Won 4-1
Scorers: Tim Lewis, John Aikin(2), Will Cook
MoM: Will Cook
DoD: John Maylam …so after 3 years of no hockey he nearly managed to get run over in the car park at Gravesend! He said he was a bit deaf in one ear!
With thanks to team sponsor MFri
For once the sun shone & the temperature was balmy in Gravesend – normally that venue is associated with dank, dark, freezing cold winter fixtures….but hey happy days for The Friars as they chalked up their third win on the bounce. Having propped up their league 4 weeks ago they now sit 7th.
With Jonesy playing an international exhibition match in Barcelona (yes really!) and the V-C in Mexico it was left to scrape-a-bucket-time to find a skipper who could toss up. The Scribbler took up the management reins. Luckily he won the toss and let the Gravesham goalie stare into a fierce low sun for the first half.
So..onto the hockey. John Mayhem (Maylam-shurely-ed?) back after 3 years the Friars started brightly & after 15 minutes Merve (The Swerve) Lewis passed to John Boy Aikin, rebounded to young Tim Lewis who, well positioned opened the scoring.
Gravesham came back well & from a short corner rebound equalised.
John Boy managed to tip a ball over the keeper 3 minutes before half time to give us the lead again whilst Merve The Swerve fancied an early half time break for a stick tackle.
Trigger who had done his usual blinding saves then explained – as coach – basics of hockey at half-time.
With 3 Christ Church lads waking up from their summer lay-off – Lucas and Will with Jammer Harris – a bevy of CC supporters pitched up to offer some advice & good natured banter. This upset the opposition so much they complained to the ump who had to get the volume down-true! One of the CC lads – Will – went into over-drive in the second half and with his side-kick Lucas, dominated the midfield. Merve then set Will up for a lovely goal.
Icing on the cake was a superb short-corner routine (we had been practising all week) with rebounds, triangles etc allowing John Boy to claim a second goal which somewhat flattered us, though at last with Alex away we got some short corners!
Apart from a green card for goodness what to Lucas that was another 3 points! see photo of our defence.
Squad: John Aikin, Mike Barton, Lucas Codas-East, Will Cook, Jamie Harris, Geordie Hayward (C), Chris Hendy, Mervyn Lewis, John Maylam, Tim Lewis, Geoff Philpott, Simon Triggs (GK), Chris Ward
