PHC 3 Devonshire Cougars 3

PHC Zebras and Devonshire Cougars had to settle for a share of the spoils after this six-goal thriller at Somerset Cricket Club yesterday.

Either team might have easily walked away with maximum points but both were guilty of squandering a plethora of golden opportunities.

Cougars' Heys Wolffe, Mark Smith and two-goal hero Raymond Beach wasted early opportunities while Zebras' Dennis Russell was also guilty of poor finishing.

But after fans were subjected to a mostly uneventful and scoreless first half, whatever was said in the dressing rooms during the break seemed to work as the two teams came out ready to entertain, producing six beautifully executed goals in a pulsating second period.

Cougars took a deserved lead in the 52nd minute thanks to a long kick deep into PHC terrain by `keeper Ricardo Brangman which was misjudged by Zebras captain Stanton Lewis, allowing Beach to swerve and beat Stefan Dupres with a firm, low drive.

Fifteen minutes later Cougars' player/coach Shawn Smith doubled the visitors' lead, outleaping the Zebras defence to head home a Heys Wolffe corner.

However, before the Cougars' drummers could stop pounding at the southern end of the pitch, PHC were tossed a life- line as they were awarded a penalty which Otis Steede made no mistake converting.

Growing in confidence, PHC desperately went in search of the equaliser and it didn't take long to materialise, late second half substitute Lonnie Bascome blasting home from close range after finding himself in possession just outside Cougars' penalty box.

If Cougars' confidence wasn't shattered by now, it must have been severely tested when Steede scored his second goal of the match to give Zebras a surprise lead only moments later.

But hardly 45 seconds after the Zebras celebrations, Beach popped up to notch his second goal of the match in similar fashion after yet another high penetrating long ball deceived the Zebra defence. Beach kept his composure while rounding Lewis and again beating Dupres low to his left.

Cougars then had two opportunities to ice the match, but like many other players on the day Mark Smith's finishing left much to be desired with Dupres on both occasions at his mercy.

PHC's Lewis and Omar Shakir and Cougars' Galvin Butterfield all had their names entered into referee Stuart Crockwell's book.

PHC: S.Dupres, S.Lewis, C.Furbert, J.Sealy (D.Outerbridge, 75 mins), D.Wilson, O.Shakir, O.Steede, B.Bean (J.Raynor, 62 mins), M.Williams, K.Lambe, D.Russell (L.Bascome, 71 mins).

Devonshire Cougars: R.Brangman, D.Brangman, S.Smith, J.DeShields, G.Butterfield, O.Butterfield, A.Minors (D.Trott, 71 mins), D.Eve (K.Goddard, 76 mins), M.Smith, H.Wolffe, R.Beach.

Booked: S.Lewis, O.Shakir (PHC); G.Butterfield (Devonshire).

Men of the match: O.Steede (PHC); R.Beach (Devonshire).

Referee: S.Crockwell.