Members from the areas in the Waterhouse community known as 'Buckers' and 'Lyrics' make a symbolic peace gesture prior to the football game dubbed 'Ball for Peace' at the Waterhouse Mini-Stadium on Wednesday night. - Contributed

Rasbert Turner, Freelance Writer

The 'Ball for Peace' football match held at the Waterhouse mini-stadium on Wednesday night between 'Buckers' and 'Lyrics' was indeed a success, according to the organisers.

The match, which started at 7:30 p.m., saw hundreds of residents turn out to show their support for peace in the community, which has long been affected by a stand-off between men from the 'Buckers' section and others from 'Lyrics'.

According to one of the organisers, Bruce Bicknell, managing director of Tank-Weld Metals and chairman of the Waterhouse Football Club, the match forms part of the holistic approach to bring peace among warring factions in the community and to show them that there is indeed a better way out.

Unifying force

"We think that football is a unifying force and other persons in the community who suffer from crime and violence also think this way. Therefore, the match was the ideal way to ask for peace for all concerns," Bicknell pointed out.

He said that to show the continued efforts of the organisers, more than 200 footballs were given to various community members, who were quite thankful for the gesture, and promised "... to do all in their power to allow peace to be a continuous winner".

Other aspects of the peace programme, the businessman says, will be several community-based education projects for residents.

Meanwhile, president of the Waterhouse Football Club, Peter Hibbert, endorsed the effort and said it is a move from which "all stand to benefit".

He also spoke to the benefits of strong performances from the community's Premier League team - which took the title last season - and their affinity for the sport.

"Residents of Waterhouse are directly connected to football and for some strange reason when the team does not do well, they tend to channel their energies in a negative light."

Hibbert said that the initiative came about after consultation with political representative, Patrick Roberts, Bicknell and members of the Waterhouse F. C. executive.

The match that was played saw Lyrics coming out 4-2 winners over Buckers, but for all concerned there was only one winner: peace.