From Our Files: February 11th 1983
TOP OFFICIALS of WITCO Desperadoes are blaming Police Commissioner Randy Burroughs for their failure to win the North Zone Panorama finals on Queen’s Park Savannah last Friday.
They told the Mirror that Mr. N broke their concentration just as they were preparing to beat Blue Boy’s “Rebecca” from the No. 4 slot in the programme.
In the preliminaries, the steelband from Laventille Hill left all the others struggling behind.
They totaled 474 points. 10 clear of Catelli All Stars and ISCOTT Casablanca.
But on their “Black Friday” last week, Despers could only muster 269 points as All Stars snatched the crown with an impoved rendition of the same “Rebecca” that won them 278 points.
(Friday’s scoresheet was out of a smaller total than in the preliminaries).
Why did Despers fare so badly in the final after being in the final after being made overwhelming favourites for the crown?
According to the spokesman, the Police Commissioner was responsible for it all.
Just before Despers came on stage, the police had made an unsuccessful effort to clear the stage area in front of the North Stand.
While Carib Tokyo were beating at No. 3, thousands of pan fans “stormed” through the stage gate and filled that section.
And when uniformed cops tried to move them out to make way for Despers’ pan pushers, they refused to budge.
At first, it looked as though Pan Trinbago, organizers of the show, had decided to allow Despers to come in, set up and go ahead with their “Rebecca” instead of holding up the up the programme.
But just as the Laventille band had set up their pans and were about to start, Mr. B led a charge of about 90 police recruits onstage to restore law and order in that area.
“The band was all set and ready to go when Mr. Burroughs led the charge of the light brigade.
“Our players were mentally set for the challenge ahead of them when the police broke their concentration.
“We didn’t know what the hell was going on, and it made us nervous.
“When we were finally given the green light to go ahead, out rhythm section came in too fast.
“They seemed to have lost their bearing completely.
“I understand we lost points for beating too fast.
“Otherwise we could have done much better.”
The Mirror is watching this one because steel-bandsmen are always making excuses for losing.
Despers have been known to be sore losers in the past, and that is one reason why they are hated so much as they are loved.
Up to last year they went to High Court to get back into the North Zone contests after they were left out of the original finalists.
Whether there is any truth or basis in this one will be determined at the same venue to tomorrow night.
That is when the final clash of the “Rebeccas” will come off in the National Panorama finals.
Did Mr. B really cause Despers to lose their timming?
Or did Catelli All Stars pull it off with sheer brilliance?
