Devonshire Cougars 2

Dandy Town 2

(Town won 5-3 penalties)

In the Bermuda football-finals version of ‘rock-paper-scissors' - ‘bells' beat ‘drums' every time!

So it was again yesterday at White Hill Field as the Champions Cup finally lived up to its name with a Premier Division crescendo that will surely rise to folkloric status.

Dandy Town - a class team that's struggled with a gamut of emotions in recent weeks - clawed back from 2-0 down with ten minutes left to even the score against Devonshire Cougars and went on to capture the inaugural title 5-3 in a tension-filled penalty showdown.

As Carlos Smith, who is certainly the fine wine of St. John's Road, stepped forward and coolly slotted the decisive penalty into the net's bottom right corner gleeful pandemonium erupted among the gold-and-brown sections of supporters. Town's trademark bells rang out loudly while not a decibel could be heard from the Den's drummers who, less than a half-hour before, had been furiously pounding their instruments.

“It was a game of two halves. In the first half Cougars really out-played us. We made some defensive lapses and let in a couple goals. The coach put his foot up our backsides at half-time and we came out better in the second half,” declared Town skipper Lionel Furbert.

“I'm so happy with this result...This was big. This is the second time we have come back from 2-0 against Cougars and that feels good.”

The heavens, which had opened up early in the second half, poured forth as the Hornets brethren spontaneously gathered in mid-pitch for a most welcome celebration over their urban arch-rivals.

Still grieving the recent death of late full back Randy Swan - and with his mother and sister in attendance - the bottled-up feelings of Town's players and fans were suddenly and swiftly uncorked, flowing freely like champagne on New Year's Eve. Many waving jerseys with Swan's number 16 in tribute.

For all the kind words used to eulogise their fallen team-mate, the Hornets had at last been able to speak in a manner that would have delighted the ace defender - winning and winning big!

Thus as they converged to receive their due at the presentation ceremony, they left no doubt that the victory was as much for those gone forever as for those still in battle.

“Soldier, Soldier!” echoed the chants of Swan's nickname around the West End ground.

There were also much kudos for Smith who - within six months of turning 36 - remains one the Island's most effective footballers on the attack.

Axed in the area twice in two minutes, he shouldered the responsibility of propelling his team back into the match; hitting past keeper Lovintz Tota's right hand for the first goal in the 81st minute and then to the latter's left to square the scoreline.

Psychologically, Cougars were probably defeated at that stage with nighmarish scenes of last year's FA Cup final versus the same opposition swarming in their heads. They had let a two-goal cushion slip twice back then as Town rallied to a late 3-3 draw and earned a replay which they won equally dramatically.

The New Year would be no different for the big cats, reduced to whimpering pussycats in the penalty phase as the Hornets' sting took full effect.

Furbert, Jared Peniston, Dennis Zuill, Wolde Place and Smith each rocked the net with assurance. Tota didn't have a chance. Shawn Smith started Cougars off well but skipper Kwame Steede - given a reprieve of a retake because Town keeper Cymande Davis moved prematurely in diving to save his first effort - kicked wide on the second try. That was all it took and, though Raymond Beach and Ryan Swan kept Devonshire in with a sniff of hope, Smith wrested the honours for his club with his third clinical penalty of the afternoon.

Smith, with the ice-cool nature of a mafia hitman, was typically limited in his comments, expressing only the prevailing sentiment: “For Randy, that's all. For Randy.”

In Cougars' camp, the mood was mournful, not for the death of one player but rather that of an entire team from whom all football life was drained in a matter of minutes.

They had dominated the first half, outwitting the Hornets with slick, precise passes, better off-the-ball movement and impressive speed.

It took only seven minutes before striker Aljame Zuill tapped the ball past the oncoming Davis after the former received crisp service from playmaker Heys Wolfe in the midfield.

Cougars appeared to have their hands on the cup when Zuill again struck the mark, almost eating dirt as he dived low for a glancing header in the 37th minute.

The second half was more of a tussle with possession about even but no success either way. Just when Cougars fans' thoughts must have been turning to all-night partying at the Den, Smith came to the fore.

Blazing down the left wing he manoeuvred into the area and past Omar Butterfield who, until then, had performed admirably. The latter stuck his foot out sending Smith sprawling for the first penalty.

The second spot kick came compliments of an excellent lob from midfield which fell perfectly over Smith's shoulder, giving him the advantage on Darius Cox. Clearly panicking, Cox sent the danger man to the turf in the 83rd minute, gifting Town an unbelievable lifeline from which their ambitions were gloriously resuscitated.

“We got that break with the first penalty and Cougars seemed a bit uneasy at that point, probably based on the recent history between the two teams. Once we got the second (goal) we felt it was going to be ours,” said Town's coach Devarr Boyles.

He noted that, from a football purist's perspective, bypassing extra time and going straight to penalties is “cruel” but agreed that Town maybe benefited because they had endured a similar sudden-death scenario against PHC last week.

Fighting back tears, Boyles termed the past few days “rough” as matches mixed with Swan's passing and funeral .

“It's fitting that we can finally unwind properly and have something good to think about that relates to Randy and the rest of us, moreso Randy.

“Today thoughts of him were with us and it was really difficult.”

Cougars coach Andrew Bascome said the outcome of the Christmas competition was a hard but necessary lesson.

“Our guys have to learn to play to the end. That's one of the biggest problems with us. We have to learn to stay in the match for 90 minutes because all it takes is one ball (for an opponent to get back into it).

“Hopefully we learnt our lesson. It's hard. Town have a good team and their players have a lot of commitment.”

It was not a good day at the office for Bascome's younger brother Herbie either as the St. George's Colts coach watched his side go down 1-0 to their namesakes Devonshire Colts in the First Division final.

Half-time substitute Ryan Nesbitt got a toe in ahead of diving goalkeeper Freddie Hall to divert the ball diagonally into the goal in the 56th minute.

Devonshire Cougars: L.Tota, D.Cox, O.Butterfield, J.Simmons, R.Swan, J.Butterfield, K.Steede, D.Coddington, C.Caisey (S.Smith, 67 mins), H.Wolfe (N.Webb, 80 mins), A.Zuill (R.Beach, 45 mins).

Dandy Town: C.Davis, A.Outerbridge, K.Mundy, D.Zuill, B.Minors, L.Furbert, O.Adderley (J.Peniston, 47 mins), L.Dill, C.Smith, C.Anderson (S.Darrell, 63 mins), L.Holder (W.Place, 35 mins).

Men of the Match: O.Butterfield (Devonshire); C.Smith (Dandy Town).

Referee: S.Crockwell.