by EZRA STUART

FOOTBALL FANS will be treated to the rare spectacle of watching matches in the Remy Martin Division 1 League at the YMCA today.

The Barbados Football Association (BFA) has decided to break the Digicel Premier League programme to allow national players to concentrate on Wednesday's return first round World Cup match against Dominica at Kensington Oval.

Momentum

But in order to keep the momentum going, with spectators turning out in large numbers at the "Y" every Sunday to follow the island's biggest mass sport, three key Division 1 matches will be played.

At 4 p.m., Pinelands, on a high after three consecutive victories, will oppose Shades of Black Station Hill. At 6 p.m., joint leaders Benfica will face lowly Haynesville.

In the feature match at 8 p.m., the unbeaten Families First St John Sonnets, who like Benfica are on 13 points, face third-placed Eden Stars (ten points).

Since the acquisition of former Barbados striker Peter Stoute, Pinelands have looked a very different side, following up a 3-1 win against Eden Stars with a 2-1 victory over Haynesville.

Stoute, who last played with Silver Sands, has shown why he is regarded as one of the most lethal strikers in the country, scoring in each of his first three matches.

Returning

With Lionel Paul, who made his senior debut for Barbados last year, returning to the Pine after a short stint with Gall Hill, the skillful Tito Barrow and former Eden Stars custodian Romayne "Spider Man" Primus in goal, Pinelands are eyeing promotion back to the Premiership.

In the second game, Benfica, with four wins under their belt and striker Rohan Johnson leading their attack, will be favoured to defeat the winless Haynesville.

Resurgent

The final match should be a keenly contested one between the Stars and the resurgent Sonnets, who depend heavily on the experienced Jefferson "Butler" White to pull the strings in midfield.

Eden Stars, with their large band of supporters, left the Brereton ground in St Philip last Monday very disappointed when they failed to convert an excellent 20 minutes of second-half soccer into goals and lost to Pinelands.

After being held to a 2-2 draw with Station Hill, Eden Stars, with the likes of the evergreen David Hood, Dale Collymore, Anthony Forde, Richard Hunte, Julian "Lil Ju" Gill and Jeremy Bradshaw, will be looking to return to their winning ways and end Sonnets' unbeaten five-match run.

Tickets for Wednesday's World Cup match will also be sold at the YMCA this afternoon, and at Sports & Games store on Tuesday.