Joseph Best, who rose to the rank of Deputy Warden (equivalent to Deputy Commissioner today) in the late 1960s, passed away in hospital on the weekend after a long illness.

Best is the father of Clyde Best, technical director of Bermuda Football Association and the Island's most successful footballer.

He came to Bermuda from his native Barbados as a young boy and went on to play an important role in local soccer as an administrator. He was a former president of Somerset Cricket Club and served for many years as a Director of the BFA. He was subsequently made an Honorary Life Vice President of the association.

"I found him in football when I went to the association in 1966,'' recalled former BFA president Dr Gerard Bean.

"He was serving under Reuben Alias' presidency at that time and he was instrumental to helping bring football to what it is today. He would have left football in the very early 1980s, if he served into the '80s at all.

"The football association was coming from being largely a regulatory body and only ran the FA Cup and Crystal Palace Cup, and it was during those years that the football association moved from that position. At one time we had other bodies that ran the league and so forth.'' Added Bean: "It was an important part of BFA history and it was then that they established the national coaching policy. I knew him as a personal friend going back to the early '60s and I'm deeply saddened.'' Best joined the prison service in February, 1951, and retired on August 31, 1976. He worked at all the prisons before being promoted to the rank of Deputy Warden on September 1, 1967. He spent the final years of his career working at Prison Headquarters.

A funeral services is planned for Sunday.

Two weeks ago the Prison fraternity lost one of their senior officers with the passing of Randolph (Shorty) Spencer who was also a former cricketer and administrator.

SOCCER SOC