- PHOTO BY ADRIAN FRATER
Godfrey Stewart High School's coach, Carl Palmer (right), tries to explain to one of the police officers what was happening on his side of the field following yesterday's aborted Ben Francis daCosta Cup game between Godfrey Stewart and Cornwall College in Hanover.
Adrian Frater, News Editor
WESTERN BUREAU:
UNRULY SPECTATORS, who refused to leave the playing area, forced referee Raymond Pyne to call a premature halt to yesterday's Ben Francis Cup Knockout quarter-final game between Cornwall College and Godfrey Stewart, which was being played at the Rusea's High in Lucea.
The disruption came in the 39th minute with Cornwall College leading 2-0 courtesy of goals by Edward Campbell and Richard Edmondson.
Last Wednesday night's original fixture between the teams also ended prematurely on account of a power outage at Jarrett Park. Godfrey Stewart were leading that contest 2-1 after 73 minutes.
Following referee Pyne's decision to call off the game, there was a mini-stampede near the exit to the facility as several gunshots echoed around the venue. It could not be ascertained whether the shots were fired by the police or by irate spectators leaving the venue.
GAME HALTED
"It was not safe to continue the game because the spectators were encroaching on the field and were not responding to the police's effort to get them off," said referee Pyne, after he blew off the game. In addition, some of the spectators were becoming quite abusive and I had to give thought to the safety of the players and the match officials."
Godfrey Stewart's coach Carl Pamer, who unsuccessfully tried to get the spectators close to his team bench to move, was bitterly disappointed with the referee's decision to call off the game. According to him, his team wanted to continue because although they were trailing 2-0, he was still confident that they would have won the game.
"I think the referee was a bit too hasty ... I heard the abuses and all that but the players were not involved; they were ready to continue the game," said Palmer. "This is so frustrating for us as while we were down, we still believed that we could have bounced back."
WEATHERLEY DISAPPOINTED
Cornwall College's coach, Dr. Dean Weatherley, was equally disappointed with the premature end to the game and made no bones about his unhappiness with the behaviour of the unruly spectators.
"The spectators must realise that football is a part of the extra-curricular activities of the boys and not a free-for-all for adults who have not learnt to conduct themselves properly," said Dr. Weatherley.
The game, which was being played on a rain-drenched surface, was closely contested until the 32nd minute when Cornwall College took the lead.
Edward Campbell won possession on the edge of the penalty area and turned inside sweetly before stabbing his shot past the advancing Godfrey Stewart goalkeeper, making the score 1-0.
Spurred on by the success, Cornwall College went into overdrive and struck for a second time in the 38th minute. The alert Edmondson pounced on a curling cross from the right flank and his powerful header flew out of the reach of the advancing goalkeeper, making the score 2-0.
However, unfortunately for those who wanted to see a conclusion to the game, there was no further action as the encroaching fans refused to cooperate with referee Pyne, forcing him to end the game prematurely.
The other scheduled quarter-final round game between Old Harbour and Happy Grove, which was slated for Carder Park, in Portland, was not played because heavy rains left that venue unplayable. It is slated to be replayed at the same venue tomorrow afternoon.
