Devonshire Colts skipper Shannon Burgess and PHC coach Mark Wade both insisted yesterday that Monday's bench-clearing incident during the Martonmere Cup final wasn't all that it appeared.

Those on the substitutes' bench ran onto the field to calm tempers and not to get embroiled in the fighting, according to Burgess and Wade.

The game came to a halt after Zebras' Raynell Lightbourne and Colts' MacKonnen Hollis became involved in a shoving match. Police at the ground walked onto pitch although order was restored before they reached the scene.

Yesterday Sports Minister Randy Horton condemned the involvement of both benches and urged Bermuda Football Association (BFA) to take firm, swift action in dealing with those who ran onto the pitch.

But Wade and Burgess believe the incident has been misinterpreted.

"Actually I've seen far worse things happen in professional soccer and so I don't think that we should blow things any further out of proportion," said the Colts skipper, who had left the field with an injury.

"I was quite some distance away from the melee as it's been described but I actually discussed it with my coach this morning and from what I witnessed the players that did leave the bench looked as if their intention was to restore order.

"It did look bad the way in which players ran off the bench but once they reached the area where all of the excitement was, it seemed to me as if they were just there to restore order."

Burgess said he couldn't recall seeing any of his players running from the sideline to attack any players from the opposing team.

"In my opinion it seems as if the respective players were just concerned with the safety of their team-mates and if anything their first intention was to get inbetween the guys that were looking to go at each other and prevent things from escalating to where it became more than what it was."

He said he thought Police went onto the pitch only to ensure that fans did not get involved.

"I think that in their minds they saw a few fans run onto the field and it may have been their intention to be present just in case additional fans decided to get involved," he said.

"But I think that the intention of the players that did leave the bench was not to start an all-out brawl but rather to restore order."

Burgess said the incident had not spoiled his team's celebrations as Monday's triumph finally put an end to a 30-year Martonmere Cup drought.

"Actually it didn't spoil things because no one was hurt and I think that MacKonnen (Hollis) got inbetween the tackle that Manga (Lightbourne) put on Cymande (Davis) which he shouldn't have done - but besides that I don't recall seeing anyone strike a blow."

Though Zebras coach Wade said his club didn't condone such behaviour, he too felt that the intent of his players who left the bench was to help restore calm.

"I think that the overall attitude was to ensure that things didn't get out of hand and we have already addressed that issue," said Wade, who held a meeting with his team last night.

"As you saw on the day it all settled back down fairly quickly.

"I don't think that it was an ill-tempered match, it was intense and physical but it wasn't ill-tempered and I think that was displayed in the fact that yes, both benches did empty but once everyone got down there it was all over fairly quickly and even at the end of the match the sportsmanship was displayed during the prize-presentation."

The coach was adamant that violence was not the initial intent of the players.

"Again, I don't think that there was any intent on violence and in the end that was proven. But still that's not the sort of thing that we at PHC like to see and we will be discussing all of these matters during tonight's meeting."