By Anthony Foster, Freelance WriterTHE KINGSTON and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) brought a premature end to the Grace Shield Premier League semi-final match between hosts Norman Manley and Jonathan Grant at Maxfield Park yesterday, saying they never gave Norman Manley permission to use the field.
"We gave permission to a Basic school to use the facility (Maxfield Park) yesterday," KSAC Town Clerk Errol Greene, who stopped the game before a ball was bowled on what should have been the second and final day, he told The Gleaner in a telephone interview yesterday evening.
The game started on Monday with Norman Manley scoring 221 all out, to which Jonathan Grant were 39 for one in reply at the end of the day's play.
When they turned up to restart the game though, the teams got a rude awakening.
After checks were made at Norman Manley school, Principal V.E. Teape declined comment and referred The Gleaner to the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA).
George Forbes, ISSA's Competitions Officer, said Norman Manley informed him they got permission from KSAC to use Maxfield Park as their home ground after submitting a formal application, as requested by KSAC.
However, Greene explained that he was not aware of any request by Norman Manley to use the facility.
He did say though, that a Basic school was given the go-ahead to utilise the venue yesterday.
"The decision that was taken was to allow the persons (Basic school), who sought approval to use the facility," said Greene.
The Town Clerk added that even if they Norman Manley did seek approval "they were supposed to tell us when they are going to use the field".
It was later revealed by Norman Manley's coach Carl Stephens that a formal request to use the venue for their home matches had actually been made, but there seems to have been a mix-up with the timing and person to whom the letter was sent.
"The letter on the school letterhead with a fixtures was given to Mr. Simmonds (Patrick) at the start of the season," said Stephens of the paperwork channelled to the person in charge of Maxfield Park Complex.
Simmonds, who was at the game on Monday, said he did not know the Basic school had been granted permission to use the field yesterday.
"The secretary always informs me on who will use the ground and when, but that did not happen," Simmonds said.
He admitted though that he got a letter from the school which "was sent to KSAC with the fixtures" for the preliminary games.
The Gleaner also understand that this is the second match at Maxfield Park to be interrupted by the KSAC following one last year between Trench Town - using the venue for a home match at the time - against St. Jago.
ISSA will make a decision on the game later this week. Spanish Town, which ousted Kingston College in the other semi-final on Monday, will meet the winner in the final set for April 28-30.
