Hi all
It was another intense, action-packed afternoon of football in the final round
of the Chemmat Cup. Once again we were up in the first match, facing our
subordinates from Year 3 in the semi final. However, they failed to acknowledge
their lower rank to us, giving us a very physical encounter. Our team was
somewhat dilapidated due to sickness and injury, leaving only five of the
original players left at the start - Alice, Hamish, Hopa, Kenny and Lawrence.
Fortunately Jason stepped up to the plate, filling in ably in the
defence. The Team Manager also made his on-court debut as a sub, taking a few
tumbles along the way. The Third Years tried to out-muscle us with their size
but we refused to be intimidated. With most of our team staying on court for
the entire game, we held together to score two goals. Some remarkable saves by
Kenny kept the Third Years scoreless and they were shown whom to respect in the
end. It is a testament to the depth of talent in the Year 4 squad that we
pulled off a convincing victory while lacking many of our key players.
And so we were through to the final, predictably against the undefeated
Postgrads. We went in as underdogs, having been punished by them last week 4-0.
Nevertheless we remained confident as reinforcements arrived in the form of
Richie, Man Him, Tian and a still-recovering Charles, bringing our team back to
full strength. The Postgrads wasted no time, striking hard and early, scoring
the first goal. The Year 4 attack responded swiftly however, and it was goal
for goal in the first half ending 2-2. We were clearly a much improved team
from our last encounter with the PGs and this showed as we dominated all over
the court in the second half. Our defence was tight, preventing the PGs from
getting close to goal. Their shots from half-way were strong and accurate, but
no match for the impermeable barrier of Kenny. Our forwards played with great
panache, passing to each other in the gaps and maintaining pressure on Rob
Simmonds in goal. The steady attack paid off with two beautiful goals which
crushed the PGs aspirations. We gave them no chance for a comeback in the
remainder of the match, holding possession and territory to claim sweet victory
4-2. The crowd was ecstatic as the prestigious Chemmat Trophy was presented by
Professor Fergie to the Team Manager, who graciously accepted it on behalf of
the victorious team.
Special thanks must go to our loyal supporters who filled the hall with their
inspiring cheering - particularly Kevin who at one point was shouting "Bang
him! Bang him!".
The Victory Party is being held tomorrow night at Roz's house so come along and
celebrate the magnificent spoils of our win. There will a
well-deserved round of beers for our glorious team as well as much festivity
and merriment. See you there!
Arjan
Team Manager
