Dinthill hunting fairy-tale end - Gilbert-coached team takes on defending champs CC in exciting d-Cup final

Tomorrow, all roads lead to the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall for the finals of the ISSA/WATA daCosta Cup where Dinthill Technical High School will be looking for a fairy-tale end to their unforgettable run this season. Clarendon College (CC) will be looking to defend their title for the first time since 1998.

The match will kick off at 5 p.m.

In the curtain-raiser, Garvey Maceo will clash with the history-making B. B. Coke High in the finals of the ISSA Ben Francis Knockout Cup at 2:30 p.m.

Xavier Gilbert, coach of Dinthill, told STAR Sports that he is happy to now be in the position to break their 37-year-old drought to lift their third daCosta Cup title.

He is hoping they can ride their fortune against what he described as a tough CC team.

Dinthill was practically out of the competition in the group stage, before being handed a lifeline after Charlemont was found guilty of using an ineligible player.

It seems the stars are aligned for the school from Linstead, St Catherine, to win their third title, as the circumstances which led to their first title in 1979 are coming to the fore again. When they won their first daCosta Cup title, Dinthill defeated Cornwall College in the semi-finals, as they did two weeks ago, before getting the better of Clarendon College in the final.

"It's a good feeling (potential of a fairy-tale season). They are looking forward to the final and giving it our best shot to see if we can take the trophy back to Linstead. It's been 30-odd years and the school really deserve it," Gilbert said.

"Yeah, they are a tough team, but once you get to this stage you can't expect anything less. We just have to come prepared, do what we have to do, and play smart in curtailing their strengths and exploiting their weaknesses."

Clarendon, having scored some 15 goals and only conceding one in their last four games of the daCosta Cup, will go into the game as overwhelming favourites. Also, when both teams met in the semi-finals last year, CC trashed Dinthill 4-0 before going on to win their eighth daCosta Cup title.

The only negative on the part of CC so far this season is that they will be coming into this match off the back of a 3-0 defeat to Kingston College, last Saturday, in the finals of the ISSA Champions Cup. However, earlier this week, technical director Lenworth 'Lenny' Hyde said he is confident his team will rise to the occasion to defend their title.

"This is the daCosta Cup final, and it is a very important game for us because we want to defend our title. My players have to be focused, and I have to do my part to get them back up. They (Dinthill) will be coming at us for this title, and so we have to prepare for whatever they throw at us," Hyde said.