CC looking forward to the ‘most important’ Olivier Shield

Inside the Stuart Hall Auditorium of Clarendon College was like one big jam session, as music blared, vuvuzelas blasted loudly, and students danced up a storm.

It was pandemonium as their 'heroes' marched through the auditorium and made their way to the stage, the precious ISSA daCosta Cup in hand.

It was with pride that principal David Wilson introduced the 2019 champions - to more cheers and excitement from the students - who refused to leave although they waited long for the team to come out.

FOCUSED

Head coach, Lenworth 'Lenny' Hyde, although rejoicing in the win, is not getting overly excited as his attention is already focused on their final game for the season - the Oliver Shield.

"We still have a next one to go, that's why we are not in so much of a celebratory mood right now, because we have one more match to play, and that is the most important one right now," he told CENTRAL STAR about Saturday's upcoming Olivier Shield match against Jamaica College. That game is to be held at the National Stadium.

Despite the slightly subdued tone, Hyde admits that the daCosta Cup was a very important one for them.

He said that since last year, the aim had been to defend their title, and he is now showering the team with priase on their execution throughout the season.

"The pre-season was excellent; how we prepared the team, how the players remained focused and how we played some good football. It was a thing that we planned for and it's good to see it come to fruition," he said.

After losing the Champions Cup to Kingston College, Hyde said the players refocused.

"They kept their meetings. We know we lost and we were disappointed, it was a title that we wanted to win. They kept meetings, and we had to get back into their minds to get them refocused for this one. I think they handled it well and shifted the focus to the daCosta Cup, which you see what we did," he said.

Hyde said he is not worried about losing talent, as the school has a good feeder programme and a good structure in place. For him, the youth programme is excellent and can fill the gap of any player leaving.