the third-place play-off at 2:00 p.m.
