(match abandoned after 59 minutes) Referee Anthony Mouchette had no option but to bring this First Division fixture to a premature end, when an injury left Wolves with too few players to continue.

Colts' Marvin Belboda caught Wolves' Jared Peniston on the right knee in the 52nd minute and though the youngster tried to run off the pain, eventually he hobbled off.

That took the already depleted Wolves line-up from seven men -- the minimum number required for a team to be allowed to play -- to six and Mouchette called both coaches together and told them he was obliged to abandon the game.

In another sad episode for Bermuda soccer, the game at White Hill Field had kicked off 25 minutes late to allow Wolves to scrape together enough players to start.

Colts were ready to start on time and with a full team, but it appeared that some Wolves players wanted to play and others wanted to boycott the match.

Wolves kicked off with seven men and gained two more during the first half.

Mouchette was not given the Wolves team sheet until half-time and he then discovered that two of the team were actually ineligible.

One was Keemo Smith, who is currently suspended, and the other was named as Shawn Boyles, who had no proof of being registered with the club.

The referee would not allow them to play on, so Wolves started the second period reduced to seven men. It was the second time in a fortnight Mouchette had abandoned a game involving Colts. Two weeks ago, the policeman halted the FA Cup semi-final between Colts and Boulevard after being hit on the back by a bottle thrown by Boulevard's Haile Outerbridge, whom he had just sent off.

Mouchette said: "The rules state a team needs at least seven players to start and, when the player went off injured, Wolves were down to six and as a result the match was abandoned. Now it is the BFA's decision.'' Mouchette said he had tried his utmost to get a match played in the interests of paying spectators and for the good of the game.

"Wolves could not decide whether they wanted to play or not,'' added Mouchette.

"At three o'clock, three or four Wolves players tried to change up. The Devonshire Colts coach was willing to give extended time for more players to change and I allowed them more time in the spirit of the game.

"At half-time, I got the Wolves team sheet and two players did not have cards. One was Keemo Smith and I did not know who the other player was.'' The Wolves coach for the day was Jeffrey Trott, standing in for the absent Dennis Brown. Trott claimed his club's shortage of players was not down to anyone wishing to boycott the match.

"I did the best I could in trying circumstances,'' said Trott. "We were short because of injuries.

"But the players who did play did so for the love of their club and they played like warriors.'' For the record, Colts took the lead on eight minutes, when Tito Smith's inswinging corner squirmed from the grasp of Wolves 'keeper Hewvonnie Brown and fell kindly for McKonnen Hollis to bundle home from close range.

Keishon Smith grabbed the second eight minutes later, steering in a shot from eight yards after a fine run and cross by Aljame Zuilll.

Zuill scored the third himself, firing home a rebound after Brown had saved Belboda's low shot.

There were some remarkably spirited performances from the Wolves players, particularly Peniston and Michael Dill, who received a round of applause from team-mates and opponents alike after a dazzling run down the left wing just after the interval.

Colts: T.Hall, S.Burgess, N.Samuels, Kei.Smith, T.Smith, A.Zuill, J.Samuels (A.Anderson 46 mins), M.Hollis, J.Simmons, D.Wright, M.Belboda.

Wolves: H.Brown, E.Weldon, T.Davis, P.Sampson, M.Dill, J.Eve, J.Peniston (Kee.Smith, S.Boyles, ineligible, not allowed to continue after half-time).

Referee: Anthony Mouchette.

Men of the match: Keishon Smith (Colts); Michael Dill (Wolves).