Villages' Red Army are cheekily requesting Cougars to "give them a wave " from the rear of the NSC grandstand, while their jubilant players are taking turns in holding the Premier's Dudley Eve trophy aloft.

Standing on the edge of these exultant scenes is Elliott Jennings who seems unaffected by all the post-match drama unfolding around him - which is surprising as it's his first cup victory as Rams coach.

"To be honest I'm still a coach with limited experience," says Jennings, as the party wends its way to the dressing room. "I'm lucky to have such a talented group of players to work with and this victory is all about them, not me."

Jennings arrived at Village at the start of the season as part of an intriguing coaching package alongside Bermuda legend Clyde Best, and with a mandate to play his own small part in raising the standard of Bermudian football.

He baulks at the 'win at all costs' mentality, which he believes is infecting the local game and maintains he would prefer his team to lose playing attractively than win ugly.

Well, yesterday the former Bermuda international had his wish with Village winning comprehensively, while entertaining not only the Red Army but also the neutrals that descended on the NSC.

"Sure, it's a good feeling for me to win my first trophy as a coach but it's more important that the players enjoyed their football," says the soft-spoken Jennings. "I said when I first arrived as coach that Bermuda football needed to rediscover its enjoyment and nurture its talented.

"At Village we certainly have a lot of talent and it's encouraging when you look at some of the young guys coming through like Keishen Bean, Tyrell Burgess, Shayne Hollis and Davrae Tankard."

While his young crop have played no small part in Rams' Dudley Eve success it was a more seasoned member of Jennings' squad who he had to thank.

"Ralph Bean is a wonderful player for us and a real leader," says Elliott of his hat-trick hero. "He always rises to the occasion when we need him most; he was excellent for us. But he's the same even in training and takes a lot of responsibility on his shoulders.

"His two early goals really helped settle us down and it just goes to show you how important it is to take your chances. Even I was surprised at the start we made, but I knew Cougars would have a spell when they came back into it as they're a good team."

Victorious skipper Ralph Bean was equally modest when asked about his match-winning display. "Well, I wouldn't say it was a perfect match for me because perfect's pretty hard to come by on the football field.

"But I guess scoring a hat-trick and lifting the Dudley Eve trophy as captain comes pretty close. But it was a team performance and it's another big step forward for Village as we head into the second half of the season."

See Page 14 for more pictures