Clarendon’s 12th man inspires Olivier Shield win

The National Stadium was flooded in a sea of blue and yellow colours on Wednesday as Clarendon College supporters came out in their thousands to cheer on their football players to claim their sixth Olivier Shield title.

The bellow of the chants, drums and vuvuzela horns helped to fuel the daCosta Cup champions to a 4-0 victory over Manning Cup champions Mona High School - at least that's what head coach of Clarendon College Lenworth Hyde believes.

"The crowd is the twelfth man, and they (players) feed off it. You could see them pumping up the crowd even when they were playing, and they love that. It gives you a boost to play harder to win the game. That's what sports is all about - most sports you have to have spectators - and I love the turnout this season," Hyde said.

He said the fan support throughout the season has been heart-warming for him.

"It is a great feeling. We lost the final of the Champions Cup, and the fans came out. Even the bleachers had fans. Then, in the daCosta Cup final they turned up," Hyde said.

"I love that this season is much better than last season with spectator support, which shows that youth football is growing and with the style of football we play, people want to watch. From you see good football, you will travel from anywhere to come and watch, and a lot of people love football from Clarendon," he said

The urban-against-rural Olivier Shield affair had Clarendon College supporters outnumbering their counterparts from Mona.

Oraine Harris, a supporter who travelled from Clarendon, said the Olivier Shield is something they take seriously.

"One don and a Clarendon. We a di biggest supporter, so we a fi deh yah fi witness dis," Harris said. "We a show town seh country a dominate right now, because a long time dem no win the Olivier Shield, suh we a show dem seh country di ting deh."

Winning the Olivier Shield is something he hopes will be a Clarendon tradition.

"Not only next season, every season. We ago lose couple 'baller, but we have 'baller fi replace dem so every season we at it again," Harris said.

Taseka Granston, who found the game entertaining, said she did not come supporting Clarendon College alone but the overall rural areas of the island.

"Neva attend Clarendon College but a up a di country mi come from. Mi really happy fi dem, mi sorry seh dem neva get the Champions Cup. We did a go fi di three a dem," she said in a hoarse voice caused by loud cheering.

Granston said she hopes she will get to cheer on Clarendon College to more victories next season.

"Champions, daCosta, Olivier Shield, everything; we craven!" she said excitedly.

As for Hyde, he wants to see a larger fan base, not only for Clarendon College, but for all the teams in the schoolboy football competitions for next season and beyond.