On Thursday a rag-tag 8 man team made the long trip to Ealing for the away leg of the fixture from two weeks ago – its almost like a champions league fixture or something… Here’s the stats…
Our light team of 8 included the long awaited returns of Tim “ooo my shoulder” Young, Andy “too many beers” Ogg and Chris “Limocello” Mann. We expected a tough game, and a very physical game we got – not helped by some slightly dubious home refereeing. That being said, it felt like a game we could have won had we had perhaps two more subs to freshen the line-up!!
The game was tight through out and we missed several 1 on 1’s in the first 2 quarters that could have seen us build a lead. We trailed for most of the game but managed to level the match early in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately tiredness then began to show and we eventually lost 11-8. A shame because we could have picked up a win!! We scored some good goals and played some good counter attacking polo at times. We also had long periods of good defense, limiting them to shots from the arc and speculative lobs.
Man of the Match this week went to Tim “bicep cannon” Young for a successful return to the pool – only 6months into the season… Tim marked his return with a well taken goal from the wing – winding up the big bicep for a bounce shot into the far corner!! He was also a brave little soldier, fighting through the pain to make up the 8!!
Moment was hotly contested, with a good goal from Dan (a floated pass into the pit expertly diverted into the net) narrowly beaten by a Nick’s precise lob into the far corner. Both Nick and Dan picked up 3 goals each, with Oggy bagging a penalty to avoid a maddie!! On a positive note, no one picked up a maddie this week, so a strong team performance.
Fluffer this week went to Chris “optimistic shot” Mann who attempted a long range effort that sadly dribbled into the hands of the Ealing keeper. It was the right option to take, as there was lots of room in front of him, but it was a lesson to us all to make sure we take the space that is available to us!! Fluffer was narrowly won this week too, with Phil “punchy” Richards narrowly avoiding the award for his 2 majors and attempts at having a fight… interestingly with the same bloke Mr. Shute had a run in with last time!!
Stats wise, Bedford is still out in front on the goals, with Shute finally breaking the 50 goal marker. Holah is still out in front on the Majors (19), but there is a tight chasing pack, with Gary on 16, Ed on 15 and Nick on 14. With the Tom Dwyer Cup Final just around the corner, the Narwhals are looking to build some momentum – so lets go get a win against Guildford this week!!
Forza Narwhali!!