Hundreds of disgruntled football fans left Somerset Cricket Club empty handed on Saturday night after a colour clash of attire resulted in the top-of-the-table Premier Division contest between league leaders Boulevard and second- placed Somerset Trojans being postponed.

Trojans took to the pitch wearing their official home strip, red shirts, black shorts and red socks, while visiting Boulevard strolled out wearing predominately red shirts with green on the front, red shorts and red socks.

Both teams were warned of the clash of colours 30 minutes prior to the start of the match by referee Lyndon Raynor.

However, both clubs insisted they had no other strip to wear and at 9.20 p.m. referee Raynor informed Somerset Cricket Club president Richard Scott of his decision to postpone the match. In recent years Trojans have donned two separate sets of white jerseys in addition to an all black strip with red and white trimmings and red strip with black trimmings.

Yet on Saturday night Somerset club officials insisted they only had one set of jerseys on hand.

Of the hundreds of fans in attendance, only those with receipts from their admission tickets were reimbursed as they exited the grounds through the main gate.

Raynor explained: “I spoke to both teams around 8.30 p.m. when I was warming up about my concerns about the jerseys. Both teams then indicated to me that was the only strip that they had.

“I told them ‘someone will have to change because I wasn’t happy and there was a possibility that the game would not be played’. Neither team indicated to me that they were willing to change or that they had another set of jerseys on the way.

“At about 9.15 p.m., having delayed coming out of the changing room hoping someone would’ve changed their jerseys, when I walked out both teams were still in the same strip. So I went back in the changing room and was spoken to by a BFA (Bermuda Football Association) representative (Technical Committee chairman Mark Trott) who made some attempt to sort out the problem.

“But at the that point in time (9.20 p.m.), given the game was supposed to start at 9 p.m. and that at 8.30 p.m. I brought my concerns to the attention of both teams, I made my decision.”

The decision left fans confused, frustrated and deprived of what many had predicted to be cliff-hanger between the league’s top two clubs.

Raynor added: “I saw Mr.Richard Scott (Somerset CC president) and told him ‘there will be no game’. I never went back to the two teams because I had already given them an indication of what might’ve happened if the jerseys weren’t sorted out.

“We’ve been playing this game long enough in Bermuda to know who wears what. And this is not the first time this season I’ve had to delay a game because teams have showed up wearing the same colour jerseys.

“As a referee I just want to apply the rules of the game to the best of my ability. And so I don’t see why I have to become the administrator of this - teams know who they are playing and what colours they should wear.”

Traditionally Blazers have worn white or black jerseys whenever they’ve played away from home.

Yet they decided to travel to Somerset on Saturday donning red.

“Every team knows better not to wear red when they are playing in Somerset. I’m really disappointed something like this had to happen, especially for the fans who I think deserve an apology,” commented Trojans’ coach Dennis Brown.

Brown’s opposite number, John Rebello, added: “I thought something was being done about the situation. So it came as a shock when I learned the game had been called off because I assumed Somerset were going to change into another strip.”