Old Loughts 5's - 1 Brentwood 3's - 1

Old Loughts 5’s -1 Brentwood 3’s -1

Tough game this in so many ways. Going to Loughts, it’s certainly not the highlight of many peoples season. It’s just, all a little Tory England there. Even the pitches there now are starting to look a little tired and in need of a refresh – as I say a little Tory. But you play that hand that’s dealt to you and the 3’s pulled together 13 fit men and I counted them out and I counted all back in, everyone could be very proud of getting back to Brentwood with a point.

The gruesome twosome leadership group of Boothie & Waller (sounds like some dodgy political lobbying firm who’ll pay MP’s to ask questions in the House of Commons) got us well warmed up and prepped. The game plan was decided on. My normal team, the Academy, made sure I was in the leaderships groups bad books by donating their unfinished post-match drinks to me and ensuring the ‘evidence’ was posted on the Whats App group. I take it as a compliment they wanted me back for next week. On the bench I started.

Loughts started the stronger and created the first of the chances as we stood off them a little and felt our way into the game. Once we got a foothold, we started to look dangerous on the break. Salmon, Ratters and Alex Hull (notes to the team – Alex needs a moniker) all finding decent pockets of space, showing clever movement, skill and carried with them a threat that Loughts needed to respect. That said the game was a little stop and start (see below) and as a player I never got the sense the game had a rhythm. Loughts are clearly a well drilled team, I recognised a number that I played against for the Academy over a few previous seasons and they knew what they were doing. They set the press against our hit outs as impressively as I’ve seen, they always had wide options and were clever in switching between attacking through the middle and going out wide. It meant that as a defensive unit we had very few opportunities to break forward and support, it started to happen a little in the second half as the game broke down a touch. So, whilst Loughts never dominated the ball or territory they had a domination over the shape of the game, and we were reactive when our preference is to be proactive and stamp our authority onto proceedings.

0-0 at half time. What was the chatter? Like night follows day lets move the ball quicker and not try and run to much with the ball.

The second half proved to be almost a mirror image of the first in terms of how it played out but added in a couple of goals. Loughts broke the deadlock scoring with a hit from a penalty short. What didn’t appear to be debated was the fact that the ball did in the course of travelling from the stick to hitting the very top of the backboard rise above the level of the backboard and crossed the line higher than the backboard. The facts weren’t in doubt, it was the interpretation of them that was debated. I have been sad enough to go and check the rules of the game and Boothie was correct in his assertions.

With the greatest of apologies to the greatest sword carrier in the Country, Penny Mordaunt, what did the 3’s do? They followed the advice of The Penny. Stand up and fight. We stood up and fought for the right to a point, a point we deserved. Whilst we never had things our own way, I felt that Loughts were to early dropping off. They never really went for a second, yes, they had a few chances and pressed us but the never quite committed. One and done seemed to be their motto. We pressed and had the ball in their goal for it to be disallowed – I’m still unclear why. A couple of shorts came and went and then in the finals minutes it arrives. A short corner. The call is injection to Salmon to strike it. Now there are two interpretations as to what happens next. You the reader can choose. It’s sort of like one those old choose your own adventure books:

Option 1: Salmon is wily, clever hockey player. The call is clear, and he knows Loughts will commit to focusing their defensive efforts on him. So, he thinks right I’ll commit fully to the shot, I’ll make it look like a shot but actually I’m using all my skill and experience to slip the ball through to Lorcan to deflect home.

Or

Option 2: Salmon completely f**ks up the attempt with the ball skewing off his stick where Lorcan defying his relative youth saves salmon blushes by playing heads up hockey following everything up and deflecting the ball into the goal.

Reader only you can decide – I’m none the wiser.

With the Loughts team literally gathered and ready for their usual over the top celebration, number 63 their cheerleader, it was very pleasing to see them sit back down and finish the game in the more traditional manner as opposed to acting like you’ve just won the Champions League. Euan Wilson more then made up for everyone’s’ lack of celebration with his own personal moment – it wasn’t one of quiet reflection.

I really don’t like talking about umpires and avoid at all costs, it’s a difficult job and fair play for them for sticking their hand up and doing the job that allows us to play the game we love. But I will have to break my normal silence today. The match starts 15 minutes late, which certainly not the umpires fault is annoying, if unsurprising to start with. We then have to stop the game whilst the umpires resolve their communication issues (headsets not working). I mean it’s a div 4 game here lads not entirely sure the FIH issued headsets are worth it. On top of that the majority of players have no idea why we are standing around. Despite the Loughts number 63 best efforts the game was played in a decent spirit between both sets of players (#63 it is entirely possible for the 1 runner to block a penalty corner with a stick carried in front of a shinpads, long odds granted but physically possible). However, despite the working communications, I assume they got the headsets working, the umpiring was a bit hit and miss. Decisions not clearly explained and sometimes just really plain wrong example above. I’m afraid the game was mismanaged to a point that it wasn’t far from a flashpoint. Credit to the leaders on both sides for keeping a lid on things. I certainly didn’t sense any degree of bias, two men trying to do their best but like some players they didn’t have a great day at the office.

Team: Arwyn James, Euan Wilson, Gary Waller, Colin Singleton, Richard Boothe, James Wright, Nick Edwards, Lucas Curley Sanchez, Lorcan Curley Sanchez, Tom Liles, Simon Rattenbury, Alex Hull, Gary MacDonnell.

Man of the Match (as decided by me): The Curley Sanchez’s. Lorcan for his heads up play at the end and Lucas for being a real driving force in midfield. Always available and worked hard got caught a few times but never gave up – defined the teams attitude.