Football

BRANCH 60 FOOTBALL REPORT:
BOXING DAY FOOTBALL CLASSIC

The second annual Legion 60 Boxing Day Football Classic was another roaring success. Under the excellent organization of Sammy Saundh 40 players showed up under a dull and cool grey noon sky. There was a whiff of Christmas Pudding in the air. The energy on and off the field was palpable as sides and the choice of beverage were chosen.. The teams comprised of young athletic footballers, who were the creations of the small regiment of Football Legionnaires from Branch 60. What a showing! Old tracksuits were in evidence as was the shoe horn for the donning of the cleats. Limbering up was short as most of the older, less athletic, footballers sat down for a rest. Years of experience had taught them how to pace themselves. At 12.15 precisely the whistle was blown. The first substitution occurred at 12.17. It became immediately apparent that some, but not all, of the old timers knew what they were doing. Rapid sprints off the ball generally achieved nothing! Sliding tackles were disallowed as was head butting. There was no diving, always such an unfortunate problem that spoils so many games at this level. The main reason given for the lack of diving was that the players would have been unable to get up! However, there were some spectacular headers peppering the goal in machine gun fashion. Noticeable was Cde. Tony Austin’s effort which left him parallel to the ground as the ball burst through the roof of the net! Next year this event will be televised live. A few ladies kitted up to add some demeanor and glamour to the occasion. Our Legionnaires looked wonderful in their tracksuits and pink tops! Breaking out into a sweat was not the idea for many of the more seasoned attendees. Indeed, we even had rugby players who were bemused by the shape of the ball. Several games were played and other honorable mentions should be accorded to Cdes. Steve Norwood, Gordy Hughes, Peter Skinner and Jeremy Woodham. As the time passed the substitutions became more frequent. On this occasion emergency services were not called. The spectators numbered about 30 and were raucous in their support for the fine plays they witnessed. Some of the noise was helped by the libation on the sidelines. Inevitably the result of the three way match was a draw! The penalty shootout resulted in a “no decision’ but the penalty shots demonstrated the finesse of some of the more experienced players. Two shots rattled the crossbar, which was fortunate for Cde. Gordy Hughes as his shot was on the way to Stanley Park! It was fitting that no yellow or red cards were given by Sammy, who did an excellent job with the whistle. In fact the only whistle you could hear was of the gentle winters breeze through the trees

The Legionnaires performed their version of the ‘Haka’ before warming down. For some, it was as warm as they got! The group retreated to Branch 60 for the awards ceremony. The chilli and sandwiches, prepared by Cde. Reid Anderson were welcome, as was the beer. Sales were good at Branch 60 that afternoon. Sammy Saundh did a splendid job as MC and his words of encouragement will no doubt have the players more excited than ever by Boxing Day 2007. Unfortunately, our Goalkeepers from the 2005 Tournament, namely, Cde. Tom Dimitroff, Cde. Garry Ferris and Cde. Mike Sears were unavailable this year and were given an honorable mention. Tom helped distribute the awards. These were given mainly for showing up. A special mention was given to the MVP, Cde. Glen Southern, whose penetrating sorties down the centre of the pitch were a delight to behold. The ladies MVP was awarded to Kelly Reynolds for her deft touch off the ball and for looking glamorous!

Next year we hope to have four teams and a true championship.

We need all the players we can get …..and the players need all the help they can get!!

Jeremy Woodham, Sports Chair Branch 60