Conrad Symonds, the man who turned Somerset Trojans into a domestic powerhouse in the 1960s, has died at the age of 83.

Symonds passed away this week after a long illness.

The first man to coach Somerset Trojans, Symonds was originally coach of Somerset Colts, then a prominent B Division team.

However, he took over the helm of Trojans after Somerset Colts amalgamated with West End Rovers in the early 1960s.

Symonds won numerous league and cup honours with Trojans, including the Triple Crown of the league championship, FA Cup and Friendship Trophy, three years on the trot, a feat that remains unprecedented. He was also the first coach to win the Triple Crown.

It was during this glorious era that Somerset Cricket Club became known as “Silver City” as a result of the team’s success.

Symonds coached some of the finest players ever to grace domestic football during this period, including Clyde Best, whose talents the late coach helped to groom.

“Conrad was a great fellow and led us to lots of success in Somerset,” Best said. “He built a real powerful team and we were dominant, and he had a lot to do with that.

“Although I played only one season with them before I left to go to England to play for West Ham, the year that I did play he promoted me from the youth team to the first team, and it was a treat to play with the older guys. He just let us play.

“One thing about Conrad, he never confused people. He told you your job to do, and you knew what you had to do, and he expected you to go and do it. That’s how we functioned.

“He was a great person for football in Bermuda and I wish we had more people like him today because he did not mess around. He is going to be sadly missed.”

Lionel Smith, the former Trojans striker, added: “Conrad was a very good coach who had the backing of his players. He took the game seriously and was a fantastic coach to play under.

“We have lost a great man, and this is another great loss to Bermuda with all of the knowledge he had. He taught us a lot.”

Larry Hunt, the former Trojans midfielder, said: “I came up under Conrad and he was just a great guy to work with. He demanded respect and he got it from us; we all worked together.

“He demanded that everybody play their part and play for each other and we didn’t question his decisions. We just went on the field and did what we had to do.

“We trained hard and he always kept us fit; that’s how he had us dialled in.

“This is a sad loss for the Somerset community and the whole football community.”

As well as coaching Trojans, Symonds was the assistant coach of Bermuda’s Pan American Games silver medal-winning team in 1967, and also had a coaching stint with club side Vasco da Gama before his retirement from the game.

The Sandys resident also coached runners Neil and Neville Virgil, the only twins to finish one-two in the Bermuda Day Half Marathon. They both passed away this year from illness.

• MPs paid tribute to Mansfield “Bojangles” Smith, a past president of St George’s Cricket Club, on their return to the House of Assembly yesterday.

Smith, the father of late boxing champion Ray, and cricket stars Wendell and Clay, died in August.

Lovitta Foggo, the Progressive Labour Party MP, rose in the House to offer condolences to the Smith family, describing their father as “a well-known figure in St George’s and particularly with the St George’s Cricket Club, known by many as an overall sportsman”.

She added: “Mr Smith excelled at table tennis as well as cricket, and advocated for St George’s as the top club.”