Morrison

Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor

THREE JAMAICAN referees officiated in the Digicel Cayman Cup finals earlier this week as part of a reciprocal arrangement between the Clarendon Football Association (CPA) and The Cayman Islands FA.

The three, Kevin Morrison, Michael Wong and Kedlee Powell, are all members of the Clarendon Referees Group.

"It started on Sunday. Referees from the Cayman Islands completed the first leg of the deal. They came down and officiated in The Captain's Bakery Clarendon Major League mid-season final," Dave Meikle, general secretary of the CFA, told The Gleaner.

Gayle, the leading team with 20 points, beat Morgan's Pass (17 points) 6-5 on penalties following a 1-1 regulation and extra-time finish in the game handled by Cayman's FIFA referee Alfredo Whittaker and assistant referees Peterkin Berry and Livingston Bailey (former Glenmuir High student), who also have FIFA badges.

It was the first time that such an exchange had taken place in Clarendon and Meikle called it "significant".

"I think it is a very significant kind of relationship. From a long time, I have wanted to have referees travelling abroad, taking part in an exchange programme."

Meikle, himself a former referee, added: "A programme like this can only help referees who aspire to be at the FIFA level. It's also a motivating factor, even for those who can't make it to that level. It gives them the opportunity to officiate in another country and to gain invaluable experience and exposure. The clubs also appreciated the fact that overseas referees came in. It's a final, whether it be mid-season or otherwise, theydon't want to see the same faces officiating."

He says the CFA aims to continue the trend and praised their sponsor, The Captain's Bakery, owned by the FA's recently elected first vice-president, Captain Horace Burrell, the former Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president, whose sponsorship tag ranges beyond $1.7 million.

Meikle said: "They (the referees) have asked not to make this a one-off thing but for it to be ongoing. So this is the challenge."

He added: "Hats off to our major sponsor, The Captain's Bakery, for sponsoring this activity. It is only going to help the whole development of football in the parish, so the sponsors have to be highlighted. This is indeed a very significant gesture on the part of the sponsors."

'Good experience'

Referee Morrison, who is highly touted to join FIFA ranks, called their work in the game on Wednesday night a "good experience" and says it falls right in line with his plans.

He said: "My aim and objective in refereeing is to become a FIFA referee. To become a FIFA referee, you have to do top-class refereeing on a consistent basis. So this experience is good because if you notice, the only times a referee leaves the island to go abroad to officiate is when you are a FIFA referee.

"The game was of a high standard and as the referee team, we did well. We were commended by the president of the Cayman Islands Football Association, Jeff Webb, and our own president, former FIFA referee Peter Prendergast, who travelled with us."

Morrison added: "After the game, people came to us and they were happy with the refereeing. They wanted us to stay and officiate in more games."

Meanwhile, the competition resumes today with two matches - New Longville vs Gayle at Turner's Oval and Springfield vs Toll Gate at Springfield. Both start at 3:30 p.m.