My first edit:
Missed you.
And we all missed Dan.
You were missed Dan!
But then I thought that was a bit self-indulgent.
The following sentence also caught my attention. It comes from someone who came “Highly Commended” in the Bridport Prize 2011 writing competition, flash fiction category. I still don’t know what it means so please insert it where you think is most appropriate….
Reds decided not to formulate a plan for if their 2-0 lead at half time turned into us trailing 5-2 (it’s happened before) and it 2-2 in the second half that seemed like a mistake but in the end we got away with it
So here is the best of the rest in an attempted summary: I hope you can find your input.
SMOOTHIES (8) Jack, James, Joe (Jack’s cousin/nephew), John, JP, Paul, Matt, Richard P
BEARDIES (9) Damon, Gerald, Jeremy, Jim, Keith, Kev, Oz, Rich N, Tufan
A lovely day turned into a howling and very wet northerly as the football gods wreaked their vengeance on what they were witnessing. Who cares about the score? Really? It’s about seeing old friends, sharing old stories, settling old scores. And winning.
Paul’s defending was a masterclass in well-timed tackles and interceptions. James (up front was foaming with confidence) and JP for Red were an excellent pairing. Yellow resorted to an aerial bombardment, which failed. Jeremy was guilty of a reckless sliding tackle on one of the red team. A string of Yellow shots kept missing by a whisker, and while their midfield bristled with energy, they couldn’t make a way through the serried ranks of gleaming chins. Yellows concluded at half-time that, in order to accommodate their Skanked Shot habit they needed to shoot for goal from the half-way-line so that the “shots” had time to fall from their sky-bound trajectory and toward the actual net. Both teams pushed forward in last ten minutes but with razor-sharp finishing and trim, nay tonsured passing football it was Reds who, with a man down, won handsomely in the end! Which Yellows didn’t, except in the Beard Department which was really all they cared about. Although Jeremy did score a couple of humzinggers and Gerald did a couple of brilliant chips to the back post.
On the goals:
15 min: JAMES (backheel ball from JP, slotted into corner)
25 min: JAMES (another JP quick pass through centre, through/under keeper’s legs, bit lucky)
Half time: Smoothies 2-0 Beardies
55 min: JEREMY (dogged and pinball like determination to get through defence, ended up a lucky bobble onto his knee that bounced into the goal.
60 min: JEREMY (more controlled move, smoothie defence not clearing properly, shot across keep from an angle, good shot)
70 min: JP (from corner I think, ball comes back out, smart snap shot into top corner, nice to see JP trademark not expired)
80 min: JOHN (nice move actually, James collect in midfield drifts to left, pass to Joe in centre, quick pass forward to JP, quick pass forward and across keeper to John, simple open goal. Smoothies ecstatic!)
On the pitch:
Pitch could have been better depilated – lots of bobbles and pitch grass very very long, far too long for dragbacks (though J-P carried on regardless). Southwark, mow the bloody grass!! Can’t believe our £1000/year fees aren’t leading to a better surface…!
On Jack:
Jack’s nephew ended up with cramp; the youth of today. Goal of the decade from jack, well almost. Jack’s nutmeg, the best a man can get.
A marvellous game. Good game, good game. For the second time in four games the beards failed to overcome the non-beards, even though the beards had one extra player. I am hoping Santa brings me a Gillette gift pack this Xmas!
Did we really play 90 minutes?!
Final score: Smoothies 4 – 2 Beardies Yellow
or was it 5-3?
ending 4-2 (or 5-2?)
had we been playing rugby Yellow would have won by 23 points.