It has been a pretty eventful twelve months for sport on the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, to say the least. In April, the island sent a total of nine athletes, competing in swimming, athletics, badminton and shooting, to the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia's Gold Coast, and although none of them were in the hunt for medals, athlete Sean Crowie did come close to breaking his own national record for the 100 metres.
The Saint Helena Cricket Association sprung a few surprises during the 2018-19 ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers, which were held in Botswana in October, defeating Swaziland, Malawi and Lesotho in their first three matches in the round-robin tournament, but then fell to Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia. They still managed to finish in third place, a remarkable achievement for such a small island, and one which did not go unnoticed by the world's media.
The second-ever all-Saint Helenian team (and the first all-family team from the island) to take part in the prestigious Cape Town to Saint Helena sailing race set off on the Carpe Diem, accompanied by crews staffing fourteen other vessels, from Table Bay on Boxing Day, albeit after some personnel troubles, and finished in sixth place in its class.
On an island with just over 4500 inhabitants, raising funds to take part in sporting events abroad is no easy task, and the Saint Helena Football Association has been doing just that since last July in order to take part in next year's Inter Games, which are to be held on the Welsh island of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) from 15-22 June (see previous article). The SHFA are in the process of raising £80000, and have received around £42000 to date.
The SHFA have also benefitted from a couple of pieces of fairly large-scale sponsorship, and an incredible gesture from a local businessman who walked into the SHFA office one afternoon in November, donated £10000 and more or less walked straight back out again. A crowdfunding initiative is also under way (see bottom of article).
In the midst of all the fundraising activities, including selling car raffle tickets and organising various events such as a reggae night, community bingo and a sponsored walk, the 2018 football season on the island - delayed to a prolonged period of extremely inclement weather in August - extended into 2019 with the last round of matches in the Inter-District Cup taking place on New Year's Day.
The league season went pretty much as expected, with 2017 champions Rovers and cup winners Harts slugging it out at the top of the table a country mile ahead of everyone else. The only defeats suffered by either team were against each other, though there were good showings by some of the other sides, too. Wolves were only formed in 2015, but achieved their second third-place finish since their foundation, in no small part thanks to goals from the likes of Cody Thomas, Greg Pillips and Jace Williams. Bellboys finished a point behind Wolves; Ryan Benjamin was voted SHFA Player of the Season, and his goals, together with those of Jamie Thomas and Tyler Brady, ensured that the seven-times champions finished in fourth place and reached the semi-finals of the Knockout Cup.
Wirebirds, who won the last of their five league titles back on 2013, finished fifth, two points ahead of Axis, who were briefly second early on in the season but fell away badly at the tail-end of the campaign, losing their last four matches. The campaign was a disaster for 2017 Knockout Cup runners-up Chop Shop Boys, both on and off the pitch. They suffered two of the three heaviest defeats recorded in the league season, finding themselves on the wrong end of an 18:0 mauling by Rovers, and a 17:1 defeat by Bellboys when they were forced to start with eight available players, which decreased to the minimum seven after one of the players was unable to come out for the second half. If that wasn't bad enough, they were docked two points for failing to provide match officials for a league match, and they then lost 11:1 to Harts in the Knockout Cup. But, at least they ended the league season on the right note. Having not won a match since the first day of the season, they won their last two games to finish seventh.
Saints are comprised of a team of veterans with an average age of somewhere in the mid-forties, but, despite suffering some heavy defeats, they kept plugging away, and might have won more games than just the one victory against Crusaders only for a lack of support for their forwards in the last third of the pitch. They forfeited a match against Harts, which was to have an indirect difference on the outcome of the league championship. (More on that anon..) Crusaders picked up the wooden spoon after enduring a miserable season, and lost all but two matches during their league campaign. They also lost 5:0 to Bellboys in the Knockout after being forced to start with ten men, and then lost another man during the first half due, to injury.
The regular season ended with both Rovers and Harts level on points; if Harts' game against Saints had gone ahead, they would most probably have won, and won well, but they probably benefitted more from Saints forfeiting the three points, as they finished the season with a somewhat inferior goal-difference. As Saints had forfeited the three points, under SHFA rules, goal-difference could not be used to determine the destination of the championship. Head-to-head results failed to separate the teams, as both matches between the teams ended 2:0, one in Harts' favour, the other result going Rovers' way.
So, it all came down to a play-off, which was held on 18 November, to decide who would lift the title. And, it was a goal from Seán-Lee Thomas which swung the pendulum Harts' way, ensuring their first title in three years and denying Rovers their third title on the trot. It was only their second title since 2007; in the intervening period, they had finished as runners-up on nine occasions.
The period of bad weather which had begun in August and lasted well into September had not only delayed the league, but the Knockout Cup and Inter-District Cup competitions, but Harts continued on in the former as they had finished the league season, and easily disposed of Wirebirds in the preliminary round. They then trounced Chop Shop Boys, who had reached the final of the 2017 Knockout Cup, by 11 goals to 1. The prolific Seán-Lee Thomas and Andrew Yon both scored hat-tricks as yet another double-figure defeat was inflicted on their opponents to round off a wretched season.
Rovers eased past Wolves to reach the semis, and Bellboys defeated Crusaders 5:0. Crusaders began the match with ten men, and finished it with nine after one of their players went off injured, but they were tenacious in defeat. The real drama came in the first quarter-final to be played, when the match between Saints and Axis finished 2:2 and went to penalties. David Young scored the decisive spot-kick to send Axis through 5:4 on penalties.
Both semi-finals went to form, with Harts beating Axis 3:1, and Rovers defeating Bellboys by the same score. Bizarrely, Bellboys began the match with ten men after star man Ryan Benjamin turned up late after getting the kick-off time wrong, and he arrived to discover that Rico Benjamin had put Rovers ahead with a thirty-yard drive. He added a second before Ronan Legg settled matters with a shot from the left-hand side which flew into the far corner. Rick Joshua got Bellboys' consolation goal when he bundled the ball home from close range after a goalmouth scramble.
