Reports 27th December 2003

The President's XI administer a sound 7-1 thrashing to The Rabble in the Christmas Challenge Match

The President's Challenge Match

President's XI 7 - 1 The Rabble

H/T: 3 - 0

With the Christmas turkey still churning and the red wine hangovers still lingering, this was never going to be a game for the purists. In actual fact the close proximity of the match to the Christmas dinner, combined with the early start, seemed to work in the favour of the oldsters. The youngsters were slowed down by their festive revelries but the oldsters only have one gear which is unaffected by over-indulgence. They have been doing this for years and the ageing machinery works better when "well-oiled".

As the teams lined up for the push-back there appeared to be only one team worth backing. The President's XI had the average age of Concorde but most of the components had yet to be forced into retirement. The Rabble had arrived at the ground early and seemed thoroughly prepared for the 10.30 start; although the match did not start until 10.45 so maybe the initial advantage had already been relinquished. Concorde rarely has the chance to fly these days, but when it does…

7-1 is not a close game by anyone's standards but this one began as though each side had a chance of winning. It was end-to-end stuff, perhaps in part due to the reluctance of either midfield to both attack and defend. Unsurprisingly, the onus was on the former rather than the latter and this led to the President's XI taking the lead from a counter-attack spearheaded by Matt Readman. The President's XI relied on the counter-attack, maybe due in part to their more youthful attack. Nevertheless, the President's defence were as mean and unforgiving as Scrooge himself. There were even suggestions of cheating and unsportsmanly conduct. When asked about this after the game one of culprits retorted, "I noticed he had his shoe laces undone so I trod on them to stop him reaching the ball."

The score-line stood at 3-0 at the end of the first-half. There were murmurs of discontent, noticeably from Roy the goalie, as the President failed to produce a bottle of port for half-time refreshment but the President's XI began the second half in a similar vein to the first. Steve Fleck ran the midfield and Matt Readman continued to torment in attack.

Towards the end of the second half The Rabble began to throw everything at the President's XI, including introducing an extra player which went unnoticed until after the final whistle. Even the umpire showed his allegiance by temporarily reinstating the off-side rule to thwart another attack from the President's XI. As the match went into injury time everyone was urging the final whistle to be blown so they could get to The Fat & Heathers for a well-deserved beer. Finally, The Rabble scored a well-deserved goal despite the fact that it was an own goal from Colin Worboys. "I was trying to trap the ball with my left foot but I mis-controlled it and it went in." Unsportsmanly conduct? Surely not…

Afterwards at the pub over a pint or two, a presentation was made to Colin Worboys who had been associated with the club for many years before retiring eighteen months ago. He served in the capacities of 1st and 2nd Team Captains and many years as Fixtures Secretary. A memento in the form of a crystal glass tankard inscribed "Sawston Hockey Club" and "Cambridge South Hockey Club" was given to Colin and duly christened over the following two hours.