WilsonMONTEGO BAY, St. James: Hundreds of persons braved the rains and turned out to celebrate the memory of Omroy Kamau Wilson in Montego Bay, last Saturday.
Wilson, a former Cornwall College, Village United and national football representative, died in May last year in a motor vehicle accident in Trelawny.
The celebrations began with a double-header at the Catherine Hall Sports Complex.
The 2:00 p.m. curtain-raiser saw Cornwall College taking on the Herbert Morrison Technical High School (HMTHS), which also lost their football captain in an accident last August.
The game began with both teams looking good and orchestrating brilliant attacks on the goals. However, it was Cornwall who first found the back of the net with a Cedric Daley strike.
Determined to win
The Herbert Morrison team got into its stride after that but Cornwall's defence was determined to win for their fallen teammate and held out for the remainder of the first half.
When action resumed, both teams appeared rejuvenated and more purposeful. During the second half, it was also evident that Cornwall's coach, Dr. Dean Weatherley, was testing out the waters for the upcoming season. This was evident as he made numerous substitutions taking out some of his most experienced and skilful players. Despite this, the 1-0 scoreline would remain until the final whistle.
Afterwards, a team of officials, headed by Wilson's mother, Patricia Rowe, greeted the teams.
The second match, which was contested by Jamaica's U-23 team and a combined U-23 team featuring past Cornwall and HMTHS players, got under way. The showers which came down did not prevent the match from being completed and it ended 2-1, with Jamaica getting the upper hand.
Wilson was completing his first year of sixth form at Cornwall when he died. He has been hailed for his great leadership skills and his ability to motivate and inspire his peers. He continues to motivate many of today's Cornwallians.
- Andewale McLaughlin