Knockout Cup Final day on 9 December also doubled as the SHFA's presentation day, when trophies and medals are handed out for the various competitions on the island, but it was a day on which Rovers goalkeeper Keith Yon would play no active part in the proceedings. He had not recovered from a knee injury sustained in the semi-final victory over Bellboys, so his place in goal was taken by 15-year-old Trystan Thomas, who had actually scored five goals in his début season. He was picking the ball out of the net after 15 minutes, when Andrew Yon had given Harts the lead after some confusion between Thomas and defender Ross O'Dean.
Rico Benjamin equalised several minutes into the second half as Rovers began to turn the screw, and they hit the front when Ronan Legg smashed the ball low and hard from just outside the penalty area, beating Jia Peters in the Harts goal. Tyler Benjamin increased Rovers' lead with an individual goal of some style, first embarking on a solo run before finding the top corner of Peters' goal with a shot from 20 yards. Ronan Legg put the result beyond doubt after he finished off a one-two by slotting the ball past Peters for Rovers' fourth.
It was Legg's thirty-ninth goal of the season in league and cup competition - he had scored six goals or more in three matches, and three goals or more in two more. The victory was sweet revenge for him and his team-mates following their agonising defeat in the championship play-off, and it was Rovers' fifth Knockout Cup since the club reformed in 2011 (it had disbanded at the end of 2002).
However, the domestic season wasn't over just yet; there was still the Inter-District Cup to play for. As the name suggests, this is a competition between teams - drawn from all nine clubs - representing four of Saint Helena's eight districts: Half Tree Hollow, Jamestown, Longwood and St. Paul's. It took place during the last week of December and stretched into 2019, with the last round of matches taking place on New Year's Day.
Ronan Legg continued his fine scoring form in the colours of St. Paul's, scoring in every game, including a hat-trick in the first game against Jamestown, who thrashed Longwood 6:0 in their next match. Stats fans might be interested in the fact that the goals were evenly divided between players from the top three teams in the league championship: Rovers' Rico Benjamin and Shane Stroud from Harts each scored twice, whilst Wolves players Liam Yon and Jace Williams contributed with a goal apiece.
Half-Tree Hollow had previously defeated Longwood, but came up short against St. Paul's, who were the only team to have a 100 per cent record after two matches. Ronan Legg scored the winner for St. Paul's against Longwood in their final game to ensure their second Inter-District title in three years. Half-Tree Hollow secured second place after defeating Jamestown by the odd goal in seven in the tournament's final match, thanks in part to a brace from Rovers' Tyler Benjamin.
Many of the players went from the regular season into training with the fledgling Saint Helena national team as part of their planned trip to Wales to take part in the Inter Games. Some thirty-five of them commenced training in September, and twenty-seven remained going into the New Year. 2018 was an eventful year for sport on Saint Helena; 2019 will be a historic one for football on the island, should the SHFA manage to raise the funds needed to make the long journey to Anglesey in June.
SHFA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
09/06/18 Saints 0:4 Wirebirds (Clayton Leo 2, Conrad Clingham, Alex Osborne)
09/06/18 Rovers 2:1 Wolves (Ronan Legg 2; Cody Thomas (pen))
10/06/18 Crusaders 0:3 Axis (Matthias Young, Josh Fowler (pen), Rhys Hobbs)
10/06/18 Harts 2:0 Bellboys (Ryan George, Seán-Lee Thomas)
16/06/18 Crusaders 0:5 Harts (Shane Stroud 2, Seán-Lee Thomas, Selwyn Stroud, Simon Scipio)
16/06/18 Wolves 4:3 Axis (Cody Thomas, Dalton George, Jace Williams, Greg Phillips; Matthias Young 2, Rhys Hobbs)
17/06/18 Rovers 3:0 Wirebirds (Ross O'Dean, Rico Benjamin, Brett Isaac)
17/06/18 Saints 0:6 Chop Shop Boys (Jorden Johnson 2, Clayton Yon 2, Jamie Ellick, Jordan Thomas)
23/06/18 Rovers 8:1 Chop Shop Boys (Tyler Benjamin 3, Rico Benjamin 2, Chris Furniss 2, Brian Sim; Louie Barnikel)
23/06/18 Axis 3:3 Wirebirds (Matthias Young 2 (2 pens), Dennis Owen; Clayton Leo 2, Sanjay Clingham)
24/06/18 Harts 3:0 Wolves (Seán-Lee Thomas 2, Shane Stroud)
24/06/18 Bellboys 2:0 Crusaders (Corey Scipio, Ryan Benjamin)
30/06/18 Wolves 5:3 Bellboys (Jacob Duncan 2, Greg Phillips 2, Liam Yon; Rick Joshua, Corey Scipio (pen), Jordan Yon)
30/06/18 Wirebirds 1:3 Harts (Conrad Clingham; Chris Owen 2, Seán-Lee Thomas)
01/07/18 Chop Shop Boys 0:3 Axis (Matthias Young 2, Dennis Owen)
01/07/18 Saints 0:6 Rovers (Rico Benjamin 2, Tyler Benjamin 2, Ronan Legg, Brian Sim)
07/07/18 Axis 3:1 Saints (Matthias Young 2, Rico Williams; Robert Bedwell)
07/07/18 Harts 9:0 Chop Shop Boys (Seán-Lee Thomas 6, Mark Williams, Simon Scipio, Clayton Benjamin)
08/07/18 Bellboys 2:0 Wireboys (Sidonio Benjamin, Tyler Brady)
08/07/18 Wolves 6:0 Crusaders (Liam Yon 2, Cody Thomas 2, Jacob Duncan, Brandon Thomas)
14/07/18 Wirebirds 3:0 Crusaders (Sanjay Clingham 2, OG)
21/07/18 Harts 2:0 Rovers (Simon Scipio, OG)
