Drew 2-2
Scorers: John Aikin, Guy Dowling
MoM: Simon Triggs
DoD: Not awarded as Cllr Alex wasn’t playing and was fulfilling his civic role filling in potholes – apparently!
With thanks to team sponsor MFri
9.45 away at Sutton Valence suits many of our older players who’ve been up for hours. 2 though, as usual at this time of year of those of a senior age, had fallen by the way side with chills – John Mayhem & Merve so down to 12. But Jonesy was back.
John Aikin was raring to go after a 4 day cultural and solar powered Club-55 trip to Turkey which he so needed to recharge his batteries… and it showed!
But away we went, 2 goals up inside 10 minutes. The first started from a Philpott pass (as he was keen to point out to your scribbler) to Nick Tan to Hayward who for once passed clinically to his sidekick John Boy Aikin who slotted home. The second came from the Friars only short corner nicely slipped by Aikin to Guy Dowling who clattered it away. SV were stunned and so were we. Unfortunately we sat back on our laurels and allowed SV to claw their way back into the game but not without Trigger pulling off some extraordinary saves. One shot though eventually did get through and we went into half time 2-1 to the good.
After the usual excellent half time seminar from Trigger that concentrated on keeping possession off we went. Tiredness soon set in for the Friars and they were not quite on the money that they had been last week and the short corners for SV came thick and fast (12-1 this week). However the defence of Barton, Harris, Philpott and Ward were up to it until the tide came in again and SV equalised. With their tails up searching for the win their frustration told and having had a go at his own team one of their number started chatting to the umpires too much: Result: a green card.
The Friars did have one last effort of their own but Aikin’s appeal for a stroke was ignored and so the result was a 2 all draw which was a fair reflection of the game.
Off to the Queens Head for an excellent lunch and some Timothy Taylors Landlord (one of the big pluses of an early SV fixture) and in Jammer Harris’s case, breakfast before he went off to Polo for lunch!
Squad: John Aikin, Mike Barton, Guy Dowling, Jamie Harris, Geordie Hayward, Chris Hendy, Tony Jones (C), Tim Lewis, Sir Geoff Philpott, Dr Nick Tan, Simon Triggs (GK), Chris Ward. Manager: Merv Lewis
