FROME, Westmoreland — Defending champions Clarendon College led 11 schools, including five former champions, into the Inter-one round of the ISSA/Flow daCosta Cup football competition on yesterday’s rain-affected final round of matches in the preliminary rounds.

Five matches were affected by rain and will be part of Monday’s rescheduled games that should end the first round ahead of Wednesday’s start of the Inter-zone round.

Twenty-five of the 32 places have now been filed with the other seven hopefuls expected to join them on Monday, weather permitting.

Clarendon College beat Thompson Town 3-0 to top Zone H, while other former winners Frome Technical upset Rusea’s High, Herbert Morrison Technical qualified for the first time since 2006, St Elizabeth Technical and Munro College prevailed in Zone E and Dinthill Technical failed to win for a third-straight game, but still qualified from Zone K.

Mannings School, Islington High, Ewarton and Seaforth also qualified.

Clarendon shook off their indifferent form of late to beat Thompson Town 3-0 and top Zone H with 18 points, while Lennon High joined them after they got the point they needed after a 1-1 draw with Edwin Allen in Frankfield to finish on 15 points, one more than the hosts.

In Zone E, STETHS topped the tables after a 1-0 in over Newell High to go to 21 points after Lacovia, who led the zone going into the final round needing only a point to qualify, were beaten 4-2 by Munro College and ended up third on goal-difference.

Both Munro and Lacovia finished their preliminary rounds on 19 points, but they could be handed a lifeline come Monday as one of the two best third-placed teams.

Dinthill Technical, who had won six of their first seven games and appeared well on their way to the Inter-zone round, just got into the Inter-zone round with a 0-0 draw against Charlemont High to end on 21 points.

They managed just two points from their last three games when they scored just two goals.

Ewarton High also qualified after beating Tacius Golding 5-0 to move to 19 points and could win the zone on Monday if they can beat Charlemont in a rescheduled game.

At the Frome grounds in Westmoreland, the home team snapped Rusea’s High’s season-long winning run at five games, wining 2-1 to edge Green Island High on goal difference for second place in Zone B, both teams finishing on 10 points.

Herbert Morrison advanced past the first round for the first time in nine years after avenging a first-round loss to William Knibb, winning 1-0 in Martha Brae to take second place with eight points.

Spot Valley High, who had qualified a week earlier, registered 2-1 win over Muschett High with Courtney Chisholm scoring both goals for the home team as they finished on 12 points

Mannings School are back in the Inter-zone round after a 3-0 win over Maud McLeod in Zone D and could top the zone depending on Monday’s results between Petersfield and Godfrey Stewart.

Yesterday’s results

Zone A

Green Pond-4 Irwin-1

Zone B

Frome-2 Rusea’s-1

Zone C

William Knibb-0 Herbert Morrison-1

Spot Valley-2 Muschett-1

Zone D

Mannings-3 Maud McLeod-0

Zone E

Munro-4 Lacovia- 2STETHS

Maggotty-3 BB Coke-1

Newell-0 STETHS-1

Zone F

Belair-8 Winston Jones-1

Mile Gully vs Cross Keys-rained out

DeCarteret vs Manchester-water logged field

Zone G

Spalding vs Holmwood-rained out

Alston-2 Knox-0

Bellefield vs Christiana-rained out

Zone H

Edwin Allen-1 Lennon-1

Clarendon College-3 Thompson Town-0

Zone I

Ocho Rios-0 Cedric Titus-0

Browns Town vs York Castle-not played

Zone J

Tacky-3 Islington-1

Brimmervale-1 St Mary High-1

St Mary Tech-2 Annotto Bay-1

Zone K

Dinthill-0 Charlemont-0

McGrath-1 Bog Walk-1

Ewarton-5 Tacius Golding-0

Zone L

Buff Bay-1 Titchfield-2

Port Antonio-2 Happy Grove-1

Zone M

Denbigh-0 Glenmuir-3

Garvey Maceo-3 Porus-2

Zone N

Old Harbour-5 Kemps Hill-3

Central vs. Vere Tech-rained out

Zone O

Seaforth-4 Robert Lightbourne-0

St Thomas Tech-0 Paul Bogle-1

— Paul Reid