Roper Cup’s 62nd year expected to thrill

The long-standing North Street rivalry between Kingston College (KC) and St George’s College (STGC) will once again take centre stage on Saturday when the two footballing giants meet in the 62nd staging of the Roper Cup.

This year’s edition will be played at STGC’s Winchester Park, with kick-off set for noon.

STGC coach and technical director Andrew Price reflected on the rich rivalry between the two schools, which has continued to flourish over the decades.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Roper Cup media launch at S Hotel, Price said the rivalry is rooted not in animosity, but in mutual respect and a shared drive for excellence.

“One thing that you can be sure of between Kingston College and St George’s College, there is good friendly rivalry and we are able to poke jokes with each other,” he said.

“On the field, we compete as rivals and foes, but outside of the football field or the track arena, we are good friends and supportive friends.”

Though this is his first season at the helm of STGC’s Manning Cup team, Price is no stranger to the Roper Cup.

An alumnus of the light-blue North Street institution, he won back-to-back Manning Cup and Walker Cup titles with the school in 1983 and 1984.

His time at STGC also included a triple crown in 1984, when the team captured the Olivier Shield title.

While the Roper Cup is often viewed as a showcase between the two schools and an opportunity for early bragging rights ahead of the schoolboy football season, Price said it is important to remember the fixture’s origins.

The Roper Cup was founded in 1964 by students of both schools to honour the late Rev Father Clarence Jack Roper, a former STGC student and outstanding footballer who died in 1963.

The annual fixture quickly became a stage for several influential figures from both institutions, and Price said it continues to create history.

“[The Roper Cup] gives us the opportunity annually to reflect on the history and the legacy that these two great schools have provided for several decades in Jamaica. Lest we forget, the founder of Kingston College, the late Bishop Percival Gibson, attended the noble institution, St George’s College,” Price explained.

“We continue to honour the legacy of the great coaches and mentors who guided the institution and transformed so many young lives,” he continued.

“Several of the schools’ players have gone on to represent not only the school, but our country, Jamaica, at several age group global competitions and have done it with great distinction.”

Price expects the 62nd staging of the Roper Cup to add another memorable chapter to the fixture’s rich history.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com