Both MR Onions and referee Joe Pimental believe the Commercial Division side's match against North Village should have gone ahead yesterday, despite the defending champions calling the tie off.

Onions and the match officials turned up at Bernard Park unaware that the decision had been taken earlier in the day to postpone the game.

Heavy morning rain had apparently left the pitch under water in the middle and along both flanks and, in accordance with regulations, Village, as the field operators, called the game off at 12.30 p.m.

Conditions had improved considerably by 2 p.m. when Onions, Pimental and his linesmen arrived at the ground having failed to hear the news.

The confusion apparently arose when MR Onions' Gary Knights arrived at Bernard Park as the pitch was being inspected earlier in the day.

Village president Shervin Dill and a groundsman believed that he would inform the rest of his team that the game was off, unaware that he was not due to be playing and had just popped in out of curiosity.

Bermuda Football Association were also contacted but they were unable to reach Pimental.

Although the grass was still sodden by match time, it nevertheless looked playable and, indeed, matches in the vicinity went ahead without a hitch.

Pimental, who said he would be submitting a report today, said: "All three of our officials agreed that the game could have been played.

"There was only a bit of a puddle just outside the 18-yard box which would have had to have had sand on it.

"We showed up, we weren't aware of the situation and we felt the game could have been played," he added.

Steve Smith, Onions' coach, felt the same way but stopped short of calling for Village to forfeit the match.

"We certainly would not want the game to be thrown because they are one of the best teams on the Island. There is no way they should go out of the competition like that," he said. "But we just felt that we were there ready to play and it seemed a half-baked excuse that they came up with.

"The pitch was fine and we just couldn't understand it. The fact that no-one told us or the referee was not really acceptable."

Village president Dill said he stood by the decision.

"We made a decision early," he said. "We looked at the condition of the pitch and we couldn't predict what the weather was going to be like.

"When we made the decision it was raining and it was completed puddled down the middle and on either side. It would have been a big job to clean it up and get it playable at that time.

"I extend apologies to those who turned up but as the field operator we have a timeframe within which we can call the game off and in the best interests of the players and the facility we called it off."

The BFA's league and competitions committee chairman Charles Clarke said there was no question of Village being kicked out of the tournament as they had the right to make the decision they did.

Clarke said it was hoped to have the game rescheduled for tomorrow night at Devonshire Rec.