It was an experience Bermuda soccer referee Esten Curtis will likely remember for the rest of his days.

Used sparingly during the early matches of these Pan-Am Games, Curtis's big moment finally came on Wednesday night when he was called upon to run the line in what always had the makings of an explosive semi-final between Mexico and Colombia.

And while the veteran Bermuda ref has seen his fair share of incidents on and off the field, and dealt with more than the occasional troublemaker, he can't have been prepared for the consequences of a typical hot-tempered Latin America clash that boils over.

In a match which saw the referee physically attacked, players and officials exchanging blows and general mayhem at the final whistle, Curtis can be thankful he escaped unscathed.

Televised across Argentina, the game was generally incident-free in the first half with just two players booked and Colombia taking a 1-0 lead.

But soon after Mexico equalised in the 62nd minute, all hell broke loose.

Colombian Arley Betancourt, initially booked by Costa Rican referee Ronald Gutierrez for a foul, got his marching orders seconds later for apparent dissent. But rather than walking off the field, Betancourt attempted to kick the ref, and then in uncontrolled rage landed a punch clean on Gutierrez' cheek.

The referee defended himself by kicking back and as officials swarmed onto the pitch, and players attempted to drag Betancourt away, Curtis could be seen in the thick of the action trying to cool tempers.

With a packed crowd in Mar del Plata's city stadium screaming and jeering, the game was held up for several minutes and appeared in danger of abandonment.

It eventually resumed with Mexico hitting what proved to be the winner against their now ten-men opponents and two more players going into Gutierrez' book, bringing the total to six.

But at the final whistle enraged Colombian players surrounded Gutierrez, with at least one seemingly intent on landing a blow. Again Curtis, along with Paraguyan linesman Juan Bernabe, could be seen rushing to the referee's aid.

Standing their ground in the centre of the pitch as players were pulled away by team officials, some of whom appeared as agitated as the players themselves, police eventually escorted the referee and two linesmen to the safety of the dressing room.

Strangely yesterday's Argentinian newspapers made little of the incident. It was "nothing unusual in these parts,'' shrugged one local.

In 24 matches played in the Pan-Am soccer finals so far, referees have handed out 12 red cards and booked 107 players -- close to an average of five a match.

Dano Outerbridge was the only Bermuda player to see red, in the game against Costa Rica, but Kimandi Binns, Andrew Rahman, Shawn Simons and Janeiro Tucker (twice) all feature among the long list of bookings.

Worst disciplinary record belongs to Honduras, beaten by Argentina in the semi-finals. They've had two players sent off and 16 booked -- almost their entire squad -- in five matches.

Mexico and Argentina, with 14 bookings each, and Colombia, with three red cards and ten yellow, have also kept the referees busy.

Sailor Paula Lewin's bronze medal in the Europe Dinghy class last week is only the fourth medal of any kind ever won by Bermuda in the Pan-Am Games, according to records published by the organising committee.

Equestrian Peter Gray brought home a bronze from Indianapolis in 1987, but Bermuda then has to go back another 20 years to find their previous medallists.

Sailors Penny Simmons and Dick Belvin also won bronze at the 1967 Games in Winnipeg, site of arguably Bermuda's greatest ever soccer achievement when the Island's team clinched a silver medal, losing to Mexico in the final.

The Bermuda team? Dennis Wainwright, Noel Simons, Rudy Minors, Kenneth Carson, Gordon Cholmondeley, Gladwin Daniels, Irving Romaine, Rudolph Smith, Lionel Smith, Gary Darrell, Carlton Dill, Clyde Best, Marcus Douglas, Winston Trott, Leroy Lewis, William Willis, Edward Ming.

Since these Games were first held in Buenos Aires in 1951, Bermuda have competed nine times -- at Chicago in 1959, Winnipeg '67, Cali '71, Mexico '75, San Juan '79, Caracas '83, Indianapolis '87, Havana '91, and Mar del Plata '95.