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More to come! - Hyde promises to deliver continued success at CC

Published:Sunday | December 9, 2018 | 12:00 AMAkino Ming/Staff Reporter

With the passing of legendary Clarendon College (CC) coach Winston Chung-Fah serving as a motivator, current head coach Lenworth 'Teacher' Hyde was able to guide the daCosta Cup champions to their fourth Olivier Shield title with a 1-0 win over Kingston College (KC) at the National Stadium on Saturday.

However, Hyde, who was the foundation on which Chung-Fah built his title-winning team in 1977, is promising that the double success of the 2018 class of Clarendon College players represents the mere beginning of what he expects will be a prolonged spell of trophy success.

"I think this is just the beginning," said Hyde after his team became the first rural outfit in 14 years to become out-and-out Olivier Shield champions.

Glenmuir, were the last non-Corporate Area school to win the shield exclusively after doing so in 2004. They also shared the trophy with Bridgeport High in 2006.

Not resting on his laurels, Hyde is already thinking ahead, and warned that his team is well-positioned to return to the top of local schoolboy football in the coming years, pointing to a bevy of unused players who will complement the returning players from this year's squad for the 2019 campaign.

 

WIN AGAIN

 

"We are going to win this thing again and again," added Hyde, a former national player. "Unnuh nuh see nuh balla yet, man. We are only losing four players, and when the players we have waiting on start playing, it is going to be sweet."

A good portion of the current Clarendon squad is recruited from other schools, and it seems Hyde may have to keep going into the market to build the dynasty as his Under-16 team failed to make it out of the group stage in this year's rural-area under-16 competition.

Under Chung-Fah, Clarendon not only won multiple titles, notably the daCosta Cup and Olivier Shield double in 1977 and 1978, but went on to become one of the greatest schoolboy football teams to have been assembled.

Hyde, who was a starring member of that 1977 team, having matched one of his mentor's accomplishments, is now looking to extend their march on schoolboy football.

"I am happy we were able to win both titles for him (Chung Fah). He taught me everything I know about football, and I hope to pass on what I have learned from him to this generation of Clarendon players," Hyde said.

Clarendon College's victory over KC conspicuously took place on the day Chung-Fah was laid to rest.

"I was not able to make it to the funeral because I had to prepare for the game, but I know he must be smiling down with what happened here today (Saturday)," Hyde said.

Chung-Fah, who also created local club Santos, is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in Jamaican football. He led Clarendon College to the daCosta Cup and Olivier Shield titles in 1977 and 1978 - their first titles in schoolboy football. Saturday's triumph secured Clarendon's fourth hold on the Olivier Shield. They of course defeated Cornwall College 2-1 recently to take the daCosta Cup title.

Besides those 77/78 back-to-back daCosta Cup and Olivier Shield trophies, Clarendon College's most successful period in schoolboy football came between 1991 and 1998, when they won four daCosta Cup titles in the seven stagings (no competition was held in 1997) in that period plus the 1998 Olivier Shield, which was shared with Dunoon Technical.

Prior to this season, Clarendon last won the daCosta Cup in 2014 and were Ben Francis winners last season. They were beaten by Rusea's in the daCosta Cup final last year.