Vale of Lune 19 – Manchester 22

Happy Birthday GB!

What a day! What a game of rugby, what a nail biting, nerve tingling morning and what a result – I am shattered just thinking about it and all I did was watch. Hats off to all the players, coaches and spectators on both sides for an exciting Sunday morning. I am sure this will be the first of many close encounters between these sides over the next few years.

We were all up early again (thanks Jim....................... actually this time it was my fault – mea culpa!) and made the trip up the M6 to Lancaster, the furthest point North that our Lancs Cup exploits have taken us to date. The last time we played at Vale was the Sunday morning of our Lakeski Tourski at the end of last season when the preceding evening we had witnessed Brad Pitt doing his bit for Anglo:Russian relationships. That day we came second to a very good Vale side and it transpires that may have been the last time they had conceded a try.

Games like these, between two good teams, often hinge on a few key moments in the game, a tackle, a missed tackle, a knock on, a dropped pass or a piece of individual brilliance.... for me there were a few that stood out today
· Kylie’s tackle on the Vale back row player right at the start set the tone for the game.
· The decision to kick the penalty in the first half that in the end proved to be the difference between the two teams – I could have heard Cannabis shouting the instructions had I been stood in the stand at Grove Lane!
· The last gasp tackle on The Sheap when he was, but a hoof away from going over for a try; and
· GB squeezing over for a try under the sticks with only a minute or two left on the clock (after I had been shouting for him to pass it out I admit!)

Today everyone was a hero and particularly in defence where the tackling was as good as it has ever been against a big pack. There were frequent stoppages for bumps and bruises and as a result people playing in new positions today, Kylie at hooker was impressive, especially when he worked out where to stand for the lineouts, Mazzlaar making a Lazarus-like recovery to re-join the game at blind-side. But the moment of the match when we realised we might have gone a step too far was when we were thinking of asking Cannabis the Younger to go in the back row – blood rushed away from his face and he looked like he’d seen a ghost!! We soon corrected this ridiculous suggestion.

So after earlier tries by Wolfy and Hanno and with the score at 19-15, two or three minutes left on the clock it was a real Billy’s Boots moment that GB should step up to the plate and deliver the try that he had been threatening to score all day. That he should do that on his 13th Birthday as well means he will remember this for a long time to come – Well done and Happy Birthday GB................ now about passing the ball off first phase............. (for another day!)

Coaching insight of the day award goes to McTouch Judge this week. In the last minute the Vale boys were racing to re-start the game after GB had converted his own try to send the score to 19-22, McTouch Judge advised the boys that the ball would go long and left............... yes you guessed it ‘short and right’ – good job the lads take as little notice of him as they do of the rest of us.

It was great to see all the lads eating together after the game and the parents more exhausted than the players, trying to recover - some deciding to have a medicinal Baileys to aid the process (don’t worry Amanda we won’t tell anyone!!)

We should remember though in the euphoria of today that all this has done is earned us the right to play a quarter final, there is a lot more hard work to come!

Thanks again to all the parents for getting up so early on a Sunday (apologies Mrs Karate), bring the lads to the games and supporting them so fervently and today specifically thanks to all the players and subs for their efforts – you have made us all proud!

Our sincere thanks to all players, coaches and spectators at Vale for the spirit the game was played and watched in – I am sure we will meet again later this season. We wish the young man who went to hospital with a leg injury a speedy recovery.