UTech's Raheem Olakunle is tackled by UWI's Clayon Morgan
Mico University College will host the Intercollegiate (Intercol) rugby league 13-a-side semifinals on Saturday, May 15. The Marescaux road institution are four times previous champions and play host to the Championship semifinals for the first time in school history.
Top-seeded University of the West Indies (UWI Pelicans) will face off against Mico Crocs at 1:00 PM. In the second semifinal at 2:30 PM, second-ranked Excelsior Community College (EXED Eagles) will battle third-ranked University of Technology (UTECH Knights) for a spot in the championship game.
UWI enters its match as the heavy favorite after dominating Mico in the group stage with a 36-8 victory. The top seed will be led by Akeem Kitson, a national player, who will be well supported by Alexander Grant at fullback. Both players also represent Liguanea Dragons at club level. However, Mico will look to Xavier Bryan—whose exceptional speed could be a game-changer—to lead them to an upset victory.
In the second semifinal, national player Akeem Murray is expected to spearhead EXED’s push for victory over UTECH. The diminutive halfback played a pivotal role in his team’s 20-16 group-stage win against the Knights. However, UTECH’s Shamar Smith, the competition’s joint top scorer with 30 points, will be looking to spoil EXED’s party. Smith's scoring tally is matched only by EXED’s Murray, setting the stage for an exciting showdown.
Commenting the season to date, Competition Coordinator Adrian Hall said, “We anticipate plenty fireworks in our semis tomorrow. All games should be highly competitive and there is real danger for some upsets. All teams have shown significant growth throughout the group stages. UWI and EXED undoubtedly have the most experienced squads, but their competition has shown they are not to be taken lightly.
We’re especially pleased to see the return of 13-a-side rugby league to the Intercollegiate calendar after its absence since COVID-19 in 2020. Most of the players are new to the game, but we’ve seen some impressive talent and hope a few will progress to the national programs soon.”
The 1:00pm fixture will be referred by Peter Tapper and the 2:30pm game will see Tarja Richards in charge.
Comments