M6 Return to Winning Ways

Men’s 6s 4 – 1 Bank of England 2s

So a return to hockey after a week’s rest and as the showers passed and the sun emerged the 6s found their way to Roehampton with a plan to return to winning ways. The first hurdle to navigate was unexpected as the team were initially denied entry to the ground for not knowing the secret squirrel password (and one assumes official handshake) for entry. Eventually someone with the inside knowledge was tracked down and we were permitted entry to the grounds. One wonders if they use the same password for the vaults at Threadneedle Street, I might pop down Monday morning to check it out.

Anyway, after receiving our orders from JJ the game kicked off and the 6s got into their stride. If I’m brutally honest much of the hockey in this game was indifferent at best so I’ll go light on the detail. But we huffed and puffed and tested their keeper a few times much to our early frustration. But Jabba was just warming up and after 15 minutes or so slotted through the first of his goals. A well taken goal which was soon followed by a second and a third. Open stick, reverse stick, no drama. 3-0 and not really out of second gear.

As we approached the final five minutes of the first half Ravvers received a tackle a lumberjack would have been proud of just inside the 23. What should have been a corner and a card was given as a straight foul which Ravvers subsequently took back out of the 23 so he could launch one into the D. Unfortunately with the sense of injustice still smarting him, the extra oomph put through the ball created an absolute projectile off the stick which collided smack into the same poor defender’s head moments later, down he went; ouch.

A hiatus ensued and eventually the poor chap left the field with all concerned thinking it best he gets down to A&E to get it checked out. Unfortunately, no one in his team thought of the fairly obvious route of plonking him in a car and driving him the short distance... instead a lot of faffing and an eventual call for an ambulance. An ambulance that still hadn’t arrived by the time we’d finished as the poor chap not only had an afternoon in A&E to look forward to but also had to endure the turgid second half we were about to put on for him. He's had better days, I’d suggest.

Given the delay we agreed to a 2x30 minute game and the second half came along. As the game slowed from second gear to mobility scooter the 6s kept probing and to be honest should have scored more, to which yours truly must take some responsibility. Firstly, missing one to the left of the post, which would have been an easy score, I then proceeded to miss two more good chances. The latter perhaps the most spectacular: as I was put through I managed to beat the keeper with a move to the right, I was then apparently hit by a sniper in the crowd and as I tumbled toe-ended it off the end of the pitch with the goal gaping. Oops. I wasn’t alone, Ravvers won and then subsequently missed a penalty flick and even Jabba got in on it with his signature air shot. Jabba did then put one away to make it all four for him in a good all round goal scoring display.

The oppo did get one back. As they were awarded a contentious free hit they took a quick hit straight into the D and the striker’s touch took it straight past Toby as the majority of our players looked on still not sure who was a awarded the free hit. Should it have stood? I don’t know, and to be honest I'm not sure I really care.

Not a great performance but job done. Some good finishing, some woeful. A bit of drama as well. We move on to next week.