A daylight brawl between armed youths cast a dark shadow over the opening weekend of the football season. Police were called as machete-wielding thugs fought in the car park at Southampton Oval following a 2-2 draw between PHC and Somerset Trojans with at least one man injured in the melee and the clubhouse forced to lock its doors.

After a violence-free year in soccer, the Bermuda Football Association was hoping for another season to pass without incident but its hopes were dashed within minutes of the end of yesterday's Premier Division encounter.

The fight is understood to have begun when two men got into an altercation but it quickly involved larger numbers before weapons were drawn.

"There was a lot of commotion on the northern embankment closest the club," said one eyewitness, who asked not to be named for fear of repercussions.

"I couldn't see any fighting or anything like that but people were running and screaming. Some people also claimed somebody had a gun.

"But I did not see any weapons, however I did see a man walking away afterwards holding his arm that had a deep gash on the elbow. He had blood all over his clothes and there was just so much shoving and pushing and panicking people trying to get out of the way." Although Police were called, by the time officers arrived at the scene all those involved had fled the scene and no weapons were recovered, said a Police spokesman. "At 5.01 p.m. we were called to an incident at Southampton Rangers Oval. There were reports of a large group of men with weapons and a report that someone was injured but rather than seeking medical attention, the man was removed from the scene by his cohorts. Upon Police arrival, they had all made good their escape."

BFA president Larry Mussenden was quick to condemn the violence, branding anyone who dared bring a weapon to a football ground "lunatics and idiots" following the introduction of mandatory three-year sentences for possession of blades in public places.