CLARENDON PARK, Clarendon – It was victory delayed but not denied, as Charlemont High School celebrated its first major schoolboy football title in the school’s 40-year history when the team wrapped up victory over Petersfield High in the ISSA/Wata Ben Francis knockout final.

The St Catherine-based Charlemont, who led 2-0 after the first 45 minutes, when heavy rains and a waterlogged field resulted in the suspension of the game last Friday, came away with a 3-1 scoreline at the end of the resumption at Juici Field yesterday.

Deron Wildman, who gave Charlemont the lead in the 13th minute on Friday, added to his tally with a 67th-minute strike. Howard Barker (18th) was the other scorer for Charlemont.

Dujon Bartley found Petersfield’s consolation in the 74th minute.

Winning coach Kavi Meeks could not have asked for a better way to bring the curtains down on his first season at the helm.

“It was a tough road… a lot of ups and downs (as) we were expecting a lot more this season, unfortunately it never happened, but we still managed to win a title and I am extremely happy as we aim to build on this next year.

“The school is really excited, their first senior football title and I am glad that the team delivered. As a coach, the aim is just to go back, recognise what we could have done better throughout the season and just work with those things come next season,” Meeks in his usual calm told the Jamaica Observer in a post-game interview.

Meanwhile, a subdued Coach Maurice Duncan, who is also in his first year at Petersfield, was left to pick up the pieces.

“We came here with the aim to attack and try to score some goals and we did create some chances but didn’t make the most of them and that’s that.

“We made it to a final and I learnt that once you make it to a final you are a winner in your own right, so we will seek to build on this. It’s too early to say what will happen next year but we will be coming back,” Duncan noted.

After securing a 2-0 lead courtesy of first-half goals from Wildman and Barker last Friday, all Charlemont had to do coming into yesterday’s second 45 minutes was maintain their composure and keep an expected marauding Petersfield outfit at bay.

In doing so, the red-and-white clad team also showcased their usual attacking enterprise and were gifted a third goal when a defensive error allowed Wildman to slot into an empty net after custodian Jeromey Monteith was left stranded off his line.

Charlemont almost had a fourth five minutes later when Wildman disposed of the advancing Monteith and released a trademark left-footer towards the empty net, but a recovering defender arrived in time to clear off the line.

Though down, the Westmoreland-based Petersfield were by no means out and they pulled one back two minutes later when Bartley fired home a beauty from the top of the 18-yard box, beating a diving Ajaye White to his left.

Petersfield thought they had made further inroads into the deficit in the 80th when White came and failed to collect cleanly, but Davon Williams’s header was mopped up at goalmouth by a defender.

Charlemont countered with a few sustained attacks in the latter stages, but faulty shooting on the part of Wildman and substitute Timeko Griffiths denied them any further goals.