In our first game post-tour, the mighty Narwhals lined up against Avondale II’s in a must win fixture to ensure survival in London League Div 2. The pressure was on, the table was unmanned, and our Keeper was busy getting lost on holiday… The odds were stacked against us – could the heroes of CR2 prevail?
Before the start of the game, two linchpins of the side were missing – Sarah “Fan #1” Bowen was sadly missing from the table and Matt “wayward” Finch was missing from keeping duties. As a result we all bravely had to step up. Gimli, Floater, Young and Finch Jnr all stepped up on the table (with mixed results…), whilst Gary “safe hands” Bowen once more took the mantle of keeper. Equally, other members of the team made great contributions – Dan “#gainz” Bedford and Rob “6-hour Tour” Loveless stepped up with some goals, whilst Nick “shoot for the stars” stepped up to take a penalty… more on that later…
The first quarter started well, mostly because Gimli wasn’t in the pool – as a result we won the swim-off. Dan and Nick (despite his best efforts) contributed with goals, whilst our strong defense limited Avondale only to shots from the top of the arc. First quarter finished 3-3. In the second quarter we really showed our dominance, with Ed “playmaker” Gamble making an immediate impact, 5-2 for the quarter, 8-5 for the half. Rob, John and Dan all contributed with goals, whilst Zac “smasher” Finch did his very best to prevent any Avondale players escaping their own half!!
The 3rd quarter saw another 3-3 draw, with Loveless providing another two goals alongside John “top of the arc” Holah who was a constant menace from 7m. This left the mighty Narwhals with a 3 goal lead going into the 4th – all we had to do was manage the clock and defend well. We did that exceptionally – and with 2 minutes to go and the score at 12-10, Nick “Obi wan(k)” Shute had an opportunity to secure the game with a late penalty. Two thoughts ran through his mind at this point… 1.) score the goal and secure survival for his team… 2.) Keep the game exciting for the fans… The below graphic indicates the option he chose…
Despite his best efforts however, the Narwhals finally triumphed 12-11, keeping the hopes of survival alive!! All that remains now are a home and away game against Enfield. So by that, I mean a home game against Enfield…
Man of the Match this week very narrowly went to John “point man” Holah for a strong performance in the pit. He narrowly beat (on the last vote) Rob “MEDIC!!” Loveless who was applauded for his 5 goal haul. Again, shout out to Gary for his heroics in goal!! Moment of the Match was awarded to Dan and Zac for their delightful collaborative goal from the pit. I think eventually Avondale will learn not to drop off Zac… Kudos to Bedford as well for his naughty back shot lob – Jedi-esque!! Fluffer this week was very clearly awarded to Mr. Shute for his wayward shooting. Nasa said they would bring our ball back eventually…
Until next time… Forza Narwhali!!