This week saw two games for the Narwhals which resulted in two victories (post truth/fact). A 13-11 win vs. Avondale II’s in the Tom Dwyer and a friendly 14-8 win vs. Guildford II’s. Stats available below:
Monday 30th saw an intrepid 10 travel to Putney to begin our defense of the Tom Dwyer Cup. Inexplicably despite having a 2-goal positive handicap last season, we were allocated a 3-goal deficit this year. The 5 goal swing was daunting and unexplained, and our hopes sank as the nominated ref was from Avondale I’s. With the odds against us, we took to the pool.
The game that followed saw a very strong team performance. Our half bath press worked well and after 2 quarters we held a deserved 5-3 lead. We did have a few issues around passing (Rob) and shooting (Rob) but in total we limited Avondale to few chances. There is an argument to say we should have been further ahead!! A strong 3rd quarter saw us open up a 8-4 lead and confidence was high. Sadly we had a mad 3mins in the 4th and let Avondale back into the game. Even so, we held strong and secured the 13-11 victory. In normal Tom Dwyer situations we would be out – but the level of handicap has been challenged and the odds may still swing in our favour!!
For man of the match we actually saw 7 individuals nominated for the award – showing that nearly everyone had a great game. Even so, the MoM for this game was shared between Dan “weak wrist” Bedford and Nick “weepy arm” Shute for their goal contributions. Moment of the match went to Zac “best Finch” Finch who is always good for a goal against Avondale. Fluffer was tightly fought between Oggy and Loveless for some impressive misses, but it was clearly won by Rob “scatter-gun” Loveless for some wayward shooting and a pass to Nick that actually left the pool…
Here’s the maddy… I can confirm Lisbon is lovely this time of year… (#100%record)
Wednesday 1st February saw us take part in a friendly match against Guildford – the return leg from December where a week 3rd quarter led to a disappointing loss. Before the game we lost Matt “baby sitter” Finch and Phil “Simon Tidy” Richards who both took an impromptu trip to the Portuguese coast. They still haven’t come home…
The team were doubly disheartened to hear they would be without their motivational linchpin Ed “heart and soul of the team” Gamble who had to referee for 2 quarters of the game. Nonetheless, the Narwhals raced into a strong lead, with a Loveless hattrick contributing to a 5-1 1st quarter lead. Rob “Gepetto” Loveless quickly reverted to type however and failed to pick up any further goals for the rest of the game… Noticing that Gary had made an early start to the Major King award, John “slasher” Holah wasted no time in collecting two majors by half-time. There is no way anyone else is winning that prize…
Halftime saw a 9-4 scoreline which quickly raced to 12-7 by the end of the third. We struggled with a touch of selfishness, often reluctant to give that final pass to a team mate. Several opportunities were squandered in the 2nd half and Chris “Where’s Wally” Mann got particularly annoyed with certain team mates who significantly contributed to his interview with Portuguese police. A solid final quarter saw a well deserved 14-8 victory for the Narhwals.
Man of the Match was shared 4 ways, with Oggy, Rob, Dan and Gary all collecting 2 votes. Moment of the match went to Charles for a couple of good goals – especially the one just before the buzzer. Rob “adult industry fan” Loveless again challenged hard for the role of Fluffer, but was pipped to the post by John “ham-fist” Holah who secured three majors in his first game of the season. A solid debut for 2017!!
Next week sees the continuation of the Thameside League and crucial battle against London Orca!!
Forza Narwhali!!