The semi-finals of the Grace/ISSA rural knock-out cup will take place today with defending champions Holmwood on a collision course against traditional rivals St Elizabeth in Santa Cruz and Manchester High hosting Frome Technical in Mandeville.

Bowl-off time is 10 a.m. and will feature 35-over duels.

Both Holmwood and STETHS have been lucky to avoid tough opponents during the previous five rounds and their match-up today will be the acid test for each one.

Manchester High, on the other hand, got by last year's beaten finalists and one of the earlier favoured teams, Vere, in last Friday's quarter-finals.

Manchester High have been the most improved school in the last two years, having reached last year's Headley Cup final and also chalking up two scores over 300 in earlier rounds. In opener Brian Clarke and captain Courtney Allen, they possess two of only four players to have made centuries so far in the competition.

It is difficult to predict how the champions will perform as they have only travelled once for their four victories in the competition. STETHS travelled successfully to Rusea's (Lucea) and Portland (Port Antonio) and seem to be approaching top form, as evidenced by their mauling of St Mary in the quarter-final after scoring the highest total in the competition - 377.

Nick Blackwood struck a century then and the STETHS line-up is loaded with current and past national Under 17 players.

Andre Creary, who has donned all the junior representative caps, leads Holmwood's charge along with Marlon Pinnock and Jermaine Blackwood.