KEW Hockey Club

Kew 7 def Southern Utd 2

It was such a confusing day. The weather couldn’t decide if it was supposed to be warm or cold. The wonderful wife couldn’t decide if she was coming or not. And the boy couldn’t decide if he wanted to take Thomas, Henry, Gordon or all three. For the record, it was cold but sunny, wife came and boy took all three.

As a gesture of good faith, I flicked the radio to FM for the trip. Quite the courtesy given the pre-game offerings of 3AW. However te easy listening of Lady Ga-Ga certainly helped clear the head.

Arriving at Elgar Park for a 2pm game, there was a fleeting gut-wrenching moment. There was no match before us and there was no football – had I gone to the wrong ground? Despite the ease of parking arrangements this offered, there was an eerie discomfort arriving at such an empty venue.

One bonus of having no game beforehand was the fact that everyone could gather at the top of the circle and rehearse likely game scenarios such as trying to hit the crossbar with lobs from the top of the circle. Tags, Stevie Gale and Ash Reid (B2) all appearing partially adept at the practice.

Coach Nath whistled the troops in and we got on with the rest of the warm up. With military intent, we went for a warm-up jog, did stretches and all kinds, run-throughs, side-to-sides, backwards running, knee-ups and full sprints. Before Jono decided to joing us for the leisurely jog back.

Southern wisely chose to take the ball after winning the toss. This ensured them the safety of 25 seconds without a goal against. Then Stevie Wonder showed there is no substitute for class with a deft interception and look away pass which ended with Southern picking the ball out of the net and historians reaching for the record books. (The official fastest goal ever came after just 9 seconds in a game between Kew and MCC, when Nick Reid (B1) intercepted the pass back and ran in to score, but that’s another story. And Nick will be happy to tell you about it).

As has become the teams want over the previous two weeks, the first half was memorable for the brand of “total hockey” Kew Pennant C has brought to its matches. Swift passing and ball movement left our opponents chasing tails for much of the first tirty-five minutes. But it was the teams commitment to selfless running, precision passing and team first ethos that ensured it was another glorious half of hockey. Well taken goals by Hubba, Winny, Stevie, Lachie, Hamish and Jono kept the scorers busy. The half time score line of 6-1 was a true reflection of both teams fortunes. Having six separate goal scorers testament to the non reliance on any individual to do too much by themselves.

Unfortunately the snakes and Powerades went down too well, with the chemistry of the first half evaporating into the crisp Saturday afternoon air. But credit to Southern, who re-organised and decided to go back to eleven behind the ball rather than eight or nine. It was an effective tactic and reeked of the great Moorabin teams of yore.

One all for the second half a timely reminder that 70 minutes is needed to be the best. As Barney Allen reminded us after the game: never flirt with your form and never hit across goals. Such words of wisdom.

The game ultimately finished eight seconds early, due to Cam Nelson’s untimely hamstring. To the untrained eye, it looked like a Grade 2.

A final score line of 7-2 left everyone feeling a little flat. We’ll just take the three points and move on. There is a growing belief that our best is a match for any at this level.

There was the small matter of a deflected ball during the warm up for the following game. The author is aware that the affected is remorseful for his loud expletive. But we can reveal scans have cleared him of any major damage.

In what has been a good news week for the club, we can also reveal Simon Cleave has announced that he has put his retirement plans on hold. Four brutal goals last week have stoked the fires of this once great engine. The 5B’s are sure to be the beneficiary of his determination and far-sightedness.