The Ivan Farrington Football Cup, an inaugural tournament presented by the West Bay football fraternity and the West Bay Community Wellness Association, concluded on 5 Oct. with a nail-biting final.
In the final match, Mount Pleasant and North West Point battled to a 2-2 tie through regulation and overtime.
The game was ultimately decided by a penalty shootout, where Mount Pleasant defeated North West Point 3-1 to secure the league title.
The win held a deeply personal significance for Mount Pleasant as they dedicated it to a teammate, Joseph ‘Lil Joe’ Smith, a former sub-officer for the Cayman Islands Fire Service, who passed away during the league.
“We dedicated the win to one of our fallen soldiers. We said we’re going to come out and give it our all and we did it for him. Just left it all on the field,” said Smith’s teammate Rodrick Pearson.
In the battle for third place, West Bay Central triumphed over Boatswain (Bosun) Bay with a decisive 5-1 victory, leaving Birch Tree Hill in fifth place.
The league’s Most Valuable Player trophy was subsequently named in Smith’s honour and awarded to James Ebanks of Birch Tree Hill.
Reflecting on the league’s significance
Driven by the goal of community wellness, the league launched on 10 Aug., adopted a unique format that saw current players team up with seasoned veterans across the five competing teams.
North West Point player Abigail Perez shared her opinion of the league’s significance saying, “Sometimes we tend to lose sight of the elders in our community, so this also gives them a sense of purpose by bringing that old and new generation together.”
“The league gave a very “family-like feeling” and even though we were rivals on the pitch, it was still a community, and we were all one. Overall, the league was a great idea and being part of it was great. I would definitely like to see other communities and other districts pick up on it,” Perez added.
Echoing Perez’s sentiments, West Bay Central player Sylvester ‘Pongo’ Coleman said he “really enjoyed” the experience, particularly the opportunity to play alongside a diverse mix of talent, including younger players, older veterans he’d never teamed up with before and even some players he had coached in the past.
Reflecting on the league and final match, Minister of Sports Isaac Rankine said, “The league was about bringing our community together and it was a fantastic final match. I think everybody was happy and all the players played their hearts out, but they knew that it was a “togetherness” match.”
When asked about his opinion on whether a league of this nature should be incorporated throughout all three Cayman Islands, he stated, “Watch this space”.
