After a decent Christmas break from hockey, it was great to see the squad all revved up and in good spirits ready to put newly promoted Rhino's A to the sword. Having seen our B's draw 2-2 earlier in the season, we knew we had our work cut out, but riding on the wave of excitement at the fact of playing hockey again we went straight into the game full of optimism. It was positive play that earned us our first goal after several went begging - Rhino's knew they were in for a fight. Great work down the right and good link up play between our new recruit Tom Rhodes and Matt Truman saw a shot saved only for Steve Bruce to be in the right place at the right time to slot the ball home. Legend has it that was his first goal scored on the open side in 2 years.
The first half continued as it had started, very fast and we sadly lost some of our composure as we franticly looked for the second goal. Rather than our 360 degree passing game we were starting to perfect before Christmas, we were totally intent on getting in the oppositions Dee as quickly as we could. This is a lesson learnt for our next game. Luckily though the Rhino's were playing more direct than us and were trying to find away through our solid defence by pure dribbling. The C's doubled up well and there was no getting past the likes of Ben Rowse, Ralph Koker, Nick S-W and our Chairman, but most of all our Man of the Match, "The Cat". The man from Chai Wan was inspirational - he will now take on a similar guise to the Stig from Top Gear, or at least until the transfer window closes.
One thing we couldn't count on though was the competence of the umpire at our end. Hong Kong was showcasing both the best and worst in this department. This aptly brings us onto the Rhino's goal which built up after several dodgy decisions just outside our Dee - there was really nothing we could do having soaked up large amounts of pressure so well. With about 10 minutes to go in the first half, the scores were tied at 1-1. Oh and then Ralph substituted himself which probably wasn't a bad idea in retrospect seeing as he may of seen yellow any minute. Congratulations Ralphy, you are the first winner of the Harris Award for 2010! I'd suggest talking to umpires in Dutch for the rest of the season!
Shortly after, Rhino's were awarded a short corner to the bewilderment of every player on the pitch. Although the umpire did seek confirmation from his colleague some 40 metres away and with blocked vision, the decision stood. Rhino's pulled their short corner out and then there was total silence as Mr Lee (Captain of the Rhino's) deliberately pushed the ball wide of the goal for a 16 yard hit. This man should be praised for his sportsmanship and given some fair play award. He could of all too easily taken the shot on goal, but found the kindness within him to serve some justice on the pitiful umpiring. Thank you Mr Lee!!
Our second goal came shortly before the end of the first half. Having successfully tried Ralphy out as a short corner hitter before the Christmas break, he smashed his effort through the goalie with the kind of speed even the "Cat" like reactions may not of been able to withstand.
The second half is probably worth forgetting as we lost all composure and structure, however, we held on and continued our strong desire to win the game. Brucey got a green for making references to eye surgery and foetus' - a close second for the Harris Award. A mention to Matt Truman who really took the game by the scruff of the neck, Ben Rowse continues to shine and a good debut for Tom Rhodes. Final score 2-1 to Club.
Congratulations to Sim Archer-Perkins who got married over Christmas!
Squad: Tom Spicer, Nick Studholme-Wilson, Charlie Poulton, Dave Mehandran, Ben Rowse, Sim Archer-Perkins, Oliver Spensley, Tim Cairns, Steve Bruce, Conor O'Donovan, Ralph Koker, Tom Rhodes, Vincent Cheung and Matt Truman.
Author: Tom Spicer
