Defending champions Kingston College are down to take the field against Jose Marti Technical at Melbourne Park, Elletson Road while Norman Manley Comprehensive oppose Jamaica College at Maxfield Park. Both matches are scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m.

Twenty-four teams, drawn in four groups, have entered the competition. The other Group C teams are St. Andrew Technical (STATHS) and Trench Town Comprehensive. Zone A: Calabar High, Denham Town Comprehensive, Dunoon Technical, St. Catherine High, St. Jago High and Waterford Comprehensive.

Zone B: Bridgeport Comprehensive, camperdown High, Campion College, Clan Carthy Comprehensive, Kingston Technical and Wolmer's.

Zone D: Ardenne High, Excelsior High, Jonathan Grant High, Meadowbrook High, St. George's College and Tivoli Gardens Comprehensive. There is some doubt surrounding the Kingston College, Jose Marti encounter. Reports from the St. Catherine-based Jose Marti are that the school will not be fielding a team but Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) general secretary Freddie Green told The Gleaner last night that as far as he knew Jose Marti had entered the competition.

``They entered the competition at the start of the school year,'' Green said yesterday. ``As far as we know they are in the competition. They have to inform us if they wish to withdraw.''

A spokesman at Jose Marti said the school had no coach to prepare the cricket team. ``We are just at the stage where we are working out our sports programme for 1999,'' the spokesman said.