WA Over 60's - 2009 Match Reports

WA vs VIC2 - Monday, September 28, 2009

It's a rude awakening, up at 5.30a.m., team's ready for departure to the ground at 6.30am. You can tell those who are not morning people.  
"The Cougar", that's Bill "Rufus" Campbell, for ever hereafter "The Cougar" , is sitting in the hotel foyer on a sofa, eyes shut, looks the antithesis of the nickname he acquired in the Darwin 55's team.  
And sitting in the adjacent seat is Lunger, the nightowl, who gives a brief perfunctory grunt of acknowledgement making it perfectly clear that he has no wish to converse with anyone until the sun is up.  
But this is Melbourne, there is no sun, the clouds are over and it's a cold biting wind.  
Last to assemble are the boys from Room 110, already led astray by Pedro, and who would not want you to measure their serum cointreau levels this morning.  
And finally comes the Captain who for the second successive day is wearing his socks inside out.  
We're on the minibuses heading for the ground on Day 1 of the tournament, and this time the navigators have got it right. It's only seven o'clock and the groundstaff have barely unpadlocked the gates and there's Cougar's thinking he could have had 30 minutes more sleep.  
The Captain, leaving it to the eleventh hour to hurriedly reverse his socks, struggles to redress in time for Lunger's warm-up session.  
But, in minutes, we're on the ground, lining up, the whistle blows and we're off and running.  

Pedro and Len are controlling the deep defence, Huddy is the marshal in the middle and half-backs David "Spider" Evans and "The Cougar" are running off well, and the balls coming forward are creating some space for the forwards.  
Clyde is creative, producing some skilful touches, Alan is taking on the defence and with Coach Thomson (and yes, he's the Coach as well as the Captain..... ........must be one of those control freaks, we are thinking), anyway he's making some penetrating runs wide down the left and we are looking dangerous.  
A great diagonal pass from the left comes rocketing into the circle and there's the flying "Lunger" diving forward at full stretch to get his stick on the the ball which is heading goalwards and somehow the goalie plucks it out of the air and it's still nil all on the scoreboard.  
The attack comes again, this time finding Clyde on the right who slips the ball outside to the running "Lunger".  
We're up to the attacking 23 as the ball comes back inside to Clyde and left again to Alan "Wombat" Stewart whose rapier-like shot hits the back of the net.  
We're on the board, its one nil after 12 minutes !!!  
The rotations come off the bench with fresh running legs, KY's making his usual back-stick traps at left-half, Heath "Irish" Tyrrell is overlapping well down the right.  
Huddy, dominant in the midfield, has an argument with a Victorian stick and gets it on the nose..... mind you, Huddy can be a bit 'on the nose' at times when he's hot and sweaty after a game.... but he comes off the ground and is replaced by the ever dependable Mal "Hagar" Horrigan.  
And we're back at the Vics, penetrating the circle and rewarded with a penalty corner. The trap by Lenny Blyth goes left to Stewie whose shot on goal is deflected into the path of the fast-closing Graham "Chip" Challenor.  
And there is Chip to strike the ball goalwards only to be denied by the foot of the defending fullback, who perversely is now deemed to be the offending full-back.  
And it's a family affair, as brother Ashley "the Flash" Challenor steps up to the plate and his penalty stroke on goal unerringly finds the mark as the Victorian goalie falls in the opposite direction.  

It's 2 nil at the half-time break, but the second half is played with less intensity allowing the opposition a little more time to settle with the ball and move forwards.  
But some strong play by "Hagar" nearly brought rewards deep in the second term, with Nigel "Gadget" Thomas providing some steadying influence at the left inner position.  
A measure of the excellent defence, with Pedro outstanding, was that goalie John "Harps" Harper only touched the ball three times during the game.  
But Harps left his best until last when in the dying minutes he made a save of outstanding brilliance as he dived left to deflect the ball wide with his stick to keep the 2 -0 scoreline intact.  
Goals Win Games, but a solid defence sure helps !!!