21/07/18 Bellboys 3:0 Saints (Kyle Shoesmith, Jordan Yon, AN Other)
22/07/18 Crusaders 2:2 Chop Shop Boys (Josh Benjamin, Dane Wader; Clayton Yon, Ayrton Harris)
22/07/18 Wolves 3:0 Wirebirds (Jacob Duncan, Wayne Yon, Brandon Harris)
28/07/18 Chop Shop Boys 0:8 Wolves (Jace Williams 2, Liam Yon 2, Jacob Duncan 2, Cody Thomas, Greg Phillips)
28/07/18 Saints 1:1 Crusaders (Phillip Isaac; Josh Benjamin)
29/07/18 Rovers 3:0 Bellboys (Rico Benjamin 2, Ross O'Dean)
29/07/18 Axis 0:7 Harts (Clayton Benjamin 2, Shane Stroud 2, Seán-Lee Thomas 2 (2 pens), Chris Owen)
04/08/18 Bellboys 3:3 Axis (Ryan Benjamin 2, Scott George; Rico Williams, Josh Fowler, Dennis Owen)
04/08/18 Crusaders 1:8 Rovers (Josh Benjamin; Tyler Benjamin 4, Ronan Legg 3, Rico Benjamin)
05/08/18 Wolves 11:1 Saints (Jacob Duncan 3, Wayne Yon 2, Greg Phillips 2, Cody Thomas 2, Liam Yon, Jace Williams; Phillip Isaac)
05/08/18 Wirebirds 4:2 Chop Shop Boys (Mario Green, Clayton Leo, Rick Thomas (pen), OG; Clayton Yon, Owen RIchards)
11/08/18* Bellboys 5:0 Chop Shop Boys (Aiden Duncan 2, Corey Scipio 2, Jordan Yon)
12/08/18** Harts 12:0 Saints (Seán-Lee Thomas 8, Shane Stroud, Selwyn Stroud, Simon Scipio, OG)
12/08/18** Rovers 11:0 Axis (Rico Benjamin 4, Ronan Legg 4, Tyler Benjamin, Chris Furniss, Seán Benjamin)
15/09/18 Bellboys 2:5 Harts (Jamie Thomas (pen), OG; Shane Stroud 2, Clayton Benjamin, Chris Owen, Seán-Lee Thomas)
15/09/18 Axis 3:0 Crusaders (Rico Williams 2, Matthias Young)
16/09/18 Wirebirds 7:0 Saints (Conrad Clingham 2, Mario Green, Greg Coleman, Clayton Leo, Dean Stevens, OG)
16/09/18 Wolves 3:4 Rovers (Cody Thomas 2, Jace Williams; Rico Benjamin, Ronan Legg, Brian Sim, Trystan Thomas)
22/09/18 Bellboys 8:0 Crusaders (Tyler Brady 4, Jamie Thomas 3, AN Other)
22/09/18 Harts 7:0 Wolves (Seán-Lee Thomas 4, Shane Stroud, Selwyn Stroud, Simon Scipio)
23/09/18 Wirebirds 5:0 Axis (Sanjay Clingham 3, Alistair Buckley, Greg Coleman)
23/09/18 Rovers 18:0 Chop Shop Boys (Ronan Legg 7, Rico Benjamin 3, Trystan Thomas 2, Christen Yon 2, Seán Benjamin, Tyler Benjamin, Ross O'Dean, Julian Henry)
29/09/18 Rovers 13:0 Saints (Ronan Legg 6, Rico Benjamin 3, Seán Benjamin, Tyler Benjamin, Seán Cansick, Ross O'Dean)
29/09/18 Axis 5:2 Chop Shop Boys (Matthias Young 4, Joe Naurelette; Clayton Yon, Alonzo Henry (pen))
30/09/18 Harts 3:0 Wirebirds (Ryan George 2, Selwyn Stroud)
30/09/18 Bellboys 5:0 Wolves (Jamie Thomas 2, Ryan Benjamin, Alex Hudson, Rick Joshua)
06/10/18 Bellboys 4:0 Wirebirds (Tyler Brady 2, Corey Scipio, Jamie Thomas)
06/10/18 Wolves 5:1 Crusaders (Mashara Yon 3, Cody Thomas, Wayne Yon)
07/10/18 Harts 8:1 Chop Shop Boys (Selwyn Stroud 4, Seán-Lee Thomas 3 (1 pen), Simon Scipio; Clayton Yon)
07/10/18 Axis 5:0 Saints (Matthias Young 2, Ashley Clingham, Rico Williams, OG)
13/10/18 Rovers 5:0 Axis (Tyler Benjamin 2, Rico Benjamin, Seán Benjamin, Julian Henry)
13/10/18 Saints 0:3 Harts (walkover)
14/10/18 Chop Shop Boys 1:17 Bellboys (Ayrton Harris; Jamie Thomas 4, Ryan Benjamin 3, Tyler Brady 3, Rick Joshua 3, Corey Scipio 3, Aiden Duncan)
14/10/18 Wirebirds 3:2 Crusaders (Sanjay Clingham 2, OG; Christopher Herne, Josh Benjamin)
21/10/18 Wirebirds 2:1 Wolves (Sanjay Clingham, Alex Osborne; Cody Thomas)
21/10/18 Rovers 2:0 Harts (Seán Benjamin, Trystan Thomas)
27/10/18 Harts 2:1 Axis (Ryan George, Selwyn Stroud; Matthias Young)
27/10/18 Rovers 3:2 Bellboys (Rico Benjamin, Tyler Benjamin, Ronan Legg (pen); Jamie Thomas 2 (1pen))
28/10/18 Saints 5:1 Crusaders (Craig Clark 2, Phillip Isaac 2, Jeff Ellick; Scott Piek)
28/10/18 Wolves 7:0 Chop Shop Boys (Liam Yon 3, Jacob Duncan 2, Greg Phillips, Jace Williams)
03/11/18 Wirebirds 3:3 Chop Shop Boys (Alistair Buckley, Cody Harris, Alex Osborne; Clayton Yon 3)
03/11/18 Wolves 9:0 Saints (Liam Yon 3, Jacob Duncan, Cody O'Bey, Cody Thomas, Jace Williams, OG, N/K)
04/11/18 Rovers 16:1 Crusaders (Ronan Legg 9, Tyler Benjamin 4, Rico Benjamin, Julian Henry, Trystan Thomas; Dane Wade)
04/11/18 Axis 2:2 Bellboys (Rico Williams, Matthias Young; Ryan Benjamin, Tyler Brady)
10/11/18 Chop Shop Boys 6:1 Saints (Thullani Khanyille 2, Owen Richards, Clayton Yon, Patrick, Phillip; Phillip Isaac)
10/11/18 Wolves 4:1 Axis (Gregory Phillips 2, Jace Williams, S Yon; Matthias Young)
11/11/18 Wirebirds 1:5 Rovers (Sanjay Clingham; Rico Benjamin, Tyler Benjamin, Ross O'Dean, OG 2)
11/11/18 Harts 4:0 Crusaders (Clayton Benjamin 2, Shane Stroud 2)
17/11/18 Crusaders 1:3 Chop Shop Boys (Dane Wade (pen); Jorden Johnson, Thullani Khanyille, Clayton Yon)
18/11/18 Bellboys 9:0 Saints (Tyler Brady 3, Ryan Benjamin 2, Rick Joshua 2, Sidonia Benjamin, Wayne Crowie)
PLAY-OFF***
18/11/18 Harts 1:0 Rovers (Seán-Lee Thomas)
* Rearranged fixture; originally scheduled for 14/07/18, but moved after Chop Shop Boys were unable to raise a full compliment of players; it was decided to play the match in any case instead of CSB forfeiting the fixture
** Rearranged fixture; original match postponed on 15/07/18 due to bad weather
*** Play-off to decide destination of league championship; Harts and Rovers finished level on points, partly due to a 3:0 walkover awarded to Harts for their unplayed fixture against Saints on 13 October. Therefore, the league could not be decided on goal-difference, and the head-to-head between the teams was one win each, and they had also beaten each other 1:0.
