Messy business

OK, hands up who forgot to take their shoes and socks off outside last night when they got home?

Yep, me too, and the result was a big sigh from the missus as she  surveyed the light sprinkling of black bobbly bits of rubber strewn across the carpet and said: ‘Don’t worry, I’m hoovering tomorrow.’

We’ll get used to it, I guess. There is an upside to the new surface, as once again the luxury of being able to do a sliding intervention without losing half the skin off your leg was in evidence, as Holly produced a last-ditch effort to deny one goal-bound effort. And other people took a tumble without any ill effect … although Grant was in the wars again. Oh dear.

If you have a suitable caption for this picture, please add it as a comment

Matthew Igoe flew in from Texas on Saturday and fancied joining us on Wednesday. Welcome, Matt

Off and running on the 3G, St Ives

WHO PUT the lights out? That was the cry at precisely 22:01 when we were unexpectedly plunged into darkness at the end of our first session on the new 3G surface at One Leisure. After much groping around we managed to salvage tracksuits, phones, keys, etc and ease our way cautiously to the exit.

Apparently the lights are on a timer, unbeknown to the centre staff (!) so we hope it won’t be happening again. No matter, we enjoyed our first outing, although some of us took a little longer to adjust than others. Hope to see some of our other regulars back next week, now that Richie’s nuptials have taken place (hope all went well with that, Rich).

Poor Grant took a tumble and landed awkwardly on his wrist so we await a medical report and hope that no long-term damage has been done.

Two more items of note … First up, Rob wondered out loud the wisdom of sending the oldest player on the pitch to retrieve a ball that had gone over the fence. OK, so it took a while for me to scoot round there, Rob, but at least I was quick off the blocks. Secondly, how’s this for the most understated goal celebration of all time? (click arrow to play vid) Scroll down for a couple more pix.

BankC and Peter discuess tactics beforehand

Dazza looks pleased with the new surface

Wakey-wakey!

AFTER THE mind-numbing England performance last night it will be good to get back to the inspiring action at One Leisure. I say that with some confidence, since the standard of play in recent weeks has just sky rocketed.

Shame this week will probably mark the last week of action for our Uni boys for a while, but on the  plus side we welcome back Jonni after his trip to Africa and we also have another fortnight of the SparksMeister before he’s back in action over in Norwich.

BankC has been alerted that we were in a non on-going ball situation for a short time last week, so he’s promised to bring a new one along.

So, after watching Wayne Rooney’s hair grow a little bit more last night (there was precious little else to look at) let’s get stuck into some proper football in the fresh, September air. Bring it on!

Revised prices

THANKS FOR your continued support of our Pay-as-you-Play Wednesday night football sessions. Just a brief note to say that after reviewing our finances we’re going to be asking for a slight increase in fees, to the following levels:

• Adults: £4

• Students and those out of paid employment: £2

We hope you still look upon your Wednesday night as a great opportunity to enjoy some really good football in a friendly and relaxing environment, and we look forward to seeing you this week at 21:00hrs, or whenever you are next able to join us.

Confirmed this Weds

WE ARE good to go again this Wednesday (24th Aug). Another good turnout last week, including a couple of walking wounded who played through the pain barrier. Top marks to BankC in particular. See you there!!

Dads and Lads weekend

YES, it’s back! 9th-11th September at the Thorpe Woodlands Adventure Centre in Thetford Forest. We’ve booked out the whole site. This is for Dads and Lads Year 5 upwards (as of September).
Loads of outdoor activities, games, food.
Come with your mates, thinking about being Dads and Lads of God,
Leisure pool session thrown in! Even if you don’t attend church we’d be very happy for you and your lad to come along for a great weekend. Please see Graybo, BankC or Nick to let them know of your interest.

NB. Apologies for the anti-wrinkle ad that is now popping up on individual blog posts. Do I think about transferring to wordpress.org to remain ad-free? Let’s find a sponsor before we splash out any money.

I guess that’s the price you pay for a free blog.

Confirmed this Weds

WE ARE definitely good to go again this Wednesday (17th Aug). Pitch is booked and paid for, so see you there!!

Own goals and comedy misses

ANOTHER GREAT game last night, albeit in windy conditions. Even with some of our regulars on holiday it was another great turnout, with the Thatcher Three (Peter, Adam and Nick) joining Malc ‘Roomie’ Lee on the dash from Ramsey after playing for the church team in Turbo Cricket.

It was lovely to welcome back The SparksMeister (Gareth) and he didn’t disappoint, providing us with a trademark overhead kick and a dustbin-demolishing goal-line clearance. Speaking of goal-line clearances, Chris Nash enhanced his ‘million-pound head’ reputation with some equally crucial saves at the other end, sadly not emulated by one of his team-mates (the Man City-supporting one), who headed into his own goal after a call of such authority that everyone else cleared the decks in anticipation of an emphatic clearance. The ball spun off Joe’s head, providing us with one of many light-hearted moments.

Dan Berry had trouble keeping his feet on the slippery surface but managed to pop up everywhere with crucial contributions, and Kieran Sutton was able to venture out after the birth of Amelia, so it was great to see Kieran back in action.

After the match One Leisure staff confirmed that the G3 pitch will be open for business in October, so we will explore the possibility of a block booking once BankC returns from the Caribbean.

Thanks for the great turnout again last night, lads. It was another magnificent match played in a great spirit – with everyone playing their part.

Any other observations, please feel free to add as a ‘Comment’.

Friday’s the big day

BEST WISHES to the SparksMeister (Gareth) for Friday. He and Tori are getting married, and we wish them both well for their special day.

Another big day looming for Richie Moore. He’s marrying Katerina on September 10. Richie is currently running through his checklist on Facebook.

Confirmed this Weds

WE ARE definitely good to go again this Wednesday (10th Aug), with a good number confirming their attendance. Pitch is booked and paid for, so see you there!!