St Mary Technical are the 32nd and final qualifier for the second round of the ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup football competition, following a ruling by the organisers.

St Mary Technical finished on 20 points in Zone J behind St Mary High, who had 22 points and whose return round game against a third contender, Brimmervale High on Saturday, was called off prematurely due to crowd problems.

Both teams, Brimmervale High and St Mary Technical, went into Saturday’s games on 17 points and needed to win to qualify along with St Mary’s High.

St Mary Technical beat Guys Hill High 5-1 while the Brimmervale vs St Mary High game was ruled null and void, George Forbes, ISSA’s competition secretary, told the Jamaica Observer.

The 30 automatic qualifiers are defending champions Rusea’s High, Cornwall College, St James High, Frome Technical, Cedric Titus, Herbert Morrison Technical, Petersfield High, Little London, St Elizabeth Technical High School, Maggotty High, Manchester High, B B Coke, Christiana High, Spalding High, Clarendon College, Lennon High, Brown’s Town, Oracabessa High, St Mary High, St Mary Technical, Dinthill Technical, Charlemont High, Port Antonio High, Titchfield, Garvey Maceo High, Glenmuir High, Old Harbour High, Vere Technical, Paul Bogle High and Seaforth High.

The two best third-placed finishers are Green Island form Pool A and Mile Gully from Pool B.

Meanwhile, the first leg of the second-round games will be played tomorrow and will see top-ranked and defending champions Rusea’s High against 32nd-ranked Mile Gully High in one game, while second-ranked Clarendon College will face the other best third-placed and 31st-ranked Green Island High in a repeat of last year’s meeting.

The impressive Charlemont High, who were the 16th ranked team, will take on 17th ranked Brown’s Town in another tie.

The return leg games will be played Friday and Saturday with the winners on aggregate advancing to the quarter-finals.

— Paul Reid