It?s now been 24 years since Kenny Burt inspired PHC Zebras to their last Martonmere Cup triumph.

On a sunny, fall afternoon at the former National Stadium, Burt, wearing a pair of taped adidas boots, fired a spectacular hat trick to spur Zebras to an emphatic 4-1 win over Rudy Minors? Somerset Trojans.

Brandon (Pickles) Robinson grabbed PHC?s fourth while Anthony Bailey scored Trojans? consolation.

At the time Zebras? current coach Kyle Lightbourne was a 14-year-old student at Warwick Secondary School.

Zebras, however, have failed to win another Martonmere title since.

But come Saturday, former English pro Lightbourne will have a chance at putting an end to Zebras? Martonmere drought.

?We haven?t won this cup for quite some time. We?ve won everything else on several occasions, but not the Martonmere Cup,? Lightbourne said.

?Traditionally we?ve always tended to begin hitting form towards the Christmas break. I know we?ve been in the final since 1982-83, but this cup is the one we?ve won least.?

Zebras won a first Martonmere Cup in 1975-76, two years after losing 4-3 to Trojans on penalties in the consolation final that is no longer held.

It took Zebras another seven years to appear in only their second final, Burt?s inspired performance earning his team some measure of revenge after their lost to Trojans in the 1973-74 consolation final.

But since that magical day on the plush ?carpet?, Zebras have appeared in only two other Martonmere Cup finals, losing 1-0 to Trojans in 1992-93 and more recently 2-1 in extra time against inaugural champions Devonshire Colts in 2002-03 at Wellington Oval.

In all PHC have appeared in eight Martonmere Finals.

Wellington Oval has not been good hunting ground for Zebras who have appeared in three finals at the East End venue in the past 19 years, winning only once in 1996-97 (Dudley Eve). And Zebras? poor record in the East End has led many of their fans to believe the venue is cursed or jinxed.

Yet Lightbourne is refusing to allow superstition get the better of his team mentally as they brace themselves for Saturday?s Martonmere Cup Cup Final against 2001-02 champions Devonshire Cougars at Wellington Oval.

?I?ve heard the guys talking about how PHC haven?t won down there in a long time. But I really have no thoughts about any jinx or anything like that, though everybody has a little superstition in them,? the Zebras coach said.

?This is just another cup final, the game is played on the field and so we?ll just have to go out there and try and play to our full potential and forget about superstition because cup finals are not normally played on Saturdays in Bermuda ? so what?s the difference??

Lightbourne never appeared in a Martonmere Cup Final as a player at PHC, but is a veteran of the Zebras? squad that drew 2-2 with eventual champions Dandy Town in the first match of the 1986-87 FA Cup Final played at Wellington Oval.

Zebras lost the replay 1-0 under the lights at BAA Field, Clevie Wade netting the game?s only goal.

?We?ve won games at Wellington Oval and so I think the jinx bit remains in the minds of certain players. But we?re not worrying about where the game is being played,? Lightbourne added.

?Ideally we would?ve liked to have played the match at the National Sports Centre (NSC). But that?s just not the case. So we will just have to go down there on Saturday and execute the game plan. And everything does come to an end, including bad results against.

?But if you go into a match thinking you are going to lose, then you will end up losing. I?ve been to grounds in England where you don?t tend to do well and then suddenly you win there and everything is fine.

?When I was playing in Bermuda before I never bothered about what field I played at because it?s all about executing on the day that matters most.?