Silver anniversary for a golden feat

CEBU, Philippines - The members of the M. Lhuillier Jewellers Cebu, that won the 1988 Philippine Football Federation (PFF) National Championships are set to relive their golden days in a rare get-together sponsored by their former big boss Michel J. Lhuillier tonight, at Michel's Deli and Cafe along 1 Paseo Satumino in Maria Luisa Road, Banilad, Cebu City. The history-making squad takes pride for being the first and only Cebu-based club to have dominated such prestigious tournament in the annals of  Phl football.

The feat they earned 25 years ago – on November 11, 1988 to be exact – earned them a place in the hallowed portals of the Cebu Sports Hall of  Fame in 2011.

Led by their coach Rene Maambong, the victorious squad is composed of Gemini Sitoy (MVP) Albert Regencia, Rene Inoc, Bert Eco, Felix Navarro, Wilfredo Juezan Edwin Arganza, Graeme MacKinnon, Randy Estremos, Eddie Catarinen, Mike Ahmad, Alan Arcabel, Dante Orejudos, James Janea Mario Ceniza (capt), James Paradillo, Genard Aller and Peter Bordador.

"Written off by almost everyone including people within the football community of Cebu, this young group of players showed everyone what can be achieved through teamwork and team spirit," said MacKinnon, an Australian national but a Cebuano by heart having spent nearly two decades propagating the sport and developing talents here through the M. Lhuillier Sports Development Foundation (MLSDF).

MacKinnon set foot in the Queen City of the South in late in 1986 and coached an Under-18 Balls team to begin with. The following year, he suggested to Lhuillier to form a club so they would be able to practice together with the possibility of representing Cebu to the National Championships.

"Señorito (Lhuillier) has always wanted to bring the name of Cebu and of course Lhuillier further afield to the national stage than just locally. He saw sport as the perfect vehicle to do that hence his involvement in basketball and football," said MacKinnon.

"When he agreeed to put the club team together, I contacted Mario Ceniza as the first player I would recruit. I needed Mario's input and knowledge of the local scene as well his good standing among the other players to help build the team. We worked together putting forward names and approaching the players," he added.

In their  first tournament, they settled runners-up to the University of the Visayas. Luckily for them, UV begged off from representing Cebu in the 1987 National Championships in Davao so they were were asked to go.

MacKinnon said that although the record shows a not too flattering result we came away from Davao, having learned a lot and planning was under way for the next championship in 1988.

"The playing roster changed a little and the team played locally as Balls Burger. We won both local tournaments that year the last being a week before we left for Iloilo. It was a perfect build up for the Nationals," narrated MacKinnon.

During their final challenge, MacKinnon recounted that that was a typhoon at that time, the fields were very wet muddy and heavy to play football on. In addition to that, the team playing as M. Lhuillier Jewellers on the national stage were given a tough draw.

The odds were really stuck against them.

"We would receive the ye after playing four games on consecutive days. The team knew it would be very difficult and tiring especially at the back end of the elimination round. We were the youngest and most inexperienced team there. The average age of the squad was just 22. We had one player only who had international experience in Mario Ceniza. Other teams boasted four or five national players in their squad. What we lacked in experience we more than made up for in fitness discipline and understanding of the system we were playing," said MacKinnon.

True enough, they topped the elimination round with two wins over Bacolod and Navy and a pair of draws versus  Dumaguete and Iloilo. Ceniza was injured in the Navy game and missed the final elimination decider against Iloilo.

Their championship battle against Bacolod was a dour affair that ended in a scoreless draw at the end of the regulation period. A 30-minute extension failed to break the deadlock so the title match went to a dreaded penalty shoot-out.

Bacolod missed their first and last kicks while, Cebu missed their third kick. The pressure was massive as Mike Ahmad stepped-up to take the last kick. He took the kick and scored and the Cebuano booters began to celebrate.       

Ironically, however, the referee ordered a retake as Ahmad had not waited for the referee to blow his whistle to signal to take the kick. The celebration was put on hold as Ahmad prepared to do it all over again.

Ahmad then showed nerves of steel, confidently beating Bacolod's goalkeeper to give Cebu its first ever PFF national crow.

Twenty-five years later, they will meet again, this time to light up the flames of their historic accomplishment even just for one enjoyable night full of laughters and good memories. (FREEMAN)