Lightning strikes another student - ISSA to consider more changes to schoolboy football schedule

Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) president Keith Wellington says his organisation will have to review recent changes to schoolboy football competitions after severe weather disrupted another ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup match yesterday.

His comments came after another schoolboy footballer was struck by lightning in Kingston yesterday afternoon.

During the first half of a crucial Manning Cup Group A game between Haile Selassie High and visiting Cumberland High, a thunderstorm erupted over the former’s home team’s field on Spanish Town Road. According to Cumberland head coach Kemar Brown, heavy rainfall led to the field becoming waterlogged and the referee blew off the game. Brown said both teams left the field of play but one of the Haile Selassie players went back to retrieve a roll of tape that was left on the field.

“After he returned with the tape in his hand, he took up a chair that was on the field and a bolt of lightning hit the player. He was stiff (unconscious) and his eyes were rolling over,” he said.

Brown, along with players and school officials assisted in rushing the player to, Kingston Public Hospital where he regained consciousness after being treated.

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Wellington said that the latest incident will prompt his administration to do more.

“We actually had some discussions around extending the dates of the round. But now we will have to also look at the time for games,” he said while speaking to The Gleaner yesterday.

He added that once all the information regarding this latest incident is gathered, he and members of the board will meet to determine the way forward.

This is the second such incident in recent weeks. On September 16, the feature game between Jamaica College and Wolmer’s Boys was called off late in the second half when lightning struck five players at Stadium Eastt Field.

Since that incident, ISSA brought forward the kick-off times of all games after September 25 to 2 p.m. because of persistent thunderstorms have in the afternoon.