Pistons One Day Tournament

at Southgate on Saturday 8th July 

After producing a bare nine players for the Guildford One Day Tournament on June 25th, due largely to the torpidity and ineptitude of the match manager (me),we arrived mob-handed at Southgate, with a strong squad of thirteen players, plus Wendy Beaney, as umpire.

Our opposition over four games, to be played through the day, was supposed to be all Over 50 sides, and so our confidence was high. Sadly, three senior teams dropped out at short notice, leaving us with only Pistons Vets to pit our skills against - three or four times - which was something of an anti-climax, to say the least.

LX opened the tournament against, yes, Pistons in bright sunshine, on the excellent water based pitch, in front of the pavilion. How the crowd roared!. The game of one 30 min period , was evenly matched and drawn 0-0, after some very good hockey. As ever, the crowd commented on the smooth, short-passing interplay, which has come to be recognised as an LX feature.

It was decided to consolidate our remaining games into one of two 30min halves, with a view to playing a final game later, against one of the junior teams. However, by then, it was apparent that the junior teams were too young, too strong, and too quick for the grand old men of hockey, and so we ended cheerfully with a 3-4 loss , having scored with two fine deflections by Rod Cochrane, and a stinging shot by Greg Hutchins. 

Our thanks, especially to our umpire, Wendy Beaney, who puffed and blew throughout. 

LX Squad: A Dures, J Widgery, M Beaney, R Mayes, B Tubb, P Crayford, C Pearce, R Cochrane, G Wilkinson, A Jackson, G Hutchins, A Money, B Woolcott. (Managing Capt.)

Brian Woolcott