**** Chop Shop Boys were deducted two points due to their being unable to provide match-officials for a league fixture
PLAYER OF THE SEASON: Ryan BENJAMIN (Bellboys)
YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON: Matthias YOUNG (Axis)
GOALKEEPER OF THE SEASON: Jia PETERS (Harts)
LEADING GOALSCORER: Ronan LEGG (Rovers)
KNOCKOUT CUP
PRELIMINARY ROUND
21/11/18 Harts 4:0 Wirebirds (scorers not known)
QUARTER-FINALS
24/11/18 Saints 2:2 Axis (Jeff Ellick, Nick Stevens; Vontray Thomas, Rico Williams)
(FT: 1:1; Axis 5:4 on pens)
24/11/18 Harts 11:1 Chop Shop Boys (Seán-Lee Thomas 3, Andrew Yon 3, Shane Stroud 2, Ryan George, Joey Thomas, Selwyn Stroud; Clayton Yon)
25/11/18 Rovers 6:1 Wolves (Brett Isaac 2, Ronan Legg 2, Rico Benjamin, Tyler Benjamin; Cody Thomas)
25/11/18 Crusaders 0:5 Bellboys (Tyler Brady 2, Rick Joshua, Corey Scipio, Jordan Yon)
SEMI-FINALS
02/12/18 Rovers 3:1 Bellboys (Rico Benjamin 2, Ronan Legg; Rick Joshua)
02/12/18 Harts 3:1 Axis (Seán-Lee Thomas 2, Simon Scipio; David Young)
FINAL
09/12/18 Rovers 4:2 Harts (Ronan Legg 2, Rico Benjamin, Tyler Benjamin; Andrew Yon, Simon Scipio)
(NOTE: Result also reported as 4:1)
INTER-DISTRICT CUP
23/12/18 St. Paul's 3:0 Jamestown (Ronan Legg 3)
23/12/18 Longwood 1:3 Half-Tree Hollow (Clayton Leo; Cody Thomas 2, Andrew Yon)
30/12/18 Jamestown 6:0 Longwood (Rico Benjamin 2, Shane Stroud 2, Jace Williams, Liam Yon)
30/12/18 Half-Tree Hollow 2:3 St. Paul's (Ryan Benjamin, Cody Thomas; Brett Isaac 2, Ronan Legg)
01/01/19 Longwood 0:1 St. Paul's (Ronan Legg)
01/01/19 Half-Tree Hollow 4:3 Jamestown (Tyler Benjamin 2, Ryan Benjamin, Cody Thomas; Rico Benjamin 2, Shane Stroud)
UNDERAGE FOOTBALL
FUTSAL
7-11 YEAR-OLDS SOLOMONS FUTSAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Young Harts
7-11 YEAR-OLDS FUTSAL KNOCKOUT CUP FINAL: Dream Team 7:3 Young Harts
11-15 YEAR-OLDS SOLOMONS FUTSAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Allstars
11-15 YEAR-OLDS FUTSAL KNOCKOUT CUP FINAL: Allstars 20:0 Chop Shop Boys
FOOTBALL
PRIMARY SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT (winners): St. Paul's PS
11-16 YEAR-OLDS LEAGUE CHAMPIONS (9-A-SIDE): Young Harts
11-16 YEAR-OLDS LEAGUE CHAMPIONS (11-A-SIDE): Allstars
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FOOTNOTE: As you will have read above, the Saint Helena FA are intent on sending a team to Wales in order to compete in their first-ever international tournament. However, they will need to raise a total of some £80000 in order to send a squad of 20, plus 4 backroom staff to the Inter Games, which will take place in Anglesey in June. They have raised over £40000 on-island which, for an island with a population of 4500 people, a fragile economy and increasing poverty levels, is a phenomenal effort, but the island's wallets can only take so much.
So, earlier this year, in the hope of raising enough funds to send the team to Wales as well as taking care of some infrastructural projects on-island, the SHFA set up a crowdfunding page via Gofundme.com in the hope of raising £20000 via donations from outside the island. All donations, no matter how large or small, would be gratefully received. Should you wish to donate, kindly do so via the link below (though you might need to do a little copying and pasting first..):
https://www.gofundme.com/st-helena-football-team-to-ynys-mon-2019
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Much of the above information came from the Independent and Sentinel newspapers and Facebook. Many thanks to SHFA chairman Nick Stevens for his assistance.
The Saint Helena Cricket Association sprung a few surprises during the 2018-19 ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers, which were held in Botswana in October, defeating Swaziland, Malawi and Lesotho in their first three matches in the round-robin tournament, but then fell to Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia. They still managed to finish in third place, a remarkable achievement for such a small island, and one which did not go unnoticed by the world's media.
The second-ever all-Saint Helenian team (and the first all-family team from the island) to take part in the prestigious Cape Town to Saint Helena sailing race set off on the Carpe Diem, accompanied by crews staffing fourteen other vessels, from Table Bay on Boxing Day, albeit after some personnel troubles, and finished in sixth place in its class.
