Round 13 VS Tawa Bears, Bernie Wood Turf, 1 July

Write-up by Roger

Elite 0 - 1 Tawa

The Charge of The Elite Brigade​

Three and half leagues, three and half leagues,
Three and a half leagues northward, (just past Adrenaline Forest – highly recommend)
All in the valley of Death (Porirua)
   Drove the fifteen Elite.
“Did someone say special offer salmon?
Count me in!” Gansey said.
Into the valley of Death
   Drove the fifteen Elite.
 
II
“15 minutes in, a loping shot, they’re 1-0 ahead, oh no!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the players knew
   Someone had blundered.
   Theirs not to make reply,
   Theirs not to reason why,
   Theirs but to do and try.
   Into the valley of Death
   Drove the fifteen Elite.
 
III
Failed passes to the right of them,
Failed crosses to left of them,
A well-disciplined back line in front of them
   Volleyed and almost chundered (after a late night);
A goal-line deflection by Adam saved our skin,
But Turk’s best efforts couldn’t get it in,
More passes strung together, in quite windy weather, but
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
   Drove the fifteen Elite.
 
IV
Angus flashed forward, and passed to air,
Roger headed the ball (!), past the post, no fair,
They had possession and territory there,
Charging at the Tawa bears, while
            A Dave-like figure in dark glasses wondered,
Plunged past their defence,
They played the ball through a lot,
But lacked a final shot,
Shattered and sundered,
Then they drove back, but not
Not the fifteen Elite (Tim had left early, so just fourteen of us by then)
 
V
Failed passes to the right of them,
Failed crosses to left of them,
A well-disciplined back line in front of them
   Volleyed and almost chundered
Stormed at Tawa Bears with shots and yells,
Gansey hacked, and their player fell,
They that had fought so well,
Came back with a 1-0 defeat,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of the fifteen Elite.
 
VI
When can their glory fade?
Why were they were so tired they were at death’s door?
   The dark-glassed man wondered.
Honour the effort they put in to score!
Honour the Elite Brigade,
   Noble fifteen!
 
MVP points
 
2 – Angus (great cut through)
1 – Jason (safe pair of feet)
1 – Adam (goal-line clearance)