Result: WA 2 - VIC2 0

Goal scorers: 

Best player as nominated by WA: Geoff Hudson 

Best player as nominated by VIC2: Ashley Challenor 

WA vs ACT - Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Match preparation for Game 2 begins, for some, in the Provincial Hotel on Brunswick Street, and judging by their first, their second, and then their third helpings of mussels, we are left wondering that the only justification for this apparent gluttony must be that they really cannot spell and have this misapprehension that this is the path to increasing their muscle bulk. Nigels' knee is a looking proppy, but the rest of the boys have escaped unscathed after Game 1 other then the reckless diving Lunger whose shredded skin is now covered in a patchwork of dressings.  
As we stride out on the ground to do battle with A.C.T., Mal is looking resplendent in his new footwear, guaranteed to avoid slipping and which he hopes will give him that extra yard of pace to burn off the opposition.  
Opening attacking sorties by both teams are repelled and, two minutes into the game, A.C.T. win a free hit down their attacking right. As the winger self-passes and takes off with the ball, Simon "Thommo" Thomson closes in. But he's too close and moves too soon. The whistle blows, referee reaches into his pocket, the crowd are hushed, he pulls out a yellow card, the finger points at Thommo.  
Coach / Captain Thomson has infringed and looks crestfallen as he heads for the bench - we're down to ten players.  
The team lifts and covers the gaps while Thommo does time - the team fines will come later!!!  
He's back on and we're up in attack, the ball is passed to Clyde who fires at goal - the goalie blocks the shot but the rebounding ball falls into the path of Ashley "the Flash" Challenor and, like the seagull swooping to gather the crumbs, there is Flash to sweep the ball into the goal.  
The Coach is fired up and running hard, he stacks it in the middle of the ground with something akin to a Fosbury Flop, skin off the hands and knees - much more between us and we'll be in need of a plastic surgeon to do some skin grafting.  
It's certainly hard graft out on the ground, but first Bill "the Cougar" Campbell, then David "Spider" Evans make scything runs from the half-back positions to penetrate the edge of the circle but their shots go wide. Up the other end, the dangerous A.C.T. player, Hingee, performs some dazzling stickwork to weave his way past a melee of defenders as he comes into the circle on the right baseline. The pass, diagonally across the goal, unerringly finds the left striker, leaving Harps with no defence.  
The scores are all tied up as we head for the half-time break.  
In the second term, the Cougar is running well, pouncing on loose balls with his superior acceleration, KY makes some strong tackles to hold up the opposition and Graham "Chip" "the Ferret" Challenor is running down opponents and coming away with the ball.  
Our backs remain solid with Len Blyth marshalling the troops in defence and Huddy pivotal in the mid-field.  
The A.C.T. are kept out of the circle and fail to make another shot on goal. Heath "Irish" Tyrrell is making some penetrating angled crosses that fly like tracer bullets from the right half position to the flying forwards.  
As the game reaches the last fifteen minutes we make wave upon wave of attacks, win some short corners, but the ball doesn't quite run for us and at the final whistle we share the spoils with the Territorians.  
At the post-match presentations, Manager Challenor is determined to ensure that he continues to put pressure on the opposition to the very end .....in fact, his full 77Kg of body weight is seen to be standing firmly on the foot of the A.C.T. female manager !!! 

Result: WA 1 - ACT 1 
Goal scorers: Ashley Challenor  
Best player as nominated by WA: Len Blyth  
Best player as nominated by ACT: Geoff Hudson 

WA vs SA - Thursday, October 1, 2009

It's a grey overcast Melbourne sky as we gather for the day's encounter against South Australia.  
Nigel has opted not to run today as he can't find a spare knee joint or any other gadget that is likely to fix his knee problem in a hurry.  
And although "Irish" presented to teammate Spider for back treatment last night, and KY offered his acupuncture needles to Huddy, the rest of the boys have enjoyed yesterday's lay day.  
In fact, some took the interpretation literally, notably Pedro, who laid down on his couch all day !!!  

Meanwhile a mini-bus load headed out of the city for some team bonding in sundry wine-tasting outlets.  
Such was the popularity of this social event that it became a game of musical chairs to grab a seat on the coach - twelve seats for thirteen people, and it was Thommo who was slowest off the mark and missed the last seat leaving the coach without the Coach - we hope his acceleration is a little quicker on the field of play today.  

Leading the wine tasting was Mal who dutifully worked his way down the list, through each of the whites and each of the reds in three successive wineries.  
Having completed the final tasting, our "Hagar" diffidently declined the offer of an extra wine to taste, but, when pressed, he graciously accepted on the grounds that he was also drinking on behalf of his wife ! 