On an island with just over 4500 inhabitants, raising funds to take part in sporting events abroad is no easy task, and the Saint Helena Football Association has been doing just that since last July in order to take part in next year's Inter Games, which are to be held on the Welsh island of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) from 15-22 June (see previous article). The SHFA are in the process of raising £80000, and have received around £42000 to date.
The SHFA have also benefitted from a couple of pieces of fairly large-scale sponsorship, and an incredible gesture from a local businessman who walked into the SHFA office one afternoon in November, donated £10000 and more or less walked straight back out again. A crowdfunding initiative is also under way (see bottom of article).
In the midst of all the fundraising activities, including selling car raffle tickets and organising various events such as a reggae night, community bingo and a sponsored walk, the 2018 football season on the island - delayed to a prolonged period of extremely inclement weather in August - extended into 2019 with the last round of matches in the Inter-District Cup taking place on New Year's Day.
The league season went pretty much as expected, with 2017 champions Rovers and cup winners Harts slugging it out at the top of the table a country mile ahead of everyone else. The only defeats suffered by either team were against each other, though there were good showings by some of the other sides, too. Wolves were only formed in 2015, but achieved their second third-place finish since their foundation, in no small part thanks to goals from the likes of Cody Thomas, Greg Pillips and Jace Williams. Bellboys finished a point behind Wolves; Ryan Benjamin was voted SHFA Player of the Season, and his goals, together with those of Jamie Thomas and Tyler Brady, ensured that the seven-times champions finished in fourth place and reached the semi-finals of the Knockout Cup.
Wirebirds, who won the last of their five league titles back on 2013, finished fifth, two points ahead of Axis, who were briefly second early on in the season but fell away badly at the tail-end of the campaign, losing their last four matches. The campaign was a disaster for 2017 Knockout Cup runners-up Chop Shop Boys, both on and off the pitch. They suffered two of the three heaviest defeats recorded in the league season, finding themselves on the wrong end of an 18:0 mauling by Rovers, and a 17:1 defeat by Bellboys when they were forced to start with eight available players, which decreased to the minimum seven after one of the players was unable to come out for the second half. If that wasn't bad enough, they were docked two points for failing to provide match officials for a league match, and they then lost 11:1 to Harts in the Knockout Cup. But, at least they ended the league season on the right note. Having not won a match since the first day of the season, they won their last two games to finish seventh.
Saints are comprised of a team of veterans with an average age of somewhere in the mid-forties, but, despite suffering some heavy defeats, they kept plugging away, and might have won more games than just the one victory against Crusaders only for a lack of support for their forwards in the last third of the pitch. They forfeited a match against Harts, which was to have an indirect difference on the outcome of the league championship. (More on that anon..) Crusaders picked up the wooden spoon after enduring a miserable season, and lost all but two matches during their league campaign. They also lost 5:0 to Bellboys in the Knockout after being forced to start with ten men, and then lost another man during the first half due, to injury.
The regular season ended with both Rovers and Harts level on points; if Harts' game against Saints had gone ahead, they would most probably have won, and won well, but they probably benefitted more from Saints forfeiting the three points, as they finished the season with a somewhat inferior goal-difference. As Saints had forfeited the three points, under SHFA rules, goal-difference could not be used to determine the destination of the championship. Head-to-head results failed to separate the teams, as both matches between the teams ended 2:0, one in Harts' favour, the other result going Rovers' way.
So, it all came down to a play-off, which was held on 18 November, to decide who would lift the title. And, it was a goal from Seán-Lee Thomas which swung the pendulum Harts' way, ensuring their first title in three years and denying Rovers their third title on the trot. It was only their second title since 2007; in the intervening period, they had finished as runners-up on nine occasions.
The period of bad weather which had begun in August and lasted well into September had not only delayed the league, but the Knockout Cup and Inter-District Cup competitions, but Harts continued on in the former as they had finished the league season, and easily disposed of Wirebirds in the preliminary round. They then trounced Chop Shop Boys, who had reached the final of the 2017 Knockout Cup, by 11 goals to 1. The prolific Seán-Lee Thomas and Andrew Yon both scored hat-tricks as yet another double-figure defeat was inflicted on their opponents to round off a wretched season.
Rovers eased past Wolves to reach the semis, and Bellboys defeated Crusaders 5:0. Crusaders began the match with ten men, and finished it with nine after one of their players went off injured, but they were tenacious in defeat. The real drama came in the first quarter-final to be played, when the match between Saints and Axis finished 2:2 and went to penalties. David Young scored the decisive spot-kick to send Axis through 5:4 on penalties.
Both semi-finals went to form, with Harts beating Axis 3:1, and Rovers defeating Bellboys by the same score. Bizarrely, Bellboys began the match with ten men after star man Ryan Benjamin turned up late after getting the kick-off time wrong, and he arrived to discover that Rico Benjamin had put Rovers ahead with a thirty-yard drive. He added a second before Ronan Legg settled matters with a shot from the left-hand side which flew into the far corner. Rick Joshua got Bellboys' consolation goal when he bundled the ball home from close range after a goalmouth scramble.
Knockout Cup Final day on 9 December also doubled as the SHFA's presentation day, when trophies and medals are handed out for the various competitions on the island, but it was a day on which Rovers goalkeeper Keith Yon would play no active part in the proceedings. He had not recovered from a knee injury sustained in the semi-final victory over Bellboys, so his place in goal was taken by 15-year-old Trystan Thomas, who had actually scored five goals in his début season. He was picking the ball out of the net after 15 minutes, when Andrew Yon had given Harts the lead after some confusion between Thomas and defender Ross O'Dean.
Rico Benjamin equalised several minutes into the second half as Rovers began to turn the screw, and they hit the front when Ronan Legg smashed the ball low and hard from just outside the penalty area, beating Jia Peters in the Harts goal. Tyler Benjamin increased Rovers' lead with an individual goal of some style, first embarking on a solo run before finding the top corner of Peters' goal with a shot from 20 yards. Ronan Legg put the result beyond doubt after he finished off a one-two by slotting the ball past Peters for Rovers' fourth.
