Western Bureau:

It was a case of mission accomplished yesterday afternoon for many-times champions Cornwall College, who benefited from a defender's goal to clip home team Spot Valley High School 1-0 in their crucial Zone A ISSA/Pepsi/ Digicel daCosta Cup fixture.

The win for Cornwall College, their eighth in 10 games, lifted them to 24 points, the same as arch-rivals and defending champions St James High. Tomorrow's clash between the two at Jarrett Park will decide the zone winners and the group's prized Ben Francis KO slot.

Favourable result

In another game, Anchovy High School gave themselves a lifeline in their bid for one of the two Zone B inter-zone places when they scored an emphatic 3-1 victory over Irwin High. The win pushed Anchovy to eight points and they can advance with a favourable result against Rusea's tomorrow.

At Spot Valley, Cornwall, playing without inspirational captain Oraine Braham, who was suspended, lacked their usual fluency.

In the opening minutes, the Spot Valley team looked like making it a difficult afternoon for the Cornwall team, creating good early chances in the sixth and 12th minutes. First, Travis Dolphy fired straight at the goalkeeper from six yards and then Tysham Hill pounced on a loose ball before the goal and fired wide.

With Cornwall gradually coming into their own and Spot Valley coming under pressure, defender Arthur Bucknor deflected the ball past his own goalkeeper, giving the Cornwall team a 1-0 half-time lead.