The rainy weather held off Sunday night as Scholars International Sports Club’s men’s team opposed their B squad in a historic battle of teammates in the Cayman Islands Football Association Super Champions Cup finals.
The Super Champions Cup is a new tournament similar to the FA Cup that features teams from the various divisions competing against one another.
Scholars A – the 15-time Premier League champions, including this season – worked their way through the knockout stage but Scholars B was the squad that caught the attention of football fans.
Scholars B, who won the league title in the lowest division under CIFA – the second division – bested premier clubs throughout the super cup tournament, including 345 FC – an unprecedented outcome that led them to the semi-finals where they thrashed first division runners up East End 5-0.
Although their performance in the tournament up to the final offered reason to hope they could take the super cup, their A team showed why they are the most decorated squad in the Cayman premier football league when the two sides assembled at Ed Bush Stadium on Sunday.
“Today’s game was about the Scholars’ family, Scholars A vs Scholars B, [and] Scholars A came out victorious,” Scholars A captain D’Andre Rowe told the Compass after the game.
Scholars A edged their training ground comrades 2-1, after an impressive display of football. Veteran Carson Fagan got the A side off to an early lead with a goal in the 10th minute before Christopher Brown from the B team equalised in the 29th minute.
“[I am] just happy to play against brothers and have a historic moment,” Rowe said.
Rowe’s father, Collin – the head coach for Scholars A – told the Compass that he was pleased with how both sides performed, showcasing camaraderie.
“It’s good to see the players execute,” he said. “Two teams from two different divisions reach a cup final. It’s two good groups, they compete in training,” he added, noting that many of the players within both clubs will represent Cayman’s at the upcoming Caribbean Football Union tournament from 25 July-4 Aug.
The match between Scholars A and Scholars B closed the CIFA 2023-24 season.
Additional reporting by Compass intern Henri Morineau.
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