One of the trio accused of trying to kill a man as violence flared at Wellington Oval told detectives he did not carry weapons and was not a gang member.

Jahcai Morris also said in an interview ? held days after a day of soccer finals descended into ugly scenes of machete and knife fighting ? that he sliced a man's leg that day.

But a court heard that the defendant reacted after fearing his friend had died, as about 15 young men with weapons clashed at the St George's stadium.

The Wellington Oval retrial jury yesterday heard evidence from Detective Constable Dean Martin, who along with another officer quizzed Morris at the Serious Crime Unit, Hamilton, two days after the incident.

Det. Con. Martin yesterday started reading the transcript of the three-way, 87-minute interview to the court.

The retrial heard Morris tell officers how scenes of "scatter action" and "commotion" swept the scoreboard area of the stadium on April 4 last year.

The defendant said after seeing his friend grounded and with "blood coming out of his ears", he was hit on the back of his head with a helmet. He then told the court the man who struck him dropped a knife, which the upset Morris picked up.

"I guess that's when I chased the guy and sliced him in his leg," he said in the interview. He added he knew it was wrong so he stopped and then left.

Morris, from Ord Road, told detectives he thought he had cut the man once, below the knee, as he lay on the field.

He also said he did not know the man he was trying to hurt ? but assumed it was man who left his friend, the brother of co-defendant Ki-Roy Kinta Butterfield, badly injured on the ground.

Morris said he had no other weapons apart from the knife he picked up, which had jagged edges and a blade of up to six inches.

Later, Morris told Police he did not know Tarik Foster, the man he is jointly accused of trying to murder and did not carry weapons around with him.

He said he could not say whether there was any history of bad blood between the men caught up in trouble.

And when quizzed about Bermuda gangs and whether he knew anything about the Ord Road Crew, he stated he was not in a gang but said he had heard of rivalry between "town and country".

The court heard how Morris went to the soccer finals with a friend. He also told detectives how he had seen his god-daughter and her grandparents during the high-profile fixture.

Ki-Roy Kinta Butterfield, 27, of Cherry Hill Park, Paget; Morris, 24, of Sylvan Dell, Paget, and Tahir Nesta Bascome, 22, of Dunscombe Road, Warwick, all deny attempting to murder Mr. Foster at the Friendship Trophy soccer final on April 4, 2004.

The trio have pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Butterfield has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted wounding with intent to cause GBH, possessing an offensive weapon and being armed in public to cause terror.

Morris and Bascome have both denied possessing an offensive weapon and being armed in public to cause terror.

The retrial has already been told how Mr. Foster was left unconscious after being pursued by Morris and Bascome ? one with a blade, another with a machete.

The trial continues.