Back to the game - it's one of those wars of attrition - Lunger cops a body check from an opponent's shoulder which rattles his jaw joint, Ashley is decked from behind late in the game, gets up and is not sure in which direction is attack and which is defence.  
Cougar, quick to voice an opinion, remarks that this is not unusual for a forward anyway.  
Pedro drops a South Aussie forward in the circle and was lucky not to be carded off the ground - "he just fell over" says Pedro.  

At one end, the South Aussie forwards have seemingly beaten the defence, it looks like a goal but, at the same moment that the ball is swept off the goalline by KY, the ref blows his whistle for an infringement and a penalty corner.  
We escape narrowly as the opposition fail to convert the short corner.  
At the other end Alan "Wombat" Stewart fires towards goal but the bouncy shot just outside the right post eludes Lunger's closing run.  
There are some good moments of constructive play but too many passes to the opposition and then we are chasing the turnovers - Huddy thinks that they would be better if they turned into apple turnovers.  

It's late in the game and we're pressing hard as Ashley "the Flash" Challenor pounces on a loose ball outside right and can't quite hook the shot back inside the post.  
With a minute to go, the South Aussies attack and the ball finds the unmarked right wing two metres outside the post. With the goal open, he has the game in his hands, but he mistraps and loses control of the ball as the Cougar pounces. There's a flurry of sticks and the Cougar is struck on the paw, wins the free hit, ball is cleared and game is over.  

Its a no-score draw but the stand-out player on the two sides has been John "Harps" Harper, a colossus in goal all game, making several spectacular diving saves.  

Result: WA 0 - SA 0 

Best Player, as selected by SA: John Harper 
Best Player, as selected by WA: John Harper

WA vs WAC - Friday, October 2, 2009

When you don't come off the ground until eight o'clock at night, the points didn't go in your favour and the serum shiraz is clouding the late-night thought processes, then the Nightowl's match report does not have much useful information with any continuity to pass on to his readers - more like disjointed thoughts than a flowing report.  

We remember Harps's wonderful save of the penalty flick only to find that the ball has come to rest 0.005cm over the goalline - oh to have given the groundsman an extra wide paint-brush as all we need is a wider line.  
And we have Mal, the mild-mannered midfielder, who is aggressively struck by the swinging stick of an aggressive Country player.  
We are still wondering if the Ref was red-yellow colour blind.  
We dream about Huddy's equalising penalty corner goal, and have nightmares about Country's rapid reply.  
Simon "Lunger" Williams's desperate dive to keep a side-line ball in the field of play only results in him sliding into the side-fence and bouncing off.  
His more effective diving effort later in the game results in the ball being hooked back inside the post with the Country fullback clearing it off the line.  

But the most spectacular dive of the night comes from Clyde "Dimitri" Evans who is closing fast on the circle but executes a forward jack-knife in the pike position, degree of difficulty 3.2, and lies prostrate on the ground having torn the upper hammie.  
He needs to be replaced and, from the bench, players are coming off and on like a bride's nightie.  
Is Dimitri just trying to impress wife Liz ("Bonnie") who has arrived hot off the plane ???!!! 

That's it for now, nightowl's flown ....... or dropped off his perch !!! 

Result: WA 1 - WAC 2 

Goal Scorers: Geoff Hudson 
Best Player, as selected by WAC: Ashley Challenor 
Best Player, as selected by WA: KY Lee

WA vs NSW - Sunday, October 4, 2009

It's an early start for Game 5 against New South Wales, with a team meeting at a time when most civilised people are still catching those final moments of slumber.  
Coach Thommo announces some team changes that are akin to a magician attempting to pull the white rabbit out of a hat.  
Pivotal to the new line-up is the selection of Peter "Pedro" Hearn at left striker, his position at full-back being taken by Bill "the Cougar" Campbell.  
Some of the boys have their batteries recharged after a rest day on Saturday that includes a visit to see the Salvador Dali paintings at the Art Gallery.  
Wonderful though this exhibition is, it is true to say that not one of us actually views a single painting.  
The two-hour queue for a ticket and the one-hour extra to queue for entry is on a par with lining up in Paris for entry into the Louvre, or joining the queue for the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.  
We decide that the three hours of queueing could be put to better use e.g. playing 2 games of hockey with time for warm-up and warm-downs, watching the Grand-Final at the G with time to spare, or pontificating over a replay of one of Bill Lawry's test innings where it has taken him until mid-afternoon to take his score from 0 to 17 - but we opt for a short stroll around the other exhibits at the National Gallery of Victoria followed by some food and an ale on Southbank, while others round off their day by taking the tram-ride to the Victoria Street markets only to find that the markets have actually already closed.  
When it's not your day, it's not your day.  
The small select band of Heath, Pedro and Stewie jag not only tickets to the members' Enclosure at Royal Flemington but also a big win on the horses.  
Should we anticipate that a percentage of their not inconsiderable winnings will find its way into the team funds ? 

