3rd March 2007
WOKING V EGHAM HOLLOWEGIANS

Another Saturday another story: the day was stunning; little by little trees were blossoming, the grass looked fresh from the previous night's rain and the sun was generously shining upon our path. You could hear the distant humming of a tune: so familiar yet so strange & so peaceful yet so tormenting. It is odd how one can be surrounded by such an atmosphere yet feel enslaved in the deepest of thoughts.

After last weeks agonising home defeat to Haselmere, Egham were to play another important game versus Woking. The squad had an air of nostalgia about it as this was our captain's last game for the club this season. Thankfully we had a full team with a few on the bench.

From the kick off Egham was on the attack with several good runs in Woking's puddles of mud. After 10 minutes, constant pressure from Egham resulted in a well-deserved penalty right in front of the posts. Maccer converted and this was certainly a bright start.

But as soon as we turned our backs, Woking seemed to have woken up. Egham started giving away penalties like a popcorn seller selling popcorns at his business peak. The Lord's angst had been set within our souls and soon Woking's fly-half kicked a penalty to equalise.

Following this, solid defensive work by the back row, bolstered by our Fijian brothers Ato and Thomas resulted in Woking losing possession on a number of occasions but Egham just couldn't build upon the work. Hard-headed veteran Keith Tomasso also had to leave the pitch as he pulled a muscle whose existence he was unaware of.

A few more popcorns let Woking take the lead by 3 points.

In the first half, Woking's fullback was involved in at least two handbag incidents. He wildly reminded me of a certain notorious pirate. He just needed a parrot, an eye patch and a mutilated leg. The giant Ato tried to make this last one happen and consequently was sin binned.

Concentration was running low amongst the squad and some loose passes were being thrown all over the pitch. This damnation went on for the rest of the half. We were like a group of desperate men trying it out with every moving creature on a night out and going back empty handed. Loss of concentration, gaps in defence and continuous back chat led to Woking making the most of a penalty in front of the posts and subsequently taking the lead.

Half-time: EH 3 - 6 Woking

At the break, proud Scotsmen Gavin and Hugh both gave thunderous speeches which lifted the spirit of the squad. Egham had the upper hand during the majority of the 2^nd half. The scrum functioned much better giving the backrow of Frenchie, Mark and Gavin time to swallow a few players. While constant pressure from the backs led to several penalties in our favour, our lineout wasn't as slick as two weeks ago and we lost some good attacking positions due to this.

The referee also had a tendency not to play advantages at all and blew as soon as something happened although we had some advantage at times. This didn't help our cause. Incidentally, on one occasion Captain Gavin was punched and stamped in the head which resulted in a scuffle. Amazingly enough our friend O'Sin did not see the incident although it happened a foot away from the touchline (only the Lord knows where he was looking at the time) while the referee claimed to not have seen it himself but gave a penalty for dangerous play. Do you see the contradiction? He didn't see it but gave the penalty.

Half way in the 2^nd half, Woking counterattacked and another easy penalty was given away and the gap widened to 6 points. Egham were desperate for a try.

In the last 10 minutes, a series of good plays gave us a nice position deep in Woking's 22. Alas the opposite inside centre intercepted the following pass and ran for 20 odd meters before being brought down by a superb tackle by Maccer. After this Egham were on the back foot and Woking made the most of a lineout on our 5 metre line to nail the score and shut the doors.

Final Score: Egham 3 -16 Woking

At this point I don't want to talk about this loss or the faults which we keep committing week after week. Nor would I like to lament the glory we would have witnessed by coming out victorious. It suffices to say the air at the end of the match resembled the moment one is denied the charming lips of a beloved, tossed to a corner and bitten deep in the soul. Nevertheless I would like to pay tribute to a man that many of us admire not only for his good looks, poetic tongue and artistic ambitions but also for his endless work rate on and off the pitch. He has been an inspiration to many and a lifting force at crucial times in all matches. We are all grateful for his efforts and contributions to the club and hope to see him back soon in the pastures of Englefield Green. Stay healthy Gavin!