CedarBridge Academy 2

Berkeley Institute 1

Berkeley Institute’s four-year unbeaten streak as Bermuda School Sports Federation Knock Out champions came to a grinding halt at the National Sports Centre yesterday.

In a fiercely contested final that could have gone either way, CedarBridge Academy came from behind to dethrone the champions who had their chances but ultimately came up short.

Jahnazae Swan, the Dandy Town forward, gave Berkeley a deserved lead when he slotted home in the 35th minute.

Berkeley’s joy was short-lived as CedarBridge hit back two minutes later with two goals inside of seven minutes from Keishon Bean and substitute Jomeko Mallory to take a 2-1 lead into the break.

Berkeley pressed for the equaliser in the second half but could not break down their opponent’s defence, that held firm till the end.

CedarBridge’s victory was marred, however, as Jahkeylo Burgess, the midfielder, suffered a suspected broken leg after being caught by a flying tackle by Edry Moore, the Berkeley full back.

Moore escaped a booking for the dangerous tackle, let alone being sent off, but opted to be substituted shortly after Burgess, who made his senior debut for Devonshire Colts recently, was taken off the pitch on a stretcher.

This hard-fought cup final will be televised on Digicel SportsMax, and there will certainly be no shortage of drama for the watching public as both teams left nothing on the pitch.

Swan tormented the CedarBridge defence from the outset with his penetrating runs, and nearly put the champions ahead somewhat against the run of play.

The Dandy Town player broke free but hurried his shot against the bottom of the far post as Jade Morrisey, the CedarBridge goalkeeper, raced off his line to narrow the angle.

CedarBridge eventually settled into a groove and after stretching their opponents with some good ball movement went close with Bean blazing a shot from 20-yards just over the bar.

Burgess’s afternoon came to an early and rather unfortunate end after he suffered serious injury in a midfield tackle with Moore.

Swan gave Berkeley the lead after the lengthy delay. The striker ran onto a ball played into open space and slotted past the advancing Morrissey, who had been ruthlessly exposed by a porous defence.

The goal sent the grandstand packed with Berkeley fans at the western end of the ground into raptures.

However, before the celebrations were over CedarBridge struck with a double salvo that turned the game on its head.

Bean tapped in a rebound from close range after Berkeley failed to clear their lines to draw the teams level.

And Mallory then put CedarBridge ahead for good seconds before half-time with a spectacular volley from eight yards that flew into the roof of the net. It was a goal worthy of making any highlight reel, and one Mallory will long cherish.

Although clear-cut chances were few and far between in the second half, the match remained on a razor’s edge, with CedarBridge looking to extend their lead and Berkeley desperate to get back on even terms.

Morrissey raced off his line to punch away a dangerous cross as Berkeley started off in a flurry, before CedarBridge eventually took control and came close to extending their lead as the game drew to a close.

Quinaceo Hunt, the Berkeley goalkeeper, positioned himself well to repel Mallory’s full-blooded blast from point blank range, and then saved Jaavaid Smith’s shot from a tight angle at the near post to keep the game close right to the end.