Headley hits six as Eltham crush Tivoli 9-0 to reach Manning Cup quarters

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Captain  Santana Headley scored six times as Eltham High trounced Tivoli Gardens High 9-0 at the Ashenheim Stadium and booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the ISSA Manning Cup on Wednesday.

Headley netted in the third, 20th and 44th, 54th, 60th and 64th minutes, taking his tally to 11 goals and to the top of the Golden Boots race. Darrel Hines grabbed a brace, scoring in the 27th and 39th minutes, as Ra-Jemare Lee put the icing on the cake, scoring in the 75th minute. It was Eltham's second win this week after beating Norman Manley High 2-0 on Tuesday in a rescheduled game and last season's semi-finalists moved to six points and a spot in the last eight. Eltham's assistant coach Glenville Holmes said it's one step further in realising their dreams after making the top four last year. "Well, today was a good day. The boys know what to do and I'm pleased that they went out there and did it," said Holmes. "Hopefully, we can move on from here. The boys are really in focus and I mean, every year, we go one step further and this year we want to be in the final," he noted.

Tivoli Gardens, which threw in a clinker, remained on one point following their 2-2 with Jamaica College (JC) last Saturday. They will now have to beat Norman Manley High handsomely on Saturday and hope Eltham High beat JC by a wide enough margin for them to advance.

Meanwhile, in the second game at the Ashenheim Stadium on Wednesday, the home team JC beat Norman Manley 2-0 and rekindled their hopes of making the next round.

Joshua King (23rd) and Khary Senior (57th) secured the crucial win for JC that took them to four points and second in Zone 4. They are on the cusp of qualification as Tivoli Gardens with a negative nine-goal difference, will have it all to do.

On Saturday, JC (4 points) will meet group leaders Eltham High (6 points) while Norman Manley (0 point) take on Tivoli Gardens (one point) with the top two advancing to the quarter-final.

— Howard Walker