M2A: Season Review

Men’s 2A’s XI
London League Division One
Season 2006/07

Crumbs, where do I start on a season summary… each game itself is worth three pages of my drivelling text!

Well, the 2A’s gained promotion into London League Division One, coming second place to Surbiton, and it was Surbiton where we played our first game. It was a stupidly high standard, and we thought we had nicked it at the end, scoring with 30 seconds left on the clock, but they promptly came down the other end, whilst we were celebrating, to score an equaliser! This was going to be an exciting season!

Our squad strength was compounded, despite loosing a few kiddies to the 2s. In came young Chris Newman, young Tim Atkins, young Alex Land, young Tom Broccoli-Parsnip, young Brian Voges (immigrant) and young (looking) Drew Vermeulen, backed up by the awesome young Dan Field in goal. A youngish Ian Anderson also popped up at the start and finish of the season for us.

The season can be summed up, by last minute winners, converting a lowly 6 points into a fantastic 18 points:
Hampstead 2-1, Rick last minute top left undercut
Richmond 3-2, Johnny last minute reverse shot
Tulse Hill 1-0, Rick back post tap in
Bromley 3-2, Chris, with a wonder reverse stick hit, slotted top left
Wayfarers 4-3, Alex with a mazey dribble and finish
St Albans, 4-3 to win the Championship (3-1 down with 12 to go)!

The mid-season was looking good, but injuries and absenteeism started to hit. Drew and Brian out to operations, Jez AWOL, Steeler on a conveyor belt of marriages and stag weekends (though not his own yet), and kiddies stuck in Saturday school. But we pulled through, promoted a few up to support and held on by the skin of our teeth.

We could have sealed the championship in the third to last game, but Oxford Uni and two absolutely appalling umpires (one even more shocking than the other) put pay to that. The normally polite Dan Field, on hearing the final whistle was seen and heard to stomp over to the dug out, throw his helmet at the side, and whilst stood next to the umpire state at him, “What a fcuking waste of time you were”.

Then, in the penultimate game Teddington equalised in the last minute, which left the final game with St Albans. The oppo were playing for pride, having been relegated. But a three goal, 12 minute, barn-stormer of a finish saw us take the Championship, with a 4-3 victory… awesome, words cannot describe that feeling. I really hope the kiddies realise and remember it.

We could not quite do it in the final against a ringed up Surbiton, loosing 4-2.

I am proud of the achievements of the 2As. I am ecstatic that we were Champions. This has been the most fantastic season of hockey I have ever played. Full-stop. I love my team; I love its loyalty, its commitment and its fight.

I will miss this season sorely, I will miss the jubilation of winning a game on the last hit of the match, where every game was like a cup final.

I will miss Tim Atkins’ haicuts. I will miss Chris’ Kevin the teenager strops. I will miss Jez always shooting on the reverse. I will miss Duncan playing in every position possible and doing an awesome job. I will miss Steeler telling me to calm down. I will miss Rob (my Captain of Vice), the width warrior’s silence and telepathic communication. I will miss Brian shelling the ball aimlessly into the channel. I will miss Rick’s back post tap-ins. I will miss the unbeatable Dan calling “I’VE GOT IT”. I will miss Drew’s great height. I will miss Landy getting a hat-trick. I will miss David’s aerials. I will miss my aerials. I will miss Broccoli-Parsnip, simply because he is called Broccoli-Parsnip. And I will miss Pete’s dogged determination, and ability to make someone twice his size look stupid.

I will miss all this because it is time for me to hang up my gay red captain’s ribbon after two glorious seasons of 2As captaincy, which have included promotion, Cup winners and finally Champions. I may be back to Captain in the future, but for now I send my love and I bid you farewell.

Massive thanks to Steeler, to Rob, to Dunc and to Rick, with out us over 26s none of this would have been possible.

Johnny Downer
(Best Looking) Captain