HIGHWAYMEN BOX CLEVER TO GRAB A POINT

BOEHC Highwayman 1 Bromley & Beckenham Men’s 7s 1

Four defeats on the trot would have represented the team’s worst ever sequence of results, so this was very much a point won, rather than two lost, in an excellent, competitive and sporting local derby. The score was probably a fair result overall, as both teams rightly had a “goal” each chalked off, but the home team will feel happier having come from behind to secure a second-half point. After last week’s disappointment at Sevenoaks the management rang the changes, setting up in a 3-1-4-2 formation and drafting in Blackheath old boy and lifelong Seagulls fan Ali Burnett to stiffen up the team’s resolve. BOEHC stalwart Steve Miller once again added some abracadabra magic in central defence, whilst Ravi Wickramasuriya returned to the fray in midfield, as did Tom Davies up front.

The last time these two teams met there was only one goal scored, so this game was always likely to be as tight as an elephant’s jockstrap, and so it proved - plenty of jabs and thrusts, but no decisive blows, with each team tending to cancel out the other in a crowded midfield, although the guests were more adept at ducking inside and getting some long balls through to their front runners. Playing wide on the right the home team’s resident Kiwi Steve Garth might only tip the scales as a welterweight, but he put in a true heavyweight performance throughout, whilst Richard Cleall prodded and probed with his customary brilliance in the middle. There was really nothing in it in a tight first-half until a sloppy turn-over of possession on the right conceded the ball to Brombecks. Five seconds and a quick break later, the ball was undercut into the home team’s net to give that rather familiar scoreline after 20 minutes of 0-1. It simply was not working for the Club, with plenty of huff and puff up front, but little headway despite the heroic efforts of Sammy Chana, so it was back to the corner for half-time, a swift towel-down and a quick tactical change.

Statistics don’t lie (well, not always), but the tide changed dramatically after captain Stephen Gilbert was introduced to the fray and the team reverted to a more traditional 4-4-2 formation, which stretched the game and brought the home side much more into things. Seconds out ... round two, and with the team now deploying a flat back four, this enabled right-back Alex Godwin to get forward more efficiently and with a clearer conscience, and his southpaw thrusts on the right were a constant threat to the opposition. Still with no out-and-out forwards to call upon, the reluctant Josh Clark found himself leading the line for the second 35 and made a grand fist of it, coming close on two occasions with long one-on-ones after being put through by the influential Burnett, who, alongside Miller and the team’s other half-time substitute, presented probably the least hirsute left flank the team had ever fielded. It was no less than the Club deserved when the equaliser came in the 49th minute, courtesy of a scrappy goal from a short corner which had more claimants than your average DHSS office, although nearby witnesses confirm that Davies got the last touch to prod the ball over the line to make it 1-1 and game on.

Thereafter it was end-to-end-stuff, nip and tuck, and great to watch, but also with superb game management skills from Cleall and Miller, who drew on all their experience to play out the final few minutes with the minimum of dramas and settle for a much-needed point to go into the Christmas break with a first “non-defeat” in four. However, it was still a virtually unanimous decision that keeper Tom Conway was once again elected as man-of-the-match after another sterling display which saw him command the D well and make a couple of great stops to boot ... and one even with the boot. Despite an unerring ability to turn up an hour before pushback and still keep the umpires waiting to start, and even if the team physio occasionally struggles to find a pulse before matches, he has been a major asset all season.

Neither team could land a knockout blow before the final bell brought an end to proceedings, the finale to the first half of the season, and the start of an overlong 7-week hiatus till the January 2017 restart. Whilst the team has struggled a bit since mid-November (the first 5 games yielded 15 goals and 13 points, the next four 2 and 1 respectively), mainly as a result of the strain of rarely playing with any recognised strikers, there have been a number of positives to draw from the rebranded Highwaymen’s inaugural season to date. Tom Conway is rapidly becoming a seasoned veteran - despite being well short of his 20th birthday - and is an integral part of the team, whilst Josh Clark is the successful face of the team’s rejuvenation / makeover and is adapting really well to men’s hockey with loads of support from all the squad’s senior pros. However, the team remains hugely indebted to the Duracell abilities of its true talisman, the Ayatollah Richard Cleall, who continues to prove that whilst form is temporary, class is permanent, and he usually manages to maintain both in abundance.

The best facet of 2016 has been the terrific team spirit, both in victory and in defeat, which has made the squad a generally very happy one, and often a good one to watch too, as witnessed by some highly encouraging spectator attendances, even for the graveyard shift games. Against Brombecks and in chilly conditions, the numbers were indeed down a bit, presumably as a result of banning away fans for volatile local derbies, but massive thanks are due to the three who did turn up (and not for the first time): the President, the “Dad” and the Legend*.

Merry Christmas to all our readers!

(* Mssrs. Maltman, Dowse the Elder, and Tony D’Cruz).

Team:
Tom Conway (GK), Ali Burnett, Tim Walters, Steve Miller, Alex Godwin, Richard Cleall, Mark Ainley, Sammy Chana, Ravi Wickramasuriya, Steve Garth, Josh Clark, Tom Davies and Stephen Gilbert (C).

Man-of-the-match:
Tom Conway – another great game from the most laid-back keeper in world hockey.

Umpires:
Ali Basham did the honours for the home team and was great, as was the visiting umpire too, assisted by the players on show who, bar the odd outburst, towed the line and played in a very competitive, but friendly spirit throughout – well done to all concerned.