By AINSLEY WALTERS, Staff Reporter
Referee Hughill Thompson (centre) holds the ball as Boys' Town captain Fitzroy Anglin (right) his teammate Andre Wheeler and Reno's Nicholi Findlayson (second right), look on while standing in the rain after their Wray and Nephew National Premier League match at Constant Spring Oval was blown off in the 35th minute due to a water-logged pitch. The teams were locked at 0-0 when the game was called off. - Winston Sill
HARBOUR VIEW'S LOVELL Palmer, the Premier League's leading scorer, last night chose the wrong match to botch the simplest chance presented to him in four games.
Free as a bird, dead centre of goal, with no defender in sight and Portmore United goalkeeper Shawn Sawyers 14 yards off his line, Palmer unbelievably dribbled within reach of the national 'keeper, whose block denied the Harbour View captain his fifth goal in four games.
Palmer's 61st minute goof, which should have put his team 1-0 ahead was an expensive one as champions Portmore struck 14 minutes later to snap Harbour View's three-game win streak atop the Premiership.
Forward Sheldon Palmer, who had an otherwise ordinary night upfront for the champions, was left unmarked by central defenders Jermaine Taylor and Alex Thomas to flash Orane Miller's cross from the left of the box past goalie Leighton Murray rooted on his line.
Coach Donovan Hayles was in a sympathetic mood despite losing a three-point advantage in the new-look league where a single point at the end of three rounds could mean a title loss.
Favoured weapon
"I am not going to chastise or kill a player," he said, referring to Palmer's dashed gift, a long ball lobbed over midfield by Loxley Thomas, which left a hush over the mini-stadium and Portmore defenders resigned to restart the game a goal down.
"He has been doing well," Hayles added. "I'll sympathise with his effort."
Paul Young, calling the shots from Portmore's bench for the first time this season, watched as his team, made up of mostly Under-21 players, moved to eight points, one off a trio of sides led by Harbour View.
The loss kept Harbour View on nine points but still atop the league on goal difference despite being joined by winners Arnett Gardens and Waterhouse.
Arnett ticked off their second straight win, another 1-0 victory, pipping Rivoli United at the Spanish Town Prison Oval courtesy of Greg Taylor putting one over on his former teammates, scoring his second goal in as many games.
Waterhouse notched their third straight victory, outclassing Wadadah 3-1 at Drewsland. Shane Edwards used his favoured weapon to good effect, twice heading past Wadadah's goalie before hitman Kevin Lamey turned up at the 12th hour to make it 3-1 in the 90th minute.
The afternoon's other victory was recorded at the Edward Seaga Stadium where homesters Tivoli Gardens blanked Constant Spring 2-0 off a double from midfielder Daviean Laing, who struck on either side of half-time to console his team, which had slumped to a miserable 3-1 loss at Wadadah the previous Sunday.
Tivoli are now fifth on six points, two ahead of Boys' Town and Reno, whose match-up at Constant Spring was rained out.
Out west, Fabian Dawkins excited fans at the Elliston Wakeland Centre in his first game for Village this season, carrying over his form from the United Soccer League, but his double for Village (31st and 90th) was only good enough for a 2-2 draw against Seba United.
A pair of goals within five minutes pulled the visitors to the lead, Kemar James in the 42nd minute and Damion Nelson in the 47th, before Dawkins popped up at the death to slot past Alrick Henry.
The league continues this Wednesday with a top-of-the-table clash featuring Arnett Gardens at home against Harbour View at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex.
Results
Waterhouse 3 Wadadah 1
Tivoli 2 Constant Spring 0
Boys' Town-Reno (rained out)
Harbour View 0 Portmore 1
Rivoli United 0 Arnett Gardens 1
Village United 2 Seba United 2
STANDINGS
| GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS. |
| 1 H. View | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 9 |
| 2 Arnett | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 9 |
| 3 Waterhouse | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 9 |
| 4 Portmore | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 8 |
| 5 Tivoli | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| 6 Boys' Town | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| 7 Reno | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| 8 Seba | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 4 |
| 9 Village | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 3 |
| 10 Wadadah | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 11 | -6 | 3 |
| 11 Spring | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 2 |
| 12 Rivoli | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 2 |
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