By Adrian Frater, News Editor

The new coach for Munro hopes to lead the team to it's first title since 1964. - Hopeton Gilchrist

Western Bureau

Debutantes Annotto Bay got off to cracking start in Zone K of the 2007 ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta cup yesterday when they demolished St. Mary High School 4-0 in their first round fixture played at Highgate, in St. Mary.

The Annotto Bay team, which competed in Zone L last year, got their goals courtesy of a double-strike by Sheldon Davis and one each from Kelvin Williams and Oshane Dunkley.

In two other games played in that Zone, Brimmervale blanked Tacky 3-0 at Brimmervale, while Islington squeezed passed Iona 2-1 at Rio Nuevo.

The competition will continue this afternoon with four former champions among the twelve teams, from Zones E and L (b), who will be seeing their first action of the season in the 78-team competition. All games are set to start at 3:30 p.m.

In Zone E, former champions Munro College and St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) will be at home to Lacovia and Newell respectively, while Maggotty will play away to B.B. Coke in the third game of the group.

Former champions Clarendon College will be at home to Claude McKay, while Vere Technical, also another former champion, will play away to Lennon in two of the three Zone H games. Denbigh battle Kelitts in their fixture at the Herb McKenley Stadium.

While all the games should generate interest, the showdown between Munro and Lacovia should attract special interest, as it will be the first game for Munro's new coach Hopeton Gilchrist, who will be gunning to give the St. Elizabeth team its first daCosta Cup title since 1964.

"I would not be here unless I believed that the boys have it in them to win," Gilchrist told The Gleaner in a recent interview. "We intend to take it stage by stage, but our ultimate aim is to win this title."

STETHS, which finished second to Munro in the zone last year, should also be closely watched as according to coach Kurt Brooks, they are ready and raring to go all the way.

"Our preparation has been quite good and the players are now quite anxious to go out and perform," said Brooks, whose team will be led by the talented Kerron Jackson. "We are looking forward to having a very good season."

Clarendon College, which promised much last year, but failed to deliver in the end, is another team aiming to make a good start in their quest for championship honours this season. Reports out of the team's camp would seem to suggest that like last year, they could win the zone with relative ease.