Lost 2-6
Scorers: John Aikin (2)
MoM: Arthur Aikin
DoD: England Hockey (read on)
Not the best day at the office however having got maximum points this season the Friars spin is quite simple :”We don’t want to get promoted so we have to pace ourselves”. Yer well.
Within 2 minutes this had gone to plan with one goal conceded and by half-time Friars were 4-0 down and we hoped the half-time Jaffa cakes had something hallicinatory in them.
Whatever they did have in them worked as we drew the second half 2-2 and playing up hill as well. As an aside does anyone know why Folkestone who did have two level albeit old sand pitches 6-7 years ago decided after significant amounts of money were injected to turn both pitches 90 degrees and have two good surfaces but with quite a gradient on them. For the many youngsters in the Folkestone team that presumably doesn’t matter but for the Friars fielding 2 x overs 70s and 2 x over 60s it certainly does and there was a bit of puffing and blowing.
However one of the Friars yongsters – the only one – young Arthur Aikin – playing in only his second league match came up trumps and was Man of the Match. Unlike last week he was bundled about a bit, not unfairly, just a learning part of the adult hockey “process” ! He was instrumental in the first goal setting up his Dad (and no doubt a pocket-money bonus) for the first while his Dad scored again from a short corner deep in the second half. Folkestone were a rung up the ladder better than the Friars and thoroughly deserved their victory.
Big Thanks to Gary Wyver who had an active game in goal and some sterling efforts from John Ratty Ratcliffe.
With no league games next week there was debate at the end of the game about why England Hockey in their wisdom and as usual decide to have a blank weekend nationwide just 4 matches into the league season in a balmy October. Why on earth not leave a by-day or rest day or whatever until the end of the first half of the season in December – but no that requires too much common sense – and even the Friars aren’t worn out after 4 league matches!