Western Bureau

The rural side of the 2008 ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel Schoolboy season is now on in earnest as one competition, the Ben Francis KO, has already been decided; and the second competition, the coveted daCosta Cup, is now at its quarter-final stage.

While it is now happy times in western Jamaica for the players and supporters of those schools that have been doing well, for me, the real delight is seeing the large number of exciting young players, who have been coming to the fore in Trelawny, Westmoreland, and especially Hanover and St James.

In fact, based on what I have seen in players like dynamic 15-year-old St James High midfielder Ricardo Morris, I believe that if these players are properly nurtured, they have the potential to not only becoming the next set of DPL stars from the west, but also top-flight national players.

If one should reflect on the glory days of western Jamaica's football, except for the period when Wadadah FC dominated the National Premier League with its battery of imported stars, inclusive of the likes of former national captain Anthony 'Baddas' Corbett, the region's success was built on the backs of schoolboy stars, who made the transition from school to club football.

tasted success

One just needs to look back at the situation at Reno in the late 1980s and 1990s when the club won back-to-back titles while making three consecutive finals. Their success was spearheaded by the likes of Aaron Lawrence, Mark 'Haglar' Wilson, Easton 'Fuma' Smith, Donald Hewitt, Michael 'Jim Dandy' Graham and the late Caple 'Corntail' Donaldson, who all tasted success as schoolboys at Rusea's.

If one should look at the national players that have emerged from western Jamaica in recent years, except for possible Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, Durrant 'Tatty' Brown and the late Winston 'Twinny Bug' Anglin, all the other players are former football stars who made a successful transition to club football.

In fact, players such as Hector Wright, Devon Rickettes, Mark 'Haglar' Wilson, Caple Donaldson and goalkeepers Warren Barrett and Aaron Lawrence, were all considered red-hot national prospects even while they were still at school. Interestingly, a few were introduced into the national set-up as schoolboys.

After a few years of sub-standard schoolboy football in the region, I am absolutely delighted with the current situation, especially in St James, where the multi-talented St James High School romped the Ben Francis KO title in fine style, thrashing Dinthill Technical 4-0 in the final, and remain on course for the daCosta Cup.

good talent

While some people are somewhat wary when praises are heaped on young players and comparisons are made between them and stars of the past, I have no problem highlighting good talent when I see it. Both Pele and Diego Maradona must have been spotted as youngsters to have emerged into major international stars in their teens.

Having watched players such as Morris, Rusea's Tremaine Perry, Green Pond's Dino 'Baggio' Williams, Rusea's Domaine Thompson and Cornwall College's Mikhail Weatherley, I am convinced that these players, if guided properly, will eventually become senior international players. With regard to Morris, the more I see him, the more he is reminiscent of a young 'Twinny Bug' Anglin.

With the realisation that these young players will only get better through well-structured exposure, I believe that competitions such as the St James Football Association's Guardian Life Division Two football competition should be transformed into an under-19 one primarily aimed at creating a proper nursery for these promising young players.

N.B. Please feel free to send your feedback to adrianfrater@hotmail.com.