ASTROTURF WAR

From the off, this one was a battle. Massed armies lined up and no sooner was the ball in play then it was in the net. Simon's left footed launch into the D was crashed into the net by Wes's mighty brow.

An instant reply by the shirts set the tone for this game. Tit for tat. End to end. Goal for goal. Tackles were flying in, the midfield was packed, but surprisingly much of the play was pass-and-move stuff. At least until the last twenty minutes.

The intensity was there from the start - not just between teams, but between teammates. Gier's constant cry for "Pressure, pressure, pressure - get in close!" and Billy's (over) familiar battle cry for more effort kept things vocal.

Goals at either end kept the game close and so the tension mounted and the tackles became more desperate. You might say it got a bit fraught, or you might say it's great that the games are played with such intensity and desire to win. A few fouls, one or two disputed decisions. The boiling point was coming. Who was going to crack?

Mark and Shaughen at the back for the shirts were sticking their heads in where it counts, Luke and Lee for the Greens were doing the same. Tony was giving everything, Fraser was somehow managing to find cute little passes in amongst the mayhem. Guy and Stef took a grip of the midfeild, and for the first time in the game the Shirts pushed ahead. Not for long.

Wes was box to box, and the Shirts' youngwhipper-snappers were showing some cheeky little touches around the D. Tackles were - let's say - fiesty. A slippery little header from Rich brought a goal that enjoyed congratulations from Stef. The generosity of spirit between teams was short-lived.

So much incident, so much to play for, time running out, something had to give. Long balls started to pound each box, a shove here, a trip there, and half a dozen different versions of what the score was.

Then there were the man-on-man confrontations. With five minutes to go it was almogst time to call in the UN. It all got a bit personal. But would we have it any other way?

How many players a side? Who knows! Too many to count, and too chaotic to name names. There were cries for volunteers to join the game on the next pitch. Any takers? As Chib put it, "We've all got too much emotional investment in this one!"

And that about sums it up.

As for the finishing, well ...