It was Legg's thirty-ninth goal of the season in league and cup competition - he had scored six goals or more in three matches, and three goals or more in two more. The victory was sweet revenge for him and his team-mates following their agonising defeat in the championship play-off, and it was Rovers' fifth Knockout Cup since the club reformed in 2011 (it had disbanded at the end of 2002).
However, the domestic season wasn't over just yet; there was still the Inter-District Cup to play for. As the name suggests, this is a competition between teams - drawn from all nine clubs - representing four of Saint Helena's eight districts: Half Tree Hollow, Jamestown, Longwood and St. Paul's. It took place during the last week of December and stretched into 2019, with the last round of matches taking place on New Year's Day.
Ronan Legg continued his fine scoring form in the colours of St. Paul's, scoring in every game, including a hat-trick in the first game against Jamestown, who thrashed Longwood 6:0 in their next match. Stats fans might be interested in the fact that the goals were evenly divided between players from the top three teams in the league championship: Rovers' Rico Benjamin and Shane Stroud from Harts each scored twice, whilst Wolves players Liam Yon and Jace Williams contributed with a goal apiece.
Half-Tree Hollow had previously defeated Longwood, but came up short against St. Paul's, who were the only team to have a 100 per cent record after two matches. Ronan Legg scored the winner for St. Paul's against Longwood in their final game to ensure their second Inter-District title in three years. Half-Tree Hollow secured second place after defeating Jamestown by the odd goal in seven in the tournament's final match, thanks in part to a brace from Rovers' Tyler Benjamin.
Many of the players went from the regular season into training with the fledgling Saint Helena national team as part of their planned trip to Wales to take part in the Inter Games. Some thirty-five of them commenced training in September, and twenty-seven remained going into the New Year. 2018 was an eventful year for sport on Saint Helena; 2019 will be a historic one for football on the island, should the SHFA manage to raise the funds needed to make the long journey to Anglesey in June.
HARTS, 2018 SAINT HELENA LEAGUE CHAMPIONS (Photo courtesy of the Saint Helena Football Association)
SHFA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
09/06/18 Saints 0:4 Wirebirds (Clayton Leo 2, Conrad Clingham, Alex Osborne)
09/06/18 Rovers 2:1 Wolves (Ronan Legg 2; Cody Thomas (pen))
10/06/18 Crusaders 0:3 Axis (Matthias Young, Josh Fowler (pen), Rhys Hobbs)
10/06/18 Harts 2:0 Bellboys (Ryan George, Seán-Lee Thomas)
16/06/18 Crusaders 0:5 Harts (Shane Stroud 2, Seán-Lee Thomas, Selwyn Stroud, Simon Scipio)
16/06/18 Wolves 4:3 Axis (Cody Thomas, Dalton George, Jace Williams, Greg Phillips; Matthias Young 2, Rhys Hobbs)
17/06/18 Rovers 3:0 Wirebirds (Ross O'Dean, Rico Benjamin, Brett Isaac)
17/06/18 Saints 0:6 Chop Shop Boys (Jorden Johnson 2, Clayton Yon 2, Jamie Ellick, Jordan Thomas)
23/06/18 Rovers 8:1 Chop Shop Boys (Tyler Benjamin 3, Rico Benjamin 2, Chris Furniss 2, Brian Sim; Louie Barnikel)
23/06/18 Axis 3:3 Wirebirds (Matthias Young 2 (2 pens), Dennis Owen; Clayton Leo 2, Sanjay Clingham)
24/06/18 Harts 3:0 Wolves (Seán-Lee Thomas 2, Shane Stroud)
24/06/18 Bellboys 2:0 Crusaders (Corey Scipio, Ryan Benjamin)
30/06/18 Wolves 5:3 Bellboys (Jacob Duncan 2, Greg Phillips 2, Liam Yon; Rick Joshua, Corey Scipio (pen), Jordan Yon)
30/06/18 Wirebirds 1:3 Harts (Conrad Clingham; Chris Owen 2, Seán-Lee Thomas)
01/07/18 Chop Shop Boys 0:3 Axis (Matthias Young 2, Dennis Owen)
01/07/18 Saints 0:6 Rovers (Rico Benjamin 2, Tyler Benjamin 2, Ronan Legg, Brian Sim)
07/07/18 Axis 3:1 Saints (Matthias Young 2, Rico Williams; Robert Bedwell)
07/07/18 Harts 9:0 Chop Shop Boys (Seán-Lee Thomas 6, Mark Williams, Simon Scipio, Clayton Benjamin)
08/07/18 Bellboys 2:0 Wireboys (Sidonio Benjamin, Tyler Brady)
08/07/18 Wolves 6:0 Crusaders (Liam Yon 2, Cody Thomas 2, Jacob Duncan, Brandon Thomas)
14/07/18 Wirebirds 3:0 Crusaders (Sanjay Clingham 2, OG)
21/07/18 Harts 2:0 Rovers (Simon Scipio, OG)
21/07/18 Bellboys 3:0 Saints (Kyle Shoesmith, Jordan Yon, AN Other)
22/07/18 Crusaders 2:2 Chop Shop Boys (Josh Benjamin, Dane Wader; Clayton Yon, Ayrton Harris)
22/07/18 Wolves 3:0 Wirebirds (Jacob Duncan, Wayne Yon, Brandon Harris)
28/07/18 Chop Shop Boys 0:8 Wolves (Jace Williams 2, Liam Yon 2, Jacob Duncan 2, Cody Thomas, Greg Phillips)
28/07/18 Saints 1:1 Crusaders (Phillip Isaac; Josh Benjamin)
29/07/18 Rovers 3:0 Bellboys (Rico Benjamin 2, Ross O'Dean)
29/07/18 Axis 0:7 Harts (Clayton Benjamin 2, Shane Stroud 2, Seán-Lee Thomas 2 (2 pens), Chris Owen)
04/08/18 Bellboys 3:3 Axis (Ryan Benjamin 2, Scott George; Rico Williams, Josh Fowler, Dennis Owen)
04/08/18 Crusaders 1:8 Rovers (Josh Benjamin; Tyler Benjamin 4, Ronan Legg 3, Rico Benjamin)
