Won 5-1
Scorers: Simon Hurlow (2), Ben Hancock (2), Dave Upton
DoD: Pete Ratcliff. PLEASE NOTE: Pete was not guilty of any actual misdemeanour but was somewhat serendipitously/ dubiously anointed to this position. An inebriated young lady, wielding a 3ft inflatable phallus, dubbed Pete DoD, with a hefty blow to the head, as celebrations, outside the Bell & Crown public house, continued well into the night!
With thanks to team sponsor MMil http://www.batchelorcoop.co.uk
The Batchelor-Coop Millers faced lowly-placed BBHC in the final fixture of the season. Having managed to narrowly avoid promotion, a carnival-atmosphere was evident on AW2 and a freshly-shorn, and extremely youthful looking, Ben Lawford made sure he brought some light-hearted laughs to the party (courtesy of an undisclosed barbers).
Regular readers will know that a Millers first half is analogous to a fisherman’s tale: plenty of good bites, but nothing in the net, and plenty of talk about the ones that got away. The best opportunity this week was a penalty stroke that ended up being well-saved by the visiting keeper. Recent form dictated a lack of surprise then, when in the 30th minute, the visitors broke quickly and scored a well-taken reverse effort.
Having thus lured the oppo into a false sense of security (our previous two results may have helped in this regard) the Millers ‘2nd half trap’ was well and truly baited! A laid-back confidence, verging on nonchalance, emanated from the skipper at half-time; things were perhaps going according to some convoluted plan?
From the restart the Millers threw off the metaphorical shackles and displayed the flair and joie de vivre with which they have become synonymous. Hurlow Junior provided the equaliser three minutes in, with Ben Hancock giving them the lead shortly after. A third from a short corner breakdown saw Dave Upton (fully repaired after last week) put himself and the ball in the back of the net for 3-1. A marauding Ratcliff run ended with a 2nd Ben Hancock goal for 4-1. Hurlow Junior provided a late fifth and gave the team a comprehensive finish (or a ‘Lawford’s barnet’) to the season.
Thanks to Phil and Lee for officiating and to our shirt sponsor, Mr Mark Batchelor, who in recent days has signed on as our post-match beer sponsor (25-26 season). Thanks also to all of our junior players who have made a real difference to results over the course of the season and been a real credit to the club.