As for the hockey, we run well with the New South Welshman for the first twenty-five minutes.  
Ashley is running hard in the high striker position with a shot on goal going just wide of the right post, the defence are holding up well, with Huddy and his opposing centre-half tussling for mid-field dominance.  
For the second successive match, Cougar is struck on the left hand.  
The play is stopped, the hand swells, and the "Cougar" leaves the field of play to find the ice pack.  
This moment proves to be a turning point in the game. Within minutes the opposition forwards mount an attack, the shot on goal is blocked by Harps only to find that the fast-closing Col Chivers picks up the rebound and we are down by a goal.  
Before the half-time break, N.S.W. add another following a short corner and, at two down, we are looking down the barrel.  
The team is playing hard, trying to put pressure on the opposition - exemplified by Nigel "Gadget" Thomas who runs down and decks his opposite number for which he earns the umpire's green card award !!!  
David "Spider" Evans presses up the right to attack and his shot on goal from outside the circle finds the target just inside the right-hand post, but the unsighted Lunger is unable to deflect the ball en route. 
At the other end New South score twice from rebounds after Harps has saved the first shots and the undaunted Cougar returns to the fray.  
It is now the moment for Coach Thomson to play his ace - Pedro, " the fastest winger in the west", is released onto the left wing - and within minutes the flying Pedro receives a pass from Stewie, closes in for the kill but the shot on goal is blocked.  
We win the penalty corner and as Huddy traps and delivers left, there is the Alan "Wombat" Stewart to coolly stroke the ball home.  
New South Wales add their fifth and best goal after running the baseline and eliminating defenders with the simple cross back to the spot.  
Our boys have all played their hearts out but, on the day, we have been defeated by a team of better players.  

Result: WA 1 - NSW 5 

Goal Scorers: Alan Stewart 
Best Player, as selected by NSW: John Harper 
Best Player, as selected by W.A: Bill Campbell & Ashley Challenor

WA vs QLD - Monday, October 5, 2009

The start of week 2 of the tournament and the players gather at the more civilised hour of 1.30pm.  
Team Selector Simon Thomson has already had a meeting with the Coach and the Captain, and between them they have come up with a possible winning combination.  
Thommo reads out the team selections for the starting line-up ......."we'll start with Harps in goal" says Simon. The group nod wisely - a good choice, we think !!!  
The discovery that Pedro is again wearing speedos makes him an automatic selection for the left-wing position.  
We're on the bus, though not quite all of us..... "eh, Dimitri, vair is Svetlana?" "not here" comes the reply - "drinks too much" !!!!!  
As for the drugs, it's on again for the players, as they are being passed around like confectionary while we ride on the team bus heading for the hockey stadium.  
Where once, in our half-forgotten youth, we might have been sharing grass or coke, now all that we pass around is an over-the-counter packet of Voltaren.  
Captain Simon TT again wins the toss, ruefully reflecting that "the only thing that I can seem to win is the toss".  

Today, we start well, with Ashley and the forwards making an early raid into the circle in the opening minute of the game but we fail to convert.  
We hold the Maroons for twenty-five minutes but eventually they go ahead by a goal.  
Heath " Irish" Tyrell, playing his final game of the tournament, is intent on making his mark - and so he does, when the opposition left winger takes him on in a close encounter, and there's the stick-mark embossed on Mr O'Dempsey's right upper cheek.  
Nobody from the Queensland team comes forward to check on their winged wing, "Irish" is given a right brush-off and KY, who is also waved away, has to produce the "I'm a Doctor" line before first-aid can be administered.  
We're soon in attack and following shots on goal in quick succession by Alan "Wombat" Stewart and Peter "Pedro" Hearne, the goalie is lying almost on top of the ball but we can't quite get to it before it is cleared but only into the path of Stewie who rams the ball home.  
It's 1 - 1 and we're still in the must-win game.  

