This is an article that Junior did for the Cornwall College newspaper "REDGOLD" when my son Brandon was Editor. Happy reading:
CC SOCCER - THE FABULOUS “FIFTIES”
by Junior Chin
Before the beginning of the DaCosta Cup competition in 1950, Cornwall College had already written its name in the annals of schoolboy football in Jamaica, having won the Olivier Shield 4 times in over two decades of competing. Before the end of the 1950s, that number was doubled to eight titles. Only in 1956 did the winning DaCosta Cup team not gone on to claim the coveted all-island championship, the Olivier Shield.
In all of Jamaica, Cornwall alone had won one-third of all the 27 trophies on offer between 1950 and 1959, and may have won more had the competition not been abandoned in 1954 due to an outbreak of ‘polio’ in the country. St. Georges College and Munro College are distant runners-up during the ‘fabulous fifties’.
Victories in 1953 and 1955
Our first ‘fifties’ win came in 1953 when we outclassed XLCR to win the Olivier Shield after 12 years in the wilderness. Then, after the 1954 ‘polio’ outbreak, we defended our title, beating St. George’s College 5-3 on goal aggregate.
The Chinese invasion
I was privileged to be a part of three of the five championship teams during the fifties. In what could be described as ‘the Chinese invasion’, I played on the 1956 winning DaCosta Cup team that included 5 members of the starting eleven being boys of Chinese descent. The ‘invasion’ had started in 1953 with Lincoln Hew and Donald Lee and continued in 1955 with captain Lincoln Hew, Rhodes Scholar Vernon Wong and Joe Chow (now deceased).
That 1956 loss to St. George’s was, in itself, a travesty of some sorts, as a spectator’s whistle fooled the entire Cornwall team in believing that an infringement had occurred. Goalkeeper Leroy Levy casually threw back the ball onto the field only to see Tony McKenzie, the son of the St. George’s legendary ‘coach’ Arthur McKenzie, latch onto it and fired the ball into the goal. St. George’s won 1-0 and took the shield as the first match in Montego Bay had been drawn 1-1. The three Chinese to join the others were another Rhodes Scholar, Ernest Hew, George Chung and Junior Chin.
The debacle of 1957
The dark hour of an otherwise glorious ‘fifties’ came in the 1957 DaCosta Cup finals against Munro. With over 50% of the team suffering from the ‘flu’, Cornwall’s coach “Prince” McClean had a wonderful opportunity to ‘buy’ rest time for the half-sick team when rain caused referee Johnny Wongsam to arrive late for the game. Instead, when presented with the option, he foolishly agreed to play the match and proceeded to lose it in the darkness of the evening.
Cornwall win again in 1958
Most of us reflected in uncertain terms when we received a new coach in Trinidad-born, Osmond Downer. We were glad to lose ‘old man’ McClean, but understood that Downer was never an accomplished footballer himself. However, he was to prove himself a master tactician at the game.
The match against Rusea’s was a personal triumph for me. We beat Rusea’s 8-1 and had I gotten the other three goals that went into the net off my boots, the score-line would have been 11-1. The lone Rusea’s goal was a beauty as whether by fluke or magic, the ball went from the boots of three players into the net without touching the ground !
Our next game against Yorkcastle was never played as Yorkcastle withdrew from competition from fear of facing us, or so we thought. We duly won our zone and qualified to play the arch-rival Munro in the finals.
The first game against Munro ended 1-1 in Montego Bay.
As many persons widely expected a tough return match at Malvern from the home team, we were cautious not to make things worse by drinking the tank water from our hosts. ‘Goosie’ Melbourne could not contain his enthusiasm for food and drink and paid the price in the toilet. He was therefore to face the destiny of being the only CC footballer to be a “reserve” in all his three years on the team.
Things took a turn for the worse when goalkeeper Carlton Seaton collided with Munro’s Fisher and broke his collar-bone. The accident required outside left Donnie Allen to have to don the goalkeeper’s gears; but with 10 men and yours truly being given the task of playing from half line and into Allen’s forward line position, Cornwall proceeded to do ‘the improbable’ by beating Munro. We did so in style to the tune of 5 goals to nil, with goals from Davidson, Manderson, Washington Chin and Bernard (2). It was a euphoric trip back over the hills of Malvern to the dormitory, at times carried on the shoulders of my red and gold clad supporters. The famous cricket commentator, Roy Lawrence, an old boy of Munro became so sick that he was unable to take to the airwaves that night.
The Olivier Shield matchup with KC was given a big ‘hype’ as a good Samaritan arranged to fly KC into Montego Bay on B.O.A.C. aero-plane and to return the favor to Cornwall into Kingston for the return leg. Cornwall decided against taking up the offer; instead the team travelled in its usual colourful motor-car convoy.
Cornwall won the first leg 2-1 after being beset once again with goalkeeper injury and playing with only ten men for a part of the game. In the Kingston game, coach Downer played a psychological stunt on KC in using “a mere reserve” Cyril Brown to bombard early shots at goal with his booming left foot. The ploy was to strike fear in the KC camp. It worked and broke the KC ‘will’, allowing Donnie Allen to score twice in quick succession in the early stages of the game to clinch the match 2-1. ‘Duke’ Fuller, the much vaunted KC goalie, who went on to represent Jamaica, was in total disappointment at the end of the match.
That season, George Davidson scored 13 goals for the season and although playing a game less, I also scored 13 goals as well. Overall, the school scored 31 goals and conceded only four. It was a fitting finale when the PTA and old boys honoured the team with a special fete and presentation of medals.
CC 1958 Olivier Shied Champions – the full squad
From left (back row): Coach Osmond Downer, Charles Agate, ‘Goosey’ Melbourne, Easton Manderson, Howard Cooke Jr., Aggrey Brown, Cyril Brown.
(middle row): Kenneth Bernard, Washington Chin, George Davidson, Junior Chin, Garnett Campbell, Donnie Allen.
(in front) goalkeepers Carlton Seaton, unidentified, Donny Levy
1959 – ending in style
Although sharing the shield with St. George’s in 1959, Cornwall ended the decade of the fifties in commanding fashion. After a disappointing 0-2 loss at Sabina Park, Cornwall rebounded with a thrilling 2-0 win at Cornwall in Montego Bay, despite the legendary ‘fable’ of the sprinkling of holy water on the field of play by a priest, who was a supporter of St. George’s College, a Roman Catholic school.
Greatest moment of the fifties?
What was the greatest story of the 1950s? Many may argue for the magnificent 1958 performances against KC in the Olivier Shield finals; but, for me, it was the 5-0 thrashing of Munro in the dreaded hills of Malvern, against all odds, that took the cake and the 4th DaCosta Cup title since the inaugural competition of 1950.
Rah, rah CC – the “winningest” Olivier Shield team, if we count from when we joined the competition in the 1920s !!
Note: Junior Chin is a popular Montego Bay businessman and hotelier , and an outstanding post-school footballer and polo player.