05/08/18 Wolves 11:1 Saints (Jacob Duncan 3, Wayne Yon 2, Greg Phillips 2, Cody Thomas 2, Liam Yon, Jace Williams; Phillip Isaac)
05/08/18 Wirebirds 4:2 Chop Shop Boys (Mario Green, Clayton Leo, Rick Thomas (pen), OG; Clayton Yon, Owen RIchards)
11/08/18* Bellboys 5:0 Chop Shop Boys (Aiden Duncan 2, Corey Scipio 2, Jordan Yon)
12/08/18** Harts 12:0 Saints (Seán-Lee Thomas 8, Shane Stroud, Selwyn Stroud, Simon Scipio, OG)
12/08/18** Rovers 11:0 Axis (Rico Benjamin 4, Ronan Legg 4, Tyler Benjamin, Chris Furniss, Seán Benjamin)
15/09/18 Bellboys 2:5 Harts (Jamie Thomas (pen), OG; Shane Stroud 2, Clayton Benjamin, Chris Owen, Seán-Lee Thomas)
15/09/18 Axis 3:0 Crusaders (Rico Williams 2, Matthias Young)
16/09/18 Wirebirds 7:0 Saints (Conrad Clingham 2, Mario Green, Greg Coleman, Clayton Leo, Dean Stevens, OG)
16/09/18 Wolves 3:4 Rovers (Cody Thomas 2, Jace Williams; Rico Benjamin, Ronan Legg, Brian Sim, Trystan Thomas)
22/09/18 Bellboys 8:0 Crusaders (Tyler Brady 4, Jamie Thomas 3, AN Other)
22/09/18 Harts 7:0 Wolves (Seán-Lee Thomas 4, Shane Stroud, Selwyn Stroud, Simon Scipio)
23/09/18 Wirebirds 5:0 Axis (Sanjay Clingham 3, Alistair Buckley, Greg Coleman)
23/09/18 Rovers 18:0 Chop Shop Boys (Ronan Legg 7, Rico Benjamin 3, Trystan Thomas 2, Christen Yon 2, Seán Benjamin, Tyler Benjamin, Ross O'Dean, Julian Henry)
29/09/18 Rovers 13:0 Saints (Ronan Legg 6, Rico Benjamin 3, Seán Benjamin, Tyler Benjamin, Seán Cansick, Ross O'Dean)
29/09/18 Axis 5:2 Chop Shop Boys (Matthias Young 4, Joe Naurelette; Clayton Yon, Alonzo Henry (pen))
30/09/18 Harts 3:0 Wirebirds (Ryan George 2, Selwyn Stroud)
30/09/18 Bellboys 5:0 Wolves (Jamie Thomas 2, Ryan Benjamin, Alex Hudson, Rick Joshua)
06/10/18 Bellboys 4:0 Wirebirds (Tyler Brady 2, Corey Scipio, Jamie Thomas)
06/10/18 Wolves 5:1 Crusaders (Mashara Yon 3, Cody Thomas, Wayne Yon)
07/10/18 Harts 8:1 Chop Shop Boys (Selwyn Stroud 4, Seán-Lee Thomas 3 (1 pen), Simon Scipio; Clayton Yon)
07/10/18 Axis 5:0 Saints (Matthias Young 2, Ashley Clingham, Rico Williams, OG)
13/10/18 Rovers 5:0 Axis (Tyler Benjamin 2, Rico Benjamin, Seán Benjamin, Julian Henry)
13/10/18 Saints 0:3 Harts (walkover)
14/10/18 Chop Shop Boys 1:17 Bellboys (Ayrton Harris; Jamie Thomas 4, Ryan Benjamin 3, Tyler Brady 3, Rick Joshua 3, Corey Scipio 3, Aiden Duncan)
14/10/18 Wirebirds 3:2 Crusaders (Sanjay Clingham 2, OG; Christopher Herne, Josh Benjamin)
21/10/18 Wirebirds 2:1 Wolves (Sanjay Clingham, Alex Osborne; Cody Thomas)
21/10/18 Rovers 2:0 Harts (Seán Benjamin, Trystan Thomas)
27/10/18 Harts 2:1 Axis (Ryan George, Selwyn Stroud; Matthias Young)
27/10/18 Rovers 3:2 Bellboys (Rico Benjamin, Tyler Benjamin, Ronan Legg (pen); Jamie Thomas 2 (1pen))
28/10/18 Saints 5:1 Crusaders (Craig Clark 2, Phillip Isaac 2, Jeff Ellick; Scott Piek)
28/10/18 Wolves 7:0 Chop Shop Boys (Liam Yon 3, Jacob Duncan 2, Greg Phillips, Jace Williams)
03/11/18 Wirebirds 3:3 Chop Shop Boys (Alistair Buckley, Cody Harris, Alex Osborne; Clayton Yon 3)
03/11/18 Wolves 9:0 Saints (Liam Yon 3, Jacob Duncan, Cody O'Bey, Cody Thomas, Jace Williams, OG, N/K)
04/11/18 Rovers 16:1 Crusaders (Ronan Legg 9, Tyler Benjamin 4, Rico Benjamin, Julian Henry, Trystan Thomas; Dane Wade)
04/11/18 Axis 2:2 Bellboys (Rico Williams, Matthias Young; Ryan Benjamin, Tyler Brady)
10/11/18 Chop Shop Boys 6:1 Saints (Thullani Khanyille 2, Owen Richards, Clayton Yon, Patrick, Phillip; Phillip Isaac)
10/11/18 Wolves 4:1 Axis (Gregory Phillips 2, Jace Williams, S Yon; Matthias Young)
11/11/18 Wirebirds 1:5 Rovers (Sanjay Clingham; Rico Benjamin, Tyler Benjamin, Ross O'Dean, OG 2)
11/11/18 Harts 4:0 Crusaders (Clayton Benjamin 2, Shane Stroud 2)
17/11/18 Crusaders 1:3 Chop Shop Boys (Dane Wade (pen); Jorden Johnson, Thullani Khanyille, Clayton Yon)
18/11/18 Bellboys 9:0 Saints (Tyler Brady 3, Ryan Benjamin 2, Rick Joshua 2, Sidonia Benjamin, Wayne Crowie)
TEAM
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
PTS
|
GD
|
ROVERS
|
16
|
15
|
0
|
1
|
107
|
12
|
45
|
95
|
HARTS
|
16
|
15
|
0
|
1
|
75
|
7
|
45
|
68
|
Wolves
|
16
|
10
|
0
|
6
|
67
|
32
|
30
|
35
|
Bellboys
|
16
|
9
|
2
|
5
|
67
|
24
|
29
|
43
|
Wirebirds
|
16
|
7
|
2
|
7
|
36
|
34
|
23
|
2
|
Axis
|
16
|
6
|
3
|
7
|
35
|
49
|
21
|
-14
|
Chop
Shop Boys
|
16
|
3
|
2
|
11
|
27
|
99
|
9*
|
-72
|
Saints
|
16
|
1
|
1
|
14
|
9
|
99
|
4
|
-90
|
Crusaders
|
16
|
0
|
2
|
14
|
10
|
77
|
2
|
-67
|
PLAY-OFF***
18/11/18 Harts 1:0 Rovers (Seán-Lee Thomas)
* Rearranged fixture; originally scheduled for 14/07/18, but moved after Chop Shop Boys were unable to raise a full compliment of players; it was decided to play the match in any case instead of CSB forfeiting the fixture
** Rearranged fixture; original match postponed on 15/07/18 due to bad weather
*** Play-off to decide destination of league championship; Harts and Rovers finished level on points, partly due to a 3:0 walkover awarded to Harts for their unplayed fixture against Saints on 13 October. Therefore, the league could not be decided on goal-difference, and the head-to-head between the teams was one win each, and they had also beaten each other 1:0.
