The last time we heard that kind of talk was almost two decades and a half ago when officials of the BNFA hollered, “Coke is too strong”, referring to Belize City’s Coca Milpros Football Club that had just destroyed defending national champions Verdes of San Ignacio, 5-nil, in the national marathon at the MCC Grounds. Of course, that Coke Milpros team featured Maurice “Magic” Francis, Benjamin “Don’t” Mejia and Arthur “Goatman” Leslie, all in their peak and prime, among its striking force. (Magic, now over forty, is presently active with the Ebony Lake Over-35 team.)
But is the claim made by some fans at last Sunday’s game justified, when they said that Kulture is too strong? Earlier in the Belize City Over-35 competition, Kulture drew 3-3 with Northside, and then 1-1 with City Stars, which featured a number of former Milpros stars, including “Marvellous” Marvin Ottley, Edmund “Buzzard” Pandy and Anthony Michael, now Executive Director at the National Sports Council. But since then the BPFL and the Super League semipro competitions have concluded, on December 6 and 27, respectively, and still active veteran stars Charlie Slusher and Norman “Tilliman” Pipersburg have become regulars with the already solid Kulture Over-35 team. In their three most recent games, Kulture blanked Plaza, 3-zip; they then shocked previously undefeated Ebony Lake, 4-1; and followed that by avenging their former draw with a 5-1 shellacking of Northside this past Sunday.
Kulture is not the only Over-35 team with some still active semipro stars in their line-up. But then, it is a special treat to have two of the most decorated stars in the last two decades on the same team. Of course, Charlie is not even in goal, but playing as striker with Kulture, being “fed” by Tilliman, and in fact leads all scorers right now, having posted a hat trick in last Sunday’s win over Northside.
Incidentally, we erroneously gave the name of “Emerson Faber” in our last issue, when it should have been Emerson JAMES, as one of the other Kulture scorers in that game along with Peter Guy. Northside’s goal was by Kevin Rowland. In the other game on Sunday, Paul “Fabulous” Bradley scored late to give Ebony Lake the 1-nil win over “Marvellous” Marvin Ottley and his City Stars. Neither Buzzard nor Anthony appeared for that one. Hopefully, City Stars can be at full strength this weekend, to see if Kulture is indeed “too strong”.
Talking about strength aside, veteran fans should enjoy the luxury of seeing some members of the great Juventus team of the 90’s together in action again – namely Charlie Slusher, Norman “Tilliman” Pipersburg and David “Manu” McCaulay, all featured on the Kulture Over-35 team this Sunday at the MCC.
Sunday, January 17
4:00 p.m. – Ebony Lake vs Plaza
6:00 p.m. – Kulture vs City Stars