Glenmuir crashed Munro's ambitions to replicate Jamaica College's historic achievement against St George's College in the Corporate Area Walker Cup with a 3-0 win in the rural Ben Francis final in Santa Cruz at the weekend.

Single goals from Ricardo Webb, Kamar Jackson and Paul Wilson earned a sixth hold on the knock-out trophy for the Jackie Walters- coached outfit from May Pen. Walters, who has now won seven trophies at Glenmuir, believes it was a case of his team knowing what to do when the going got tough.

"It was important for the players to understand their defensive responsibilities," Walters told The STAR. "We knew what we had to do, and it worked out for us."

The Ben Francis Cup is named after the legendary Vere Technical principal and was inaugurated in 1982. Cornwall College won the first two championships with Glenmuir, Rusea's and Clarendon College combining for 20 of the 26 championships held. It was originally contested late in the season between the four semi-finalists of the daCosta Cup. But it was revamped in 2007 under new ISSA Competitions Director George Forbes to include the 12 existing preliminary group winners.

disappointment

The disappointment for Munro was great as they were seeking a first knockout title and any major senior schoolboy trophy since their heyday of the 1950s and early 1960s. Munro had come into the Ben Francis final slight favourites, if only on the strength of their 3-2 unseating of the more fancied champions St James High away at Jarrett Park in the semi-finals. The benefit of home advantage because of the proximity to the school's base in Malvern and the STETHS venue in Santa Cruz, plus a turnout of nearly 5,000, outnumbering Glenmuir almost two to one, appeared ample motivation.

They started off confidently but they were gradually picked off in sniper fashion - when they least expected and against the run of play - by a disciplined Glenmuir team that refused to be destabilised by crowd pressure, and delivered each time they were presented with an opportunity to score.

greater attacks

The first body blow came at the half-hour mark, when Davian Piper's free kick got a good deflection in the path of Webb, who directed it easily pass the Munro keeper Lloyd Tyme. The 1-0 lead at half-time increased the expectations of a Munro fight back, so typical of their earlier games. Resistance would come by way of more possession and greater attacks, but not a single shot on target for the Glenmuir keeper André Blake to save.

The Munro attackers seemed programmed to right-sided attacks and the trio of Christopher Wint, Rafique Roberts and Errol Davis appeared bent on dribbling their way into goal rather than shoot or diversify play. The seeming lack of clues to unplug or unsettle Glenmuir was blamed by many of their spectators from the toll of the earlier win against St James and even coach Hopeton Gilchrist seemed lost for words to explain the flop in front of the biggest crowd for a schoolboy final at STETHS.

"We started well," he said, "but we conceded a soft goal and we were just beaten."

After weathering the wave of poorly coordinated Munro attacks and having to battle play in their own half for 25 minutes, Paul Wilson dribble won a free kick in the 80th minute. Jackson stepped in and from 25 yards, stunned the partisan crowd by pumping in a high-curling ball out of the reach of Tyme.