**** Chop Shop Boys were deducted two points due to their being unable to provide match-officials for a league fixture
ROVERS, 2018 SAINT HELENA KNOCKOUT CUP WINNERS (Photo courtesy of the Saint Helena Football Association)
PLAYER OF THE SEASON: Ryan BENJAMIN (Bellboys)
YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON: Matthias YOUNG (Axis)
GOALKEEPER OF THE SEASON: Jia PETERS (Harts)
LEADING GOALSCORER: Ronan LEGG (Rovers)
KNOCKOUT CUP
PRELIMINARY ROUND
21/11/18 Harts 4:0 Wirebirds (scorers not known)
QUARTER-FINALS
24/11/18 Saints 2:2 Axis (Jeff Ellick, Nick Stevens; Vontray Thomas, Rico Williams)
(FT: 1:1; Axis 5:4 on pens)
24/11/18 Harts 11:1 Chop Shop Boys (Seán-Lee Thomas 3, Andrew Yon 3, Shane Stroud 2, Ryan George, Joey Thomas, Selwyn Stroud; Clayton Yon)
25/11/18 Rovers 6:1 Wolves (Brett Isaac 2, Ronan Legg 2, Rico Benjamin, Tyler Benjamin; Cody Thomas)
25/11/18 Crusaders 0:5 Bellboys (Tyler Brady 2, Rick Joshua, Corey Scipio, Jordan Yon)
SEMI-FINALS
02/12/18 Rovers 3:1 Bellboys (Rico Benjamin 2, Ronan Legg; Rick Joshua)
02/12/18 Harts 3:1 Axis (Seán-Lee Thomas 2, Simon Scipio; David Young)
FINAL
09/12/18 Rovers 4:2 Harts (Ronan Legg 2, Rico Benjamin, Tyler Benjamin; Andrew Yon, Simon Scipio)
(NOTE: Result also reported as 4:1)
INTER-DISTRICT CUP
23/12/18 St. Paul's 3:0 Jamestown (Ronan Legg 3)
23/12/18 Longwood 1:3 Half-Tree Hollow (Clayton Leo; Cody Thomas 2, Andrew Yon)
30/12/18 Jamestown 6:0 Longwood (Rico Benjamin 2, Shane Stroud 2, Jace Williams, Liam Yon)
30/12/18 Half-Tree Hollow 2:3 St. Paul's (Ryan Benjamin, Cody Thomas; Brett Isaac 2, Ronan Legg)
01/01/19 Longwood 0:1 St. Paul's (Ronan Legg)
01/01/19 Half-Tree Hollow 4:3 Jamestown (Tyler Benjamin 2, Ryan Benjamin, Cody Thomas; Rico Benjamin 2, Shane Stroud)
TEAM
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
PTS
|
GD
|
ST.
PAUL'S
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
2
|
9
|
5
|
Half-Tree
Hollow
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
9
|
7
|
6
|
2
|
Jamestown
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
9
|
7
|
3
|
2
|
Longwood
|
3
|
0
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
10
|
0
|
-9
|
FUTSAL
7-11 YEAR-OLDS SOLOMONS FUTSAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Young Harts
7-11 YEAR-OLDS FUTSAL KNOCKOUT CUP FINAL: Dream Team 7:3 Young Harts
11-15 YEAR-OLDS SOLOMONS FUTSAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Allstars
11-15 YEAR-OLDS FUTSAL KNOCKOUT CUP FINAL: Allstars 20:0 Chop Shop Boys
FOOTBALL
PRIMARY SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT (winners): St. Paul's PS
11-16 YEAR-OLDS LEAGUE CHAMPIONS (9-A-SIDE): Young Harts
11-16 YEAR-OLDS LEAGUE CHAMPIONS (11-A-SIDE): Allstars
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FOOTNOTE: As you will have read above, the Saint Helena FA are intent on sending a team to Wales in order to compete in their first-ever international tournament. However, they will need to raise a total of some £80000 in order to send a squad of 20, plus 4 backroom staff to the Inter Games, which will take place in Anglesey in June. They have raised over £40000 on-island which, for an island with a population of 4500 people, a fragile economy and increasing poverty levels, is a phenomenal effort, but the island's wallets can only take so much.
So, earlier this year, in the hope of raising enough funds to send the team to Wales as well as taking care of some infrastructural projects on-island, the SHFA set up a crowdfunding page via Gofundme.com in the hope of raising £20000 via donations from outside the island. All donations, no matter how large or small, would be gratefully received. Should you wish to donate, kindly do so via the link below (though you might need to do a little copying and pasting first..):
https://www.gofundme.com/st-helena-football-team-to-ynys-mon-2019
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Much of the above information came from the Independent and Sentinel newspapers and Facebook. Many thanks to SHFA chairman Nick Stevens for his assistance.
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