On a crisp Saturday morning El Zorro left home with enough time to wash his car before heading to the game. Little did he know that his car would require a full 35 minutes to clean (just the outside) when it usually takes under 10. This off course meant that he arrived with 10 minutes to spare and missed Caggers injury. Fortunately the team did manage to carry out some warming exercises before the game and had also sorted out the new formation… seems that El Zorro was not needed at all to organise things!
This was to be a tough game. The 5’s always performed well at Nonsuch and just 2 seasons back had secured a famous 3-2 win. Would history repeat itself? Would the goddess Nike smile at the 5’s or will she hide her charms?
The game started promisingly. A quick move by Epsom down the right ended with a Zorro strike, which was so violent that the ball decided to quit and split in half. One half entered the goal, the other decided to escape… goal? Long corner? No… a 16!!! Was this the sign of things to come? We also thought so until Cheam scored! 1-0 to them. Disappointment turned to despair, despair to anger, anger to frustration, frustration to a sense of loneliness… but then beauty showed its face as an Epsom goal! 1-1. Grant (our new poacher) picked up the ball after a melee in the D and with precision scored! He had surely been blessed by the goddess of fortune as he was exactly where he needed to be, not over there, but right there, in the right place at the right time.
After some inspired word from the captain read from the gospel of Hockey the team truly showed that hockey can be a religion and that Nonsuch was the cathedral of skill and determination. We controlled the game, closing Cheam and generating miracles of passing. However hard they tried Cheam could not make the 5’s sin. They stood steadfast, proud and all shone with a light so pure that the second goal did not take long to follow… and yes, scored by Saint Grant.
The eleven Epsom shining knights were destined for heaven, and they reached it when a few minutes later the game ended.
MOM went to Saint Grant. TFC to Massive.
Bless you all, Cardinal Zorro