IN one of the greatest comebacks in its five-year history, the Jamaica Fire Brigade produced an incredible late surge to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat when they beat a talented Starz team 150-149 in their top-of-the-table Group B encounter in the 2022 Winners Domino Christmas League at the York Park Fire Station on Monday.

The victory put the firefighters in first place in the group with a total of 10 points from two games played so far in the competition. They defeated the Elders Corner Team in their first match of the season.

Playing at 168 Orange Street, Kingston, the visiting Starz started the game firing as they dominated the firefighters in the first half, going into the break with an advantage of 76-69.

It was much of the same for the Starz team on the resumption, when at one stage they were cruising and looked very much the winners with a 14-point lead (126-112) over the home team.

Jordan Stewart, the captain of the firefighters team, decided he’d had enough of standing on the sidelines and entered the game, along with a few more changes, in an attempt to swing the rhythm their way.

The move proved to be a masterstroke as the home team went on an unbroken, 14-point winning streak to level the game at 126-126 for the first time. It was pandemonium among the home supporters as they cheered on their team loudly.

The excitement continued as neither team took any risky chances that could cost them the match. With less than a minute remaining and the score 149-149, the room fell silent as everyone in attendance held their breath, nervously watching the final game on all tables to see who would emerge victorious.

Suddenly, a firefighter player rose to his feet and punched the air; that was the signal, the game was all over, and this led to a wild celebration among many supporters as they chanted “Fire! Fire! Fire!”