THE final of the very first BFA Challenge Cup competition was to be played on Sunday, 18th March 1956 at the Prospect Garrison Recreational Field. Its over-riding attraction was that it brought together a black team from the Bermuda Football League (Southampton Rangers) against a white team from the Bermuda Football Combination (BAA) in a winner-take-all confrontation.

Evaluating the past performance of the finalists was one means of projecting the potential champions of this inaugural competition, but a comparison of prior results of both teams would seem to provide no obvious indication of a favourite. Although BAA had eliminated two of the top three BFL sides in Wellington Rovers and Key West Rangers, Southampton had also disposed of two prominent BFC clubs ? the Nationals and Sandys BC. Each side had played three games to reach the final, and had accumulated an identical goals for/against differential of six ? the Rangers being 11-5 and the BAA 9-3. Such analysis could indicate that the BAA had the stronger defence and Southampton a more potent attack. In fact, in George Ray, the Rangers had one of the highest individual goal-scorers so far in the competition and he was also in form, producing a game-winning hat-trick in the semi-final against Sandys.

However, and on average, the BAA had only given up one goal per game and their nine in total had been fairly well shared ? with David Thorne and Chris Triantopolous being most consistently on target. Although general fitness probably would not be a major consideration (the age of the players on both teams averaged out at just under 23 years), an interesting feature of their preparations was the involvement of two Scotsmen who were key figures in the training/coaching of these sides.

Southampton had George Tulloch while David 'Jock' Stewart was at the BAA. The latter had come to Bermuda with the British Army, then joined the local Police Force before moving on to eventually become a Director at Butterfield and Company. As a footballer, he presented a strong physical presence in the BAA sides of the early 1950s, and was still turning out in senior competition.

George Tulloch was perhaps less of a player than Stewart but after offering his services to the Rangers as a trainer/coach in the mid-1950s, he proved to be a shrewd tactician. In particular, he was a theorist who studied the opposition's strengths and weaknesses and prepared detailed plans to enable his team to respond to any adverse in-match circumstances.

Both men emphasised the value of disciplined training plus practice in ball skills and teamwork, with beach running an important element of the (physical) conditioning process. In this regard, Eldon Raynor of the Rangers recalls having to complete 70 laps of Horseshoe Bay before Tulloch was satisfied with his effort, and Ray Constable of the BAA has similar memories of Stewart's training sessions.

Regrettably, George Tulloch left Bermuda before the date of the final and was not at Prospect to support his team throughout the concluding game. The BFA Cup final of 1956 was not the ultimate highlight of the local soccer season as there were still League fixtures to be completed. In this context, Southampton were comfortably upper-mid table in the BFL First Division while BAA were in close contention for the BFC First Division title.

The BAA also had access to significant playing resources, with two teams competing in the BFC First Division (BAA Greens and BAA Whites), two senior teams in the BFC Second Division and five junior sides ? all in action during any one week in regularly scheduled competition.

The Bermuda Recorder (7 March 1956) offered the following opinion on the inaugural BFA Cup Final: "Both the Southampton Rangers and BAA are worthy finalists. They had to move aside some good opposition before they made the grade to the last tilt. The encounter should attract a record crowd." This same column also suggested that the BAA "should be considered the favourites .. if they play as well as they did against Key West".

Did BAA play 'as well'? Next week's Diary will provide the answer. The following teams were selected, and both sides were at full strength.

BAA ? V.Siddle; G.Sousa (captain), S.Lewis; A.Lopes, W.Mayne, R.Constable; M.Hankey, C.Triantopolous, D.Thorne, H.Lancaster, W.DeSilva.

Southampton Rangers ? B.Robinson; R.Todd (captain), W.Easton; G.Ingham, E.Raynor, S.Easton; E.Robinson, G.Dyer, G.Ray, H.Joynes, R.Simons.

Appointed as officials were J.Ferreira (referee), assisted by E.Postlewaite and W.Swan (in the 1950s, referred to as linesmen).