After the half-time break, our forward thrusts are less effective than Queensland's, who give Harps and the defence plenty to do.  
They repell short corner after corner with Len and Huddy not being permitted to run out, as the Cougar elects himself to be the number one runner.  
Could it be that the Cougar's decision to be foremost in the fray as the first runner has resulted from inside information that the team voting is to be a close run thing with himself, Len and Huddy in top contention?  
Queensland inside forward, Bob Francis, is running the legs off first Graham "Chip" Challenor and then Simon "Lunger" Williams, as he makes several darting runs into attack. 
But despite valiant efforts from all the West Aussies, the Queenslanders eventually score the winning goal and all hopes of the four evaporate. 

Result: WA 1 - QLD 2 

Goal Scorers: Alan Stewart 
Best Player, as selected by ACT: Bill Campbell 
Best Player, as selected by W.A: Graham Challenor

WA vs VIC - Wednesday, October 7, 2009

.......the nightowl's final report ...... 

As the match report for the previous game v. Queensland went to press, Player of the Match for W.A. was unknown. 
Bill "the Cougar" Campbell, the team's polling Returning Officer for the tour, has been selected for this important position for his accounting skillls.  
The Cougar leaves nothing to chance in adding 3's and 2's and 1's, imputing all data into his computer.  
The complexity of this calculation is such that the computer takes 48 hours to report that Graham Challenor is best on ground - so slow is Bill's computer, that we think it might be short of a chip or two !!! 

We meet at 7.30a.m. to plot how to outwit the Vics.  
The early part of the discussion focuses on what time we need to leave the hotel for the Jersey Boys performance at the Theatre tonight, and whether we might eat out before or after and, if so, at what time !!!  
Yesterday's attempt by Stewie, Pedro, Lunger and Ashley to soften up the Vics by beating them at golf, had already gone to water (!!!) - plenty of it, in fact, streams, ponds, and lakes, to say nothing of the bucketing from the heavens.  
But the Vics outsmart us by selecting retired hockey players to compete at golf, and thus ensuring that the West Aussies become tired , wet and cold before the hockey encounter.  

Coach Thomson is offered an industrial marker and a blank wall in Room 110 to use as a whiteboard to plot the tactics for today's game.  
But Thommo declines on the premise that 60 year old brains can no longer assimilate any new tactics ......and, besides, his player base has dwindled anyway ............ Irish has already seen the light and departed early for the sunnier climates of Bali.  
Mal "Hagar" Horrigan has joined the 'hammy club" with Dimitri, Nigel's knee is still the same old knee, and Phil the Physio is working hard on Pedro and Stewie.  
We head to the ground looking for another win but, as we can no longer make the four, Chip wonders whether we could finish early if we are ahead.  
We line up for the last time, the whistle blows, the game is under way.  
We are defending for most of the opening ten minutes, but from an attack down the right, Ashley takes a free hit some five metres outside the circle, dribbles in and finds a foot.  
As we line up for the penalty corner, bets are taken on the bench as to what Huddy will do - the odds shorten on him going left to Stewie ....... Huddy traps .... and strikes directly at the goalie - the shot is blocked and comes out to our left - and, yes, it falls in the path of Stewie who deftly traps the ball on his left, pulls it right, and coolly strikes the ball into the Victorian goal. We are one ahead - the supporters are up and out of their seats !!!  
This all goes to the Captain's head - and so did the ball, as Simon "Thommo" Thomson leaves the field with the imprint of the ball's logo embossed above his right eyebrow.  
Peter "Pedro" Hearne is playing strongly in the right half position making some telling passes - he scythes his way past the Victorians leaving defenders in his wake - he crosses the ball two metres out, past the face of goal.  
It should be 2 - 0 but Lunger goes to water and puts the unmissable goal to the right of the post.  
The Vics come back at us and score twice to go ahead.  

In the second half we are running well , finding some pace, with Chip putting pressure on his ex-Olympian opponent in defence and then running forward well into attack, but missing with an attempted reverse stick shot on goal.  
The Vics luckily score a third and the writing is on the wall.  
We're pressing hard again, the Victorian goalkeeper is briefly eliminated as Ashley "the Flash" Challenor produces some skilful stickwork, but somehow a defender deflects the ball and once again it doesn't quite run for us.  
Despite a great team effort, we fall short, and it's back to the drawing board for 2010.  

Result: WA 1 - VIC 3 

Goal Scorers: Alan Stewart 
Best Player, as selected by Vic: Geoff Hudson 
Best Player, as selected by W.A: Simon Thomson 
Best Player for the Tournament, as selected by W.A: Bill Campbell